}i{

Like a butterfly on a log, I mutter by on a blog.

[rationalpassion]

Good Neighbours

May 10, 2026

Maybe all one needs is a sense of humor and a Winchester 30-30 to get by, but mostly we need to try a little harder to be good neighbours.

Life can be harsh and unfair. But mostly, only if we see it that way. Our bodies fail us gradually. But are broken parts often distract us for the millions of other parts that work perfectly fine. People are horrible sometimes. But one bad apple can steal our attention from the entire bunch of a thousand. The Earth and its the weather can be disastrous. But we know we owe our existence to it. We come from it. The earth has allows human to thrive for over 200,000 years. Our cooperation and economic systems can collapse. Empires and civilizations eventually fall. As foolish attention-seeking puppets rise to power we all still need patience, kindness and a sense of humor to get by. A little kindness to people struggling to get by, alone, or with families goes a long way. Choose your alliances wisely. Families are important. Don't steal from other people. Try your best to get along with your family and your neighbours. Try not to pollute. At least try to put your trash and chemicals in the dump and toxic waste depot. Not in the ground our kids play in, the air we breathe nor the water we drink, swim and bathe in. Give a fuck. Don't litter. We share this place. Your mom isn't here to pick up after you, but I am, and will send you the bill. You should try picking up other people's trash sometime, when you have some spare time.

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[rationalpassion]

For the Love of Women

April 22, 2026

Over the past 60 years or so, here in the western, euro-rooted civilization, we seem to be collectively experiencing a cultural levelling of capability and responsibly between the sexes. Women are more in a position of agency, power, respect, reverence and responsibility in areas of political, community, and corporate leadership. Their strengths in education and emotional awareness are paying dividends. Men are now benefiting by not being the only gender expected to sacrifice their lives to make money or to fight to protect their fellow citizens in war, going forward.

I especially love women for their intelligence, empathy and communications skills. Women are both powerful and beautiful. The fact that they are the half humanity that gives birth, and instinctively loves a baby/child enough to raise it, is a miracle that keeps our species going. Men play their part too but it is an obvious that this biological and emotional burden demands respect. The uterus and all of the hormones and mood swings, and temporary irrationality that come with it are sacred part of womanhood, and possibly the most important part of our collective humanity. This is true for many other animal species.

It has come to my attention that there are some sad, pathetic men are using their last resort to maintain control and dominance by drugging and abusing women. Being biologically larger and stronger on average wasn't enough. They need to be more devious and spider-like by drugging and raping their victims, their partners. If this is true, it is the worst. It is very important that we have zero tolerance for any related generalized and socialized hatred or violence or sexual assault toward women. If we discover anyone doing this, even in our own families, we need to call it out. Breaking the sacred trust between men and women is one of the worst evils against society that I can think of.

Taking away someone's self-determination and choice is the worst sort of theft. When we are collectively aware that such horrible behaviour exists, those who value a functional, peaceful society need to speak up. One is too many, but when it seems like an epidemic of insanity we need to take it seriously collectively. Knowledge is responsibility.

As a boy and then a man who grew in a large farming family surrounded by strong, hardworking, women it has been very challenging for me to learn and accept that the greater, dominant North American culture is a "society that hates women". With seven aunts and two uncles on my mom's side alone, I was quick to see how important women were in keeping the whole thing together. It was, and still is, irrational and insane to hate women. As insane as hating oneself. We all come from women.

The idea that the a healthy family needs to have a "provider" husband, who works long hours to support a "stay at home" wife, and mom, is no longer possible for most families in this time of recession. Maybe we have allowed the high-wealth class to gut our functional systems and institutions. Maybe we have allowed billionaires to steal our governments. Yet we adapt, and there are several child-raising configurations and strategies used to meet the needs of all family members that people are strategically using. A safe and comfortable home to become pregnant, give birth and raise a child or children, is obviously still needed, if it is her desire to have a child. This is not every women's desire, nor every man's. All of my aunts had children. They all worked, and worked hard, while raising kids, with their husbands help, and the help of their family and community! Maybe the internet broke family and community. We must rebuild to support children and women! Our governments need to support community and family, by supporting women. Also maybe self-moderation of social media that spreads horrible ideas, that are ripping families apart! My hope his AI will break the internet so we can get back to only trusting each other again.

Jobs my aunts did included social worker, nurse, dental hygienist, warehouse manager (my mom), farm co-op worker, bakery café owner operator, miner, bus driver and store owner. They all had kids. I knew all of my cousins. We would meet frequently, at birthday parties, holiday gatherings, at the farm, we collectively hayed in the summer. We went to the beach afterward. No man who ever hated or abused women was allowed in our family. They should not be tolerated or allowed to exist in any family or community. I now understand the sickness that crept up in this entire culture, first though region and the protection that the male-dominated church provided. Men need to first listen, then they need to do the work, to make this world a safer and better place for girls and women of all ages. The women have done the brave work of speaking out, in the 'Me-too' movement, the Epstein pedophile case, and now the this drug assault website. Now the loving, decent men of our world, need to do at least two things; love our women and girls, and make it intolerable for evil, hateful men to act out, and bring them into the light of justice so they stop breaking our shared world. If aggression and violence is the only language they understand maybe that's the only way. No more boys clubs. No proud boys. No misogyny. Strong men support women. Weak men have broken the trust. We must continue to build and rebuild.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Death and Sacrifice

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

Let's talk about death, and what the dead leave behind...

In 2024 I bought a 2.5 acre section of interesting land in the North Kawartha Township at edge of the Cambrian Shield. It's. The geology and soil type on this property varies from swampy wetland that hosts black ash and cedar trees, to sandy rolling hills that abut a rocky out crop where some gnarly spruce, pine, poplar oak and maples grow. I t's a nice place, especially after it rains. Moose, bears, deer, coyotes, turkeys, and several other mammals and birds like to hang out here.

A good portion of the Sandy area was used to grow a variety of Christmas tree species including spruce balsam fir and pine trees. Many of these trees are still present. A couple of the small ones were cut down to make room for a cabin and a place to turn my vehicle around. Most of these small trees that I removed I brought into the city of Peterborough and gave to people on my street. I also had a few friends come on the property before Christmas over the last 2 years to pick out a Christmas tree for themselves.

There were also many dead trees that were still standing here when I bought the property. These trees are easy to identify as their needles turn bright orange and yellow after they expire. After a little while the roots begin to rot and if you've done them back and forth you can remove them without too much fanfare. So to reduce the risk of forest fire and to make the property look a bit nicer I've been removing the dead trees and rotted stumps to prevent tripping.

The process of working with the dead trees has made me realize how self-absorbed, ignorant and myopic we are collectively around death of trees other plants and trees that we heavily rely on to shelter, warm, cook and clothe us. But one use of trees in our culture I find a little bit more interesting as I think it serves as a modern sacrifice.

In this historically Christian society, certain species of evergreen (coniferous) trees are grown to meet the family demand and desire to put a live Christmas in their home. You may feel that this reduces a living tree to a mere living room decoration as it is cut from the ground, erected indoors, decorated, enjoyed for its sight and smell, and eventually discarded. At some point after the solstice the Christmas tree is removed from the home and tossed in the backyard or brought to the curb. In the spring we all still see dead and brown trees that were buried by a snowplow, still waiting to be hauled to the dump.

When I think about the life of a tree, it seems very silly that would I devalue one that was planted by a person as a future Christmas tree over one that was planted 'naturally' often by a squirrel or chipmunk who forget where they buried a seed cone or acorn nut.

All trees have a life expectancy and will eventually die based on their genetics, available nutrients in the soil, and exposure to solar energy of the Sun and hydration by rain. When they die, they stop producing oxygen through photosynthesis and stop releasing carbon dioxide during night-time respiration. They stop growing and yet because of their woody rigid structure may remain upright for many years until the wind or some animal knocks them over. Fungus and bacteria do their work as well . Eventually all the carbon in the tree goes back into the soil or into other organisms. The same as for our bodies if they're buried and allowed to naturally decompose. Burning our dead bodies just seems like a big waste of energy.

Even though we don't enjoy thinking about our expiration, the fact remains that very few of us live past 100 years of age. Like trees, we too need water, nutrition, and rely on sunlight to survive, if only to grow our food and provide vitamin D. Unlike trees, we also need to keep moving to stay strong and heathy. Perhaps the wind helps a tree stay strong and healthy.

We will also experience a slow progression toward death, and then all of a sudden we stop respiration, breathing. Photosynthesis was never a cup of tea. Our heart stops beating. Oxygen is no longer required. Homeostasis, cellular health and reproduction (healing) and all mental activity stops. We think our last thought, and we feel our last emotion.

Muscles will then seize as rigor mortis sets in. Some sort of burial or cremation ritual will be performed. Unless we've set up a ticking time bomb somewhere are effects on the world is coming to an end.

Every human that has ever lived has experienced aging and death. Some of us get to the point beyond childhood where we are experiencing the decline of our health. Some of us do not even get there or beyond infancy.

Typically at some point between the age of 30 and 40 we start the journey towards death. There are visible signs of aging such as wrinkles on our face and graying hairs. Sometimes our bodies change and we gain weight or sometimes lose it. Various functional components of our body start to deteriorate regardless of how well we take care of our body.

Some of us are predisposed to cardiovascular challenges and varicose veins. Some of us have picked up viruses along the way or bacterial infections that have created ongoing challenges. Knee hip and back injuries and pain are common occurrences. Smell, taste, hearing and vision will degrade. Genetics may predispose us to near or farsightedness requiring glasses at a young age. Yet almost all of us at some point in our journey will need reading glasses at the very least.

The truth is that trees will outlive us. Many of these Christmas trees on this two and a half acre piece of land will outlive me for sure. On Christmas day, some child will crawl underneath the murdered spruce, pine or balsam fulir to pull out and rip open a gift containing some sort of newfangled toy that was on his or her wish list to Santa. Hopefully, the sacrificial tree will remind people that life is precious and we rely on other life to survive and enjoy our lives.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Dzogchen Compassion and Rigpa

February 19, 2026

What is Dzogchen Buddhism?

Dzochen is a vital aspect of Mahayana teachings, aiming for enlightenment by recognizing and embodying one's true nature.

The first lesson to understand is to understand that the understanding mind can only take us so far and we will eventually need to resort to using our felt sense of knowing. We will need to use our feelings to transcend the limitations of the rational mind. Understand that understanding can only take us so far. On a solid spiritual path, build with well-formed bricks and clear signs pointing the way, the rational mind remains structurally coherent as we enjoy the walk toward meaningful discovery and enjoyment in life. The right path will align with the gate to the spiritual realm and be there when we return. Even though words can only take us so far they are still important steps on a steps toward a better view. This is the path of wisdom I suppose.

What is Enlightenment?

The word 'light' in the English language is used for both luminous radiant energy and lack of heaviness. When one is too serious one might feel like they need to 'lighten up". When one receives a genuine compliment one might "light up" with external validation. One might also "light up" with excitement and anticipation. These uses require a solid sense of self or ego. One can also be a source of light and radiate compassion and love from within while leaving the bulk of the ego behind, knowing and feeling they are a mere conduit. Enlightenment is a fully embodiment of spirit when the mind-made self accumulated since birth, that separates our spirit, body dissolves even temporarily, and the separation ceases to exist. It is the experience in this reality, the here and now, of the original state of being which is lightheartedness and radiant, that transcends time and space. Experiencing this state even temporarily can provide insight into the true nature of reality. In this state mental suffering and craving stop, as without a self, they cannot exist. Nirvana is the complete an irreversible enlightenment.

Buddhist enlightenment is different than Kantian enlightenment. In Buddhism, enlightenment generally refers to a state of profound understanding, awareness, or spiritual awakening, often described as a moment of sudden realization or a long, transformative process of personal growth. It signifies a shift toward knowledge and inner peace. The term also refers to the 18th-century intellectual movement emphasizing reason over tradition and thinking form oneself without guidance, leading to liberation from oppressive religious authorities and political rulers.

What is the Dzogchen direct path to enlightenment?

Mahayana teachings use the Dzogchen direct method to promote the sudden realization embodiment of one's true nature by directly releasing ego attachments, pretentions and mind-made falsehoods.

What is Rigpa?

RIgpa is the pristine (clear), primordial, and spontaneous awareness or knowledge (view) of one's true, perfect, and empty nature, for which compassion is the basis.

In other words rigpa is the clear view of one's true nature as infinite nothingness, that is experiencing a body with pain like everyone else.

The path to rigpa is carefree acceptance. A 'no big deal' light-hearted acceptance to all experiences, soothing and smoothing inner resistance. The ability to witness the mind's fear-based reactions and predictive imagination evolved to protect our bodies and loved ones from harm, pain and suffering. Simply witnessing it is the first step toward natural compassion and transformation of unhelpful emotions and resulting behaviour. Fear is softened and put in it's place with other emotions like curiosity and love.

What is Dzogchen Compassion?

Dzogchen Compassion is the natural, spontaneous, and nondual expression of the enlightened mind's essence, rather than a forced, ego-driven emotion. It arises naturally when one recognizes their own primordial state—the empty essence and cognizant nature—resulting in a genuine, non-referential concern for all beings. This "noble heart" is considered, alongside wisdom, as a fundamental quality of the mind.

Key aspects of Dzogchen compassion include: (NEST)

Natural Compassion (Tukjé): It is the active, radiant energy of the mind's true nature, inseparable from wisdom, rather than just an emotional response.

Egolessness: It is "noble heart" in Tibetan (ninja), a genuine, heartfelt concern free from self-interest.

Spontaneous Action: It is a, "uncontrived" compassionate response that arises spontaneously without effort.

Transformation of Emotion: Negative emotions are directly transformed into compassion and wisdom rather than suppressed.

Interdependence: It often involves practices that equalize oneself with others, breaking down barriers and fostering empathy.

It is not just a concept to be understood but a direct experience of the compassionate energy of the enlightened state, often described as a warm, open, and luminous quality of mind.

How is Dzogchen Compassion the basis for Rigpa?

In Dzogchen (the Great Perfection) teachings, compassion is not merely an emotion or a good deed, but rather an essential, inseparable, and foundational aspect of rigpa (pristine awareness) itself.

Rigpa is defined as having three inseparable qualities:

- emptiness (empty essence),

- cognizance (lucid nature), and

- compassion (all-pervasive compassionate energy/responsiveness).

Here is how compassion acts as the basis for rigpa:

Inherent Aspect of Mind's Nature: The Ground (the true nature of mind) is naturally endowed with compassionate energy, or thugs rje. This is not a manufactured feeling, but the inherent, unobstructed, and radiant capacity of awareness.

Unity of Wisdom and Compassion: In the state of rigpa, wisdom (realizing emptiness) and compassion are a unity. This "absolute compassion" arises naturally when the true nature of reality is recognized, as there is no self-centered ego to limit one's responsiveness to others.

Expression of Rigpa (Nirmanakaya): Compassion is the basis for the expression of the nirmanakaya (the manifested form of enlightened action). It is the dynamic, active aspect of wisdom that spontaneously works to benefit others.

The "Unconfining" Quality: While rigpa is empty (unborn), its very nature is to manifest as compassion, which is unconfined and all-pervasive. It is the creative power that allows the awareness of rigpa to manifest without being lost in confusion.

Relative Compassion as a Support - Beyond its absolute definition, cultivating relative compassion (loving-kindness) is considered a key practice to open oneself to realizing the ultimate nature of mind. It is described as a "bridge" that allows one to move from a self-centered, emotional state to the open, fearless state of rigpa.

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[rationalpassion]

Peace, War, Families and Patriarchy

February 12, 2026

The patriarchy won't die until we rid ourselves of the need of socially sanctioned disposable people in our country. Those people are mostly young men.

Historically, when push comes to shove, countries recruit and send their largest and strongest citizens into battle or other places known to cause death. Still today, these disposable people are required for sovereignty. The vast majority of these people are men. Many women and men support this as they understand it is needed to maintain a sovereign nation, and not get absorbed by another. As a result, federal governments spend millions on recruiting. We call them heroes and remember them when are killed. Women make sacrifices and sacrifice themselves in the military too and in many other ways. Some choose to risk their lives to support their country as well.

This was well understood for many centuries. Traditionally, men go to out to defend against invaders as their potentially pregnant partners would stay behind to hopefully give birth, so that, in a generation, the population is not zero. She provides something meaningful for him to come home to. Human biology is a factor here. I guess this long period of relative peace in our world of economic superpowers has not required our collective society to really consider survival strategies for our people during war. Are we still a people? Should we strive to survive as a nation?

Even in the absence of war there is a lot that individuals and societies have to work on promote peace and enjoyment. Yet many countries remain at war today. War leads to desperation, and desperation leads to Patriarchy. Patriarchy is not ideal. There is evidence that female-led societies are much more peaceful and better regulated. Maybe we just need a bit more time to get a there. The men would still play an important role with their strength, courage and sacrifice as needed I'm sure. Just in different ways.

Canada is now welcoming and recruiting more women into their military since previous world wars. Maybe young men aren't willing to be heroes anymore and be sacrificed to the gods of war. Maybe they find patriotism and honour overrated. Size and strength are increasingly less important mostly due to technology anyway. Also with more women working lucrative jobs, there is more opportunity and demand for men to be the primary care givers of children. Men still do not get pregnant, or spend 9 months of their life physically and mentally preparing to give birth. Men, and women who choose or cannot have children, accept that women who can and do, will receive financially support for several months to do so. This support, along with other incentives isn't enough. Without immigration, our numbers would be dropping. Company sponsored extended mat leave isn't enough. Many aren't having the the required minimum of two kids for replacement. Having kids requires sacrifices beyond the capabilities of many these days.

The problems we face today are more directly caused by ways of thinking than by patriarchy. Men have been socially programmed to be left-brain dominant in terms of thinking practically and rationally even at the cost of being in touch with their emotions. To the extent that they often try to problem-solve when they should be providing compassion and emotional support. This left brain dominance leads to to regressive and aggressive ways of providing solutions that are often move us backward in terms of moving towards peace. Humans are not machines by default, but we can pretend to be for short periods of time and do horrible things. We are all killers if we need to be.

The cold calculating mind of the engineer, soldier, medic or psychiatrist who needs to temporarily suspend emotional connection, a sort of willful psychopathy in order to complete a task plays a toll on ones soul. Those who can step in and out of this sort of psychopathy are very much needed in our society. These are very special people indeed.

Being detached from one's emotions is not the ideal way of being in any society that is peaceful, loving and fosters healthy connection. Those stuck in psychopathy do a lot of damage in our world. Those returning from war need a lot of psychiatric help and support in order to reintegrate to our society. Shell shock and post traumatic stress syndrome are very real.

In essence what I'm saying is that we are emotional social beings first, and the technical, logical, rational mind comes second.

This is the whole point of the book 'master and his emissary', by Iain McGilchrist.

Our American neighbors to the south and northwest (Alaska) is demonstrating a regression that I wholeheartedly disapprove of, and condemn. I hope they can turn things around soon down there. The ICE illegal immigrant roundup seems to moving them to toward a modern Civil War. Every civilian death over there is inching them closer to a long-term problem.

We too have things to work on in our side of the border in terms of accepting people of differing cultural backgrounds. The only thing I require of new people coming to this land is that they intend to live peacefully and help make it a good place to be. I welcome all of the fruits of cultural diversity but the violence must be left in your home country.

We have enough to work on here. Treaties and peacemaking is an ongoing project. Everyone who is not First Nations has immigrated here in the not so distant past. Many worlds overlap here. Understanding and unending reconciliation of past transgressions move us towards peace and forgiveness of the errors of our ancestors.

The latest school shooting out in British Columbia speaks of some sort of mental trouble in our world in Canada. People need better help and support. I don't have to read anything to know this was done by a man. There is a good chance that this man's psychopathy, confusion, and hatred of himself and others in our society had something to do with it.

I hope every man can find a healthy way to channel their energy toward helping others and finding peace within themself.

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[rationalpassion]

The Physics of Aging

January 29, 2026

Of course we can't stay young and attractive forever. And that's all right.

It seems wise that 'good looking' people don't build their house on their physical beauty or handsome appearance.

I know the timelines are different for men and women because of a various biological and social factors and the legacy of patriarchy. Maybe things are changing. Yet still, no one can stay beautiful on the outside forever, and that's all right.

All the makeup, plastic surgery, hair dye, hair implants, hair removal, tanning sessions and botox injections in the world won't keep our aging biology from doing its thing and appearing less youthful and superficially attractive.

With a bit work I think we can all stay beautiful, attractive and even young on the inside.

It is this beauty on the inside the animates us and can transcend nature's inevitable effect. Our inner vitality can animate our wrinkles and stiff muscles defying both gravity and subjective opinion. In person, most casual observers see this light, vitality, wellbeing and confidence that eminates from within.

So I think it makes sense foster that sort of energy and save our money.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Who is the boss?

Have-tos and Get-tos. The doing of Life.

January 27, 2026

I like doing things that are needed (by myself and others) that are also playfully, creative and enjoyable. For me, and perhaps others, this combination holds the secret to living an enjoyable life.

There are things I don't really want to do that need to be done. Let's call them have-tos. There are things I enjoy doing that nobody is saying needs to be done. Let's call them get-tos.

I believe it is possible to transform have-tos into get-tos. With the right attention, I think we can find the joy in almost anything. Upon inspection, the delineation between these two often competing experiences seem a bit arbitrary, yet still based on my experience.

Established during my formative years, there persists in my mind a storied algorithm, a sort of strange construct of future oriented need-tos and want-tos. In the moment, they are converted into have-tos and and get-tos. I feel the most enjoyment in my life is felt when have-tos and get-tos are one and the same.

Without fostering joy in the mundane or effortful chores, all activities are sorted into these two categories. Teachers and parents, our overlords at the time, helped us create in these categories during childhood, and the programming persists. Eliminating this split, is like reverting back to the child-like mind before we were trained to be responsible, boring, and socially fearful adults.

As adults in society, most of us acquire external obligations. We take on a set of responsibilities to others in our life. This is a wonderful thing and is very much needed to create healthy human communities and peaceful societies. We know who is pulling our heart strings and who is establishing our "have-to" deck of cards. We then try to sneak in our own personal get-tos into that deck, once in a while. This seems like the sufficient amount of personal sacrifice to keep a person relatively content and balanced in their life. It is the socially acceptable way.

One might think, as a free adult that we become free to choose what we do. Yet we always acquire a new set of have-to dictators: bosses, landlords, police, judges, dogs, and children. There are a lot of have-tos when we strive to fit in, follow rules, get along with others, do no harm, contribute to society, maintain the peace, be considerate of others needs, drive safe, and be helpful when we can. Society determines many of our have-tos in life. Prior to the social construct, it's important to remember that have-tos are also determined by our biological nature and survival itself. You have to breathe clean air, drink clean water, cook and eat nutritious food, sleep well, socialize, get exercise, brush your teeth, clean yourself and home, and very likely you need to earn money.

Yet, it's remains helpful to know what or who determines these need-tos. As a responsible adult many are fairly obvious: your children, your boss at work, your partner in marriage, your pet, your church leader, or your religious text.

Lets dig a little deeper into these so called have-tos and get-tos. We feel a sort of privilege when we get to do something. No external person is forcing us or telling us to do anything. We feel like the voice comes from somewhere within. We feel love and care for the thing that we are doing. There is a connection. There is intention. We know why we are doing it. It is enjoyable. Sometimes just for the sake of doing it or for fun. Sometimes we experience the state of flow while doing it. This is where our whole brain seems to light up as we engage in something effortful in an intuitive, relaxed way after many hours of practice. Also, the level of seriousness is within our control.

In summary, it might be helpful and interesting to reflect on this in one's life. The set of have-tos and get-tos are likely unique for each individual. It's helpful to know what or who determines these external have-tos. As a child the have-tos are established by parents, and then teachers.

It does feel comfortable and easier to continuously have someone or something to tell us what needs to be done. If there is no external boss, my imaginative mind tends to create one anyway. Do I need and external voice telling me what to do, how to behave, to be a functional person? Is everyone like this? Is this why people are religious? Do we we need a god, set of gods, or alien over-watchers to be healthy, balanced, and accomplished? Does this entity need to hear us, see us, and care if we do well and good in this world? Must this entity be in-charge of the quality of my afterlife? The depth of this question does seem to get into core beliefs, ideology, religion, integrity, morality and personal ethics.

Do we have to help others, contribute to charity, give money to beggars, pick up other people's trash? No, but we are allowed to. We get to. So I guess helping others is a privilege.

Do you believe it is possible to convert or combine have-tos into get-tos?

What determines what you need to do in life, if no one is telling you, your ethic:

Physical Biology, survival

air, water, food, shelter, warmth, sleep, exercise, hygiene, social interaction, income.

Ego, Self-Esteem and Spirit:

moral obligation.

connection to land, water and universe

kindness, generosity, love

balance, fairness, wholeness

reciprocity and empathy

Social-Ethical repercussions:

will I be penalized and will suffer if I don't do it

will I disappoint someone if I don't do it

will I be ostracized or outcast if I don't do it

will I cause someone harm or suffering if I don't do it.

will I damage my family, friend's or my reputation if I don't

will someone get hurt if I don't do it.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Must I believe in Race?

For many years I have considered the identifying and sorting of individual people into categories of race a silly thing. Being white skinned in a racist world may have its privileges but it's still stupid. We are all red and white on the inside.

I think people who like neat and tidy order, like the idea of race. It seems to appeal and extend the desire to simplify and sort things to people. I hate to break it to you, but the world is messy place. Get used to it.

And to what end? People like to sort things so they can manage them or at last manage their fear of things. The race game seemed to be about extending the management or mastery of things to other people. It's a shortcut to improve one's guess as to how they might behave and pose some threat or advantage. White tourists from the USA are known to ask for lattes, pay with credit cards, and treat everyone like servants. I've seen it in Mexico. They fail to act as a guest in a foreign land. They act like they own the place. It would an oversimplification to say all white skinned people act this way, but racism is everywhere. A second reason is to different elevate oneself. Also to give oneself a sense of tribal belonging. Othering as it is called. The foreigner. The immigrant. The stranger. Who should we avoid, keep an eye on, fear? Who should I trust? When should I deploy generalizations, and stereotypes? What evidence-based criteria should we use to judge and stereotype others? When do genes matter at all? Doesn't every country, every land have people we could befriend, and people we should avoid? How much should I judge someone's character solely based on their language, skin tone, hair type/colour, eye shape, body size, smell, food preferences, and mannerisms? These are not crazy questions to me.

In 1943, Bertand Russell, wrote:

“There is not in Europe any such thing as a pure race. Russians have an admixture of Tartar blood, Germans are largely Slavonic, France is a mixture of Celts, Germans, and people of Mediterranean race, Italy the same with the addition of the descendants of slaves from every corner of the Empire imported by the Romans. The English are perhaps the most mixed of all. There is no evidence that there is any advantage in belonging to a pure race. The purest races now in existence are the Pygmies, the Hottentots*, and the Australian aborigines; the Tasmanians, thanks to the British, who were probably even purer are now extinct. There is a special absurdity in applying racial theories to the various populations of Europe.” — Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays (1950), Ch. VII: An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish: A Hilarious Catalogue of Organized and Individual Stupidity (1943), p. 118 ━━━ Background: Unpopular Essays (1950) by Bertrand Russell Unpopular Essays is a collection of Russell's more controversial works, reaffirming his liberal values. Written to “combat the growth in dogmatism” on first publication in 1950 it met with critical acclaim and a wide readership. Unpopular Essays has since become one of Russell's most accessible, and contrary to the work's title, popular books. Image: Map of races of Europe. National Geographic (1919). * Russell wrote the above in 1943. Today use of the term “Hottentot” is now deprecated and is offensive, the preferred name for the non-Bantu speaking indigenous people of the Western Cape area being Khoi, Khoekhoe (formerly Khoikhoi).

[rationalpassion]

47, No Kids, Liberal, and Concerned About the Future

January 25, 2026

Man, time really is a trip. I'm a hetero cis-male, as the kids say these days. I've been on this planet for almost 48 years.

I don't have any kids of my own, and I still find it wild that I am old enough to be a grandparent.

About 25 year ago, I landed a good job out of college and was renovating a small, rough house that I bought in a bedroom cottage community for a under $50k, which seemed like a crazy amount of money. I was 22 years old and I signed a 5 year mortgage. Things were different back then.

I was about two years into a loving relationship with my first partner who I cared for very much. We met just after finishing college.

She got pregnant. I got her pregnant. We were pregant. Mostly she was pregnant. Pregancy happened. Not her choice, so she had an abortion. That was her choice. Not so much mine. If she chose to have the baby, I would have a 25-year old child now. It was her body, and her choice. We were young. We used protection. It didn't work. It was a very stressful time and a tough decision. It was a rude awakening, to human biology anyway. I supported her decision, even though I wanted to be a dad. I went with her to the clinic visits and that final day of the procedure. Past the picketing angry, shaming anti-abortion religious conservative people. She recently graduated from Queen's University with an English Degree. I understood that she wished to be free to teach English in South Korea. A child would be a complete game-changer or both of us. She wanted freedom. I don't blame her at all. But, it affected me, and I've thought about it often over the years.

If she decided to keep it, if the child was born, many things would be different. It's hard to guess how life might unfold. "What if?" a strange, fruitless game.

I could be a grandfather now. The child then could have one or more children now. As I recently learned, this is much less likely if they were liberal then conservative. A person's political leanings right or left of center are the greatest factor in reproduction. Gender matters too.

Statistically only about 22% of liberal males between the age of 25 and 35 are having kids these days (since 2020 in US), compared to 47% conservative males, in the same age bracket. For females in the same age bracket and period, the difference is 40% for liberal women, and 71% for conservative women. Liberal women over 44 years old have just slightly less births as Conservative Women over 44 years old. This is likely due to finishing their University and establishing an adequate child-conducive home situation.

IVF and other fertility technologies also help even things out here. Who needs a man these days, right?

Even though I really wanted to be a father then, I am happy that I supported her choice. I'm still very pro-choice.

As the chart below shows, many liberal-minded individuals have become progressively more childless over the years, but it's really starting to drop off. This will very likely continue to shape the culture and minds of North Americans. So it seems important to have Conservatives who are rational, reasonable, aware, and sane.

Source Data:

US Adults with Children by Political Ideology - Reddit:

Differential fertility makes society more conservative on family values - PNAS.ORG:

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1918006117

I'm ok being childless. I do occasionally have thoughts and feelings related to living a meaningful life, and what that looks like in our society without ever having or raising kids. A failure, to some perhaps. I'll never know what people really think. In turn, these thoughts tie into my opinion, love or loathing for humanity as a whole. This often includes thoughts on over-population and geo-political tribalism. These thoughts are challenging and unproductive. Since I am human, these thoughts tie into my love or loathing for myself. I usually get over it. I like others to know that it's really important to love or even work on liking oneself. Self-esteem is no joke. SNL's Stewart Smally and is affirmations aren't so funny to me anymore. I'll never know if it's my genetic, family-social or cultural programming that inspires self-shaming thoughts, but they too are I part of what makes up 'me'. Like everyone else, on those down days, I just try my best to scrape myself off the floor and try to find a way to enjoy my life and care for others, who share the struggle.

I heard a comedian, Cliff Cash, on Instagram recently say with great delivery, if a conservative is pro-abortion, they should also be pro-same-sex-marriage. Gay people have less abortions.

I thought that was funny and sad at the same time. It was about "out-dumbing" a MAGA conservative.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JI3UqP3ejBU

US Religious Conservatives have constrained their individual freedom so much, by their insane "Christian" ideologies, that they seem to yearn for alternate freedom by way of bigotry, guns and violence against themselves and anyone different than them, essentially destroying themselves and their morality over time. They don't realize that the large organized church and state are both cut from the same cloth. It's a little sad that they are advancing their undereducated society through by baby-making and child-rearing alone. More is not necessarily better. This seems very unfortunate for everyone and untenable.

I'm not sure where my home country of Canada lands on the spectrum of the following Eurasian "duty" to procreate map, but I feel it's somewhere in the orange depending on your age, religion and political ideology.

Personally, I believe it remains a privilege, more a duty, to have the opportunity to help and witness a human grow from an tiny egg to unique and capable adult person. One of many miracles of biology, I'd say.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

What Planet are you on?

September 22, 2025

I think some people are on another planet, in a good way. Sometimes, after a good night's sleep, I feel I have access to a hidden world, a whole other planet. I see the world differently in a more beautiful light. It's easier to see the amazing things people are doing and the way nature unfolds in patterns and displays of beauty and awe all-around, in the sky, in the land, in the water. The world seems more magical and majestic than normal. I think I might just be tripping out a little on life.

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[rationalpassion]

Chaos and Control

August 13, 2025

Adventure is all about the balance of Control and Chaos.

These two demi-gods are still perpetually battling it out and very hard to ignore.

Since the world seems to adore novelty and is in a state of perpetual change, it might seem like Chaos is the predominant force, while Control and its partner Order have us humans hard at work trying to maintain a balance.

Fellow human travellers can show us how the maintain this balance in our adventures here together. They understand the art of knowing when to be serious and when to live it up and have a good time.

I feel my best self is one who is lighthearted and relatively worry-free. You know, someone who who smiles often and laughs easily. Damn near happy-go-lucky. I'm working on that. Lol.

Occasionally, I still fall under the spell of heavy concern and seriousness for the future. A strange spell cast by other magicians of chaos out there. You know, the fear-mongering type. One way I stay on track is to surround myself with light-hearted people who laugh often, care for others and understand their own needs. I find that balance of seriousness and light-heartedness vibe in my friends.

I like being playful, creative, adventurous, and relaxed. Many, like yourself, inspire this in me.

I feel like I can be my easy self around people like you. Silly, relaxed and animated, as they are.

I like you because you still know when to get excited and you plan for adventure in spite of uncertainty. Its art to balance play and planning. Being considerate of the timing and sequence of things often makes sense, and a certain degree of coordination is usually required to do anything worthwhile. Students, creatives, educators and even wedding planners understand this. : )

Yet, it's good to keep in mind that the only reason we put any time and energy into planning, is to create a sort of safe place to play. A sort of sandbox that allows us to enjoy a relatively carefree social or creative experience, later on.

Sometimes, concerns and worries arise because we know much is out of our control. We could become incapacitated by our fear, knowing things might go wrong, but some are good at knowing that unpredictability is exactly what makes life dynamic and fun.

Yes, life can change for the worse all of a sudden. Yes, serious challenges can arise. Tragedies and trauma happen. You will need time to heal, physically, mentally and emotionally. Healing is a magical gift. A sense of humour inspiring a few smiles and laughs in the shadow of great challenge and loss will always be good medicine. My friends know this.

Sometimes we need courage to look for the beauty and joy in the world, and find the strength to see it with our own eyes. We don't do ourselves any good by lazily following the fearful ways of others. It's better to question and be curious!

I wish to continue practicing the Art of Living by finding the balance between...

caring for others and caring for one's own needs.

being well planned and wildly spontaneous.

caution and adventure.

being organized and making a mess.

contrived and organic.

efficiency and creativity.

I'm still working on the life skill of knowing when to be cautious and careful and when to be a creative and spontaneous.

Some places that offer more life also offer more opportunities for relaxation and activities that help ground and reconnect us. There are so many great people and places in Canada, in my county, and right in my neighbourhood. Great people are often found among the trees, lakes, rocks and rivers. My nervous system can relax and unwind here, with others and alone. What a great place to celebrate togetherness and partnership. I will embrace the chaos and order in this world.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Rusty Trust

August 11, 2025

What is trust? Confidence in this world requires trust. Confidence in your friends, family and self as well. World leaders are doing their best to erode trust and grow a herd of neurotic, fearful sheep. I feel more like a wolf. Wolves have an order, a hierarchy, and they all have teeth. They need to trust each other.

Trust is knowing that I won't take from you or hurt you. Even the smallest of things. Your rocks are your rocks. Your time is your time. Your peace is your peace.

Trust needs me to work through my feelings of unfairness or envy as they arise, and my desires for experiences and things others have earned and acquired. Trust is understood when I ask before borrowing something and by returning things promptly. Trust also allows for the sharing of things and relaxing our ideas of material possession.

Trust allows for knowing information that could make someone more vulnerable in the wrong hands. We likely all have secret passwords, places, money stashes, and hidden keys. Trust is not blowing the secret birthday party.

If you trust your neighbour more than your friend. He's not a great friend. Trust doesn't require that much history. Some people are addicted or low esteem and cannot be trusted. Some will manipulate others who are caring and kind to get what they want. Some neighbours understand the value of trust immediately.

Trust is being confident that others are going to speak well about you in public, with and without your presence.

Trust needs others them to be straight with you, and not sugar coat or lie. It needs a respect for factual information and knowing how misinformation will cause harm. Sometimes it's hard to tell misinformation (not caring about the truth) from disinformation (lying). Both can destroy trust.

Trust allows for efficiency and a degree of predictability.

Trust is the foundation of ethics and morality.

To be trusted, you must trust others.

Forgiveness and understanding can only heal wounded trust so many times. For good and bad, we have a brain that tends to hold memories. We also have journals.

Most people are good at their core and care about others. It seems they can become untrustworthy when child like or animal-like survival-mode selfishness sets in. They may acquire a spiteful, pathetic 'poor me', or envious 'why can't I have that' attitude in childhood and never outgrow it. They may develop contempt for someone who hurt them or their feelings, and they will often continue to can be misfire their contempt and hateful feelings at others, who they see as similar to those who hurt them.

Trust requires intelligence. We need friends who are socially smart enough to understand the importance of information management, context and 'read-the-room' scenarios. Trust needs people who are smart enough to know when to keep things to themselves and when to keep obvious private information to themselves. We need to be smart enough to know who the bad actors are. Friends are people we trust with information.

Trust means having your back when somebody is bullying or threatening you.

Trust is earned and not given out easily. I don't really trust too many people. But I have a few reliable people in my life. I am continually working on being reliable and trustworthy person myself, one with follow- through and integrity.

Trust needs is to say 'No' to others, with kindness, as we include our own needs and know it's for the best, or because we've already said yes with integrity to someone or something else.

Trust is needed to bring the light of a kind, genuine smile into a dark and angry world where the trolls of chaos are hard at work.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Opinion of Oneself

July 2, 2025

I care what you think. I don't really care what you think about me. I find that debilitating. I care what I think about me.

I will really be never know what others think, and it could change in an instant with one bit of gossip or rumour totally out of my control. You are entitled to your opinion. I can only hope that you have creative, kind and peaceful thoughts. I care more when I young. I am too old to care about the fickle opinions of others. It's safe to assume that I admire some aspect others who I meet out there, surviving in this world. If I'm being hurtful, annoying, or offensive, especially without knowing it, please let know. Not to protect your opinion about me, but I believe in the the golden role and I will stop fucking your shit up. Peace is all about try get along with others who are different, think different, and act different. Once aware I hope I have the presence to apologise. I care about the wellbeing of others. But again, I really care what I think about myself.

I'm experienced but I'm imperfect, and I'm learning, and I can change and adapt when it makes sense to my spirit. I'm not done growing. My sprit is caring, helpful, resourceful, determined, and considerate.

The silly, self-referential and self-critical voice in my mind needs to be kind, chill out, and remember to tend to essential bodily needs like food, breath, coordination, and other internal sensations that signal stress and relaxation. l want to be healthy and be enjoyable to be around. I'm an imperfect role-model. I strive to be real, helpful, and a positive influence on others.

When I am feeling energetic, I am best served by slowing myself down so I more deeply observe appreciate the beauty around me.

I enjoy those moments when I am truly in the here and now. A present being as it were.

I like to act in a way accepts that which intuitively makes sense.

There are may more good times and laughs to be had. From wonderful social experiences, uncanny coincidences, and hilarious interactions between people of different cultures, life is not boring. If I just let go, get out of my own way, out of my head and into the world I will keep loving life and others. I will keep my vibe inline with the legit patterns of life, earth, and the elements.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

On the Dick

May 29, 2025

Where I live dicks are still offensive.

It's an insult. A pussy is weak. An asshole is inconsiderate, rude, mean, and maybe a bully. A dick is selfish, insensitive and more arrogant than the asshole. These days, being a dick is worse than an asshole.

Aside from a personality trait, it's an actual part of the male human body.

Most guys walk around acting like they don't have one, outside of their home anyway. We are trained to keep it very low profile.

If my dick does anything but just sit there, hidden behind layers of clothing, some will surely be offended and others horrified.

It's inappropriate to touch it, hold it, or even look at.

If I reveal it of touches it, in public, anywhere away from a urinal or toilet it's indecent, and a fine could be laid. There are many rules in our culture around the dick, for a variety of good and silly reasons.

It must remain covered. Like the labia and areola of the female body, it is only allowed to be shown privately to others who want to have sex with you.

Some men have small dicks. Some men are not happy with their dick, even ashamed of it. Maybe they think, or know, it's smaller than average or no longer rises to the occasion when someone actually wants it. Most others are just socially or religiously taught to be ashamed of their sexuality.

Some men actually love all of their body parts, big or small, including their dick, and aren't ashamed at all, but still follow the rules of society, just to get along, be accepted, even if fines or jail wasn't a reality.

Thanks to existence of rapists and pedophiles, some see it as tool of violence against women and children. A symbol of violence and oppression. I really wish men didn't ruin it by being violent and horrible.

Many conservative people see it as an utterly hideous and shameful thing. That's silly. It may or may not be the most beautiful body part of a the male body, but it does offer ecstatic and procreational value. It is impressive in how dynamic it can be. It's kind of amazing how it can transition from small, shrivelled and flacid to large, hard and erect, with minimal physical encouragement or inspired imagination.

I like nude beaches because the dick is allowed to be visible and socially accepted as part of my body that doesn't inspire hate or disgust in others.

It used to be essential for human procreation. Maybe not so much now.

It offers pleasure for others, and oneself when used respectfully and caringly.

I like my dick and take good care of it. It has provided me and my lovers with good times and great organisms and its been essentially problem free. I'm hoping this trend continues. So far pills aren't needed. Maybe someday.

At the moment, that's all I have to say about the dick.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

The Key to Happiness

November 2, 2023

The key to happiness is psychological flexibility. Its true. I asked my Google assistant and that was its answer. There may be economic and mental health barriers to achieving happiness. Happiness often implies a certain degree of health, but maybe not all the time. A healthy body needs exercise, healthy mind needs challenge and accomplishment, and heathy relationships need a balanced social life and all seem to need minimum amount of economic security. But challenges to all these are also essential to happiness.

The Google assistant's "psychological flexibility" answer to "what is the key to happiness?" came from this article...

https://theconversation.com/true-happiness-isnt-about-being-happy-all-the-time-88600

"Recent research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to greater happiness and well-being. For example, being open to emotional experiences and the ability to tolerate periods of discomfort can allow us to move towards a richer, more meaningful existence."

Two paths to happiness

"Philosophically speaking there are two paths to feeling happy, the hedonistic and the eudaimonic. Hedonists take the view that in order to live a happy life we must maximize pleasure and avoid pain. This view is about satisfying human appetites and desires. More experiences of joy equals a happier overall human.

In contrast, the eudaimonic approach takes the long view. It argues that we should live authentically and for the greater good. We should pursue meaning and potential through kindness, justice, integrity, honesty and courage."

The latter appeals more to me more these days.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudaimonia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonism

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[rationalpassion]

Your Story is Valuable

Fall 2023

Your many successes are a big part of your story. So too are your failures. Both have provided real learning opportunities. The first few chapters of your story were written without you. They were formed by those who came before you and what they left behind. The inherited intergenerational pain and suffering that you valiantly live with, patiently accept and possibly transcend, is a big part the beginning of your story, but it not the end. Pain and desire is part of your story. The story of you is the most important and valuable thing you have. Without it you don't exist. Your story is authored by chance, perception and will. The random chance of the universe, the perception and actions of others, and the will of your spirit that effects your choices. We may seem like chaotic little robots, but our fuzzy logic is only explainable in terms of needs of the spirit. Inspite of our circumstances there are many paths out of the sticky stuckness of our minds. These paths are often not advertised and often minimized by the selfish and limited view and poor imagination of others who are mindlessly stuck in their own muddy stories of regret, sadness, abandonment and suffering, and just want company. If we truly knew how important our story was we wouldn't let anyone else's story even come close to limiting our own, no matter how influential, impressive or admirable they appear to be. Your story is being written now, every day, and you are the main character. A character who has some say in how the story goes. Your story is a choose-your-own adventure book. So I suggest helping the universe write the best fucking story for your unique character that is conceivably possible. Have fun with it. There's rarely a dull moment when life becomes a collaborative art project with the gods of Chaos and Order. The project of one self is built with every other creative act you do. Love your self. If you are breathing and can do one creative thing then you have a chance to write yourself a better story. Your story is valuable to you. Your story is valuable to others, here now, and to those yet to come. As you are.

Wolves care little about the opinions of sheep.

Be a wolf 🐺.

}i{

[rationalpassion]

Elder Memories

Summer 2023

I'm getting older, and sometimes I think that my memory might not be what it used to be. I'm not so worried. When I need to remember the past I just use my personal search engine. Do you do this? I journal using my phone a lot. I add pictures, the works, but mostly it's a normal written journal. I'm writing using it right now. A bit meta-weird. Anyway, I use a searchable journal app, called Journey on my phone. It reduces my need to commit things to long term memory. I don't really want to remember everything anyway. I just hit the little magnifying glass, pop in a few words... and bam it's there, better than I could remember it.

There was a time when we actually had to remember things. We also had photographs and video tape recordings to help us remember. But even they aged and faded. Some people made home movies on Sony Handycams, played them back on their Betavisions, but then engineers and designers, despite the corrupt patent offices, always found some way of making improvements to the recording and playback systems. You know the story, the big switch to VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and gigabit/sec internet streaming. They were called improvements because they tended to improve the user's experience of a familiar and popular technology while still being accessible and affordable. Electronic devices were particularly prone to quick obsolescence due to frequent science-based discoveries, developments, and the ability to engineer things on progressively smaller scales. Noticeable improvements in the quality of audio-video recording and playback, but also in ergonomic ease-of-use, and ability for a memory device to last and be playable for years to come. In the area of video recording, optical discs are not susceptible to being erased my magnetic fields. They typically allowed people to enjoy a better product using a more pleasant, novel or familiar, and possibly more intuitive interface. The analog era was an exciting time.

The digital revolution changed everything.

We slowly realized that that making a common digital recording medium that many devices could use was the way to go. Like a Swiss army knife, amalgamation and ergonomic improvements put a powerful computer in the vast majority of everyone's pockets and hands.

Ergonomic improvements often meant that a person's usage of the product was more intuitive and familiar. The user could rely on common and familiar manual skills or gestures to control the machine. It's easier to go from riding a horse to a motorcycle than a jet airplane. Hand gestures have been used for millennia to accomplish non-verbal communication by humans. Using hand gestures to move a mouse or interact with a touch screen is an easy step for most. Also many technologies require that a written symbolic language is already developed and used by the vast majority of the population. As is almost always the case for most cultures in the world. But the real advancement came when world wide wired and wireless data connectivity with several layers of technology, hardware, protocols and languages allowed for ubiquitous access to information.

The Journey journaling app works very well. I think I pay $4o/year for it. It allows quickly publishing a journal entry as blog post to Tumbler. It's has a great search engine. I also like that it's cloud-based, and automatically synchronized so I don't have completely rely on my phone for its existence. It's works via a PC too. When I look up really old entries I can see how some memories stand the test of time better than others. Many memories are interesting or cherished because they are old and foundational, elder memories. I'm fine if my memory storage is externalized. It'll very likely last longer than my brain-based memories anyway.

}i{