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To: Mark Wilkerson ejtonefan@gmail.com From: Scott Sinnock ssinnock@netzero.com 3:10am, October 24, 2013 Subject: Re: Soul At 10:06 AM 10/19/2013, you wrote: Scott, I have two books on Spinoza: "Ethics" and a biography. What were some of the highlights of your trip this summer? Mark, Did he write anything other than "Ethics"?, just kidding, but from what I understand that pretty well captures his main ideas, just like The Genealogy of Morals does for Nietchze, which I just finished (for now, at least). Now I am deep into Dante's Divine Comedy, exploring the master who provided us with deep and lasting images of hell, sin, and its causes. Beautiful poetry and profound self-awareness --- and I am just reading an English translation. I can only imagine its poetic cadence in Italian where almost every other word rhymes, being either masculine (O) or feminine (A), or vice versa. We are just about to enter Paradise from the Garden of Eden sitting on top of the mountain of Purgatory. The mountain is punched up on the other side of the earth from Jerusalem where God cast Lucifer, his former favorite angel out of heaven for rebellion. God buried Lucifier at the deepest part of hell (the center of the earth) the seven levels of which were carved out by his "fall" (sort of like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, except why didn't it effect the frogs?). Although people in Purgatory suffer almost as much, perhaps even more, than those in Hell, they will eventually get to heaven, but they must suffer a LOT more before being worthy of seeing God's face. Alas, I am unworthy I suspect, not being a true and devoted believer, I guess I must remain in the first level of hell, reserved for all good pagans who knew truth before Christ came along, like Socrates, Aristotle, and Julius Ceasar. Oops, I know of Christ so I can't even meet Socrates in Limbo, I guess it's off to Hell for me and Minos will have several sins to choose from when he swirls his tail to assign my level. Know thy enemy as Mao, among others, has said. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........................... highlights? Gotta a lifetime? Seattle Drivers One of note, strangest thing I saw on the whole trip. The freeway drivers in Seattle. They ALL drive the same speed, from the right hand lane to the left, even if four lanes away. No passing, no weaving, no approaching the car in front of you, no driving next to each other but staggered, all lanes blocked just at the speed limit. NO ONE PASSES ANYONE. Strange, very strange and ONLY in Seattle. Kim thinks it's something in the water. Despite my discomfort in feeling like a total automaton I fell right in line, like everyone else. After I got home I checked the accident rate along Interstate 5, and in Washington it is half what it is in CA and OR. After computers take total control of cars, driving will be automated, like it sort of is in Seattle already; and I will miss it sorely. |