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Humankind’s ageless belief in the worship of the determinative existence of an everlasting, creative, omnipotent, omnipresent “Deity” has played, in our view, far too an impactful a role in his evolving history, not to appropriately warrant discussion. This writing is not intended to criticize the conventional believer, but, rather, to explore the presumed metaphysical origins, and endurance of (non-empirical), “faith” and as a brief reflection on Man’s evolved sapience and his enduring desire for an acceptable existence.

It is our view, based on our various readings of man’s early history, that belief in a higher and controlling power, originated in Man’s thoughtful observation of the immutable natural phenomena, the striking change of seasons, the meteorological phenomena, daylight and nighttime darkness, and the significant and visible effects of the Sun, viz., for warmth and agricultural nurturance. Presumably, humankind’s joint capacity for curiosity, and aspiration to understand, together with the factor of elemental fear in the absence of available explanation, led to the worship-fear conception of a higher, controlling power; one that, pragmatically was to be revered and satisfied, to the end that, when needfully implored, it might render good fortune, needed relief, and, essentially, sustain life.

In our view, the classic and most instructive example of the above declaration may be observed from the observation of the ubiquitous primitive belief in the “Sun God,” credited for the delivery of light, clement weather, and most impactfully, the growth of foodstuffs. It was universally observed that this existentially vital Deity seasonably declined in power and started its short period of demise each Fall season; tragically succumbing to death by the winter months. Yet it was miraculously observed that certain trees (evergreen) magically survived death in winter despite the mortality of other flora.

Early Man’s annual performance of specific tribal rituals, notably involving the miraculous evergreen trees, found themselves reliably successful in the resurrection of the Sun God (at Springtime) when there was a renewal of sunlight and agricultural growth. Later times saw analogical, annual services of the Roman Feast of Saturnalia, exemplified by traditional gift-giving, feasting, and a carnival and a similar Greek Winter holiday celebration of “Kronia.” We believe such religious events were the advent of the later Christian liturgical belief in “Death and Resurrection.”

At this point in our writing, we would take the time to reveal that we are believers in the “Empirical Theory” of epistemology, espoused by philosophers such as Francis Bacon and John Locke to the effect that the sole source of knowledge is Man’s lifetime of experience, not inspiration or personal faith. Locke famously said that Man is born with a “tabula rasa” (blank slate) and that his knowledge is accumulated solely through his empirical experience, This view would eliminate non-factual beliefs such as religious faith and unprovable superstition.

The intention of this writing is not to castigate religious beliefs, which, are culturally determined simply by the happenstance of birth but, where relevant, to emphasize the inarguable fact that religious belief and its consequent ethnocentrism are factually irrational. History has demonstrated the horrific impact of religious evangelicalism, (i,e., war, pogroms, inquisitions, religious hatred and discrimination, and a brokenhearted litany of irrationally based misery.

We acknowledge the existence of certain benefits of ethnic religion, viz., its contribution of a salutory sense of communal identity, its fine ethnic literature and music, and perhaps more utilitarian and compassionate, its function as a calming rationale concerning the fearful concept of inevitable death. However, religious belief seems to carry simultaneously, a history of disgraceful human misery caused by the innate tendency of faith adherents to impose, their faith-based belief on others, of divergent or no faiths are all, by morally repugnant, ethnocentrically permissible, cruel and non-humanistic means.

Aside from its inconsistency with the word “sapient,” in the designation of the Homo Sapiens, religious faith and dogma has historically been the cogent source of divisiveness, hatred, and oppression; a remarkable feature of this societal feeling of loyalty to an inherited and non-factual conception.

The advancement of universal human tolerance, and conceivably, true brotherhood would be attained by eschewing atavistic homage to the primitive Sun God or his fearfully conceived successors. The existential skills in farming, the development of cities, the improvement of travel and trade, and the cures for polio and COVID-19 were the result of rational growth developed through empirical experience, A human race without the irrational limitation of pre-existing irrational assumptions would indeed be salubrious.

The ubiquitous belief that the world and its flora and fauna were created in six days, after which a purported, all-powerful (“omnipotent”) Deity, was physically required to rest on the seventh (Sunday) is irrefutably belied by scientific proof showing that the Earth is more than eight million five hundred millennia and constitutes an insignificant portion of a vast, unmeasurable expanding universe, should be sufficient, to rationally eradicate such ubiquitous and sophomoric myth.

The human brain has limitations and it is an egotistical and reductive assumption to hold that it can comprehend things beyond its innate capability by atavistic faith of one kind or another. To sophomorically attempt to fill the uncomfortable void regarding the infinite quantity of metaphysical questions that are beyond our ken, it is “Sun God” mentality to irrationally  conceive theories that have no basis and moreover, block the possible route to objective human advancement and universal fellowship.

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A regular reader of this blog post has just transmitted to us by e-mail, an A-I treatment of our previous blog post, # M. 186, “HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY.” The writing critically observed the unfair advantage, deceitfullly practiced by many life insurance companies in their solicitation of repurchase of insurance from the elderly, cash-strapped retiree and the analogous and equally egregious solicitation of “Equity Mortgages,” aimed at the same vulnerable targets.

In the A-I presentation, we were absolutely flummoxed to hear an appealing, natural-sounding discussion between the two human-like personalities engaged in a discussion of the theme and context of the blog, albeit, in their own nuanced voices and vocabulary; and additionally, employing inciteful commentary on the essence of the blog’s intended message. The exotic experience left us in a state of impending disaster and unmitigated horror. The profitable but fearful challenge of digital advancement, it seems, has not only disconcertingly deprived Mankind of humanistic interaction and salubrious literacy, but contemporaneously, of its sentience and rationality.

Our responsive jolt of alarm seemed to direct our literary consciousness to the gothic 19th-century novel, Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelly. As popularly known, the novel recounts the fictional story of a young Dr, Victor Frankenstein who, after considerable error, creates a creature (or, monster) capable of thought and action. Aside from its long and complex storyline, ultimately resulting in tragedy, the implicit message of the novel represents a clear warning concerning Man’s foolhardy and ultimate desire to exceed the natural, ascertainable limits of his capability and potential for understanding, Shelly’s grim warning relates to the grotesque inclination nature of Mankind’s intellectual hubris, in not recognizing the natural limits of the human aspirational desire for mastery and control.

Society’s newly created Frankenstein Monster, “A.I.” is amply preceded by a provenance of non-human creations: pilotless drone bombers, self-driving automobiles, GPS direction finders, voice-activated entertainment and cleaning devices, smartphones, tablets, digital books, and an exemplary host of assorted digitalized, nonhuman devices. It appears to be predictable that an accompaniment to each successive “improvement,” is the eventuation of some associated loss of humanism. The contemporary World scene bears a meager resemblance to that of barely 50 years ago in significant synchronization to the relevant gain in digital facility. Most disturbing is the empirical observation that the loss of humanism and personal nuance declines commensurate with each ” advance” in digital prowess.

We were stupefied and greatly disturbed by a recently televised demonstration of an A.I.-driven machine of the precise replication of the revered, sculptural representation of Michelangelo, located in a museum in Florence. The signature creation took Michaelangelo in Medieval Italy Florence the full period of 1501 to 1504 to devise and artfully create., The machine, driven and precisely guided by A.I. in approximately 45 minutes, produced a quick mirror copy; as if it were an item of cheap pottery. The unique quality of human genius and spiritual aesthetics have evidently, been tragically depreciated by this latest, “promising” digital, advent.

Our experience of the robotized, AI replication of \our writing, , ( a feature(which we understand is now universal) not unlike Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein Monster, is a hubris-driven excess that has frightening potential for the regression of humanity to robotic insensate walkers of the Planet.

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At the risk of being unduly repetitious, we have been continuously appalled by certain offensive and unscrupulous televised commercials which surreptitiously prey on the assumed vulnerability of the ubiquitous, circumstantial cash-tight retired citizen, and to once again desire to express our repulsion.

As declared in an earlier writing, the most egregious of such efforts to shamefully garner huge profits by sleight-of-hand misrepresentation continues to rankle us and disturb our sense of plain rectitude and empathy for the elderly retired citizen. Such advertised deceits are most disturbingly observed in the virtual plethora of televised proposals for life insurance repurchase and home equity mortgage transactions, as set forth below:

LIFE INSURANCE REDEMPTION:

It is the ubiquitous experience of middle-class retirees, at some point in time, to find themselves “cash-tight.” Televised solicitations hawking the availability of needed cash by the re-purchase of their life insurance by insurance company in exchange for a tactical sum in profitable avoidance of the insurer’s actuarially calculated imminent responsibility to pay large sums of money to the insured’s intended beneficiar is an offer too bad not to refuse, unless truly desperate.

The amount of pre-calculated, monthly insurance premiums, paid over the insured’s lifetime are actuarially determined upon several practical factors, the most salient of which is the applicant’s age and, consequently his (statistical) lifetime. Monthly payments are profitably utilized by the insurance company for “legal” investments, viz., mortgages and secured loans) are so calculated that upon the decease of the named insured, the insurance benefit will have been covered.

It is without cavil that the older the insured, the closer he is to the experiential (actuarial) event of decease and the contractual obligation to pay the usually substantial insurance benefit; upon which the relevant premiums have been actuarily calculated and paid. The avoidance of payment of the premium payments, as seductively offerred, by the policy’s repurchase and cancellation (in exchange for a tactically calculated amount) will place certain pre-calculated funds in the hands of the insured, but will also, notably avoid payment of  the policy benefits on decease to the previously designated beneficiary. The transaction of repurchase of the policy results in a remunerative windfall for the insurance company; obtained for an inadequate sum of money paid to the elderly insured and a loss to the intended, and possibly needful beneficiary.

One of the frequently shown television commercials deceitfully hawks this transaction as a “Gold Mine;” we would classify the metallurgical chemistry of such benefits as, “Fool’s Gold.”

EQUITY LOAN:

The smarmy, solicitous, and familial, loving offer by a handsome, mustached, homey, cardigan -wearing, mature movie celebrity, of the mortgage ( i,e, the,sale) of the accumulated and expensively paid for equity ownership of one’s home, for “tax-free” (your own !) money and the discharge of the obligation to make mortgage premiums can easily be revealed as another tactical and deceitful, “rip-off” of the cash tight senior (homeowner) citizen.

Fundamentally the homeowner should have the current calculation of the accurate value of the equity of the relevant property confirmed by an independent, professional source. It is the common assumption of the equity loan mortgagor that his financial obligation vis-a-vis the realty will thereafter be free of monetary and other sundry obligations; but this assumption is far from accurate. The homeowner is still obligated to take care of the proper maintenance and repair of the building and grounds (as determined by the equity purchaser) and pay the taxes and insurance on the subject premises.

One consideration should be personally considered. Many senior homeowners have an aged or infirm relative living with them. They should be made aware that, according to the provisions common to all equity loans, that upon the decease of the record title owner, the residing relative or friend must vacate the premises, and conceivably become homeless.

We abhor the disturbing state of affairs regarding the humanistic ideal of “respect for the elderly!”

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Since his evolutionary appearance on the Planet, Man has demonstrated the need, or, perhaps, the irresistible compulsion to travel. His mode of accomplishment of this ubiquitous compulsion has remarkably evolved over the countless eras of his elected voyaging, from hike to horseback and then the automobile, from the raft to canoe and then the steamship, from airplane travel to the spaceship. Regarding each advancement in travel, new skills were necessitated. Travel on horseback, in time, was improved by blankets, saddles, and stirrups, the subsequent development of automobiles by the modern internal combustion engine, ships by large mobile rudders and steering mechanisms, and still later, spaceships made possible by the use of newly developed nuclear fuels. The historical periods respectively saw new and utilitarian human advancements in travel. The voyages of Columbus, Marco Polo, Magellan, The Kon Tiki, Lewis and Clarke, Perry, and Admunsen are but a short example of this thematic, innate human aspiration.

Desired travel to exotic climes, by alternate means, however, has eternally been available, and notably, without physical exertion or time-taxing and costly expenditure, Additionally, this category of in situ travel is successfully and beneficially accomplished, without loss of singular adventure and profitable enlightenment, albeit, at the convenient venue of your choice, viz., the mere utilization of an easy chair and soft light (in place of a tight airplane seat or windy deck chair). The pleasure and enlightenment of all modes of travel experience, metaphorically, resides in the dynamic arena of the voyager’s perception and later reminiscence and is experienced mindfully. Thoughtful and excitingly engrossing reading. in our view and experience, may permissibly be considered as a comparable and effective alternative experience to the experience of physical travel.

Employment of the armchair mode of voyaging entails no effort in packing suitcases, taking a taxi to the point of departure, tickets, waiting rooms, security checks, and seat selection; only a brief and comfortable trek to your favorite easy chair, a soft reading light, and your elected reading material.

Similar to the choices of shipboard or airplane travel to a desired destination, armchair travel is fully inclusive of choices of destination, long travel (Novel or extensive Treatise), relatively near and easily accessible destination (Magazine or Essay), or a chosen local jaunt (” Blog”). It is empirically conceivable that all such elected modes of travel evince subjects in common, albeit, in varying detail and illustrative length, The temporal choice is exclusively that of the voyager.

For the regular “blogosphere commuter,” there is the exclusive and enticing opportunity of ubiquitous choice of subject matter and a virtually unlimited panoply, or ample smorgasbord of exploration and inspiring thought.

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The compelling physical attractiveness of the animalistic scent of musk seems to have been a distraction to Donald Trump from his passionate bromance with Vladimir Putin and introduced a new inamorata, in the name of Elon Musk, Trump has never been an agnostic when it comes to the worship of wealth and Elon is credited with being the Planet’s richest dude.

A musky analogous, offal-like odor of the muskrat and the musk deer seems to have enraptured the orange egomaniac to the extraordinary degree that the apocryphal Samson fell hands over scandals for Delilah, It took the Biblical Delilia merely a haircut to enslave the strongman and it took merely the financing of Trump’s election and Elon’s financial standing, to enrapture Donald. Such passion is so intense as to be purportedly irresistible as the content of musk in men’s colognes. [N.B.: the muskrat is a rodent found in wild, wet habitats and the musk deer is a small animal, living in mountainous areas of the globe; both have glands that emit the putrid bodily scent of musk, used in the manufacture of Men’s colognes].

Donald J. Trump has apparently succumbed to the financial phenomes of Elon Musk to the extent that he has virtually camped out at Mar-a-Lago and has had the privilege of mutually morphing into the rare anomaly of conjoined twins; to the remarkable extent that Donald Trump has, uncharacteristically, acceded to Elon’s recommendations. Many Republicans, notably the devout worshippers of the autocratic-leaning orange Deity have expressed dismay at the empirical existence of a “dual Presidency,”

It is our considered opinion that this hot “bromance” will cool off very soon because of the nuanced clash of egos and the “bunk mate” relationship will, before long, disintegrate; our reasons are motivated by their common follows\

(1) Each of the two are egotistic and ultimately unwilling to share the limelight\

(2) Since both are headstrong egotists, differences in opinion are not tolerated.

(3) Both are irrationally impulsive and neurotically sensitive and unforgiving.

(4) The parties share the adolescent trait of impulsiveness and personal lack of control.

When we apply the above observed neurotic traits to the empirical response to their observed fundamental differences regarding: Trump’s stated mantra, “Drill baby Drill,” and his firm opposition to environmental responsibility (including withdrawal from the Paris Accords). with Musk’s existential support use of electric vehicles and salutary environmental policies including opposition to carbon caused, global warming, Musk’s intentions concerning China’s leadership in the production of his manufacture and distribution of electric automobiles, and by contrast, Trump’s angry declarations regarding doing business with Red China, including his support of Chinese tariffs, together with their mutually neurotic need for the sole spotlight, we can empirically anticipate the ultimate decline of passion in the thematic bromance and its predictable evaporation.

It is our prediction that, shortly after the crowning of the Orange monarch, the heartbreaking dissolution of the subject bromance will take place, The pheromones of “Musk” are essentially short-lived and ephemeral.

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As universally known “Christmas” is a Christian Holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus. The familiar Jewish celebration of “Hannukah,”commemorates the Maccabean victory over the Seleucid Empire in the Second Century BCE and the related miracle of the lamps burning for eight days with only enough oil for one day. The two celebrated events occur at the same season and time of year,

We have always recalled thefond memories of a notable experience, which memorably occurred in our third grade of public school, during the season of these two holidays. As young children of European Jewish immigrants, the colossal ambiance of the bright, decorative, and celebratory holiday of Christmas was fascinating to us, yet was an effective reminder that we, born into a non-Christian ethnic American population, were not participants in the highly publicized and popular Christian holiday. As Jewish children, however, we did identify with the far less inclusive or universally advertised holiday known as “Hannukah.”

Santa Claus and his reindeer, decorated evergreen trees, gift stockings, candy canes, and all of the attractive phenomena, of the great American holiday, conceivably, including the Macy’s Parade, were for others. To be clear, we did not, see ourselves as essentially different or separate from other American children and were notably proud of our own distinct ethnos, we were nonetheless, fascinated by the universal celebratory light show and traditional folkloric practices of the holiday celebration of the birth of Jesus, as recounted in the New Testament.

The less ornate, contemporary holiday, Hannukah, is celebrated with family and close friends. at home.The festive day is often called, “The Miracle of the Lights” and honors the ancient reconquest of Jerusalem from the Selucid Empire and the rededication of the Second great Jerusalem Temple. The Old Testament event incorporates the participants’ symbolic diet of fried potato pancakes; the oil necessary to their preparation analogically symbolizing the apocryphal lamps which contained barely one day’s supply of oil but miraculously, burned for a celebratory eight days. There are traditional holiday songs and games (ex, “dreidl) and (as contrasted with substantial Christmas gifts) ttraditional gift of a few holiday coins (Hannukah “gelt”) to young children,

What is inspiringly memorable is the demonstration of the benevolent intention of our sensitively aware schoolteacher who, on that day, drew a straight line down the middle of the chalkboard and wrote on one side, in all capital letters, the word, “Christmas,” and the other, “Hannukah.” We were pleased and gratified at her sensitivity and the inclusive act of awareness, in the face of all of the hype, public notices, and advertisements relative to Christmas, regarding that part of the class which were not Christian. We were grateful for the thoughtful and kind recognition and felt comfortably included in the seasonal celebratory ambiance,. In a contemplative recollection, sometime thereafter, we entertained the further thought that the well-intentioned schoolteacher was overgenerous since Christmas, pragmatically and historically plays an existentially vital role in Christian theology and that, Hannakah, remains a less significant holiday, merely in celebration of an historic military victory,.

Years later in one of my (usual) contemplative ruminations, I concluded ( not detracting one bit from the teacher’s benevolence) I generated some further thoughts concerning the relational importance of the holidays. I concluded that, in the context of the Christian faith, the holiday of Hanukkah, indeed had existential importance. It was the epiphanic realization, that if the Maccabean army lost and Judaism was erased from existence, Christianity could not have historically evolved (from the Hebrews); and, as a result, the joyous holiday of Christmas would not exist.

N.B. While we are on this metaphysically significant subject, we would beneficially request of our humanistic readers thatwhen the opportunity should appropriately present itself, to advise any self-identified acolyte of ” Christian White Nationalism,” that any cursory reading of the New Testament reveals that Jesus was a brown-skinned Palestinian Jew, as the Biblically presented son of Jewish parents, viz., Joseph and Mary a/k/a “Madonna.”

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First-generation children of Ashkenazi-Jewish immigrants from Central Europe may remember the amusing tales their elders attributed to a mythical City, of Chelm; tales which were part of the rich, Eastern European Yiddish cornucopia of humorous but intrinsically instructive, folklore. The inhabitants of that mythical city were unmitigated fools whose universal delusion was that they were wise men. The stories are called “Tales of The Wise Men of Chelm.” A few samples of the folklore should prove entertaining and, as well useful in conveying the contextual theme of this writing:

In one such typical tale, the wise men of Chelm, observing the misfortunate fact that fallen slices of toast often landed on the buttered side, pragmatically decided that all toast should be buttered on the “other side:” In another, they wisely concluded that flames from a burning barn were useful in viewing and consequently fighting, nighttime fires; in yet another, the wise men were consulted as to the problem of disposing of the large quantity of soil dug up from building the new synagogue; and came up with the “Chelmish” solution of digging out a hole and burying it. The ultimate result is necessarily and frustratingly understood.

An analogous “odd-ball” quality of distortion and reductionist logic maintained by the large horde of today’s MAGA-Trump supporters provided the dynamics of the present writing; meriting instructive reference to such near-sighted and reductionist, “Chelm-like” reasoning and resultant solution. The analogical reference concerns their paranoid ideation of a National liberal conspiracy as justification for their consequent support of Donald Trump for President. The MAGA’s reductive ignorance, as related below, can rationally and empirically be described as colossal, resulting in a solution far more illogical and bizarre than a typical Chelmish brainstorm; yet significantly worse in consequence.

The perverse MAGA ideation that the purportedly democratic Nation has secretly been run by a small, inner network of financially influential people (“The Deep State”) rather than the avowed rule by the people of the Nation is proximately responsible for their ubiquitous grievances and disappointing lives, will be ameliorated by the imperial rule of a single person dedicated to autocracy is far more than “Chelmish;” Indeed, it is mind-boggling and empirically dangerous.

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Aside from groups engaging in”bird watchers”), most contemporary humans go about their busy, self-absorbed, lifetimes on Terra Firma paying scant attention to their earthly airborne co-tenants. In our experience, the average lawnmowing, auto driving, commuting to work,, television viewing, hamburger consuming, coffee-drinking, member of the fraternity-sorority, referred to as “homo sapiens,” seem to perceive birds as merely and uninterestingly, part of the Planet’s natural environment like the wind and weather. Notably, their evolutionary, meat-eating amphibious ancestors, in their era, by existential contrast, warranted vital scrutiny and life-preserving diligence.

For the non-geological-evolutionary scientist, it requires a veritable “leap of faith,” to accept the notion that the little English sparrow, the tiny Black-Capped Chickadee, and the Goldfinch are the temporal evolutionary progeny of the Brontosaurus and the toothy Tyrannus Rex. Aside from the class of birds denominated as Raptors (“Hawks”), most of the unassuming avian inhabitants of the sky and Earth are content with a diet of insects, seeds, or floral nectar.

Contrary to their universally indifferent perception as simply, flying multi-colored fauna, birds, in fact, seem to perform the important role of reseeding the planet’s flora, reducing the impact of the planet’s overabundant population of annoying, and often toxic, insect population, providing a source of nutrition (ex, chickens and their eggs, turkeys, pheasants, pigeons), cultural ornaments for Indigenous peoples and women’s hats, quills for writing, mattress and pillow stuffing among other applications; and a plethora of referential vocabulary, viz., “bird-brained,” “chicken-hearted,” “chicken,” “eagle-eyed,” on the wing” “flight pattern” “crow’s feet,” “wing and a prayer,” “feather-nesting,” “egg head,” “feather-light,” “aviator,” flight pattern,” “nest egg,” “roost,” flock,” bill and coo,” “sitting ducks,” “turkey-necked,” “eagle eye,””alight,” “swoop down,” and others.; demonstrating that, contrary to the assumption that birds are out of mind, their presence, notably, in our analogous thoughts;

We would observe that birds have territorial assumptions but do not make internecine nor, interspecies wars, seem to share a common interest in food and a healthy environment, are musical and acrobatic, socially gregarious, unanimous in their decision-making regarding food sources and climate, seasonally flexible and adaptive, socially egalitarian, domestic and family oriented, practical and not delusional, and usefully and empirically motivated by considerations of natural survival viz., food, weather, and procreation.

In moments of deep and disappointed rumination concerning the unnatural and perverse condition of contemporary mankind’s casual respect for morality, avarice, and its populously singular ignorance, we unwittingly are struck with the bizarre question as to whether the birds might possibly be watching Mankind, from on high, us for a possible change (analogous to their own evolutionary transmogrification from Tyrannus Rex to black-capped chickadee,) to something universally peaceable and acceptably multi-societal.

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With all appropriate respect and sincere apologies to the singular genius of Albert Einstein, and despite our diffidence concerning its possible perception as reductive, we have come to a personnally satisfactory understanding of the metaphysical (and empirical) essence of the concept of “Time.” Our attained onclusion is that the conception of “Time” emanates from the dynamic comparison of recalled experiences in one’s respective temporal relationship. We will elucidate. by way of a recent, instructive, occurrence of an exotic e-mail.

The e-mail message simply sought our possible identification of two parties appearing in certain photographs, regarding who, unfortunately, we were unfamiliar. The exotic feature of the communication was that it was transmitted from a child of a first cousin (by marriage) which child we had not seen since he was a cute, blonde, curly-haired toddler, being gently rocked in a hammock, by his father on the back lawn of the homestead owned by his in-laws. our maternal Aunt Anna Kenigsberg and her husband, Morris, on Main Street, Middletown Connecticut. The communicant remarkably informed us that he was now 78 years of age; attesting to the bizarre fact that we had not seen or spoken with him for upwards of three-quarters of a Century.

In the course of said exotic communication, we requested, and soon thereafter received, a detailed, well-written history of the births and deaths of the family and progeny of our Mother’s eldest sister (“Tante Anna”).

The recited experience had the effect of causing us, once more, to contextually ruminate on the nature of “Time,” as nuanced and empirically perceived by Mankind, distinquished from the cosmic and metaphysical phenomenon, famously emanaring from the genius of Albert Einstein viz.,”Time,” as variously lived and and perceived by humankind is contemplatively, and empirically demonstrated by our natural reaction to the receipt of exotic e-mail.

Our reflexive rection to the recounted e-mail scenario is respectfully submitted as empirical confirmation of our eternally-held proposition that Mankind’s perception of “Time” is empirically based upon his reaction to the temporal order of his nuanced, accurately recalled, lifetime experiences. For a utilitarian and humanistic understanding of Man’s lifetime of experience, even the incomparable intellect of Albert Einstein offers meager assistance.

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It may be noted, alarmingly, that the President-Elect’s many choices for cabinet positions, uniformly evince the worrisome characteristics of inexperience, conflicts of interest, a full menu of past immoral and/or criminal behavior, and, notably, the prerequisite demonstrated fealty to Donald Trump. As inappropriately flawed as they are, only one, JFK, Jr., can, aesthetically and empirically be described as characteristically “grotesque.”

John F. Kennedy Jr. is similar to his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and his father, Attorney General, Robert Kennedy solely in name.; his appearance, persona, and fundamental beliefs are incompatible and totally divergent from his attractive Uncle and Father,.In appearance, the least significant aspect of this writing, he appears emotionally impassive, dark-complected and speaks in a halting, strained, and gravelly voice.

Our protagonist is an ardent conspiracy wonk and has exhibited a lifetime of advocacy for the cessation of the medically salubrious, disease-preventing practice of vaccination. His principle ideation, that vaccination causes autism, is in direct contrast to medical research., proving otherwise., This deluded conspiracy monger has been nominated by Donald Trump to be the Nation’s Secretary of Health. His anti-vax proclivities would, otherwise appropriately and pragmatically, eliminate his name from rational consideration as Health Secretary. However, his existentionally redeeming feature is his expressed support of the egocentric President-Elect,

Medical history consistently demonstrates the salubrious nature of vaccination. The diserases of polio, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, mumps, whooping cough, tetanus, COVID-19, and scores of others have been medically preventable by the prophylaxis of vaccination. JFK, Jr.’s paranoid ideation that vaccines cause autism, and serve some nefarious need of an existing “Inner State” is toxic and grotesquely harmful.

The widely inappropriate nature of the JFK, Jr. nomination for the impactful office of health czar is additionally inappropriate by reason of the bizarre nature of his outlandish behavior; inclusive of his questionable deposit of a dead bear in New York’s Central Park. The mentally flawed nominee has, in addition, publically disclosed that he has a worm in his brain; presumably the impetus for his conspiracy ideations and, as well, his obedience to Donald Trump.

JFK, Jr,, the President-Elect’s selected nominee to the societally impactful office of Secretary of Health and Human Services has recently declared his grotesque and ultimsately disastrous intention to halt vaccinations for polio. It was this notably grotesque announcement that caused our angst and, indeed. the motivation for this writing,

We can painfully recall polio’s crescendo years, 1940 to 1950, and the raw universal terror of infection of polio, causing, among other precautions, the verboten attendance, especially of young children, at movie theaters or swimming pools. We remember President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who, at age 29 contracted the paralytic disease) founding the National March of Dimes to raise funds for polio research. We recall images of the dreaded iron lungs, of paralysis, and tragic deaths. When Salk and Sabin successfully developed the preventive vaccine for this dreaded disease, the WHO (and the entire world) celebrated the momentous occasion with existential relief.

The selection of the thematically grotesque nominee for the vital office of Secretary of Health and Human Services is disgraceful and extremely dangerous; it might conceivably, be the dynamic product of a hopelessly flawed President-Elect and his brain-wormed, grote4sque nominee.

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