Friday, December 12, 2008

Hunger and World Poverty

With such an abundance of food on the planet you'd think no one should ever go hungry. But 25,000 people die from starvation every year. And get this, of all the countries in the free world (calculated according to wages earned) the United States contributes the least in donations (1). I'm not proud of it, so I'm on a mission.

These are difficult times. But there's something wonderful about digging into your pocket and giving your last dollar to someone in need ... if it doesn't have a terrible affect on your finances. And don't make assumptions as to how that person will spend it. Who are we to know? Don't assume that someone's a drug addict or drunk, that he'll use it to buy alcohol or pot. How does a poor person look? He or she can look destitute, ravaged by conditions, or mainstream in dress and manner. Don't assume and don't judge. Just give. It just might be an angel in disguise.

If you enjoy word games and would like to help donate rice to the needy, visit Free Rice and make a difference. Thanx!

Guess My Number

Numbers are interesting. When I first played this game, I guessed the number within 1 to 3 clicks. Since that time, I haven't come close to such odds. See if you can click the right number.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The 4th Dimension

Someone once asked me why it was that I wrote short stories in the fantasy/horror/sci-fi genre? I told her a few things about how I grew up and some details about my propensity for otherworldly things. That was my wobbly attempt at answering the same question I'd asked myself for many years. But now I know exactly the reason.

I, like many people, am looking for the places and spaces beyond my everyday existence that gives me a broader perspective of God's greatness. I'm not talking about Ghosts and Aliens or things that go bump in the night. I'm speaking of the universe and all the imagined and unimagined realities. It's not that I've mastered my own personal reality ... not in the least. But understanding the greater picture helps me make since of the ugly, beautiful, craziness of life on earth.

My questions led me to the overwhelming importance of the relationship between Science and God. God is the creator of all, the intelligent designer of life. We can produce scientific evidence for most things such as death (the deterioration of a body). Yet death is an act of God, if you're a believer. Or take, for instance, the beautiful diamond patterns found on the skin of snakes. Who designed it ... because it is an artistic endeavor. Science would reveal that it is a natural occurrence. Nature is the intelligent designer. God.

So now I'm attempting to understand the unseen, as in God's other creatures, those referred to in the bible such as angels. An analytical person, I study quantum physics and the possibility of other realms of existence. It's quite simple, in fact, to see how there would be a 4th dimension, if you understand how the 2nd dimension becomes the 3rd dimension. The best way to explain this is to visit Flatland.

The 4th dimension is a shadow of our now, present-time existence. I have the concept down, in a scientific fashion, but I have yet to understand the reality of this concept. When I do, I'll be that much closer to understanding myself.