This is the anniversary
Of my world,
The big bang
When everything began.
The stars looked new
And wonderful,
My universe spun around you.
What began so simply,
Grew,
And so did I,
Like life itself.
How weak I was,
And you so strong to see,
Deep within my soul
And in your wisdom,
Set me free.
Of this our day,
We pause our climb,
And look around;
So high,
Yet still your feet
Stand anchored
There upon the ground.
I think my thoughts,
And go my way,
And dream of what might be.
You smile and soothe
My worried brow.
I look around, and see you,
Everywhere
In flowers that bloom,
And birds that sing,
In air I breathe,
In everything.
When I look back,
I see you there;
When I look forward,
You're also there.
My pal,
My friend,
My love,
My wife.
-- Gordon William Bain
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
A Tribute To My Father's Present-Day Romantic Poetry
This section is primarily a tribute to my father's Canadian poetry. I will in one or more other sections, pay tribute to the history of the romantic movment from Spinoza to Rousseau to 18th and 19th century German Romanticism starting with Kant and moving through Herder, Goethe, Schelling, and others.
Following in this tradition, my father's poetry pays special attention to nature, positive memories of days gone past -- call it 'nostalgia' if you wish -- but with an appreciation of today's natural and human wonders just as much as yesterday's.
There is a special attention to detail relative to the 'wonders of nature' -- as well as 'the wonders of human creativity and invention' that have passed away into history largely forgotten, and not sufficiently recognized and/or appreciated.
How many of us could write a poem about a simple 'blade of grass', an 'old birch tree', 'forgotten railroad tracks and steam engine trains', a 'cast iron stove', 'a dog that climbed a tree' and other objects and events of this type? We've all heard the expression: Sometimes it is important to stop our running around, working seemingly endless hours to simply keep our heads above water and pay our bills, caught in the narcissistic urban rat race -- and stop to 'smell the roses'.
Well, my dad's romantic Canadian poetry gives us all a chance to take a few minutes to smell the roses vicariously in all its intended and extended romantic, natural meaning -- to appreciate the wonders of a blade of grass, an aging, old birch tree and tree swallows mating and raising their young to fly away free and repeat the cycle, the lure of the spider, a dog chasing a squirrel up a tree, important memories from days gone past like steam engine trains, outdated train tracks, cast iron stoves, and the like...
All of these ideas and these types of poems in my mind are reminicent of at least two different times in history: firstly, the philosophical movement of German and English Romanticism in the late 1700s and early 1800s; and secondly, the birth of Canadian Romanticism through the wildlife paintings of the famous 'Group of Seven'.
18th and 19th century romantic philosophy I will address in a different section. Other elements of Canadian romanticism -- past and present -- I may address here at a later time. But for now, I will simply focus on my dad's present day Canadian romantic poetry.
Last but certainly not least in the spectrum of 'Romantic Philosophy' is the phenomenon of love. This subject is nicely captured with a very personal touch in two of the poems found below, written to my mom: 'Anniversary Song' and 'My Valentine'. I hope you will enjoy these and all the other romantic poems my dad has shared with us here as much as I have -- and still continue to.
Take a little time to vicariously -- smell the roses.
dgb, nov. 30th, 2007, updated Dec. 27th, 2007, May 2nd, 2008.
Following in this tradition, my father's poetry pays special attention to nature, positive memories of days gone past -- call it 'nostalgia' if you wish -- but with an appreciation of today's natural and human wonders just as much as yesterday's.
There is a special attention to detail relative to the 'wonders of nature' -- as well as 'the wonders of human creativity and invention' that have passed away into history largely forgotten, and not sufficiently recognized and/or appreciated.
How many of us could write a poem about a simple 'blade of grass', an 'old birch tree', 'forgotten railroad tracks and steam engine trains', a 'cast iron stove', 'a dog that climbed a tree' and other objects and events of this type? We've all heard the expression: Sometimes it is important to stop our running around, working seemingly endless hours to simply keep our heads above water and pay our bills, caught in the narcissistic urban rat race -- and stop to 'smell the roses'.
Well, my dad's romantic Canadian poetry gives us all a chance to take a few minutes to smell the roses vicariously in all its intended and extended romantic, natural meaning -- to appreciate the wonders of a blade of grass, an aging, old birch tree and tree swallows mating and raising their young to fly away free and repeat the cycle, the lure of the spider, a dog chasing a squirrel up a tree, important memories from days gone past like steam engine trains, outdated train tracks, cast iron stoves, and the like...
All of these ideas and these types of poems in my mind are reminicent of at least two different times in history: firstly, the philosophical movement of German and English Romanticism in the late 1700s and early 1800s; and secondly, the birth of Canadian Romanticism through the wildlife paintings of the famous 'Group of Seven'.
18th and 19th century romantic philosophy I will address in a different section. Other elements of Canadian romanticism -- past and present -- I may address here at a later time. But for now, I will simply focus on my dad's present day Canadian romantic poetry.
Last but certainly not least in the spectrum of 'Romantic Philosophy' is the phenomenon of love. This subject is nicely captured with a very personal touch in two of the poems found below, written to my mom: 'Anniversary Song' and 'My Valentine'. I hope you will enjoy these and all the other romantic poems my dad has shared with us here as much as I have -- and still continue to.
Take a little time to vicariously -- smell the roses.
dgb, nov. 30th, 2007, updated Dec. 27th, 2007, May 2nd, 2008.
Spinoza: An Early Proponent Of Spiritual-Romantic (Pantheist) Philosophy
An important early precursor to the German and English Romantic movement in the late 1700s was Baruch Spinoza.
...................................................................................
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Western Philosophy
17th century philosophy
Benedictus de Spinoza
Name
de Spinoza
Birth
November 24, 1632 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Death
February 21, 1677 (The Hague, Netherlands)
School/tradition
Rationalism, founder of Spinozism
Main interests
Ethics, Epistemology, Metaphysics
Notable ideas
Pantheism, Deism, neutral monism, intellectual and religious freedom / separation of church and state, Criticism of Mosaic authorship of certain books of the Hebrew Bible, Political society derived from power, not contract
Influences
Hobbes, Descartes, Stoics, Avicenna, Maimonides, Nicholas of Cusa, Aristotle, Bacon, Plato
Influenced
Kant, Hegel, Davidson, Schopenhauer, Deleuze, Einstein, Leibniz, Goethe, Nietzsche, Althusser, Hardt, Negri, Fromm, Santayana, Schelling
Baruch de Spinoza (Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה, Portuguese: Bento de Espinosa, Basque: Benedict de Spinoza, Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza) (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death. Today, he is considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, laying the groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment and modern biblical criticism. By virtue of his magnum opus, the posthumous Ethics, Spinoza is also considered one of Western philosophy's definitive ethicists.
Spinoza lived quietly as a lens grinder, turning down rewards and honours throughout his life, including prestigious teaching positions, and gave his family inheritance to his sister. Spinoza's moral character and philosophical accomplishments prompted twentieth-century philosopher Gilles Deleuze to name him "The absolute philosopher" (Deleuze, 1990). Spinoza died in February 1677 of a lung illness, perhaps tuberculosis, or silicosis caused by fine glass dust inhaled while tending to his trade.
....................................................................................
One of the paradoxes of Spinoza's philosophy is that while he is generally viewed as one of the great 'rationalists' in Western philosophy -- and often very, very difficult to understand in his more abstract, logical moments -- he is also much more than a rationalist and is generally viewed as one of the most important precursors and influences on the birth of German and English Romanticism in the middle 1700s. What he did was try to -- successfully for some, not for others -- integrate God, Nature, and Man all into one wholistic, integrative package. God is in everything and everyone -- was his principle. God is in every element of Nature and in each and every man, woman, and child. Indeed, God is in everything -- which is a significantly different perspective and viewpoint than the normal religious belief that 'God is above everything and created everything.'
In Spinoza's spiritual and pantheistic philosophy -- God, Nature, and Man are all wholistically connected in the same package. God is 'All of Creation' rather than the Creator. This idea became very attractive to later day romantic philosophers who very much liked the idea of integrating God, Man, and Nature together. Man needed to embrace Nature and become an integral part of it; not try to conquer and overpower it which was more of the preceding 'Enlightenment' perspective.
This 'pantheistic-wholistic-God-is-all-of-Creation' idea became the starting point of German and English Romanticism.
Much of what is summarized below can be found in greater detail in the book, 'Introducing Romanticism' by Duncan Heath and Judy Boreham (published in 2000 in The United States by Totem Books).
Heath pinpoints the start of German Romantic Idealism with Kant's 'Critique of Judgement' (1790). This was Kant's follow up to his philosophical masterpiece, 'The Critique of Pure Reason' (1781,1787) which along with Hegel's 'The Phenomenology of Spirit-Mind' (1807) can be regarded as two of the most important works in the history of Western Philosophy.
In 'The Critique of Judgement', Kant writes about the 'dynamic sublime' (the overwhelming force of natural powers) and this, in combination with Spinoza's earlier idea of 'pantheistic divine wholism between Man, God, and Nature' can be viewed as the two main driving engines behnind German Romantic Idealism.
From these 'romantic' ideas about nature, came the charge of the German Romantic Movement and the separate but integrative creative German forces of Herder (1744-1803), Goethe (1749-1832), and Klinger (1752-1831).
Herder advocated the idea of 'organic history' which was a different perspective than the Enlightenment concept of 'linear history'. The idea of linear history advocates the idea of history evolving in a nice, neat, orderly, reasonable fashion towards greater and greater perfection.
In contrast, the idea of 'organic history' advocates the idea of history proceeding in a more organic format of 'birth', 'growth', 'decay', and 'death'. This was one of the areas of conceptual departure between Enlightenment philosophy and Romantic Philosophy -- the former emphasizing science and reason, the latter stepping outside the realm of science and reason and into the realm of the 'natural sublime and uncontrollable forces of nature'.
With science and reason, everything is predictable -- or at least ideally so; whereas with 'the natural sublime' nothing is predictable, unpredictable natural forces often reign supreme over man's science and reason, and even more than this, science and reason does not offer the 'be all and end all' of living -- and particularly living with a type of romantic and natural passion that steps beyond the boundaries of all that is offered by science and reason.
In romantic philosophy, 'cold, hard, scientific logic and reason' is not viewed as the full embodiment of what it means to live a passionate, vibrant, creative, intuitive and inspirational life.
In the view of Romantic Idealism, there is much, much more to ideal human living than all that Enlightenment Philosophy has to say to us with its emphasis on science, reason, logic -- and even human rights.
Romantic, natural, human emotion, passion, excitement, and an integration with both God and Nature, as well as mind, spirit, and body all play an important -- indeed, imperative -- part of what it means to be human, and to live life 'humanisticly', meaning both 'reasonably' and 'romanticly'.
-- dgb, April 12th, 2008, modified May 2nd, 2008.
...................................................................................
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Western Philosophy
17th century philosophy
Benedictus de Spinoza
Name
de Spinoza
Birth
November 24, 1632 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
Death
February 21, 1677 (The Hague, Netherlands)
School/tradition
Rationalism, founder of Spinozism
Main interests
Ethics, Epistemology, Metaphysics
Notable ideas
Pantheism, Deism, neutral monism, intellectual and religious freedom / separation of church and state, Criticism of Mosaic authorship of certain books of the Hebrew Bible, Political society derived from power, not contract
Influences
Hobbes, Descartes, Stoics, Avicenna, Maimonides, Nicholas of Cusa, Aristotle, Bacon, Plato
Influenced
Kant, Hegel, Davidson, Schopenhauer, Deleuze, Einstein, Leibniz, Goethe, Nietzsche, Althusser, Hardt, Negri, Fromm, Santayana, Schelling
Baruch de Spinoza (Hebrew: ברוך שפינוזה, Portuguese: Bento de Espinosa, Basque: Benedict de Spinoza, Latin: Benedictus de Spinoza) (November 24, 1632 – February 21, 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese Jewish origin. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death. Today, he is considered one of the great rationalists of 17th century philosophy, laying the groundwork for the 18th century Enlightenment and modern biblical criticism. By virtue of his magnum opus, the posthumous Ethics, Spinoza is also considered one of Western philosophy's definitive ethicists.
Spinoza lived quietly as a lens grinder, turning down rewards and honours throughout his life, including prestigious teaching positions, and gave his family inheritance to his sister. Spinoza's moral character and philosophical accomplishments prompted twentieth-century philosopher Gilles Deleuze to name him "The absolute philosopher" (Deleuze, 1990). Spinoza died in February 1677 of a lung illness, perhaps tuberculosis, or silicosis caused by fine glass dust inhaled while tending to his trade.
....................................................................................
One of the paradoxes of Spinoza's philosophy is that while he is generally viewed as one of the great 'rationalists' in Western philosophy -- and often very, very difficult to understand in his more abstract, logical moments -- he is also much more than a rationalist and is generally viewed as one of the most important precursors and influences on the birth of German and English Romanticism in the middle 1700s. What he did was try to -- successfully for some, not for others -- integrate God, Nature, and Man all into one wholistic, integrative package. God is in everything and everyone -- was his principle. God is in every element of Nature and in each and every man, woman, and child. Indeed, God is in everything -- which is a significantly different perspective and viewpoint than the normal religious belief that 'God is above everything and created everything.'
In Spinoza's spiritual and pantheistic philosophy -- God, Nature, and Man are all wholistically connected in the same package. God is 'All of Creation' rather than the Creator. This idea became very attractive to later day romantic philosophers who very much liked the idea of integrating God, Man, and Nature together. Man needed to embrace Nature and become an integral part of it; not try to conquer and overpower it which was more of the preceding 'Enlightenment' perspective.
This 'pantheistic-wholistic-God-is-all-of-Creation' idea became the starting point of German and English Romanticism.
Much of what is summarized below can be found in greater detail in the book, 'Introducing Romanticism' by Duncan Heath and Judy Boreham (published in 2000 in The United States by Totem Books).
Heath pinpoints the start of German Romantic Idealism with Kant's 'Critique of Judgement' (1790). This was Kant's follow up to his philosophical masterpiece, 'The Critique of Pure Reason' (1781,1787) which along with Hegel's 'The Phenomenology of Spirit-Mind' (1807) can be regarded as two of the most important works in the history of Western Philosophy.
In 'The Critique of Judgement', Kant writes about the 'dynamic sublime' (the overwhelming force of natural powers) and this, in combination with Spinoza's earlier idea of 'pantheistic divine wholism between Man, God, and Nature' can be viewed as the two main driving engines behnind German Romantic Idealism.
From these 'romantic' ideas about nature, came the charge of the German Romantic Movement and the separate but integrative creative German forces of Herder (1744-1803), Goethe (1749-1832), and Klinger (1752-1831).
Herder advocated the idea of 'organic history' which was a different perspective than the Enlightenment concept of 'linear history'. The idea of linear history advocates the idea of history evolving in a nice, neat, orderly, reasonable fashion towards greater and greater perfection.
In contrast, the idea of 'organic history' advocates the idea of history proceeding in a more organic format of 'birth', 'growth', 'decay', and 'death'. This was one of the areas of conceptual departure between Enlightenment philosophy and Romantic Philosophy -- the former emphasizing science and reason, the latter stepping outside the realm of science and reason and into the realm of the 'natural sublime and uncontrollable forces of nature'.
With science and reason, everything is predictable -- or at least ideally so; whereas with 'the natural sublime' nothing is predictable, unpredictable natural forces often reign supreme over man's science and reason, and even more than this, science and reason does not offer the 'be all and end all' of living -- and particularly living with a type of romantic and natural passion that steps beyond the boundaries of all that is offered by science and reason.
In romantic philosophy, 'cold, hard, scientific logic and reason' is not viewed as the full embodiment of what it means to live a passionate, vibrant, creative, intuitive and inspirational life.
In the view of Romantic Idealism, there is much, much more to ideal human living than all that Enlightenment Philosophy has to say to us with its emphasis on science, reason, logic -- and even human rights.
Romantic, natural, human emotion, passion, excitement, and an integration with both God and Nature, as well as mind, spirit, and body all play an important -- indeed, imperative -- part of what it means to be human, and to live life 'humanisticly', meaning both 'reasonably' and 'romanticly'.
-- dgb, April 12th, 2008, modified May 2nd, 2008.
Spinoza's Room: Baruch Spinoza -- Rationalist, Romanticist, Spiritualiist, Wholist, Pantheist...
I view this essay as a first draft. I expect that I will write a variety of updated modifications of this essay at a later date. You see, this is my first real attempt to grapple with the fascinating ideas of a perplexing philosopher -- Baruch (Hebrew for 'blessed') or Benedictus (Latin for 'blessed) Spinoza (1632-1677). The name 'Spinoza' derives from the word 'thorn' in Portugese (Rebecca Goldstein, Betraying Spinoza, 2006, Random House of Canada Ltd., Toronto.)
Together, Baruch Spinoza's name seems fitting appropriate -- 'blessed thorn'. In my opinion, and the opinion of many, all of mankind is 'blessed' for having been exposed to Spinoza's extraordinary ideas -- he holds the 'dual and paradoxical distinction' that he can be viewed as both a precursor of 'Enlightenment Philosophy' and 'Romantic Philosophy' at the same time. There is perhaps, to my knowledge, only one other Western philosopher before the 1700s who can arguably hold such a dual distinction --and that is the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus (535BC-475BC). There are other 14th to 17th century precursors to Enlightenment (Scientific-Humanistic) Philosophy -- William of Occam (1290-1349), Montaigne (1533-1592), Galileo (1564-1642), Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Isaac Newton (1643-1728), and John Locke (1632-1704) to name some of the more important ones. Rousseau can be viewed as the 'father' of Romantic Philosophy -- the point at which Romantic Philosophy grew out as a rebellion against 'unadulterated' Enlightenment Philosophy (reason, reason, and more reason -- did we forget 'passion' and even 'unreasonable passion'?), rather than being on the integrative 'Pantheistic' (scientific-spiritual) path of both Heraclitus and Spinoza.
There is at least one more very famous member of this 'triadic' scientific-spiritual-pantheistic' movment that Heraclitus started and Spinoza embellished -- and that is one of the most famous intellects in the history of mankind -- Albert Einstein (1879-1955).
Einstein's conception of God can be found at the end of this essay and is very important because it is very 'Spinozian based' and a flagship of a very well developed pantheistic position. At the end of the paper, we will also look at a quick definition of pantheism along with some of its derivatives and distinctions vs. other forms of spiritualism and/or religion.
Spinoza has been labelled the 'renegade Jew' and a 'sneaky atheist' (Rebecca Goldstein, Betraying Spinoza) and a 'Bu-Jew' (not sure what Goldstein meant by that but I will do my own interpretation here). I see Spinoza as being a 'Budhist-like renegade Jew' who both stimulated the Romantic Movement of the late 1700s and yet at the same time, except for his pantheistic vision of God, was very 'unromantic' in personality. He didn't marry or father a child. He didn't like or support 'high emotion, passion, appetite, and drama' either in his philosophy or in his life (even though he spent his whole life provoking it in the responses of others to his rebellion against orthodox Judaism, and for that matter, any type of orthodox religion. When you start saying that 'God' and 'Nature' are the same thing -- synonyms for each other, no more, no less -- especially back in the 1600s, you are asking for trouble.)
The only type of person that this pantheistic vision, at least at first blush, might be attractive to is a philosopher or a scientist who would like to add some 'spiritual depth' to his work and thus, in some form or another, integrate religion and science, creation and evolution. This, at least partly if not mainly, seems to be the type of persons who were most attracted to his work, or at least, his pantheistic work. Schelling integrated Hegel and Spinoza to create a more 'dualistic and dialectic romanticism and spiritualism. I follow Schelling in this dialectical spiritualistic direction due also in main part to my post-Spinozian in combination with post-Hegelian vision. In this respect, a distinction can be made between a 'unilateral or unconditional wholist' (Spinoza, Alfed Adler) vs. a 'dialectical integrationist and wholist' (Schelling, early Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy, Freud, Jung, Perls, me...) Anyway, I would call Einstein the most honorary member to Spinoza's vision, which in my opinion, his much more 'spiritual depth' than any flat out atheistic position. Spinoza was not a sneaky atheist but rather a profoundly religious, ethical, and deep spiritual person in a way that most people during his time could not, and would not accept. Even today, this is significantly still the case. Spinoza was thinking 'outside the normal religious box'. There are many more sides to Spinoza's thinking that I have not described here -- his rationalism (which I will challenge in my epistemology section), his trumpeting of the pre-Enlightenment ideas of 'freedom of speech' and 'religious tolerance' which would become central to the Scottish Enlightenment, The British Enlightenment, the French Enlightenment, and the American Enlightenment in the middle 1700s. (I will visit Spinoza here again in my Enlightenment section.)
The Spinozian vision that I have focused on here in this section is his pantheistic vision which I will spend numerous essays to follow exploring different possible avenues relative to the potential further evolution of this pantheistic vision.
dgb, Aug. 27th, 2007.
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Einstein's Position On God
The question of scientific determinism gave rise to questions about Einstein's position on theological determinism, and even whether or not he believed in God. In 1929, Einstein told Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." (Brian 1996, p. 127) In 1950, in a letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."[37]
Einstein defined his religious views in a letter he wrote in response to those who claimed that he worshipped a Judeo-Christian god: "It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."[38][39]
By his own definition, Einstein was a deeply religious person (Pais 1982, p. 319).[40] He published a paper in Nature in 1940 entitled Science and Religion which gave his views on the subject.[41] In this he says that: "a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value ... regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavour of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals, and constantly to strengthen their effects." He argues that conflicts between science and religion "have all sprung from fatal errors." However "even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other" there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" ... "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind ... a legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist." However he makes it clear that he does not believe in a personal God, and suggests that "neither the rule of human nor Divine Will exists as an independent cause of natural events. To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted ... by science, for [it] can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot." (Einstein 1940, pp. 605–607)
Einstein championed the work of psychologist Paul Diel,[42] which posited a biological and psychological, rather than theological or sociological, basis for morality.[43]
The most thorough exploration of Einstein's views on religion was made by his friend Max Jammer in the 1999 book Einstein and Religion (Jammer 1999).
Einstein was an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Press Association beginning in 1934, and was an admirer of Ethical Culture (Ericson 2006). He served on the advisory board of the First Humanist Society of New York (See Stringer-Hye 1999 and Wilson 1995). Reference: Wikipedia
.....................................................................................Pantheism (Greek: πάν ( 'pan' ) = all and θεός ( 'theos' ) = God) literally means "God is All" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent abstract God; or that the Universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and the Universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented or personified in the theological principle of an abstract 'god'. However, it is important to understand that Pantheists do not believe in a personal, creative deity or deities of any kind, the key feature which distinguishes them from panentheists and pandeists. As such, although many religions may claim to hold pantheistic elements, they are more commonly panentheistic or pandeistic in nature.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Panentheism
Pantheism has features in common with panentheism, such as the idea that the Universe is part of God. Technically, the two are separate. Whereas pantheism finds God to be synonymous with nature, panentheism finds God to be greater than nature alone. Some find this distinction unhelpful, while others see it as a significant point of division. Many of the major faiths described as pantheistic could also be described as panentheistic, whereas naturalistic pantheism cannot (not seeing God as more than nature alone). For example, elements of both panentheism and pantheism are found in Hinduism. Certain interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and Shri Rudram support this view. Reference: Wikipedia
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Pandeism
Pandeism is a kind of Pantheism which incorporates a form of Deism, holding that the Universe is identical to God, but also that God was previously a conscious and sentient force or entity that designed and created the Universe. God only became an unconscious and nonsentient God by becoming the Universe. Other than this distinction (and the possibility that the Universe will one day return to the state of being God), Pandeistic beliefs are identical to Pantheism.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Pantheistic concepts in religion
Hinduism
It is generally asserted that Hindu religious texts are the oldest known literature that contains the ideas of Pantheistic doctrine[1]. In Hindu theology, Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all things in this Universe, and is also the sum total of all that ever is, was, or ever shall be. This pantheistic doctrine is traceable from some of the more ancient Upanishads to later Advaita philosophy. All Mahāvākyas(Great Sayings) of the Upanishads, in one way or another, seem to indicate the unity of the world with the Brahman. Chāndogya Upanishad says "All this Universe indeed is Brahma; from him does it proceed; into him it is dissolved; in him it breathes, so let every one adore him calmly". Reference: Wikipedia
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Judaism
The radically immanent sense of the divine in Jewish mystical Kabbalah is said to have inspired Spinoza's formulation of pantheism. However, Spinoza's views have not been accepted in Orthodox Judaism.
Additionally, the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, had a mystical sense of the divine that could be described as panentheism.
Biblical Judaism asserts the origin of the Universe was brought forth by the Torah [law] of nature. Thus the original Torah is found not within the writing of Moshe, but within nature itself. "Reading" the Torah of nature is seen as equivalent to "reading" the Torah of revelation and theoretically will agree with one another in the end [as illustrated for example in the discovery of the Big Bang in 1965]. Rabbinical Orthodoxy viewing this as a discrepancy, in order to maintain the written Torah above that given first in nature, has argued that written Torah preceded creation, and it was from the written Torah that God "spoke" creation. A view rejected by Biblical pantheists.
Maimonides, though Orthodox, reflected the sentiment that the Torah of nature and the Torah of scripture were equivalent and found its logic inescapable, in his comments on the reconciliation of science with scripture. These instructions no doubt served as background for the development of Baruch Spinoza's later views.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Einstein's Position On God
The question of scientific determinism gave rise to questions about Einstein's position on theological determinism, and even whether or not he believed in God. In 1929, Einstein told Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." (Brian 1996, p. 127) In 1950, in a letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."[37]
Einstein defined his religious views in a letter he wrote in response to those who claimed that he worshipped a Judeo-Christian god: "It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."[38][39]
By his own definition, Einstein was a deeply religious person (Pais 1982, p. 319).[40] He published a paper in Nature in 1940 entitled Science and Religion which gave his views on the subject.[41] In this he says that: "a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value ... regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavour of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals, and constantly to strengthen their effects." He argues that conflicts between science and religion "have all sprung from fatal errors." However "even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other" there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" ... "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind ... a legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist." However he makes it clear that he does not believe in a personal God, and suggests that "neither the rule of human nor Divine Will exists as an independent cause of natural events. To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted ... by science, for [it] can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot." (Einstein 1940, pp. 605–607)
Einstein championed the work of psychologist Paul Diel,[42] which posited a biological and psychological, rather than theological or sociological, basis for morality.[43]
The most thorough exploration of Einstein's views on religion was made by his friend Max Jammer in the 1999 book Einstein and Religion (Jammer 1999).
Einstein was an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Press Association beginning in 1934, and was an admirer of Ethical Culture (Ericson 2006). He served on the advisory board of the First Humanist Society of New York (See Stringer-Hye 1999 and Wilson 1995). Reference: Wikipedia
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Together, Baruch Spinoza's name seems fitting appropriate -- 'blessed thorn'. In my opinion, and the opinion of many, all of mankind is 'blessed' for having been exposed to Spinoza's extraordinary ideas -- he holds the 'dual and paradoxical distinction' that he can be viewed as both a precursor of 'Enlightenment Philosophy' and 'Romantic Philosophy' at the same time. There is perhaps, to my knowledge, only one other Western philosopher before the 1700s who can arguably hold such a dual distinction --and that is the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus (535BC-475BC). There are other 14th to 17th century precursors to Enlightenment (Scientific-Humanistic) Philosophy -- William of Occam (1290-1349), Montaigne (1533-1592), Galileo (1564-1642), Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Isaac Newton (1643-1728), and John Locke (1632-1704) to name some of the more important ones. Rousseau can be viewed as the 'father' of Romantic Philosophy -- the point at which Romantic Philosophy grew out as a rebellion against 'unadulterated' Enlightenment Philosophy (reason, reason, and more reason -- did we forget 'passion' and even 'unreasonable passion'?), rather than being on the integrative 'Pantheistic' (scientific-spiritual) path of both Heraclitus and Spinoza.
There is at least one more very famous member of this 'triadic' scientific-spiritual-pantheistic' movment that Heraclitus started and Spinoza embellished -- and that is one of the most famous intellects in the history of mankind -- Albert Einstein (1879-1955).
Einstein's conception of God can be found at the end of this essay and is very important because it is very 'Spinozian based' and a flagship of a very well developed pantheistic position. At the end of the paper, we will also look at a quick definition of pantheism along with some of its derivatives and distinctions vs. other forms of spiritualism and/or religion.
Spinoza has been labelled the 'renegade Jew' and a 'sneaky atheist' (Rebecca Goldstein, Betraying Spinoza) and a 'Bu-Jew' (not sure what Goldstein meant by that but I will do my own interpretation here). I see Spinoza as being a 'Budhist-like renegade Jew' who both stimulated the Romantic Movement of the late 1700s and yet at the same time, except for his pantheistic vision of God, was very 'unromantic' in personality. He didn't marry or father a child. He didn't like or support 'high emotion, passion, appetite, and drama' either in his philosophy or in his life (even though he spent his whole life provoking it in the responses of others to his rebellion against orthodox Judaism, and for that matter, any type of orthodox religion. When you start saying that 'God' and 'Nature' are the same thing -- synonyms for each other, no more, no less -- especially back in the 1600s, you are asking for trouble.)
The only type of person that this pantheistic vision, at least at first blush, might be attractive to is a philosopher or a scientist who would like to add some 'spiritual depth' to his work and thus, in some form or another, integrate religion and science, creation and evolution. This, at least partly if not mainly, seems to be the type of persons who were most attracted to his work, or at least, his pantheistic work. Schelling integrated Hegel and Spinoza to create a more 'dualistic and dialectic romanticism and spiritualism. I follow Schelling in this dialectical spiritualistic direction due also in main part to my post-Spinozian in combination with post-Hegelian vision. In this respect, a distinction can be made between a 'unilateral or unconditional wholist' (Spinoza, Alfed Adler) vs. a 'dialectical integrationist and wholist' (Schelling, early Nietzsche in The Birth of Tragedy, Freud, Jung, Perls, me...) Anyway, I would call Einstein the most honorary member to Spinoza's vision, which in my opinion, his much more 'spiritual depth' than any flat out atheistic position. Spinoza was not a sneaky atheist but rather a profoundly religious, ethical, and deep spiritual person in a way that most people during his time could not, and would not accept. Even today, this is significantly still the case. Spinoza was thinking 'outside the normal religious box'. There are many more sides to Spinoza's thinking that I have not described here -- his rationalism (which I will challenge in my epistemology section), his trumpeting of the pre-Enlightenment ideas of 'freedom of speech' and 'religious tolerance' which would become central to the Scottish Enlightenment, The British Enlightenment, the French Enlightenment, and the American Enlightenment in the middle 1700s. (I will visit Spinoza here again in my Enlightenment section.)
The Spinozian vision that I have focused on here in this section is his pantheistic vision which I will spend numerous essays to follow exploring different possible avenues relative to the potential further evolution of this pantheistic vision.
dgb, Aug. 27th, 2007.
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Einstein's Position On God
The question of scientific determinism gave rise to questions about Einstein's position on theological determinism, and even whether or not he believed in God. In 1929, Einstein told Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." (Brian 1996, p. 127) In 1950, in a letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."[37]
Einstein defined his religious views in a letter he wrote in response to those who claimed that he worshipped a Judeo-Christian god: "It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."[38][39]
By his own definition, Einstein was a deeply religious person (Pais 1982, p. 319).[40] He published a paper in Nature in 1940 entitled Science and Religion which gave his views on the subject.[41] In this he says that: "a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value ... regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavour of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals, and constantly to strengthen their effects." He argues that conflicts between science and religion "have all sprung from fatal errors." However "even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other" there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" ... "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind ... a legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist." However he makes it clear that he does not believe in a personal God, and suggests that "neither the rule of human nor Divine Will exists as an independent cause of natural events. To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted ... by science, for [it] can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot." (Einstein 1940, pp. 605–607)
Einstein championed the work of psychologist Paul Diel,[42] which posited a biological and psychological, rather than theological or sociological, basis for morality.[43]
The most thorough exploration of Einstein's views on religion was made by his friend Max Jammer in the 1999 book Einstein and Religion (Jammer 1999).
Einstein was an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Press Association beginning in 1934, and was an admirer of Ethical Culture (Ericson 2006). He served on the advisory board of the First Humanist Society of New York (See Stringer-Hye 1999 and Wilson 1995). Reference: Wikipedia
.....................................................................................Pantheism (Greek: πάν ( 'pan' ) = all and θεός ( 'theos' ) = God) literally means "God is All" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent abstract God; or that the Universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and the Universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented or personified in the theological principle of an abstract 'god'. However, it is important to understand that Pantheists do not believe in a personal, creative deity or deities of any kind, the key feature which distinguishes them from panentheists and pandeists. As such, although many religions may claim to hold pantheistic elements, they are more commonly panentheistic or pandeistic in nature.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Panentheism
Pantheism has features in common with panentheism, such as the idea that the Universe is part of God. Technically, the two are separate. Whereas pantheism finds God to be synonymous with nature, panentheism finds God to be greater than nature alone. Some find this distinction unhelpful, while others see it as a significant point of division. Many of the major faiths described as pantheistic could also be described as panentheistic, whereas naturalistic pantheism cannot (not seeing God as more than nature alone). For example, elements of both panentheism and pantheism are found in Hinduism. Certain interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita and Shri Rudram support this view. Reference: Wikipedia
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Pandeism
Pandeism is a kind of Pantheism which incorporates a form of Deism, holding that the Universe is identical to God, but also that God was previously a conscious and sentient force or entity that designed and created the Universe. God only became an unconscious and nonsentient God by becoming the Universe. Other than this distinction (and the possibility that the Universe will one day return to the state of being God), Pandeistic beliefs are identical to Pantheism.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Pantheistic concepts in religion
Hinduism
It is generally asserted that Hindu religious texts are the oldest known literature that contains the ideas of Pantheistic doctrine[1]. In Hindu theology, Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all things in this Universe, and is also the sum total of all that ever is, was, or ever shall be. This pantheistic doctrine is traceable from some of the more ancient Upanishads to later Advaita philosophy. All Mahāvākyas(Great Sayings) of the Upanishads, in one way or another, seem to indicate the unity of the world with the Brahman. Chāndogya Upanishad says "All this Universe indeed is Brahma; from him does it proceed; into him it is dissolved; in him it breathes, so let every one adore him calmly". Reference: Wikipedia
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Judaism
The radically immanent sense of the divine in Jewish mystical Kabbalah is said to have inspired Spinoza's formulation of pantheism. However, Spinoza's views have not been accepted in Orthodox Judaism.
Additionally, the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, had a mystical sense of the divine that could be described as panentheism.
Biblical Judaism asserts the origin of the Universe was brought forth by the Torah [law] of nature. Thus the original Torah is found not within the writing of Moshe, but within nature itself. "Reading" the Torah of nature is seen as equivalent to "reading" the Torah of revelation and theoretically will agree with one another in the end [as illustrated for example in the discovery of the Big Bang in 1965]. Rabbinical Orthodoxy viewing this as a discrepancy, in order to maintain the written Torah above that given first in nature, has argued that written Torah preceded creation, and it was from the written Torah that God "spoke" creation. A view rejected by Biblical pantheists.
Maimonides, though Orthodox, reflected the sentiment that the Torah of nature and the Torah of scripture were equivalent and found its logic inescapable, in his comments on the reconciliation of science with scripture. These instructions no doubt served as background for the development of Baruch Spinoza's later views.
Reference: Wikipedia
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Einstein's Position On God
The question of scientific determinism gave rise to questions about Einstein's position on theological determinism, and even whether or not he believed in God. In 1929, Einstein told Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals Himself in the lawful harmony of the world, not in a God Who concerns Himself with the fate and the doings of mankind." (Brian 1996, p. 127) In 1950, in a letter to M. Berkowitz, Einstein stated that "My position concerning God is that of an agnostic. I am convinced that a vivid consciousness of the primary importance of moral principles for the betterment and ennoblement of life does not need the idea of a law-giver, especially a law-giver who works on the basis of reward and punishment."[37]
Einstein defined his religious views in a letter he wrote in response to those who claimed that he worshipped a Judeo-Christian god: "It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it."[38][39]
By his own definition, Einstein was a deeply religious person (Pais 1982, p. 319).[40] He published a paper in Nature in 1940 entitled Science and Religion which gave his views on the subject.[41] In this he says that: "a person who is religiously enlightened appears to me to be one who has, to the best of his ability, liberated himself from the fetters of his selfish desires and is preoccupied with thoughts, feelings and aspirations to which he clings because of their super-personal value ... regardless of whether any attempt is made to unite this content with a Divine Being, for otherwise it would not be possible to count Buddha and Spinoza as religious personalities. Accordingly a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance of those super-personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation ... In this sense religion is the age-old endeavour of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals, and constantly to strengthen their effects." He argues that conflicts between science and religion "have all sprung from fatal errors." However "even though the realms of religion and science in themselves are clearly marked off from each other" there are "strong reciprocal relationships and dependencies" ... "science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind ... a legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist." However he makes it clear that he does not believe in a personal God, and suggests that "neither the rule of human nor Divine Will exists as an independent cause of natural events. To be sure, the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted ... by science, for [it] can always take refuge in those domains in which scientific knowledge has not yet been able to set foot." (Einstein 1940, pp. 605–607)
Einstein championed the work of psychologist Paul Diel,[42] which posited a biological and psychological, rather than theological or sociological, basis for morality.[43]
The most thorough exploration of Einstein's views on religion was made by his friend Max Jammer in the 1999 book Einstein and Religion (Jammer 1999).
Einstein was an Honorary Associate of the Rationalist Press Association beginning in 1934, and was an admirer of Ethical Culture (Ericson 2006). He served on the advisory board of the First Humanist Society of New York (See Stringer-Hye 1999 and Wilson 1995). Reference: Wikipedia
.....................................................................................
For A Bag of Coal
The winds had blown snow over roads and the fence,
The days had passed slowly, the cold was intense.
A family sat huddled to preserve any heat,
The mother sat rubbing her children's small feet,
The father was working a job far away,
No help could he bring to the family that day.
The frost made cathedrals seem real on the panes,
Nothing was moving, not even the trains.
From the edge of the huddle, a boy slipped away,
Outside in the snowbanks he looked for his sleigh.
Scarcely nine the young boy heard a voice to him say,
"Go out and get coal. I will show you the way."
Across the deep banks he pulled his small sleigh,
Through wind driven snow, the boy found his way,
He rapped on the window of the one grocery store,
The owner came rushing and opened the door.
"Hello Mr. Barkley," said a voice in the coat,
"Its coal that I need sir, We're in a bit of a boat."
The kindly old man brought the boy in the store,
Put him close to the stove, his clothes on the floor.
"A fifty pound bag sir; can you make it a loan?
I'm in a hurry you see, I need to get home."
With a rope from the store the coal tied to the sleigh,
A wave and a thank you, and the boy was away.
"Well," said the man, his hair tinged with gray,
"I somehow got back with the coal on that day.
I knew from that moment, I could be my own man,
So long as my Lord kept hold of my hand."
I've come back from away where riches I've found,
In far away forests, and from rocks in the ground.
This was the house; it's here that I see,
The faces I long for to look back at me.
He smiled from his seat in the room he was born,
Looked at the stove that had once kept them warm.
"I've been my own person, strong in heart and in soul,
By remembering the day I went looking for coal."
-- Gordon Bain, October, 2008.
The days had passed slowly, the cold was intense.
A family sat huddled to preserve any heat,
The mother sat rubbing her children's small feet,
The father was working a job far away,
No help could he bring to the family that day.
The frost made cathedrals seem real on the panes,
Nothing was moving, not even the trains.
From the edge of the huddle, a boy slipped away,
Outside in the snowbanks he looked for his sleigh.
Scarcely nine the young boy heard a voice to him say,
"Go out and get coal. I will show you the way."
Across the deep banks he pulled his small sleigh,
Through wind driven snow, the boy found his way,
He rapped on the window of the one grocery store,
The owner came rushing and opened the door.
"Hello Mr. Barkley," said a voice in the coat,
"Its coal that I need sir, We're in a bit of a boat."
The kindly old man brought the boy in the store,
Put him close to the stove, his clothes on the floor.
"A fifty pound bag sir; can you make it a loan?
I'm in a hurry you see, I need to get home."
With a rope from the store the coal tied to the sleigh,
A wave and a thank you, and the boy was away.
"Well," said the man, his hair tinged with gray,
"I somehow got back with the coal on that day.
I knew from that moment, I could be my own man,
So long as my Lord kept hold of my hand."
I've come back from away where riches I've found,
In far away forests, and from rocks in the ground.
This was the house; it's here that I see,
The faces I long for to look back at me.
He smiled from his seat in the room he was born,
Looked at the stove that had once kept them warm.
"I've been my own person, strong in heart and in soul,
By remembering the day I went looking for coal."
-- Gordon Bain, October, 2008.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Safe Haven
A strong sense of order, priorities firm,
The earth coming first, complete with its worm.
A house on foundations, a roof that sheds rain,
Seed for the fields, wheat, oats, and grain.
Water close by, a river that flows,
Pure and refreshing, inviting small toes.
Trees standing tall, for protection and heat,
The sun and the rain, daily food where they meet.
A place where all life forms run wild and free,
Birds in the heavens,
In their midst, you and me.
Gordon Bain, October 6th, 2008.
The earth coming first, complete with its worm.
A house on foundations, a roof that sheds rain,
Seed for the fields, wheat, oats, and grain.
Water close by, a river that flows,
Pure and refreshing, inviting small toes.
Trees standing tall, for protection and heat,
The sun and the rain, daily food where they meet.
A place where all life forms run wild and free,
Birds in the heavens,
In their midst, you and me.
Gordon Bain, October 6th, 2008.
The Happy Waitress
"My life is quite ordinary, not exciting at all,"
Said the young waitress as we spoke in the hall.
"But surely," I asked, "that cannot be true,
The room comes alive when you do what you do.
Many times we have watched you without being seen,
At home with the rich, or with those in between.
An old man seems friendless, he comes in all alone,
Moves to "his" table, you welcome him home.
Two people sit down, one is ill and in pain,
Your smile is contagious, you call them by name.
We watch as you move, the room comes to life,
Love of job, like white linen under food, fork and knife.
But it is your love of people that sets you apart,
And makes you so special, I speak from the heart.
Each day touching lives, in what you say and you do,
Using gifts and a talent that comes to but few."
Gordon Bain
October, 03, 2008.
Said the young waitress as we spoke in the hall.
"But surely," I asked, "that cannot be true,
The room comes alive when you do what you do.
Many times we have watched you without being seen,
At home with the rich, or with those in between.
An old man seems friendless, he comes in all alone,
Moves to "his" table, you welcome him home.
Two people sit down, one is ill and in pain,
Your smile is contagious, you call them by name.
We watch as you move, the room comes to life,
Love of job, like white linen under food, fork and knife.
But it is your love of people that sets you apart,
And makes you so special, I speak from the heart.
Each day touching lives, in what you say and you do,
Using gifts and a talent that comes to but few."
Gordon Bain
October, 03, 2008.
My First Fishing Trip
Introduction
I thought I would spend a few minutes here and show some encouragement relative to my 19 year old daughter's (Jennifer Bain's) potential budding talents as a creative writer...--dgb, Oct. 11th, 2008.
..............................................................
My First Fishing Trip
“Hurry! We are leaving without you.”, my brother yelled up the stairs. I was always late. I ran down the stairs with a huge grin on my face and my luggage in my hands, I was all packed and ready to go. Our family lived in a large town house in the city. It was almost supper and everyone would be rushing home. We were on the road, a vacation, a road trip, we were headed to Nova Scotia.
“Wake up, we are here.” My mom shouted from the front seat, then continued to shake me and my brother awake, we had fallen asleep in the back seat on what seem to be the longest drive of our life. It took 18 hours to drive from Ontario to Nova Scotia. I got out of the car and glanced around, there was no doubt we were in the country now. The crisp fresh salt air rushed into my lungs once filled with city pollutants. There were fall colored trees, bushes and blueberry fields as far as the eye could see.
My brother Mike was turning 20 in a couple weeks on October 15, a computer geek, around 5 feet 8 inches with dark short hair. Mike hated the thought of coming to Nova Scotia, he hated the country. My brother was born and raised in the city and loved the rush of life and technology in the city. I am only a year younger than him, and we look a lot alike, only I wear glasses and have longer hair. I loved the idea -- walks on the edge of the Ocean, through the walking trails and beautiful parks full of outdoor scenery.
“Mike, walk with me to the store for a treat.” I tried to convince him to keep me company. It didn’t work. He was always on the phone or computer with his girlfriend back in Newmarket. He really hadn’t gone anywhere since we had gotten to Nova Scotia. I was walking around downtown, the buildings looked so small and old, there where no busy traffic lights or speeding cars.
“Hey! Are you from around here?” A voice came from behind me. It was one of the local boys. He was very scruffy looking, wearing old torn, stained clothes, and big rubber boots. He had a charming look to him at the same time, blond hair that stuck out the sides of his ball cap and bright blue eyes. He stuck out his hand and asked if he was welcome to show me around.
The boy's name was Nick. He took me for a walk. He was on his way to go fishing when he saw me walking aimlessly downtown. Nick wanted to show me how to fish, I had never gone fishing before, and I had never even seen a live fish out of a lake. The only fish I had seen were the ones at the pet store, swimming around with such confusion of direction.
Nick and I had reached our destination, a small lake. I watched him put a worm on the end of the hook and cast the line out far into the water. “Wait for it ….Wait for it,” he said with anticipation in his voice. Right then like a force from a hungry bear, his line was being pulled into the water.
What a battle!, what a struggle for survival the fish ut up! What would it be?, he wondered. A trout, a bass, a perch? He pulled out a fish that had to have been at least 5 lbs. I was very eager to see what it was. I looked in close, and he told me it was a bass.
I was very excited to see the fish flopping around on the ground, although at the same time, I felt a rush of sympathy. The fish had been tragically taken from his home, family and I stood there, with a long face.
I asked if I could release him back into the water. Nick couldn’t see why not. I grabbed the fish, but no sooner had I done this, than I droped it right back on the ground and start clutching my hand in agony. It had spikes! Nick let the fish back into the water as I nursed my hand back into working order.
It was my turn to take the fishing rod in my hand.
Like a bullet penetrating the water, I cast the line about 3 feet in front of me. Needless to say I was not skilled at casting a fishing rod yet. Nick cast the line about 18 feet out into the water, a tad bit better than my sorry cast.
I stood there nerves on edge, waiting for a fish to bite. I had no idea how to hook a fish.
There it was, at first just a little nibble, then a little stronger, then Nick was jumping up and down with excitement for me. He screeched, “Pull the line”! I gave it a big tug, yanking the line almost out of the water. I had never struggled so much, I was reeling the line in and the faster I reeled, the more the fish pulled back. My line was pulling out more and more -- I couldn’t stop it!
“Nick, HELP me!”, I hollered. He grabbed the fishing rod with me -- coaching me the whole while. The fish came flopping out of the water. It was gigantic! The line got tangled and I could not reel the line in. It was knotted at the top of the pole.
I fought for what seemed to be hours. The sun was going down. Surely my mom would be getting worried about me soon. She was always worrying about me.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t reel anymore.
I started walking backwards, and the fish pulled harder. I was being pulled forward and my first foot hit the water. It felt like the cold ice in December. In went my other foot!
I was standing, up to my knees in water, when out of nowhere Nick jumped in the water grabbed my line and started walking out into the lake. He was yelling and thrashing around, and before I knew, it he had my rod in the water and pulled out the biggest fish I had ever seen.
“What is it?!” I asked with amazement at the size, I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was a 40 lb. rainbow trout!
They weren’t even supposed to be in the lake we where fishing in. I ran back to town with Nick and showed my family what we had caught. Nick took the trout home with the agreement that he would come back to my place early the next day.
The next day we took the fish to the local pumpkin patch festival. There were Halloween decorations, food everywhere, and a contest going on where they had set the stage up.
We had a blast that day, won the contest for having the biggest fish there. I ate more food than you could ever think about, and took so many pictures that even now as I sit in my room looking at the pictures, I can still tell you every waking moment of our stay in Nova Scotia and my first fishing trip.
Jennifer Bain, October 9th, 2008.
I thought I would spend a few minutes here and show some encouragement relative to my 19 year old daughter's (Jennifer Bain's) potential budding talents as a creative writer...--dgb, Oct. 11th, 2008.
..............................................................
My First Fishing Trip
“Hurry! We are leaving without you.”, my brother yelled up the stairs. I was always late. I ran down the stairs with a huge grin on my face and my luggage in my hands, I was all packed and ready to go. Our family lived in a large town house in the city. It was almost supper and everyone would be rushing home. We were on the road, a vacation, a road trip, we were headed to Nova Scotia.
“Wake up, we are here.” My mom shouted from the front seat, then continued to shake me and my brother awake, we had fallen asleep in the back seat on what seem to be the longest drive of our life. It took 18 hours to drive from Ontario to Nova Scotia. I got out of the car and glanced around, there was no doubt we were in the country now. The crisp fresh salt air rushed into my lungs once filled with city pollutants. There were fall colored trees, bushes and blueberry fields as far as the eye could see.
My brother Mike was turning 20 in a couple weeks on October 15, a computer geek, around 5 feet 8 inches with dark short hair. Mike hated the thought of coming to Nova Scotia, he hated the country. My brother was born and raised in the city and loved the rush of life and technology in the city. I am only a year younger than him, and we look a lot alike, only I wear glasses and have longer hair. I loved the idea -- walks on the edge of the Ocean, through the walking trails and beautiful parks full of outdoor scenery.
“Mike, walk with me to the store for a treat.” I tried to convince him to keep me company. It didn’t work. He was always on the phone or computer with his girlfriend back in Newmarket. He really hadn’t gone anywhere since we had gotten to Nova Scotia. I was walking around downtown, the buildings looked so small and old, there where no busy traffic lights or speeding cars.
“Hey! Are you from around here?” A voice came from behind me. It was one of the local boys. He was very scruffy looking, wearing old torn, stained clothes, and big rubber boots. He had a charming look to him at the same time, blond hair that stuck out the sides of his ball cap and bright blue eyes. He stuck out his hand and asked if he was welcome to show me around.
The boy's name was Nick. He took me for a walk. He was on his way to go fishing when he saw me walking aimlessly downtown. Nick wanted to show me how to fish, I had never gone fishing before, and I had never even seen a live fish out of a lake. The only fish I had seen were the ones at the pet store, swimming around with such confusion of direction.
Nick and I had reached our destination, a small lake. I watched him put a worm on the end of the hook and cast the line out far into the water. “Wait for it ….Wait for it,” he said with anticipation in his voice. Right then like a force from a hungry bear, his line was being pulled into the water.
What a battle!, what a struggle for survival the fish ut up! What would it be?, he wondered. A trout, a bass, a perch? He pulled out a fish that had to have been at least 5 lbs. I was very eager to see what it was. I looked in close, and he told me it was a bass.
I was very excited to see the fish flopping around on the ground, although at the same time, I felt a rush of sympathy. The fish had been tragically taken from his home, family and I stood there, with a long face.
I asked if I could release him back into the water. Nick couldn’t see why not. I grabbed the fish, but no sooner had I done this, than I droped it right back on the ground and start clutching my hand in agony. It had spikes! Nick let the fish back into the water as I nursed my hand back into working order.
It was my turn to take the fishing rod in my hand.
Like a bullet penetrating the water, I cast the line about 3 feet in front of me. Needless to say I was not skilled at casting a fishing rod yet. Nick cast the line about 18 feet out into the water, a tad bit better than my sorry cast.
I stood there nerves on edge, waiting for a fish to bite. I had no idea how to hook a fish.
There it was, at first just a little nibble, then a little stronger, then Nick was jumping up and down with excitement for me. He screeched, “Pull the line”! I gave it a big tug, yanking the line almost out of the water. I had never struggled so much, I was reeling the line in and the faster I reeled, the more the fish pulled back. My line was pulling out more and more -- I couldn’t stop it!
“Nick, HELP me!”, I hollered. He grabbed the fishing rod with me -- coaching me the whole while. The fish came flopping out of the water. It was gigantic! The line got tangled and I could not reel the line in. It was knotted at the top of the pole.
I fought for what seemed to be hours. The sun was going down. Surely my mom would be getting worried about me soon. She was always worrying about me.
I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t reel anymore.
I started walking backwards, and the fish pulled harder. I was being pulled forward and my first foot hit the water. It felt like the cold ice in December. In went my other foot!
I was standing, up to my knees in water, when out of nowhere Nick jumped in the water grabbed my line and started walking out into the lake. He was yelling and thrashing around, and before I knew, it he had my rod in the water and pulled out the biggest fish I had ever seen.
“What is it?!” I asked with amazement at the size, I had never seen anything like it in my life. It was a 40 lb. rainbow trout!
They weren’t even supposed to be in the lake we where fishing in. I ran back to town with Nick and showed my family what we had caught. Nick took the trout home with the agreement that he would come back to my place early the next day.
The next day we took the fish to the local pumpkin patch festival. There were Halloween decorations, food everywhere, and a contest going on where they had set the stage up.
We had a blast that day, won the contest for having the biggest fish there. I ate more food than you could ever think about, and took so many pictures that even now as I sit in my room looking at the pictures, I can still tell you every waking moment of our stay in Nova Scotia and my first fishing trip.
Jennifer Bain, October 9th, 2008.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The Orchestra Played a Love Song
When I was young, I dreamed my dream,
As I turned a handle that made the cream,
While feeding cows, and cackling hens,
Grunting pigs in smelly pens.
I dreamed of you, imagined your face,
The way you would walk with queenly grace.
While in the fields, wheat sheaves to stack.
Long flowing gowns, men dressed in black,
Of concert halls, with kings and queens,
Were all a part of my childhood dreams.
I grew. One unsuspecting day, I saw you,
Walking tall, elegant, and in my heart, I knew.
On my arm, you danced; softly, as a feather falls.
To my mind came visions of concert halls.
Cymbals crashed, the drum roll grew,
The percussionist stood, and it was you.
The maestro turned, baton in hand,
As though the score had all been planned,
The spotlight paused, then moved along,
The orchestra played a love song.
We walk now, where once we ran,
A pause to celebrate where it all began,
A pride in our children; their children too,
Lives we have shared while each of us grew.
The places we've been, the people we've known,
Our love for each other, and what it has grown.
We celebrate the past, but reach out to the new.
Listen my darling, can you hear it too?
The orchestra is playing
a love song for you.
-- gordon william bain, Thursday September 4th, 2008.
.................................
As I turned a handle that made the cream,
While feeding cows, and cackling hens,
Grunting pigs in smelly pens.
I dreamed of you, imagined your face,
The way you would walk with queenly grace.
While in the fields, wheat sheaves to stack.
Long flowing gowns, men dressed in black,
Of concert halls, with kings and queens,
Were all a part of my childhood dreams.
I grew. One unsuspecting day, I saw you,
Walking tall, elegant, and in my heart, I knew.
On my arm, you danced; softly, as a feather falls.
To my mind came visions of concert halls.
Cymbals crashed, the drum roll grew,
The percussionist stood, and it was you.
The maestro turned, baton in hand,
As though the score had all been planned,
The spotlight paused, then moved along,
The orchestra played a love song.
We walk now, where once we ran,
A pause to celebrate where it all began,
A pride in our children; their children too,
Lives we have shared while each of us grew.
The places we've been, the people we've known,
Our love for each other, and what it has grown.
We celebrate the past, but reach out to the new.
Listen my darling, can you hear it too?
The orchestra is playing
a love song for you.
-- gordon william bain, Thursday September 4th, 2008.
.................................
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The River of Life
Our River Flows
When it was young
Like us,
It gurgled and laughed,
As the world rushed past,
Like us,
Unafraid of the twists
And the hairpin turns
Daring the cliffs,
And the diving terns.
Like us.
Now the water widens
The current slows,
We cannot see
Where the water goes.
The little boat
In which we travel,
Has scraped the bottom
And hit the gravel.
Here we stand,
Just you and I,
Alone in the river
With a threatening sky.
I marvel your smile
And love of life,
Another year has passed.
Dear love, my wife.
-- gordon william bain, August 2nd, 2008
When it was young
Like us,
It gurgled and laughed,
As the world rushed past,
Like us,
Unafraid of the twists
And the hairpin turns
Daring the cliffs,
And the diving terns.
Like us.
Now the water widens
The current slows,
We cannot see
Where the water goes.
The little boat
In which we travel,
Has scraped the bottom
And hit the gravel.
Here we stand,
Just you and I,
Alone in the river
With a threatening sky.
I marvel your smile
And love of life,
Another year has passed.
Dear love, my wife.
-- gordon william bain, August 2nd, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
The Gift of Sight
Ever wonder
how it would be
To never see the sun,
To see each day
as one long stretch
Which never quite begun.
To have two eyes
that didn't work,
The way we see it done
We who have
our sight and see
The wonder of the sun.
I watched a man
and his loyal dog
Approach a street one day
I wondered what
it would be like
If a dog told me to "stay.".
He shuffled by,
His dog in hand,
Quite cheerful it seemed to me,
I wondered
about the way I'd feel
If it was me that couldn't see.
So many things in life
we think,
Are ours by Godly right,
Surely the most precious
of all I think
Is the gift of having sight.
Gordon Bain
March/04
...........................
how it would be
To never see the sun,
To see each day
as one long stretch
Which never quite begun.
To have two eyes
that didn't work,
The way we see it done
We who have
our sight and see
The wonder of the sun.
I watched a man
and his loyal dog
Approach a street one day
I wondered what
it would be like
If a dog told me to "stay.".
He shuffled by,
His dog in hand,
Quite cheerful it seemed to me,
I wondered
about the way I'd feel
If it was me that couldn't see.
So many things in life
we think,
Are ours by Godly right,
Surely the most precious
of all I think
Is the gift of having sight.
Gordon Bain
March/04
...........................
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Anniversary Song
It is September.
Stillness surrounds
The morning.
You sleep late,
I hear you breathe.
Tourists have gone.
The young and young at heart,
Are now in school.
A sound,
Footsteps in the hall,
Your smile appears,
As it always has,
Across the years.
I turn to you,
Beautiful still
That honest pleasure,
You radiate,
Explodes,
Your priceless smile,
The bomb
That blows away
My doubt,
and fears.
“Happy Anniversary,”
You say,
And I reply,
In kind;
One more time.
Though age,
Stalks us,
Our anniversary
Remains sublime,
We tip toe past our friend,
Who sleeps, or does she read?
We hug,
And talk about our day,
Our children,
Gilbert and Anne,
Thoughts of winter,
Our hopes,
For the moving plan..
Fifty eight years,
Have come and gone,
In my head I hear,
Sinatra's Song.
I lose myself
in the sound,
And follow the lyrics,
Line by line...
............................................................
“Oh, it's a long while from May to December,
But the days grow short when you reach September,
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
One hasn't got time for the waiting game.
Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few,
September, November,
And these few precious days, I'll spend with you.
These precious days I'll spend with you..
.................................................................................
-- gwb
Stillness surrounds
The morning.
You sleep late,
I hear you breathe.
Tourists have gone.
The young and young at heart,
Are now in school.
A sound,
Footsteps in the hall,
Your smile appears,
As it always has,
Across the years.
I turn to you,
Beautiful still
That honest pleasure,
You radiate,
Explodes,
Your priceless smile,
The bomb
That blows away
My doubt,
and fears.
“Happy Anniversary,”
You say,
And I reply,
In kind;
One more time.
Though age,
Stalks us,
Our anniversary
Remains sublime,
We tip toe past our friend,
Who sleeps, or does she read?
We hug,
And talk about our day,
Our children,
Gilbert and Anne,
Thoughts of winter,
Our hopes,
For the moving plan..
Fifty eight years,
Have come and gone,
In my head I hear,
Sinatra's Song.
I lose myself
in the sound,
And follow the lyrics,
Line by line...
............................................................
“Oh, it's a long while from May to December,
But the days grow short when you reach September,
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame,
One hasn't got time for the waiting game.
Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few,
September, November,
And these few precious days, I'll spend with you.
These precious days I'll spend with you..
.................................................................................
-- gwb
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