tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2923975347450070312024-02-20T07:37:42.883-08:00Church of the UndammedThe poems and essays of Georges D. Lafontant - all rights reservedG.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-15629932955287926482010-11-06T11:26:00.000-07:002011-07-29T17:53:22.384-07:00Diana ~ words and music by G. D. Lafontant - 1991</ br><br />
<br />
Relentlessly gentle<br />
like the eye of a storm<br />
She raises me up<br />
I feel her<br />
surge tide comin' on.<br />
<br />
Diana pulls me closer<br />
as if I were the sea<br />
but her drawn<br />
longbow and arrow<br />
are aimed squarely at me!<br />
<br />
Well, hey now!<br />
<br />
I have never<br />
preyed upon a woman.<br />
Nor will I ever<br />
be a woman's prey.<br />
I will vow right now<br />
that I will<br />
never hunt you down<br />
Nor will I ever<br />
turn and run away.<br />
<br />
I've known many women<br />
who've shown me<br />
nothing but love<br />
and I'd never put 'em down<br />
just to<br />
put myself above them.<br />
<br />
And I've known many boys<br />
who just don't understand<br />
but it's because<br />
they're scared and ignorant<br />
and this does not<br />
make them men.<br />
<br />
So Diana said<br />
she was just a kid<br />
walking home from school<br />
when she ran into<br />
a boy she liked<br />
who started<br />
acting like a fool.<br />
<br />
He didn't get that<br />
no means no<br />
and he broke the Golden rule -<br />
He left her bleeding<br />
in the bushes -<br />
what kind of beast<br />
could be so cruel?<br />
<br />
And so I pull her closer<br />
as if I were the sea<br />
and tell her that her longbow<br />
is not be needed here with me.<br />
<br />
I promise I will never<br />
break the sacred chain<br />
instead I'll do whatever<br />
I can do to ease the pain.<br />
<br />
So won't you walk with me,<br />
here next to me?<br />
Wont' you turn and<br />
look me in the eye?<br />
Won't you lay with me<br />
in this field of green<br />
and share dreams as we<br />
stare into the sky?<br />
<br />
Oh, I will strive to<br />
listen to my daughter<br />
even when she turns<br />
a deaf ear to me.<br />
And I hope she learns<br />
from all things<br />
I've taught her<br />
But all I really want<br />
is that she can live free.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-85159208129716616792010-10-22T09:31:00.001-07:002010-10-22T09:31:18.755-07:00Just One Thing ~ words and music by G.D. Lafontant ~ C 2009<br>I've heard it said again and again ...<br />
<br />
"We never can turn back.<br />
Time just keeps drivin' on and on.<br />
And, in the end, it's best if we just let go ..."<br />
<br />
But hang on, hold the phone!<br />
<br />
If we can run but there's no place to hide,<br />
why is it all we seem to do?<br />
We play a constant, cosmic game of hide-and-seek;<br />
a kind of spiritual peek-a-boo.<br />
<br />
Oho! Hey, where'd ya go?<br />
Aha! Hey, there now, I see you.<br />
<br />
And I have often caught you wondering,<br />
the things I often wonder too;<br />
exactly what the Sacred Secret is -<br />
the key to knowing what is true.<br />
<br />
But if I find out how my story ends<br />
(or if it even ends at all),<br />
I'll lose the fun of peeking<br />
'round the bends of my light's current<br />
in this swirling crystal ball.<br />
<br />
And everything is very, very big!<br />
And nothing is really very small.<br />
<br />
So I would love to sit and visit you;<br />
revealing stories of the past -<br />
of how our histories shape<br />
our points of view<br />
and how these vistas overlap -<br />
<br />
(and how) everywhere is varied and vast<br />
and nowhere isn't on the map.<br />
<br />
It's true, we never can turn back.<br />
Time's signpost arrow points one way.<br />
And, in the end,<br />
though we can't know for sure,<br />
we can surely feel it -<br />
in our minds, blood, breath and bones -<br />
<br />
(that) everything is all one thing<br />
and that one thing is ... alone.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-68030016159300012812010-10-22T09:30:00.000-07:002010-10-22T09:30:19.918-07:00Can I Shake ... by G.D. Lafontant ~ copyright 2010<br>... can I shake your tree?<br />
Pick the low fruit first?<br />
Stand in the mush of the<br />
over-ripe you already<br />
let go ... ?<br />
<br />
Can I shake you at<br />
your foundation<br />
where you stand in a hole<br />
feeling grounded?<br />
<br />
Can I shake your faith?<br />
Or will you dig in?<br />
Will you cling tighter?<br />
<br />
Can I shake your etch-a-sketch?<br />
Make you start over?<br />
Will you draw on what<br />
you drew before or stare<br />
at the blank slate<br />
terrified and relieved?<br />
Will you start over?<br />
<br />
Can I shake<br />
your hand<br />
like we just met?<br />
Will you shake your<br />
head at every<br />
other thing I say?<br />
<br />
Can I shake your cup of dice?<br />
Can I pour your fate out<br />
on the table and watch<br />
your bones roll around<br />
on the felt?<br />
<br />
Can I shake you free?<br />
<br />
And can you do the same for me?G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-48298117994354789812010-09-08T16:02:00.000-07:002010-09-08T16:02:29.412-07:00Glass Architecture - from Songbook for the Church of the Undammed copyright 1983 by G.D. Lafontant<br /><br />
Glass.<br />
Material of utopia.<br />
You reflect,<br />
you let pass,<br />
you fill<br />
with sun<br />
light and warmth.<br />
<br />
Clear, smooth,<br />
solid water, unrippled;<br />
unlike ice<br />
not cold but<br />
radiant.<br />
<br />
Fragile<br />
and sharp<br />
when broken<br />
you cut<br />
and when you cut<br />
blood<br />
and<br />
tears<br />
like<br />
glass.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-757863634396028332010-09-08T15:54:00.000-07:002010-09-08T15:54:41.348-07:00Faith - from Songbook for the Church of the Undammed - copyright 1988 by G.D. Lafontant<br /><br />
From the Poet's fruitful pen<br />
flows the song of love<br />
and love again;<br />
the seed that spills from heart<br />
to head<br />
inspiring poetic vision<br />
made of word.<br />
And every poet<br />
whom is<br />
by another<br />
read<br />
is one less poet<br />
left on Earth<br />
unheard.<br />
<br />
I say that<br />
all of us are poets<br />
as sure as we have<br />
plunged<br />
souls first<br />
into the wonder<br />
of the world.<br />
<br />
So, when loneliness -<br />
bitter - <br />
sits down<br />
upon your breast<br />
upon your brow<br />
and nymph and satyr<br />
jest and flirt<br />
(serving only to make<br />
the heart hurt worse)<br />
turn you mind's ear inward<br />
and hear<br />
your heart's<br />
pure and simple verse.<br />
<br />
Now, turn this poem<br />
to warm beneath the sun<br />
and, certain, you shall find<br />
another one - <br />
whom you may or may not<br />
recognize.<br />
And you shall stare<br />
into each other's eyes - <br />
soft, sharp, deep and bright - <br />
and find,<br />
in their reflection,<br />
love's clean and honest light<br />
and glorious resurrection.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-68648620379673031492010-09-06T12:30:00.000-07:002010-09-06T12:30:14.448-07:00You Could Find - from Songbook for the Church of the Undammed - copyright 2008 words and music by G.D. Lafontant<br /><br />
<br />
Is it your fear of death or your will to live<br />
lets you take that next breath when you wanna give in?<br />
Is it your right to life or livin' right<br />
gets you through the day so you can sleep at night?<br />
Do you do it for you or for humanity?<br />
Would you sacrifice your freedom in your fight to be free?<br />
<br />
Would you give up your faith in a heaven above,<br />
if right here on Earth you could find true love?<br />
<br />
You looked for paradise but found the paradox<br />
of a parallel world inside a paranoid box.<br />
Well, apparently, you weren't prepared for this - <br />
where is your precious parachute here at the precipice?<br />
Will you bray out loud in desperate prayer<br />
or will you quietly look for a winding stair?<br />
<br />
Would you give up your faith in a heaven above,<br />
if right here on Earth you could find true love?<br />
<br />
Despite your age, in the spirit of youth,<br />
will you spit in the faces of the spinners of truth?<br />
Will you spiral down with the spillers of blood<br />
or make a stand on the pillars of love?<br />
Will you share your life and spend your time <br />
spreading your word and expanding your mind?<br />
<br />
Would you give up your faith in a heaven above,<br />
if right here on Earth you could find true love?<br />
<br />
(for Mom)G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-12705476663957098582010-09-06T12:13:00.001-07:002010-09-06T12:13:58.295-07:00Between You and Me - from Songbook for the Church of the Undammed -copyright 1997 by G.D. Lafontnat<br /><br />
We draw our lines upon the sand <br />
and stake off fences in the land. <br />
We let our paranoia get the upper hand. <br />
When will we ever understand?... <br />
<br />
That there's a thin skin between inside and out, <br />
a fine line dividing clarity from doubt, <br />
a narrow ledge from the center to the edge, <br />
and a breath's breadth from a whisper to a shout. <br />
<br />
There are no boundaries - no borders ... <br />
only ocean and wave ... <br />
No chaos or order ... <br />
Only love remains. <br />
<br />
We lock the door and barricade the gate. <br />
We let our minds back up with anger, fear and hate. <br />
Too often we allow our wars to seal our fate. <br />
C'mon! Wake up! It's getting late! <br />
<br />
Cause it's a quick trip from a rise to a fall <br />
and between you and me lies a hand-made paper wall. <br />
An endless thread ties the living to the dead <br />
and one truth encompasses it all ... <br />
<br />
There are no boundaries - no borders ... <br />
only ocean and wave ... <br />
No chaos or order ... <br />
Only love remains.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-43813052115598366682010-09-06T12:11:00.001-07:002010-09-09T15:22:56.504-07:00Never Let Faith Kill Your Wonder ... - from Nonsense for Smarty Pants - copyright 2009 by G.D. Lafontant<br /><br />
I used to think that faith in a Great Beyond - some other, bigger space - a space that transcended time and, well, space - was a comforting and desirable idea to hold on to. Somehow, I felt it in my bones. I had faith. Blessed was I who believed but did not see. I would live forever ... and ever ... and ever ...<br />
<br />
Then, I realized that my faith was killing my wonder. I mean, against the backdrop of eternity - what was this existence worth? A square of toilet paper serves a greater purpose for longer on the scale of a lifetime than a lifetime does within the scale of eternity. Faith turned life into one infinitessimally insignificant "So the fuck what."<br />
<br />
Focusing on an afterlife - of pure joy or pure torture - either way - makes this life a sham. Here we are - nothing but a tiny ripple in an eternity of tsunami waves. Wow. What a buzzkill!<br />
<br />
Some say you can't find purpose without finding God. I say you can't find it without losing god. After all, if we are just the craft projects of some uber-artisan - we might have purpose - like a hammer has purpose. We create nothing. We are simply tools.<br />
<br />
And meanwhile - this god is an atheist - with no need for faith or a creator or anything at all - except, perhaps, the constant obedience and worship of all creatures small and smaller.<br />
<br />
I'm much happier now that I know - deep down - that I don't know. Death is what makes my life precious to me. The inevitable march toward total oblivion is why I get up in the morning - because I can.<br />
<br />
Face it - even if there is an afterlife - you won't be you. Your body, brain, desires, flaws, sensations, emotions, thoughts, needs, aversions, fears, aspirations, visions, nightmares - everything that makes you ... you - will be gone. No sex, no eating, no cracking your knuckles, no taking a satisfying dump, no paying bills, no earning money, no wanting to kill your boss, no kissing, no hugging, no singing, no dancing. Forever.<br />
<br />
And ever ... and ever.... and ever...<br />
<br />
We live here. That takes no faith. But it does take courage and wonder and curiosity and tenacity and hard, sweaty, satisfying labor. It takes enjoying a grape for the brief explosion of flavor on your tongue.<br />
<br />
That is what spirituality is to me. Finding love in a mad, confusing, chaotic and far too brief spasm of breathing and twitching life on Earth. Vive la vie, baby! Vive la vie!G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-22756261395264193132010-09-06T12:07:00.001-07:002010-09-06T12:07:53.831-07:00On Prayer - from Nonsense for Smarty Pants - copyright 2010 by G.D. Lafontant<br /><br />
I've been examining why I used to pray. My first prayers were rote: grace, church, bedtime, for the poor and sick, etc. I think my first personal prayer was the repetition of 'oh god, please god.' I think I used to pray for four reasons - all similar, one explicitly selfish, and one passsively selfish:<br />
<br />
1. To regain control of myself (this is not the selfish one). I think this is the most effective form of prayer because it works without god. The repetition of a mantra - oh god, please god, the multiplication tables, or whistling in the dark - can serve to calm and focus the mind. My father used to always say: "The fastest way to drown is to panic. The second is to not swim." So, of course, you don't just need to calm yourself and focus - you then need to act. But you cannot act effectively if you are not calm. It is not dissimilar from an autistic person's need for ritual to remain calm in overwhelming circumstances. "Wapner at eleven. Definitely."<br />
<br />
2. To attempt to control an outcome in my favor (slightly different than 1.) I might pray hoping for the kind of luck that lets you get away with a mistake or misdeed. Or, perhaps, to win a competition, to garner unearned wealth, or for misfortune to befall an enemy. This is the explicitly selfish one. To the degree that remaining calm and focused in a lie, a denial, or a competition - it sometimes helped. But this one has a plausible deniability clause for god in the case of ineffectiveness - god didn't want me to get away with it or have an unfair advantage.<br />
<br />
3. Helplessness; especially for a positive outcome for someone in dire straits. My friend is really sick and I can do nothing to affect the outcome. While I can visit and try to be a comforting presence and I do, I pray because there is little else to do. This may help me remain calm for my friend.<br />
<br />
4. Unhelpfulness disguised as helplessness; this would apply to praying for the children of Haiti without doing anything to help - not even giving a few dollars to a relief organization. This is passively selfish and, frankly, puzzling. Nowadays, it takes almost no effort to send a few bucks to a relief organization. Nevertheless, I have heard from people who, I'm certain, prayed for the Haitians in their church for more than one Sunday, who were then heard during the week complaining about them 'immigrating' to the U.S.<br />
<br />
I still practice a version of 1. and may apply it to 3. But I write poems for these times - sometimes at these times - that help me calm down, focus, and prioritize. I've found that 2. & 4. are absent from my 'repertoire' and, I feel, I am a better person for it. Sure, in order to function, and to the degree that I am thoughtless, I display apathy to the less fortunate in a moment to moment context. But, I find, I am a far more generous person in ways that are effective than I used to be when I believed prayer, in and of itself, affected outcomes.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-9349845327367493932010-09-06T12:06:00.000-07:002010-09-06T12:06:18.666-07:00I was a Child - words and music by G. D. Lafontant - copyright 1989 (or so)<br /><br />
I was a child happy to wonder.<br />
I had a mind as bright as my eyes.<br />
I was a child exiled and scorned.<br />
Took me awhile to recognize lies.<br />
<br />
I was shown women as for my amusement.<br />
I was told that the poor were there for my use.<br />
I was taught war was something I should do.<br />
Like my parent's before me,<br />
I know these things are not true.<br />
<br />
Women, my sisters, to you my love.<br />
A poor man in spirit is how I shall live.<br />
Peace is a verb I know I must do.<br />
All that I've got is all I have to give.<br />
<br />
Look at the world, look at yourself inside and out.<br />
Always ask questions and remain in doubt.<br />
Ask yourself hard just what you're about.<br />
Know that the world that we see<br />
Is what it is<br />
and everywhere that we go love<br />
love can exist.<br />
<br />
So, when I am old; my hair growing gray<br />
and all of my faculties are slipping away - <br />
When I am old and my breath's runnin' short<br />
Hope the world is a garden and not a fort.<br />
<br />
And when I am dying - passing away - <br />
in the cold of the night or warm sunny day -<br />
When I am dying I hope I die by myself<br />
for I'd rather die alone than along with everything else.<br />
<br />
Look at the world, look at yourself outside and in.<br />
To know where your going find out where you've been.<br />
You can't hope to finish what you never begin.<br />
Know that the world that we see<br />
Is what it is<br />
and everywhere that we go love<br />
love can exist.<br />
<br />
Yes, I am a child still happy to wonder<br />
and I have a mind as bright as my eyes<br />
cause I've been a child since the day I was born<br />
And when I want the truth I peel back my disguise.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-15798764451923273012010-09-06T11:59:00.000-07:002010-09-06T11:59:08.415-07:00Head Scarves and High Heels - words and music by G.D. Lafontant - copyright 2009<br /><br />
Head scarves and high heels,<br />
Habits and miniskirts,<br />
Wedding veils, face peels,<br />
Burkas and belly shirts,<br />
<br />
More than one in two of every<br />
Person on the planet;<br />
After a while, some of you will smile<br />
While others'll wish I'd can it.<br />
<br />
Spines and vaginas,<br />
Needs and desires;<br />
Time to realign our<br />
View of who you are.<br />
<br />
Bringers of life,<br />
Insufferable bitches,<br />
Lovers and wives with whom<br />
We like to scratch our itches,<br />
<br />
Low riding blue jeans on<br />
Bull dykes and beauty queens,<br />
Haute couture and high cuisine,<br />
Sweat shops and sewing machines,<br />
<br />
Clitoris and cortex,<br />
Dreams and aspirations;<br />
Put it all in context with all<br />
The standard deviations.<br />
<br />
Daddy's little princess,<br />
Wild-eyed teenager,<br />
Honor student, scientist,<br />
Dancer in a cage ... ? Hell, no!<br />
<br />
Every single sister and<br />
Everybody's mom;<br />
If we made one President, could she<br />
Really drop the bomb (if she had to)?<br />
<br />
Grandmothers grieving<br />
The blood of all these wars,<br />
Proud soldiers, widows, orphans,<br />
Casualties, and whores.<br />
<br />
Bosses and colleagues,<br />
Competition, confidants,<br />
Prima donnas, worker bees, and<br />
Servers in our lunchtime haunts.<br />
<br />
Vain and narcissistic,<br />
Loud and overbearing,<br />
Gentle and artistic,<br />
Compassionate and caring,<br />
<br />
Timid and inhibited,<br />
Filled with blind ambition;<br />
Few things are more intimidating<br />
Than a woman on a mission.<br />
<br />
Fixers of dinners, and<br />
Cleaners of messes;<br />
You look so frikkin' hot in those<br />
Silky, strapless little black dresses.<br />
<br />
Oooo, so very nice to<br />
Kiss and caress with;<br />
Honey, do your worst and<br />
I will try to do my best, oh yes!<br />
<br />
Nipples, hips, and lips,<br />
Skilled hands, and graceful feet, and<br />
All the million things I'd miss,<br />
If I treat you like a piece of meat.<br />
<br />
Head scarves and high heels,<br />
Habits and miniskirts,<br />
Wedding veils, face peels,<br />
Burkas and belly shirts.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-65884695475714187282010-09-06T11:55:00.000-07:002010-09-06T11:55:50.451-07:00Democracy - from Songbook for the Church of the Undammed - copyright 1986</ br><br />
<br />
The stars are so elusive<br />
through the artificial twilight.<br />
The city's incandescence<br />
mocks the ancient fires.<br />
But stars have burned, and do, and will -<br />
for eons before and far beyond -<br />
these flames that leap<br />
so cold and quick<br />
between steel spires.<br />
<br />
The truths are all conclusive<br />
though the lies appear so bright.<br />
And pity, in its essence,<br />
walks and never tires.<br />
For it has learned to do and will<br />
compassion for and far beyond<br />
the lame, the weak,<br />
the old, and sick<br />
amidst stark briars.<br />
<br />
Know now we mouthe<br />
with such small tongue<br />
a fragment of the arc of time.<br />
<br />
We strive to emulate;<br />
succeed to imitate;<br />
yet, fail to find<br />
the simple rhyme<br />
that drops of dew<br />
have often sung.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-92012236447988150002010-09-06T08:00:00.000-07:002010-09-06T12:33:10.433-07:00Free Will and Testament - from Nonsense for Smarty Pants copyright 2010 by G.D. Lafontant</br><br />
<i>King of my Castle, Captain of my Ship, Master of my Domain, Star of the Movie of my Life, Free Agent, Individual, Me, I, Self, Soul</i>.<br />
<br />
Certainly most of us hold that at least one of these metaphors stands for something real, if not more.<br />
<br />
We are <i>self aware</i>, we have a <i>point of view</i>, we make <i>choices</i>, etc.<br />
<br />
But is it <i>choice</i> if the options are: ‘<i>your money or your life?</i>’ Maybe. What about, ‘<i>Bang! You’re dead!</i>’ Where is your choice if you are murdered - with no further say whatsoever? A bullet in the head seems a form of reality that would be mighty difficult for anyone to deny as a destroyer of choices.<br />
<br />
In my experience, when <i>free will</i> comes up as a topic for discussion, people have very rigid ideas about the definition of the term, and the discussion tends to turn on these definitions as much or more than on the actual concepts being discussed. This can be difficult to reconcile because, while many are sure of the correct definition of <i>free will</i> (theirs), the variations are abundant and, often, subtly nuanced.<br />
<br />
Some see <i>free</i> as meaning - <i>entirely without constraint</i>. Few would argue, however, that <i>free</i> in <i>real life</i> actually does mean without constraint, responsibility, convention, or rule of law. Most, if they thought about it, would concede that free is defined within a context. You are not <i>free</i> to murder me without risk of consequences, since murdering me takes away all my remaining freedom and, because of this, we have, collectively, created consequences designed to dissuade murder as an expression of freedom. Also, you are even less <i>free</i> to survive a two hundred foot fall onto concrete, naked and without a parachute.<br />
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Others see <i>will</i> as meaning <i>the ability to change reality with the mind alone</i>. But, surely, that is not the only applicable definition either. Nor is it, likely, to be accepted as the most common one.<br />
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Yet others apply a more classic definition of <i>free will</i>; with its roots in theism. This comes in an even stickier form. Even before Christianity, gods were often seen as immortal, but fallible, with ‘godlike’ powers that were limited nonetheless. They had their own <i>free will</i> to worry about. Other omnipotent, omniscient gods were invented; like Krishna who wanted to allow love to exist, or Yahweh, who, apparently, wanted to be willfully obeyed. But love cannot be compelled or, well, it’s not love then, is it? And the obedience of machines, unable to disobey, isn’t really obedience; it’s utility. Love and obedience must be chosen in order to have any virtue or real meaning at all. In fact, without choice, there can be no virtue or meaning.<br />
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So, a paradox arises – how is it possible for an omnipotent, omniscient being to allow free will (choices unencumbered by the supreme will of said deity) and remain omnipotent and omniscient? You can see the dichotomy. Believers will solve it by saying ‘<i>god can do anything,</i>’ or ‘i<i>t’s a mystery,</i>’ or ‘<i>only god knows.</i> ’ To a critical thinker, these are completely unsatisfactory answers.<br />
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But why would <i>atheists</i> spend time arguing this particular definition within the context of atheism? Surely, it points to a flaw in many forms of <i>theism</i>. But it has no place in an atheist discussion about an atheistic world view. Atheists aren’t confronted with this paradox. Or are we?<br />
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If our choices are determined by the universal matrix of cause and effect, then authorship or agency remains in question. What I mean is this: the hyper-complex matrix of cause and effect, what I call the causal gestalt, is mind boggling to imagine. From the absolute top level down to the most granular detail; the magnitude and intricacies of every causal variable, and the relationships between these variables, is impossible to fully comprehend. Therefore, since so much of this causal gestalt interpenetrates the mind and metabolism of any individual - consciously, unconsciously, instinctually, intuitively, through experience, observation, circumspection, speculation, introspection, cognition, interpretation, and all the flawed distortions, and filled-in blanks, etc. - what happens inside a person in regard to how they arrive at the billions of micro-choices they make, remains impenetrably complex.<br />
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It is true that there are those who, even now, are attempting to build software models of the brain that exactly replicate the workings of that formidable organ. And these attempts are not as farfetched as they may sound. Nevertheless, is our part of the causal gestalt restricted to our nervous system, senses, and ability to interact with it? Probably. Yet even if these attempts to perfectly model the brain succeed, this is no guarantee that all the mysteries of the human mind will suddenly be revealed. What would this software mind be like – without experiences, relationships, an education, community, etc? And, if an adult mind is mimicked, what would its developmental stages look like, and how would they operate? And if a child’s mind were mimicked, how would it change and grow? And, if it really was an accurate model of a human mind, how would it tell us more about the human mind than, well, the human mind? Would we suddenly possess the Rosetta stone printed on hundreds of thousands of pages in computer code? Would it be ethical to manipulate such a mind in order to obtain experimental data? Would such a mind - necessarily self-aware – deserve the same level of respect, and human rights we extend to each other? Could we reboot it now and then to see what happens? Would that be ethical or fair?<br />
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Nevertheless, even though we can’t tally, catalog, process, and accurately analyze the significance of the mechanics of the causal gestalt at every given micro moment, we can postulate with a great deal of confidence that, nevertheless, everything is happening as a result of factors that happened as a result of factors that happened before that, etc. backward to the Big Bang. Conversely, everything that happens becomes a factor that participates in all results going forward. All causes were effects, and all effects become causes. This is the deterministic nature of the causal gestalt.<br />
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So, on an absolute level, unless some things happen without cause (let’s call this type of [non]event <i>nonsense</i>), everything happens for reasons. Things happen as a direct result of what happened before and will happen as a direct result of what is happening now, and so on. There will be no deviation from the determined flow of events into each other. There is no actual freedom.<br />
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And, if there is no <i>actual</i> freedom, then, surely, there is no <i>actual</i> responsibility.<br />
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Still, one could propose that, since the causal gestalt is so complex, and, further, since there is no way to be absolutely certain that there is no nonsense, then we may pragmatically operate <i>as if</i> there is freedom and, therefore, <i>as if</i> there is responsibility. While this may be an existential aesthetic, it appears to be a warranted approach. After all, it could be said that even acting as if there is actual freedom (and, therefore, actual responsibility) is determined by the gestalt of all causes leading up to that conclusion or way of being.<br />
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Certainly, there is plenty of room for doubt that actual nonsense exists. However, what caused the singularity to come into existence before it exploded in the Big Bang? Also, wouldn’t actual randomness represent uncaused events – or nonsense? And, while thoughts are both effects and causes, isn’t it likely that a person’s last thought is a causeless effect? And what do all the false beliefs that, nonetheless, affect people’s behavior and, by extension, the rest of reality represent? Is there always a traceable pathology as to how we arrive at the <i>wrong</i> conclusion?<br />
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In any event, to the extent we understand some portion of the causal gestalt, we can limit the scope of the definition of freedom and responsibility, and we do. The concept of self-defense, for example, exempts a person from being deemed a murderer if they were countering an attack on their own life (or the lives of others) in an event not initiated by them.<br />
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So, if all events are fixed by events that happened before (and how they relate to each other), and, if all future events are already shaped by past and current events (it appears fairly difficult to mount a credible argument against that idea), then (at least on an absolute level) choice, creativity, authorship, freedom, virtue, responsibility, identity, love, and, even, distinguishing one thing from another, are moot. There are no kings, masters, captains, stars, free agents. There are no <i>selves</i>.<br />
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A Buddhist (often a type of atheist) might say, at this point: “<i>Yes! All is one. The separateness is all an illusion. All boundaries are in constant flux. Every membrane is permeable and permeated. We are born, we live, and we die. Who we are today is not who we were yesterday, nor who we will become tomorrow. What once was something else became us, and what we are will, one day, become something else. Once we accept this and cease to cling to the illusion of separateness, the joke of impermanence will be fully revealed, and we will be one with everything and achieve Nirvana. The demons tearing us apart will transform into the angels freeing us forever.</i>”<br />
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What is left for the individualist to say to that but: “<i>So what? Why deny my perception of point of view? Based on what? The likelihood of a truth I can’t map anywhere near well enough to tell the difference between relative choice and absolute compulsion? What are the implications of a scenario where I know everything is predictable provided I know everything? So what?</i>”<br />
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I live in this existence of sensual input, cognitive interpretation, and incomplete perception. What I was, am, and will become is informed, to some extent, by my choices. Knowledge can give me an edge over ignorance. The illusion of choice is, even if assumed to be an illusion, nevertheless impenetrable. No one has seen the ending of the book of my life. So, even if the causal gestalt assures that it can only be told one way; even if every letter has already found its fixed place on the pages, I can still be surprised by the outcomes. I can still be moved by the expression of it all. I can still be curious about the significance. I can still try to guess if it was Professor Plum in the conservatory with a lead pipe … or not.<br />
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And, as unlikely as it may be, I can still explore the strange possibility that there just might be some actual nonsense mixed into the causal gestalt.<br />
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<span xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" href="http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text" property="dc:title" rel="dc:type">Free Will and Testament</span> by <span xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" property="cc:attributionName">Georges David Lafontant</span> is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License</a>.G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-68756341338476227252010-02-12T14:30:00.001-08:002010-09-06T12:35:34.649-07:00Before - from Songbook for the Church of the Undammed copyright 1991 by G.D. Lafontant<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>Before the Beginning,<br />
there was Nothing;<br />
and Nothing was<br />
perfect.<br />
<br />
Then (rather inexplicably)<br />
Nothing vibrated and<br />
Vibration created Tone;<br />
and Tone rang true.<br />
<br />
Thus did Truth enter into being.<br />
And Truth begat Trust,<br />
begat Leisure,<br />
begat Pleasure,<br />
begat Joy,<br />
begat Beauty,<br />
begat Love.<br />
<br />
(Oh, and a whole lotta other shit<br />
went down too.)</span></span></span>G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292397534745007031.post-45872010224829396912010-02-12T13:57:00.001-08:002010-02-12T14:32:39.627-08:00Introduction to the Church of the Undammed<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The Church of the Undammed is not about god. There is no god.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It's not a Church, either. There is no building, tax exempt entity, indoctrination center, congregation, or collection plate. I despise dogma, ideology, doctrine, and anything else that stifles, stultifies, or stagnates curiosity, creativity, exploration, wonder, and the unique application of individual minds to the mysteries of life.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Undammed (spelled with two </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">m</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'s and no </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">n</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">) refers to breaking through the blockages and blockades presented by those who would think for us, and our reticence to think for ourselves.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Open your eyes, ears, hearts and minds to the reality only you can experience. Interact with the world of interaction. Cut the feckless, offensive bonds of spiritual tyranny that fall away like chains of rust with the simple thought - </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am free!</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Throw off the yoke of tenacious, ancient lore and examine your world with fresh eyes. Your mind is not an insignificant redundancy in the vastness of everything, but a precious singularity of insight and point of view available for a limited time only.</span></span></div></div>G.D. Lafontanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07682044183020375338noreply@blogger.com0