Science Vs. Religion

So my friend Airyn got me thinking about science and religion. This got me thinking about the roll that these two things play in my life.

It seems to me that science and religion were created to satisfy two completely separate needs. The roll of science is to put the universe into terms that we can use to either manipulate our environment or predict future events. In other words, science asks how does the world work? We use religion to try to attempt to answer the question of why.

But onto which pallet do I choose to paint my life?

I have always been fascinated by science. Every kind of science. Biology, psychology, physics, chemistry, mathematics... all of them. But the more closely I look at the sciences the more I come to realize that science says less about the universe and phenomena than it does about the way we think and organize ideas. For instance, in quantum physics objects are said to have a wave/particle duality. Does this mean that that these sub-atomic particles exist in two different states? Of course not. However, the way we describe their state of existence mathematically fits into either particle or wave functions depending on what quality we are presently examining. The truth is that we have no comparison in our collective experience to what goes on at the sub-atomic level, so we use metaphors from our level of reality to try and explain something that is outside of our realm of reality. This may or may not be a futile effort. But it is the effort and not the end that is important.

Although I love science, I paint my life in the color of religion. The ultimate questions are the ones I want to ask. Why the struggle? Why the joy? Why the suffering? How do we transcend common existence? And the answers? Who gives a shit about answers? I just want to follow the questions to see where they'll take me. The Buddha never gave his followers any destination. He just illuminated the path and said give it a walk. Now that's my kind of religion. Sally forth into the unknown!

A Day Out!

The quarter ended last week, so on Saturday I decided to kick off my break with a day in Seattle. I drove up to Tacoma and parked at the Dome park-and-ride and waited for the 594 bus. I hate dealing with Seattle traffic so when I go to the city I typically take the bus. It takes me a little longer to get around, but I like not having to worry about traffic and parking and the like.

The bus was about half full when I got on. I walked to the back and sat in the only empty seat on the bus. And there was a reason for it being empty. There was a time when I was a savvy bus rider, but I have lost most if not all of my mass transit skills. As I sat in the seat I quickly realized two things: 1) The seat was over the wheel well and 2) there was about 6 inches of leg room. This is a deadly combination. But I had made my choice and I would have to live with it. I did, however, have the seat to myself. No one in their right mind would try to sit with a 6'4", 280 lb man in that seat. I pretty much had to sit sideways.

There were these two girls in there twenties sitting in front of me. One had eyes that looked like two tarantulas perched on her eyelids and while we rode she brushed more and more mascara onto her already saturated eyelashes. The muscles around her eyes must have been in great shape to hold up all that goo. Tammy Fay would have been proud. Her friend was going on and on about her boyfriend. I normally try not to eavesdrop but she was using the word "like" with such regularity and so rhythmically that my attention was drawn. That particular dialect, the one that replaces "he said" with "he was like" drives me up a fucking wall.

I got off of the express bus downtown and took the 70 up to the U district. Holy shit, the driver was in training and I think this was his first time out of the bus barn. The guy training him was giving constant direction and oh my god it was the slowest trip ever. He jerked his stops, he jerked his starts. I was sitting in one of the front seats, you know the ones where you sit sideways and every time the bus took off this poor little girl kept sliding over to me. She was very embarrassed (and pretty cute), she said "I'm sorry" every time it happened, I just laughed and said, "no problem." It took about 65 hours to get from downtown to the U, jerking and stopping all the way. Again I say, holy shit.

Back when I went to school at UW I used to fill my pockets with unsalted peanuts and troll for squirrels in the park. It used to be that if you made loud "kissy" noises the cute little furry rodents would come running. With this in mind, I had brought along a pocket full of nuts. But there wasn't a squirrel in site, so I left the nuts on a stump and roamed around campus for awhile. The trees on the quad were in bloom and very pretty.

Hopped on the 66 up to East-West Books to buy a new meditation cushion (this was the purpose of the trip all along). Found what I wanted, actually found a lot of things that I wanted. But I kept my focus, paid and got the hell out before I spent all of my money. Then back on the 66 and downtown.

Had lunch at the market little Chinese place that serves stuffed pastry--I do not remember what they're called, damn. Then on the 11 bus to Travelers, a little shop just across the freeway that sells Buddhist and Hindi stuff. I looked around there for awhile making mental notes on what I might like to buy sometime, not this time but sometime. I have been on a quest for the perfect Buddha statue, not that they aren't all beautiful, I'm just looking for the perfect one. Good thing I didn't find it today cause I couldn't buy it. Back on the 11 and downtown.

My feet were beginning to hurt. I had bought some hiking boots last year and at the time they were very comfortable, but my activity level went way down at the end of last year and I gained a few pounds and it seems that a couple of them were in my feet. On the way back to Tacoma, I decided to go to REI, use my 20% discount and my dividend and buy some another pair of boots. I found a nice pair that were extra wide for my fat feet that cost $150 but with the 20% and dividend they were $60, so I bought them and headed home.

I tried them out on Monday. I took a hike on the South Fork Skokomish trail scouting out places to flyfish. Nice hike, comfy boots. Life is good.

So its been a few days since this all happened. Guess I'd better post it. I'm a sucky blogger.

Short Attention Spans

So I went to the peace rally yesterday in downtown Olympia. It started at noon. People lined both sides of 4th Ave down the bridge to the landing. People were hold banners and signs and waved at the passing cars. Most of the people who passed buy honked their horns or flashed peace signs in support.

The weather was nice. The clouds parted regularly to let the sunlight through and warm the protesters. So between the warm air, the smell of the ocean and nearby restaurants, and the camaraderie of the crowd the atmosphere was pleasant to say the least.

It has finally come to pass that the majority of Americans now believe that we should not have gotten into this war. But I wonder how many of those folks have come to the realization that the Bush administration was purposefully deceptive, completely inept, or both. It is my fear that many people believe that Bush and his cronies have acted with sincerity. How they could believe that is beyond me. I couldn't distrust the president more if he had the word "LIAR" tattooed across his forehead. But I digress.

The purpose of this post is not necessarily to sow the seeds of discontent with the current regime (it seems to be self destructing rather well on its own) but rather to question the resolve of the anti-war coalition that met in downtown Olympia yesterday.

I showed up at about 12:30 and joined a group of Buddhists for peace. I held one end of a banner for about fifteen minutes and then a friend of mine and I decided to walk up the bridge and check out the people and happenings. There was drumming and dancing up on the bridge, colorful flags, dogs and children with signs, tie-dye, and a very friendly atmosphere. The event had all the makings of a large, peaceful, festive event that would last the afternoon. All as it should be.But then something odd happened. As my friend and I were walking back down the bridge talking about what a good thing the gathering was, I noticed that the crowd was breaking up and thinning out quickly. The group that I was standing with had gone and all that was still there were a few pockets of folks standing around talking. And those groups broke up and everyone went there own way.

It was over. Much to my dismay, I found out that the event was scheduled... SCHEDULED to last an hour. From noon to one o'clock. Holy crap. Where was the urgency, where was the resolve, where was the solidarity. As I watched folks dissipate into the background of their homes, restaurants, and elsewhere my heart sank. This was not an event that happened spontaneously from outrage. It was not a desperate cry against the war machine. It was not an echoing shout to the community that we are fed up with death and destruction committed in our names. It was a social gathering, not too long, so people could come and go quickly and still feel good about themselves. Perhaps this is why the war in Iraq has gone on this long.

Needy Little Things

The weekend was an uneventful one, but I did finish a rather large project at work. It's funny how you don't know how much stress you are under until it is removed. I slept hard the last few nights and it doesn't seem like enough. My mind and body seem to know that the pressure I was under has been removed and now want to rest. But they will have to wait, there is still two weeks left in the quarter.

My mind and body are rather selfish things. Their constant, undeniable need for attention gets rather tiresome after a few dozen years. It seems at this rate that I'm gaining control over them, I'll be moving on to next life before I'm finished. Hopefully I'll have accomplished some significant mind training so that the next time around will not be as hard a struggle. As for the body, well that just begins again doesn't it.

I picture the idea of death and rebirth like playing a video game without the luxury of being able to save, so that every time your character dies you must start over again from the beginning. And you also don't remember the events from the previous game. Couple this with the addiction of the game, the driving need to play it over and over again, drives the desire to put to an end the cycle of life-death-rebirth and all the suffering that goes with it. I better get busy and meditate.

A Pretty Good Day

So it's been two weeks since I last took a day off. My work all caught up, I gave myself a day to do whatever. In the AM I went to Priest Point Park and meandered around the trail and up the beach.
Of course yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and today was gray and drizzly. But the weather being typically Northwest winter, their were only a few other folks on the path so it was quite peaceful. The sounds of woodpeckers tapping on the trees, the crows cawing, the wind through the trees, and the screaming of seagulls masked the background noise emanating from nearby Olympia.

I stood and watched the waterfowl bobbing under the waves. I don't know how long I stood and watched them, but I'm pretty patient with this kind of activity and I found their disappearing and reappearing remarkably relaxing.

The mountains being obscured by cloud cover, I looked for the beauty of the cove in the small places. Delicate forms jutting out from the tangle of vegetation.

One lonely leaf, decided to set off on his own. Now destitute, but adding color and character to the muddy beach.

And I wonder if it was the screaming seagull or an otter leaving their litter all over the beach.

Some stand out in the crowd. Among the countless hordes of ivy a star is born. Diversity in the shadows.

Priest Point trail is about a mile, maybe two, pretty gentle rises and falls but I'm here to tell you it got the best of me. Not that I was on the verge of collapsing or anything, but my knees and legs have felt better. I sure can tell that for the last six months the most activity I've gotten was walking from my apartment to my car to my office and back. Hopefully the weather and my workload will ease up and I'll feel inclined to get up and out again. Soon, very soon.

But for now back in the car and home.


The rest of the morning I spent recording a new song and uploading it to soundclick. Give it a listen.

What Will You Do?

Then after a nice hot shower, I'm settled into my easy chair for some well needed down time.

Blessings.