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The Nature of Sound and Silence

Sound: a vibration (wave) that travels through a transmission medium such as air or water. by Michael Corthell ''There are a lot of similarities between music and surfing. There's a rhythm to both of them and with sound waves and ocean waves, you see patterns, plus the breathing is all part of it.''  - Jon Foreman I have described previously the symbolic meaning of colors, which was fairly straight forward. The nature and meaning of sound symbolism is a bit less known and more difficult to describe. Color and sound are both transmitted on '' waves .'' In the case of sound, these waves are mechanical and require a medium for transmission, some type of molecular structure, like water or gas. These sound waves propagate via air molecules colliding with their neighbors, while color is transmitted on electromagnetic waves, radiation .  This type of wave or oscillation uses electrical and magnetic fields originally generated by charged particle

How to Multiply Time!

by Michael Corthell Do you feel overwhelmed and not so much in control these days? When you start to feel that you are losing control over your time, your relationships, and your life, responsibilities feel like heavy burdens, obligations that leave you feeling trapped. You may even start to feel powerless and then resentful and then you may start to neglect your responsibilities to others and yourself. Stop. ''The key to organizing is to schedule your priorities first, and then prioritize your schedule.'' Let's look at some very simple ways to get started down the road to self-control. Set your priorities.  What's so important? Think and find out. Many people just 'wing it'. Don't do that. The key to organizing is to schedule your priorities first and then prioritize your schedule. Review your choices.  Make a 'responsibilities list'. Be thorough and be honest. Include work duties, home projects, social events. Once yo

Happiness and Where to Find It

by Michael Corthell There is no path to happiness: happiness is the path . Which means that the life given to you by God is 'good' always(but often in retrospect).  Being happy with the journey back to him and your spiritual existence is your happiness. The wise  make the best use of every episode in life, good or bad to experience the joy of oneness with creation.    Pilgrim's Progress, from This World, to That Which Is to Come by John Bunyan is about that path. Written in 1678, Pilgrim's Progress is purported to be the first novel penned in the English language. It is a story about the journey of awaking, and an interesting read. I highly recommend it. How do we, who are on this path through life, first come to the understanding that our life is a journey of learning and preparation?  This can be difficult and can seem complex—at first. (It is complex, but that is the 'backend of the business' and God's got you covered on that, so there is no need

What is Oneness and What is Interbeing?

“Interbeing: If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. So we can say that the cloud and the paper inter-are. “Interbeing” is a word that is not in the dictionary yet, but if we combine the prefix “inter-” with the verb “to be,” we have a new verb, inter-be. Without a cloud and the sheet of paper inter-are. If we look into this sheet of paper even more deeply, we can see the sunshine in it. If the sunshine is not there, the forest cannot grow. In fact, nothing can grow. Even we cannot grow without sunshine. And so, we know that the sunshine is also in this sheet of paper. The paper and the sunshine inter-are. And if we continue to look, we can see the logger who cut the tree and brought it to the mill to b

Google Like a Pro: How to Ask Google Questions. And Get Good Answers

  The first and most important tip is to be concise. The more detailed your question is, the less good results you will get, so shorten it up!  How to Use Google Search Here is some simple, straightforward information to become a proficient Google searcher! Begin at the beginning with the basics It doesn't matter what you're searching for, start with a simple question such as like 'what is a tree'? You can always add specific adjectives after the first search. Be careful with the words you choose Use words that your target website would use. If you are shopping for new tires for your car. Don't use the term 'wheels' in the search question. Use 'car tires near me'. Don’t sweat the small stuff Like spelling and capitalization. Google's software algorithms will fill that in for you.  The key to successful searching is simplicity! Start with short questions, and Google will do the work. For example lets ask Google 'what is meditation'? This i

Pro Choice

No one is free if they do not control their own body.

WHAT IS PROPAGANDA: 22 Propaganda Techniques Everyone Needs to Know

_____________________________ by Michael Corthell Let the consumer and the voter beware. Yes, politics and marketing have a lot in common. The following list is a primer that will help you become a smart consumer and a wise voter. At the end of this list, I've included a video lecture that summarizes propaganda and also provides a history. Study it and do your own research. Accurate information will keep you from being ripped off and just might help keep you stay free(or realize you are not!). (It should be noted that all of the following share a commonality: dishonesty or outright lies. It should also be mentioned that 'The Big Lie' is also a propaganda technique sometimes used by dishonest politicians and marketers and that False Equivalence  or false balance may be the most deceptive of all the propaganda techniques because it sounds true on its face.) 1. NAME CALLING or STEREOTYPING : The name-calling technique links a person, or idea, to a negative symbol. The

What is a Library of Things?

  Library of Things(LOT) A Library of Things is any collection of objects loaned, and any organization that practices such loaning. Objects often include kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment, seeds, electronics, toys and games, art, science kits, craft supplies, musical instruments, and recreational equipment. Especially appropriate are objects that are useful occasionally but cumbersome to store, such as specialized cookware or niche technology items. Collections vary widely but go far beyond the books, journals, and media that have been the primary focus of traditional libraries. The Library of Things movement is a growing trend in public, academic and special libraries in many countries. There are also free-standing organizations separate from libraries, such as tool libraries , toy libraries , community sharing centers, independent non-profits, and individual initiatives. The Share Shed (Totnes, UK) is developing the first mobile Library of Things. Collections are often s

Solving the Climate Crisis with a Global Resource Based Economy

Rapidly moving away from fossil fuels and toward renewable clean energy is an imperative from now on. (See  2021ClimateReport ) by Michael Corthell The quality of life for all people on Earth will be raised and enhanced immeasurably when all people have access to the best products and services, education, healthcare, transportation, housing, and energy systems that our civilization can provide. This commitment must come sooner, rather than later to save our environment and our race.  We have the technology to begin implementing this new economy now. We only need the will to do so...    Global problems faced by mankind today are impacting individuals and nations rapidly. Climate change , famine, war, epidemics of deadly diseases, and environmental pollution contribute to the long list of global challenges we, as humans, need to promptly address before an eventual catastrophe swiftly becomes inevitable. By some estimates, we have less than ten years to get our act together. Regar

Senses: The Nature and Quality of Pleasure

by Michael Corthell There are, of course, many kinds of pleasure and pleasures in life. From the way we experience walking hand in hand along the beach with our children, to the completion of a work project or hobby, as well as the pure physical pleasure of conjugal relations. Pleasure can be viewed as just thoughts, feelings or actions that make us 'feel good'. For the purpose of this writing I am going to speak to hedonism and utilitarianism .  Both are similar belief/practice systems. Seeking pleasure as one's highest aim is the common theme in both, however. ''Pleasure and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends.'' —John Stuart Mill The simple definition of hedonism is self-serving pleasure for the sake of itself. Hedonists equate pleasure with utility . They believe that pleasure is the master of all humankind, and acts as the ultimate life goal. There is very little more to say about it except to say that people are fr

When You Wake Up You May Think You are GOD: Alan Watts on ''The Awakening''

by Alan Watts [on spiritual awaking] - So be careful of that. Jung calls it inflation; people who get the 'holy man syndrome.' That I’ve suddenly discovered that I’m the lord and that I am above good and evil and so on. And that therefore I start giving myself airs and graces.  But the point is that everybody else is too. If you discover that you’re there you ought to know that everyone else is. Well, for example, let’s see how in other ways you might realize this. Most people think when they open their eyes and look around, that what they are seeing is outside, it seems doesn’t it that you are behind your eyes. And that behind the eyes there is a blank that you can’t see at all; you turn around and you see something in front of you. But behind the eyes, there seems to be something that has no color, it isn’t dark, and it isn’t light. It’s there from a tactile standpoint; you can feel it with your fingers, although you don’t get inside it. Well than what is it that’s behind yo

Who Profits the Most from War...

The United States is home to five of the world’s 10 largest defense contractors, and American companies account for 57 percent of total arms sales by the world’s 100 largest defense contractors, based on SIPRI data. The global rise was driven partially by a $9.6 billion hike in U.S. arms expenditure – the United States is the world’s largest defense spender by a wide margin. Though it is yet unclear what the growing arms investments will mean for international relations, major defense contractors around the world stand to benefit.  MORE Now let’s look at the biggest defense contractors on the BGOV200 . It’s a lot of familiar faces, but there’s been notable movement year-over-year. Raytheon’s merger with United Technologies Inc. pushed the company to the number two slot, while Analytic Services Inc. jumped 8 spots from the previous year, thanks in part to the Army’s $7.1 billion Covid-19 expenditure. These are the top 10 largest defense contractors on the 2021 BGOV200 list: -Lockheed

Paradigm Shift

  ''Many of us are sensing that 'normal' just isn't coming back. The human race is being transformed by a new normal that is alive and awakened ― a new kind of global society, with a new relationship to the earth, a new experience of knowing what being human actually is and what humanity can become.''

Post Pandemic and War: Are We About to Enter Humankind's Spiritual Age?

by Michael Corthell Many have now just started to sense an important change in global thinking: a paradigm shift. That shift, a shift in global consciousness that many of us are feeling is the spiritual age of humankind. Contributing to the likelihood of this new age is the fact that the scientific community is loosening its long-standing grip on rigid materialism and reductionism in favor of an all-inclusive quantum reality in which everything is made of the same thing. These changes are moving human spiritual consciousness toward a 'we' oneness and universal state, and away from the 'I' and 'me' consciousness that has trapped humankind's spiritual growth. Looking back through history, one can clearly see that the world has undergone many epic events that have tipped civilizations upside down and replaced them with new ones, with new morals and new belief systems. Although it doesn't show up clearly in the mainstream media today, it appe

Plant Based Nutrition and Your Immune System

by Michael Corthell Being healthy takes more than just eating an apple a day to keep the doctor away. It has been shown that having a healthy immune system requires a balanced diet, good daily rest, exercise and just having a positive lifestyle. Knowing that we need to eat the right foods is common sense but the devil, as always, is in the details. What foods are best for us? Some of our nutritional needs are specific to the individual, because of a unique make-up and lifestyle, but there are commonalities. (RECOMMENDED You can eat right for a healthy life if you choose to. Take a look at the book that can set you on the right path: How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D.) The immune system protects us from illness and disease. We can do many things to keep our immune system at it's best. Drink plenty of water. Hydration is important to every system in the body, and the immune system relies heavily on water (as a vehicle) in both in the lymphatic system and blood vessel