Kurt Vonnegut

I've discovered it's fun to circle back to our youth and explore things we enjoyed then in greater depth. Like re-watching old TV shows or reading books by favorite authors.

When I was a teenager I read a few Kurt Vonnegut novels. He was very popular then. I liked "Cat's Cradle", "Slaughterhouse Five" and a few others. But Vonnegut was exceptionally prolific: he wrote fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays and five non-fiction books. There's a lot in his literary oeuvre I haven't touched. 

I'm heading over there now. Any suggestions? Did you like any of his books?

Cerebration

Words are like cars: they work better when you use them. And, like cars, they can transport us to new destinations. 

My fleet of words are driving me to noetic insights. And I'm learning which parkway exits to take for that knowledge.

Most of my life my equable demeanor concealed a roiling cauldron of fiery emotion. Now, however, as I approach a new town called Serenity, I'm surprised to find beatific smiles on my face that I didn't put there. Mind you, I'm not complaining, just surprised.

A basic problem, it seems, is that humans develop perceptual and conceptual ruts in our thinking as we grow into adulthood. Children don't have this problem: they still view the world with open eyes, unhindered by expectation. But the self we create growing up conquers our consciousness. It hides as much reality from us as it allows to pass through. Adult brains "see" what they expect, not what actually is. This is why most people find it urgent to quickly label and put things in known boxes. Reflexive "non-thinking" diminishes our understanding and our discourse.

I'm learning that it's possible to reduce mental blindness by removing ego from our consciousness. Ironic certainly to hear this from a literally-blind person but the point is true. We can open our minds with various techniques, the most salient of which is becoming aware of our limitations.

Remembering Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven died on this day (March 26th) almost two centuries ago. His funeral attracted 18,000 mourners who treated him like a king.

Beethoven endured a life of excruciating pain and yet persevered. He chose to live for the opportunity to create music of sublime beauty. A music expert says, "Beethoven is the composer of the human soul. He is our composer."

My Report

The original Star Trek series was broadcast 60 years ago (1966-69). William Shatner, who plays Capt. James T. Kirk, turned 95 years old this week and is still alive. On Monday Shatner tweeted (on X) about the show: 

"Star Trek exists in more than one world. It exists in the fantasy of science fiction - weird and wonderful things that play unimaginable possibilities of exploration and human endeavor.... [I]t also exists in...the exploration that human beings have made since the dawn of time...physically, mentally and morally. It’s that aspect of Star Trek that I’ve always loved, to look at something physically that doesn’t exist now...but...tackle[s] the eternal human questions: the agonies, the ecstasies. Star Trek should exist for a long time to come based on those truths."

During the past five weeks I re-watched all 79 episodes (spread over three seasons). I've completed my analysis, Captain, and here is the report. 

According to my calculations the most emotionally moving episode is "Amok Time" (S2, Ep.30). The funniest episode is "A Piece of the Action" (S2, Ep. 46). And the scariest episode is "Cat's Paw" (S2, Ep. 36). 

This report concludes there is intelligent life on the Starship Enterprise. I recommend beaming up for an enjoyable visit. Spock out.

Star Trek

Captain's Log, Star-Date 3018.2

After beaming down to the planet's surface with a landing party my crew and I embarked on my five-week mission to bravely explore new worlds. Specifically, we visited "Star Trek: The Original Series" [TOS]. 

Initially broadcast on Earth television in the 1960s, TOS was poorly handled by network executives (life-forms possessing inferior intelligence). Before VCRs, DVDs and other recording devices, CBS executives scheduled the show at late hours on weeknights where it was unlikely to attract an audience. This misjudgment resulted in low ratings, truncated growth and ultimately cancellation after only three seasons. Fortunately, the series was re-run a decade later (in syndication) at earlier hours (dinner-time) where enthusiastic young fans embraced the show. That fan-base grew into a powerful force and the show's reputation developed at accelerated pace.

My current report on the series is encouraging. The planet's inhabitants, while often engaged in flagrant over-acting, created intriguing characters with emotional depth. Ironically most in a Vulcan whose emotions are restrained. My sensor readings confirm sufficient data here to sustain life for numerous spin-offs including 13 television shows, 14 movies, innumerable conferences and avid fan-fiction. Kirk to Enterprise: there is enough here to build a cultural empire.

TOS writing broke new ground: its setting in a fantasy world (sci-fi) allowed it to explore themes forbidden on normal TV. Subjects like racism and oppression were probed. At the same time some retrograde views (especially on women) persisted.

Mr. Spock: "What we've just seen is not real."

Captain Kirk: "All the same, let's be prepared. Ready phasers and keep your eyes open."

April Fool's Day

One of our fondest family traditions is me playing April Fool's jokes on Robin. 

Every year I amazingly manage to succeed in fooling Robin even though she knows a prank is coming and looks for it with every fiber of her being. Robin hates being fooled -- hence, my pleasure -- but loves ingenuity and attention. In the span of a minute Robin's mind races from puzzlement to surprise to annoyance to appreciation, usually with profanity erupting.

If April 1st ever arrived without a joke, Robin would be very sad. She would interpret that as "the honeymoon is over."

In the past I've devised many methods for evading her anticipation: coming out of left field; misdirection; deception. Occasionally I enlist friends to act as accomplices to throw Robin off-track. This year I concocted a simple plan founded on none of these techniques; rather, it exploits one of Robin's daily habits.

Because she'll be on high alert for any action I personally take, the joke has to arrive from another direction. Right now Robin shops online and gets regular delivery of packages from Amazon, et al. In this habit lies my plan.

Instead of me "doing something," a box will simply appear on our front doorstep. Like hundreds of others preceding it. Nothing suspicious there. The box -- large in size -- will capture her attention and stimulate her interest. Robin loves guessing what's in her packages even when the purchases are as pedestrian as paper towels. She enjoys "unboxing" things. It's like Christmas for a Jewish kid.

To allay doubt I created a fake mailing label using an old vintage typewriter a friend gave me last year. The box and its label look utterly ordinary. Unremarkable.

The essence of this year's joke isn't the box or what's inside it; the joke centers on the unboxing process itself.

During the past two months I collected a dozen cardboard boxes of every size. I didn't have to buy any; I just quietly put aside boxes arriving with Robin's purchases and diverted them from being thrown out. Yesterday I selected six of these boxes that neatly nestle inside one another. Like iconic Russian stacking dolls. The outside box is large (3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.) and the smallest one inside is only 10 inches by 10 inches by 3 inches. 

Okay, so now you see where I'm going with this. On April 1st Robin will discover a big box on our front steps. She'll be delighted and wonder what's inside. She'll then open the box and see another box. Scratching her head she'll open that box and... what? Another box? She'll continue unboxing until she eventually realizes she's being pranked. I'm taking bets on how many boxes she has to open before a light bulb goes off. :)

To sweeten the joke, inside the last box is a pretty hand-made sign I created. The sign has a message on it and can later be displayed. It wishes Robin a Happy April Fool's Day with the year noted. This will hopefully melt the heart of an infuriated woman. Cooling off is required as the last part of an effective 4/1 joke.

Robin doesn't read my blog so -- shhh -- please keep this a secret. :)

Q&A

Questions I've Been Asked Lately:

- What subjects do I need to know to understand the nature of physical reality?

  - It's helpful if you have basic knowledge of philosophy, science (biology, neuroscience, cosmology), linguistics, mysticism and the history of psychedelic research (1950-1964; 1990-present). 

- Is that knowledge necessary?

  - No, I can explain salient concepts to you.

- What's helpful to understand this stuff?

  - Personal experience with animals (e.g., pets) and nature (e.g., time in the woods). An open mind and curious nature. Habits of observation and reflection.

- Are you founding a religion?

  - No.

- Do I have to submit to sex with you in exchange for enlightenment?

  - No.

- Do I have to donate all my worldly possessions to you?

  -No.

- Will learning this give me "rizz"?

  - Probably.

- Will there be a test afterward?

  - No, it's not school.

- What are the benefits of acquiring this knowledge?

  - It'll erase your fear of death and reduce your anxiety about living.