For many years I have had this gnawing urge inside
of me to write. This urge has been driven by two major factors. The first is
simple enough, I call it self definition. Who am I? How do I feel about the
major issues of the day? What are my views of reality, of our existence? What
is my philosophy, my religion, what are my beliefs? Writing these views forces me to
think about these issues and to formulate answers to these questions and thereby to define myself.
The second factor is more egotistical in nature.
Throughout my life I have often felt that my views on things were the
"right" views - that I was always right. If only others could
understand the issues of life from my perspective they would agree with me and from that agreement, harmony would follow. If everyone came to realize that my views were "right" - Oh what harmony we would have! War
would become obsolete, human misery and hatred would be ended, Utopia would be
achieved!
As I proceeded through life however, I have noted several flaws in my
reasoning. I haven't been "right" all the time. Life has taught me
that often times I have been dead ass wrong about certain things. Its kind of
like the saying goes, "The older I got the smarter my parents became."
But now, in the twilight of my time on this earth, I have become so much wiser
from my life's journey. Life has taught me much. Over the years I have modified my views on many of lifes greatest issues and I now feel driven to make these views and their
rationale known to my fellow humans so that they can share in my wisdom. And
when they do we shall indeed find 'HUMAN HARMONY" at long last. As a minimum, I hope that my views can provide foder for thought and that my expressing them herein will contribute in some small way to that Human Harmony.
One of the biggest realities that I have learned
about in life has been about religion. I was born and raised a "strong
Catholic." As a child growing up I remember how lucky I was to be a
Catholic. Here I was in the one true religion and I was going to go to heaven
and live eternally with God. I remember "learning" that while you
didn't have to be a Catholic to get to heaven it sure made getting there a
whole lot easier. My protestant friends had a chance because at least they were
baptized and they didn't know any better. For Jews and other non baptized folks the chance
to make it was going to be pretty slim. Fortunately for them there was a place called limbo. I was really lucky to have been born a Catholic. There were many
similar "facts" that I learned as a young Catholic that took me a lot
of living and a lot of soul wrenching to get straightened out on.
There are many other major areas that affect our
lives in significant ways such as our attitudes toward race and sexuality, our
views on politics and government, on education and science, on energy and pollution and on human tolerance and intolerance. Many of my views on these various major issues changed drastically throughout the course of my life.
And so I write these words for two reasons. Mainly to define me to myself. But secondly to present my perspectives on life and my views on REALITY for all humanity to know. I believe that the best path to HUMAN HARMONY is through open and honest discourse on these various issues.
In planning to write these views, I have
contemplated several approaches over the years. At first I wanted to present
them along with a simplistic expression of what I thought was scientific proof
of their correctness. At other times I felt evangelical fervor with a need to
save the world. At times I felt compelled to criticize not only man's
intolerance to man but also our intolerance of intolerance. After all we are
all only human. The approach selected herein has been to present these views in the form
of an autobiography. By using the autobiographic format I could present not
only what my views were in the past but also what they have changed to now and how they came to be the way they are.
The views expressed herein are my perspective of
the issues of human life and existence. I believe them to be RIGHT. Others may
have views on these issues at variance with mine. That is their prerogative and
I am tolerant of their views. This book is not written to save the world, I
am no self proclaimed savior. Its primary purpose is self definition. If my
words can help to provoke thought and exchange of ideas by some on some of these issues, both my
objectives will have been met.
I love life. I feel lucky to have existed as a
human in these times of human growth and maturity. I believe that when I die, I
shall cease to exist in any form other than in the memories of my family and
acquaintances, and in the physical records of our society. I would love to
believe in an utopian hereafter as I once did, but my now perspective of reality
does not allow this view. Perhaps some day, some higher power will declare
itself to earthly humans but I am convinced this has not occurred in our
history. I believe that the "Creator" is the creation of man derived
from the mysteries and the wonderment of our existence. I believe that it is in
humanities best interest to abandon the folly of superstition and supposition
and to pursue the answers to these mysteries using the tools of objective
science. Any scientist knows that the pursuit of knowledge, allowing hopes and
assumptions to infiltrate the scientific process, jeopardizes any meaningful
outcome. For too long, we humans have pursued such a course in our pursuit of a
more harmonious existence. It is time that we cast off our cloaks of ignorance,
intolerance and superstition and to pursue our affairs with openness, logic and
reason. It is with these objectives in mind that I express my views of REALITY!!
Please Note: This work is NOTa well researched document but merely reflect my open and honest views of the issues discussed. This is MY Reality!
This Introduction was last updated on 27 Feb, 2005