Civilisation and Barbarism

Civilisation and Barbarism - by P.K.Odendaal - October 2014.

Note at the end added on 23 November 2013.
 

I have written a few futile attempts on civilisation, realising that it was very difficult to hunt it down, although not so difficult to kill. It is a very thin fabric and there is a growing concern in the world today that it might be very frail and that it might be under attack and that it might be very vulnerable. It was under serious attack more than a millenium ago and Europe escaped the total destruction of civilisation by the skin of its teeth.

Against civilisation, at the other extreme, I posit barbarism as its antidote, and though I respect both life forms, I only revere civilisation.

Travel is so broadening ... or The Pilgrims Digress

Travel is so broadening ... or The Pilgrims Digress - by P.K.Odendaal - September 2013. 

By this time you have gotten used to my mind wandering in totally different trajectories than my body and you have gotten used to look deeper at things than what you can see. The occasion is my visit to South Africa. I prepare my body for this arduous journey of 25 hours - drastically down from the 43 hours it took me in 2002 - from Canada to South Africa.

Well, the logistics of such an itinerary is quite easy to understand but what we do not see is quite complex and hidden from the eye.

The Hunting of the Snark - Fit the fourth: The Hunting

The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll

 

Fit the fourth: The hunting

The Bellman looked uffish, and wrinkled his brow.
"If only you'd spoken before!
It's excessively awkward to mention it now,
With the Snark, so to speak, at the door!

"We should all of us grieve, as you well may believe,
If you never were met with again --
But surely, my man, when the voyage began,
You might have suggested it then? 

The Hunting of the Snark - Fit the Third - The Baker's Tale

Fit the Third

The Baker's Tale

They roused him with muffins—they roused him with ice—

   They roused him with mustard and cress—

They roused him with jam and judicious advice—

   They set him conundrums to guess.
 

When at length he sat up and was able to speak,

   His sad story he offered to tell;

And the Bellman cried "Silence! Not even a shriek!"

   And excitedly tingled his bell. 

More is never Enough

More is never Enough - By P.K.Odendaal - September 2013 

When I wrote the article on 'Asking the right questions', I came to the conclusion that we have been called to serve God and Mankind, but that we are moving in a direction diametrically opposite to that calling, namely of alienating ourselves from God and Mankind. After some contemplation, I have come to the sobering realisation that the reason for this is because 'More is never Enough'.

Hunting of the Snark - Fit the second

Hunting of the Snark - Fit the second - The Bellman's Speech  - by Lewis Carroll

The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies—

   Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
   The moment one looked in his face!

The Best of all Possible Worlds.

The Best of All Possible worlds - by P.K.Odendaal - September 2013. 

I have added another part to this original article of last month (The Perfect World) and tried to answer the questions the first part of this article begged.

I have added yet another part at the end setting out a scientific interpretation of the Many Worlds Interpretation concept. (October 2013)

Taken from the idea of The Perfect Storm - which was not so perfect.

If there is something I will definitely not like, it would be a perfect world. I cannot imagine the boredom and lack of creativity that will accompany a perfect world. In a perfect world there will not be any improvement, development, creative space or new ideas possible, because by definition it is perfect and cannot be improved.

I shudder at the thought.

The Perfect World

The Perfect World - by P.K.Odendaal - August 2013 

Taken from the idea of The Perfect Storm - which was not so perfect.

If there is something I will definitely not like, it would be a perfect world. I cannot imagine the boredom and lack of creativeness that will accompany a perfect world. In a perfect world there will not be any improvement, development, creative space or new ideas possible, because by definition it is perfect and cannot be improved.

I shudder at the thought.

Asking the right questions.

Asking the right questions - by P.K.Odendaal - August 2013 

And all the time we thought that the most clever man was the one who gave the best answers to the most difficult questions asked!

False.

It is the man who asks the most clever questions. That is how we got to all our inventions. Someone somewhere knew which questions to ask - but knowing that does not come easily.

Hunting of the Snark . Fit the First .. continued

Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll 
 
Fit the First .. continued
 
“His form is ungainly — his intellect small —”
 (So the Bellman would often remark)
“But his courage is perfect! And that, after all,
 Is the thing that one needs with a Snark.”

He would joke with hyenas, returning their stare
 With an impudent wag of the head:
And he once went a walk, paw-in-paw, with a bear,
 “Just to keep up its spirits,” he said.