Unknown Songs (Dual Solioquy - Roy Buchanan)

From a guitarist's perspective, I find this song absolutely beautiful. I will rarely say this, but this song bleeds perfection. This is actually part 2 of the song (youtube doesn't allow for videos over ten minutes). I actually found this guy while going through my dad's CD collection. I'm glad I did. Anyway, Enjoy.

Caster Semenya - A Man Or A Woman? Does it matter?

If you're not familiar with this story, I'll try to sum it up. Caster Semenya, born 7 January 1991 in Pietersburg, is a South African middle-distance runner. Semenya won gold in the 800 m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics with a time of 1:55.45 in the final, a personal best and the fastest time in the world that year. 'Her' gender has come under question by the International Association of Athletics Federations, because if 'she' is male, it would raise questions about competitiveness. Anyway, this story made me think about general competitiveness in sports. It is widely accepted that males and females should compete in groups of their own when it comes to sports, but separating people based on physical differences leads to gray areas. Should East African runners have a class of their own because they generally win their events? Should 6 foot males only compete against other 6 foot males? Should people with advantageous bone structures for a particular physical event be put in a class of their own? We're all born with our own particular body, with its flaws and advantages, so do we ever compete on equal ground? Some people are just born with a natural advantage for certain physical tasks. I guess it's just about where we draw this imaginary line. This raises questions about general competitiveness, not only in sport, but in life as well. I'm not really sure where I'm going with all this...

Dogs Are Smarter Than We First Thought.

Researchers have found that dogs are capable of understanding up to 250 words and gestures, can count up to five and can perform simple mathematical calculations.

Using tests originally designed to demonstrate the development of language, pre-language and basic arithmetic in human children, the researchers were able to show that the average dog is far more intelligent than they are given credit for.

"The average dog is about as bright linguistically as a human two-year-old," said Professor Stanley Coren, a leading expert on canine intelligence at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver who has carried out the work.

The Problem of Consciousness

I read an interesting article in Scientific American about consciousness. The nature of consciousness is really bizarre on multiple levels. No one can say for certain what 'consciousness' is - or even what around us has consciousness. Is a bee conscious? A new born baby? Electricity? These might seem like silly questions, but they are valid ones. Is consciousness housed in our brainwaves - or are our brainwaves the 'consciousness'? If the electrical activity in the brain can give rise to consciousness, could the electrical activity in a television give rise to a primitive form of consciousness? To give an extreme example: does your television scream out a cry of existential angst every time you turn it on, only to disappear a second later? Reality just seems to get more and more bizarre. Here's a link to the article if you're interested.

Unknown Songs (On earth as it is in heaven)

Ah, generally my musical tastes are weird, but I'll share them anyway. Music is one of the few things that puts me in a good mood. I will regularly fill this blog with songs that I believe are undeservedly unknown. I hope you enjoy it.

Enlightenment

Enlightenment is a word that is clouded in secrecy. What is it? More importantly, how to I get 'it'? Through a process of trial and error, I've come to realize that Enlightenment (in my opinion) is simply the ability to be happy at any given moment. Say, for example, you drop a mug of hot coffee on your toe and the hot liquid splashes all over the floor - most of us would be pissed (I know I would). But, at the same time, why not think: "Hey, I'm darn lucky that the hot Coffee didn't land on my leg - that would've hurt like hell."... It's about subtly changing our view on an otherwise dreary situation and attempt to turn it into a situation of thanks.

Let me just say that, in my opinion, the greatest obstacle to achieving a happy and fulfilled life is this: fear. This little bastard is behind all our problems. I tend not to want to (or dislike) dealing in absolutes, given my 'agnostic' approach to life, but I have to stick to one absolute here, and that is: rid yourself of all fear. There is no purpose for it. So much of the fear we experience today is completely irrational. By looking at my own life, I have come to realize that 'all' my fears are irrational. I am not in imminent danger of death or anything like that. All that is wrong is that I (and most socially anxious people) value ourselves solely through the eyes of others, while completely ignoring the most important eyes of all: our own. Sometimes I laugh at how much I've destroyed my life because of an absolutely irrational fear of constant judgment. People can only ever have opinions about you, and an opinion is just that: an opinion - not a 'fact' or 'truth'... just little ol' human opinion. Ah, I'm sure I could explain this concept better... I hate how language only allows us to convey a tiny part of our emotional spectrum.

Meh, I feel like a preacher now...

The Skeptic

Well, I guess I'd call myself an Agnostic, but I'm not really interested in the issue of God, so being an Ignostic might allow for me to shy away from the concept of God. Because, in all honesty, debating God's existence is futile endeavor of note (I regret the countless days I've spent debating 'his/her/its existence). But I guess I just want people to appreciate and embrace a skeptical lifestyle (constructive skepticism of course). When I talk to people about issues and they show 100% certainty in their opinions, I get really pissed because of their stance - because, there's an inherent approach to life that they have, that I've tried to destroy in my own (if that makes sense). Absolute certainty is the most dangerous thing thing in life - as it leads to a form of militant fundamentalism. I remember a quote that went something like this: "If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!"

What does it feel like to be so assured of one's beliefs? I certainly haven't a clue. I guess I am fraught with skepticism at the moment, which I try to embrace to the best of my abilities.

The Futility of Anger

Sometimes I feel like anger is the most useless of all emotions - rarely does it solve any problems. I get infuriated when I allow myself to get angry, which, by its very nature, is futile.