Mirror Reflections

Have you ever noticed during movies that individuals often study themselves in the mirror when they’re in a stressful situation?

Do YOU ever do the same?

• Perhaps you have a life-altering decision to make, so you “study yourself” in the mirror.
• Or perhaps you have said or done something hurtful to a loved one, so you “share regret with yourself” in the mirror.
• Or possibly you are suffering from a severe illness, so you “ask yourself” how you will face the potential consequences.

In other words, in these moments of self-observation, you are not pondering your “looks,” but rather you are examining YOU.

Have you ever wondered why we do this? Do we “see something” in our reflection that simple thoughts cannot reveal?

Inquiring minds want to know.

FYI

Today Is My Birthday!

In case anyone reading this is at all interested! 😄😂😛

CARE TO JOIN ME?

(And NO! I’m NOT discussing my age! 
Let’s just say the treads are getting well-worn.) 

 

 

Your Final Thoughts

I read a blog post this morning in which the writer shared a story that triggered some thoughts I had not previously considered.

Briefly … a little background.

The blogger had been a Christian most of his life and dutifully raised his children in the faith. However, in 2007, his oldest son declared himself to be an atheist. As would be expected, this disturbed the family to no small degree, but it also prompted the blog writer to look more closely at his own faith.

Over the next several years, he spent considerable time reading and doing research related to Christianity and its roots. Little by little, he began his own journey toward atheism.

It was during this time that his aunt, who was a believer, faced imminent death and he went to be with her. Although she (and his mother) were both Christians, he said he managed to avoid discussing religion and simply shared past experiences.

Reading his story, a rather probing question occurred to me — and I’d like to ask it of my atheist audience who have had a religious background — especially those who have been in the evangelical movement where the teaching of heaven and hell is so prevalent.

Imagine …

You are at life’s end. In mere moments, you know you will take your last breath and it will be … The End. Kaput. Finis. The Grand Finale. The Endgame.

My question: Can you HONESTLY say you would be totally free of ANY thoughts related to your eternal destiny?

While at this moment in time I can personally say with confidence that I no longer harbor any fears related to my demise, I do recognize the power of my former Christian beliefs related to life’s end. And I am forced to admit … they could intervene.

So what about you? If you know you’re at death’s door, are you absolutely certain of your final thoughts?

(Please remember — this question is for former believers. If you’ve always been an atheist, it obviously has no relevance. Further, I’m not soliciting thoughts related to any kind of “spiritual” afterlife. It’s all about “that moment.”)

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Image by doodlartdotcom from Pixabay

One Last Time (I Hope)

Sorry for returning to politics, but Kathleen Parker wrote an opinion piece for the WAPO that really impressed me.

I was quickly drawn in by her opening remarks:

Truth be known, I haven’t liked Trump since he came on the stage. Not my kind of guy. The thought that he could become president was, to me, absurd and sickening.

Here is the link. BTW, don’t be put off by the article’s title. You’ll understand more when you read her column.

How The GOP Can Be Reborn

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P.S. I know that WAPO often restricts access to its articles, so if you’re unable to read this one, Click Here for a .pdf file.

“Oumuamua” — First Contact?

“Oumuamua”

No, I’m not making up a new word. This is the title given to an object that some are certain originated from beyond our Solar System. Perhaps you remember reading about the event that occurred in 2017? The word itself is Hawaiian and means “messenger from the distant past.”

Those who are interested in and study this sort of thing wondered if the object was a comet. Or an asteroid. Or something else … perhaps something entirely unique?

Maybe even a visitor from elsewhere in the galaxy? 😮

Apparently, one scientist was certain about that last hypothesis. So …

ignoring the large amounts of research done by other professionals who specialize in this particular field …he embarked on a public crusade to convince the world of the most far-fetched explanation for this natural phenomenon: aliens.

The individual who presented this POV is Avi Loeb, an Israeli-American theoretical physicist who works on astrophysics and cosmology (Wikipedia).

According to this article, Mr. Loeb “has produced pioneering and provocative research on black holes, gamma-ray bursts, the early universe and other standard topics of his field. But for more than a decade he has also courted a more contentious subject—namely, space aliens, including how to find them.” (emphasis added)

The article goes on to say:

In late 2018 Loeb and his co-author Shmuel Bialy, a Harvard postdoctoral fellow, published a paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters arguing that ‘Oumuamua had been nothing less than humanity’s first contact with an artifact of extraterrestrial intelligence.

As one might expect, while popular with journalists, the paper fell flat with most of Loeb’s astrobiology-focused peers — who disagreed and provided reasoning for their conclusions. You can read all about it here. (Note: A rather lengthy article.)

I bring up Mr. Leob’s speculations based on the various and sundry comments that were shared on one of my previous posts. It appears there are some who tend to think we have been –or could be– visited by folks from the far reaches of space.

(If you happen to be one of those individuals, you might be interested in reading Mr. Leob’s book:  Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Life Beyond Earth, available on Amazon.)

In any event, feel free to share your thoughts and imaginative comments about “Oumuamua.”