A Quick History of Purpose(s)

Before we get into the business of digging lightly or deeply into the question of whether everything we see and touch around us, or for that matter in the entire universe, has a purpose, I share this funny poster at the auto repair shop I go to for an oil change.  It is funny, of course, because the shop owner's wife who manages the office is the one who hangs it there.  

 

Then I found the photo below from somewhere. 

These are sort of the minimalist expressions of "one tool, many purposes", philosophy for fixing as many broken stuff with one tool if possible or with what is available on hand.

On the other hand we may have this almost insane obsession with having "one tool, one purpose" philosophy of specialization taken to extremes.

Guilty as charged. My wife would make fun of me when I prepare and cook two kinds of dishes; then she observes me washing seventeen kitchen utensils and cookware, not including the dishes after we've consumed the meal. Do I need two fillet knives, five paring knives, three different cleavers, a vegetable knife separate from chef's knife, two cheese knives,  etc.? Some of you looking at the above photo  will ask, "almost insane obsession"? Followed by, "That's unequivocally  nutty", as some of you will add. 

Like I said ..

Whew, now we got that out of the way.  So, does everything have a purpose? Even mosquitoes, viruses, moles, birthmarks and the appendix? And what about cancer cells?  And what's with the humongous seed in an avocado that far outweighs the rest of the fruit?"

The short answer is that everything has a purpose. Actually, when all is said and done, that is the only answer.  Unfortunately, the moment we start the conversation, it will invariably gravitate to the question: "What is the purpose of the existence of the devil, why is there evil in the world?"

Let's pause for a minute. Let's start from the beginning - that is, from the beginning of creation.  Wait, wait, you ask, "Why start from something or somewhere we have no means to travel back to? And why from all the way there?"

Well, we begin there because if we can establish that there was a purpose for   creation  then it follows that everything, from what cosmologists  often describe   as the primordial atom, should have and must have a purpose. 

"Why?" is an entirely different question. Why did the Creator create the universe? That is the one question that is philosophically and theologically difficult to answer, if one is not deeply immersed in theology. It is almost like asking also, "Did the Creator have a choice in creating the universe?"  We will not go there as well.  As Stephen Hawking said, "That would be like trying to read the mind of God".  We too will not venture there.

Biblically we can start with, Genesis chapter one, verse 3 "And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness.…

Now, cosmologically, the Big Bang theory says, "that the universe began as an infinitely small, hot, and dense point, which rapidly expanded in an instant.. usually depicted as an intense bright light.

The similarity between the two views is brightly clear with the suddenness of instantaneity as, "Let there be light" and the rapid expansion of everything in 10 to the minus 36 second (10 preceded by 36 zeros), from a single point-source that was infinitely hot and dense that kept on expanding for over 13.7 billion years now and still expanding as we speak.

Genesis 1:3 and the beginning of the universe per the Big Bang Theory are for all intents and purposes similar. There, I managed to sneak in the word "purposes".  So, first there was darkness and then there was light, Biblically; from cosmology, there was nothing, then there was something. 

Carefully, we see that the "principle of duality in the universe suggests that opposing forces are interconnected and essential for balance. In cosmology, dualism often refers to the belief in two fundamental concepts that coexist, influencing the structure and behavior of the universe".

Universal Duality also restricts us to view everything around us as either big or small, fast or slow, heavy and light, thin and thick, positive and negative, north and south and on and on.

In the beginning just prior to the creation of atoms, later to combine into molecules, elementary particles started with negatively charged electrons and positively charged protons that made for the creation of atoms, to molecules and later complex compounds that gave us the basic makeup of matter, then on to heavier building blocks.

Lightning is one of nature's most powerful phenomena. Around the world 100 lightning strikes occur every second or 8.6 million strikes each day. These strikes are responsible for breaking up nitrogen molecules in the air and combining with hydrogen that results in a compound as NH3. Rain will bring it down to the ground as ammonium hydroxide - ammonia, which is essentially a good natural fertilizer. The ancients believed that the gods used lightning to punish people. As rare an occurrence of lightning killing people or livestock, people still asked why?  Or, to conclude that such was the purpose for lightning.

Metaphorically, a lightning rod is a person or thing that attracts criticism or blame, or politically describing a scapegoat or the focus of public ire. As a result  we forget the real purpose of lightning.

Viruses and bacteria are two of many pathogens known to man.  But they also played a vital role in our development as a successful species. Either they triggered mutations to improve our physiology or that survivors of infection not only passed it on to their progenies but that those who lived on were ably adaptable against infections. Bacteria in our gut are responsible for breaking down nutrients in the food we eat.  Bacteria as in yeast gives rise (literally speaking and pun intended) to better and delicious bread.

There are countless more examples but suffice it to say that from the beginning of creation, Biblically or cosmologically (as described by science), purposes for and of everything came baked into the entire system.

But what about the existence of the devil?  So it comes down to this, "Did God create the devil?"  I brought up answering this question because I broached the idea about the history of purpose(s) to have started at the beginning of the creation of the universe.  The quick answer is that if we must rely on the belief that God created the universe, then God did create the devil.  For what purpose is the next question.

I am treading on thin ice here because I am neither a theologian or a philosopher. Will pragmatic thinking count?  Let's go back to several paragraphs earlier where, "principle of duality in the universe suggests that opposing forces are interconnected and essential for balance".

God has the power to create only good beings. True, however, God has already done that; we call them angels. So, here comes what I call the pragmatic approach. God created humans to have free will. The free will to do good or bad is  the purpose for why the devil was created (keeping in mind the universal duality).  It allows us to make a choice.  That would seem to be the practical answer, isn't it?  The freedom to choose is both a gift and a burden. It is presented to us as a choice between which path to take everyday we are on the road that we call life. Simply put, our life's journey will always take us to countless series of crossroads. It is the proverbial fork on the road where the choices we make are what will determine our fate. The devil's purpose is to entice or lead us to choices that are contrary to what God would want us to  make.  God gave us the power of free will, but  it  comes with a cost or reward.   

It is not a theological answer but the purpose of this musing is not to make it one. All that is perhaps worth remembering is that  we are endowed with the power to choose. And a responsibility to do what our conscience has equipped us to do.  Conscience is what influences behavior based on a lot of things, for example, our upbringing, our education, our environment and most of all, the path we preferred or the direction we chose, every time we are called upon to exercise our free will. 

P.S.

In prehistoric times the ancestors of avocados were dined on by large plant eaters that merely swallowed the fruit whole without biting into the seed which was bitter anyway (like most seeds). The avocado seed was dispersed that way through the animal's poop.  The seed is large and packed with nutrients that gave it a huge advantage in development as a well endowed seedling. The plant eaters that dined on it became extinct so why did the avocado not evolve with smaller seeds to adapt to  smaller foragers?  Perhaps it was then when human agriculture developed. Ancient farmers merely replanted avocado seeds thus ensuring the survival of the fruit to this day.  

Orchids are another example of extraordinary adaptation.  In the wild, they produce blooms to attract insects to pollinate the flowers.  Today, they are well adapted in people's homes and nurseries - one of the most extraordinary adaptations using the smartest creatures (us) to propagate and even develop new strains of beautiful flowers.  In 2026, people around the world will spend an estimated $2.3 billion on orchids and estimates of $4.5 billion in 2035.  And orchids, as a hobby by humans, live in comfort and care in people's homes.

 

I spent a good amount of my woodworking hobby building an orchid tree at one of the coziest corners of our home. And these plants don't even bloom year round. I spend a good amount of late spring to late fall tending to them until they start blooming in late winter. These plants adapted themselves into a pampered life.  What is their purpose? You know the answer.

Peter and the Spider

Peter is a very shy but exceptionally intelligent boy of thirteen.  He could be in college today but he declined the offer of one ivy league school to get him into their program for gifted teenagers, free tuition and board, where he would have been enrolled as a biology major while pursuing his research on entomology.  It was his decision to decline and his parents agreed. 

He has very few friends and only  one whom he considers his best friend - a classmate named Abe.

Peter, as smart as he is, is singularly focused, perhaps even obsessively so, on just one subject outside of school work - insects; or bugs as his classmates describe it. To study insects more closely he invented something he calls a magnifying stereoscope, which enables him to see up close small individual insects in 3-D.  His well-off parents willingly spend the money that Peter needs, including renovating the large attic into a livable room, fully air conditioned with furniture but more importantly several tables, equipment and living spaces for insects worthy of their own miniature natural habitats. The parents feel every dollar is well spent, knowing he is not into drugs or alcohol as the other young kids are already into, who are not much older than Peter. Most of all, they always know where Peter is when he is not at school. He is at home tending to the ant farm, studying butterflies, etc. And more importantly, Peter is at the top of his class, albeit only in academics because he barely makes a passing grade in social skills.

Recently Peter invented another thing.  It's a super sensitive microphone that can pick up sounds and noises created by insects, in groups or as individuals.  So now, he can watch them up close and listen to them intimately, if there is such a thing with an insect.

Abe came one weekend afternoon.  He brought Peter a spider he found outside their garage. He had it in a match box. He thought Peter would be interested in this one uniquely looking spider.  Sure enough Peter was ecstatic about what Abe brought.  They spoke for a bit, ate some snacks, then Abe left.

Peter went to work right away. He has an enclosure of Plexiglass the size of a refrigerator  where he has a colony of fruit flies so he can formulate a new theory on insect mutation by conditioning their behavior through erratic temperature and humidity changes while feeding only on one variety of fruit - ripened papaya and nothing else. 

He trapped a couple of the flies. Moments earlier he had the spider moved into a plastic container the size and shape of a cigar box with a fine wire mess for a cover so he can observe the spider in full view and up close. Raising the cover slightly he introduced the two flies and left to retrieve his special equipment from downstairs.

Later he had the stereoscope and microphone setup for observation, all powered up including a special low voltage UV light. Immediately Peter noticed that the spider was in one corner of the box. In front of it was  one fly that was all wrapped up with white web.  At the opposite corner was the other fly alive but wary.

With headphones on, Peter peered into the stereoscope.  Then, expecting a crunching or slurping sound he picked up a voice.  He took the headphones off his ears to see if a radio or the phone extension was the source of the sound.  Nothing. He put the headphones back on and turned on the digital video recorder.  He heard the voice again.

Below is the transcript of the voice and Peter's.

(1643 H Saturday, 02/18/26)

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: You heard me. That was me, the first time.  It's still me now.

Long silence ..

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Hello! Surely you know my species. Highly evolved arachnid and unbelievably resourceful.

Peter: This can't be real!

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Oh, yes it is. You're a smart kid, for a human.  Come on, speak to me like a peer, okay? I am talking in your language. By the way, those are sophisticated equipment you have there.  I assume you made them?

Peter: I will for a moment entertain all doubts about my sanity but I must ask. How is this possible?

Pholcus phalangioides 1a:You want a short answer or a slightly sophisticated explanation?  What you just said, by the way, is an adult manner of speaking. You are thirteen, fourteen years old?

Peter: And you are likely just a figment of my imagination. Tell me right now, this is a trick.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Yeah, it's a trick. In my previous life I was human. And I must have switched back and forth for a number of centuries now.  There, shockingly enough for you?

Brief silence

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Come on, you're a voracious reader. I know it's not all entomology books and articles you read.  You're a very curious kid.  I know you can explain this.

Peter: No.  I mean reincarnation is not real. A mere belief system rooted in India and Tibet.  Maybe Bhutan and two or more places. But it's not true. It is all science-defying lore or primitive belief systems.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Well, conversation is over. Can I get back to my dining? And thank you for these two flies. Oh, these two are not reincarnated creatures.  Just so you know.

Peter: I can't believe this.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Do you want a conversation or not?

Peter: You believe you are a recycled entity?

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: What I cannot believe is that you, of all brilliant young men, do not grasp the idea that  everything you see and touch are all recycled material.

Peter: Yes, but not one life form to another and back again. It is not scientific.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: That's the best argument you can come up with.  It is not scientific? This whole earth, the entire solar system, including the sun are all recycled from something else. 

Peter: I know that. My point is that a human does not turn into a spider and a spider into a human. That does not make sense. Science does not support that.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: What about stream of consciousness? Okay, okay, let's start from something you can grasp in your scientific mind. You've heard of Julius Caesar's last breath, haven't you?

Peter: Yes

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Explain it to me.

Peter: It is all about this hypothetical, even a statistical possibility that someone, me, you, could conceivably be breathing in some of Julius Caesar’s last breath after he was assassinated by Roman senators on the senate floor over two thousand years ago.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Okay, how and what makes it more than just hypothetical?

Peter: Well, the idea is that as Julius Caesar at his last gasp and final exhalation his breath had twenty five sextillion molecules of air - 25 followed by 21 zeros of air. In just a couple of years those air molecules would have spread around the world, inhaled, exhaled umpteenth times over and over, and they're still out  there, here  and everywhere today, as we speak. 

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Good

Peter: But I will do you one better. One oxygen atom, expelled by a prehistoric fern millions of years ago was inhaled by T-rex, then exhaled it as a compound molecule of CO2, then absorbed by another fern or some other plant that later expelled the oxygen, keeping the carbon and the cycle started all over again.  And Julius Caesar could have inhaled that same oxygen atom  as he gasped and exhaled it as part of carbon dioxide compound before he died. But what has that got to do with you being a human in a previous life?

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Okay. You do know that the Law of Conservation of Energy and Matter dictates that both can neither be created nor destroyed in the entire universe.  They can only change forms or convert from one to the other and vice versa but neither is created nor destroyed.

Peter: I know that. Just please explain to me what you are.  I mean, you couldn't have been some creature at one time and be another the next time.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Do you believe that your mind exists outside of your physical brain?

Peter: You mean consciousness?

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Yes.

Peter: I can't prove it one way or the other.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: That's what I'm telling you. Consciousness is independent of physiology but it is real. I am proof.  You are talking to a spider. And I will tell you this. I admit that in my various iterations I have not been exactly one that you would describe as a model of good character.  Every time my physical body ceased to exist I moved on to another but, and this is where I know you will roll your eyes, heaven or hell is what I made of my next life each time I moved on, so to speak, and you know what I mean.

Peter: That is what adherents of the reincarnation belief system go by. By that I am to assume that you were a bad human before your current life?  Unbelievable. Scientific nonsense and well beyond even the lowest form of logical thinking.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: You are a smart kid. You are already arguing like a real adult.  For a teenager. But you are soon to learn some more. Have you ever wondered about how your intelligence had come and developed so rapidly in your young age? Have you wondered that perhaps you are a reincarnated Gregor Mendel or some earlier geneticists in the past century, or maybe you are Charles Darwin, reborn in the 21st century to perhaps make corrections and improvement on his theories?

Peter: Absolutely not. There is no basis for that supposition and clearly not supported by scientifically based logical processes.  No. Conversation ends here and now.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Yes, it ends here. Let me go back to my dinner.

Peter: Listen to you. You're a spider, yet here you are dining on food I provided you. You call that punishment? Or, according to your supposition, this is hell for you?

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Look, what if I tell you that I was dining on fine foods, caviar and champagne in my prior life but I'm being punished for my greed and horrible treatment of my fellow human beings and now I am  eating fruit flies. Do I deserve this? Perhaps.  But here I am trying to educate and give you fair warnings about engaging in unacceptable behavior.  Fair warning, remember that.

Peter: You are lecturing me? I declined a fully paid scholarship despite my age because I do not want to get carried away by hubris and potentially damaging exposure to what young people today are exposed to in so-called higher places of learning. No, you do not need to lecture me.

Pholcus phalangioides 1a: Good. I am succeeding already. There is hope, after all, I will be reborn under better circumstances next time.

Peter: Let's wrap this up.  Go back to your dining while I go back to tending to the  other creatures that need my attention.

Two hours later, Peter was awakened from a surprisingly long nap by his mom, who was worried why Peter had not come down.  She found Peter with the left side of his head on an open textbook on his desk.

Mom: You know I don't want to come up here but it's now six thirty.  Your dad will be home soon. Dinner will still be at seven, as always.  Come down soon, okay?

Peter: Yes, Mom.  I'll be downstairs before seven, for sure.

Peter looked around to make sure everything was not overly messy.  The spider was still inside the plastic box. One fruit fly is gone and the other one is now wrapped up in white spider web. The video recorder is turned off and the other devices as well.  He remembered saving the video data into the cloud.  He will check it later.  Unbeknownst to him, by mistake, he had it saved into a Microsoft printer located at their neighbor's.  An elderly gentleman lives there but he has not really been using his computer or printer - waiting for a technician to fixt it. 

The technician did come by the next day.  He did the necessary fix, did some tests and set aside all the "scrap" prints that were on the printer's queue after he had the printer running. 

Now, my dear reader, you will be wondering  how I have possession of the transcript of the conversation between Peter and the spider.

Wonder if you will, but please be reminded that the musings you read here still go by the sub heading at the start of each blog that goes: 

"When you find yourself having to take a break from those that keep you on edge and stressed out, you can take the time to ponder with me some of the un-ponderable and the whimsical and lightly thought provoking issues you did not have the time to consider but now you may want to look into because you have a moment or two to spare or you just want some of your brain cells to be tickled out of slumber."

The Anatomy of Sacrifices

Why would  sacrifices have  anatomy?  Well, sacrifices have structure, though often hidden - visible to those who want to see or feel it - and there are motivations, varied degrees of intensity, purpose, and a beginning and an end. And this is how it is typically defined: "the act of giving up or losing something of value for the sake of something else to have a greater value or claim.."

That is one definition.

In Scriptures, it is both an act of worship and an expression of faith in the Divine. 

In some past cultures, sacrifices took on  a grisly macabre nature beyond comprehension today but was an acceptable practice then to please or placate the gods.

However, we do not have a monopoly on the capacity to sacrifice or on how to deem what it is.  Life, any life, apparently requires or demands sacrifices of one magnitude or another, that occurs even in the animal world where maternal sacrifices are acted on under extreme conditions.

Take one species of octopus. The "Graneledone boreopacifica, like all octopus species, is semelparous, meaning it reproduces only once in its lifetime. After laying her eggs in a carefully chosen location, often a rock crevice or other safe area, the mother devotes herself entirely to protecting and nurturing her clutch".

This octopus will spend as much as 4.5 years protecting the eggs from predators or other disturbances until they hatch. The unusually long incubation period is due to the cold temperatures at the bottom of the deep ocean, hence the extraordinarily long metabolic processes.  During that entire time the mother octopus will not feed, relying only on its fat reserves to stay alive. It is literally wasting away and dies as the eggs hatch.  Often, what remains of her body will feed the young hatchlings. No other definition of the ultimate sacrifice can match that.  But for a species that only reproduces once in its lifetime, we can say that such is the epitome of the ultimate sacrifice for the survival of the species. And by the way, octopuses are considered one of the most intelligent invertebrates on land or sea. The brain of the octopus is not centrally concentrated in its brain but outwardly connected to all eight tentacles so that each appendage can think independently on its own or in concert with the entire nervous system. 

We've read about the male praying mantis sacrificing itself as food to the female after mating.  The explanation is that the expectant mother is assured of an initial and immediately good nutrition by dining on the father of the soon  to be offspring.  I don't know how scientists figured that out but then what other reasons are there?

There are many other examples though not quite as dramatic as the two above. But one thing is certain - sacrifices are not only common but that life seems well provided with many ways that they can occur.  For life forms way below our intellectual capacities  to exhibit those traits may point to the fact that the capacity to sacrifice is all along a component required for the survival of the species.

This takes us to the level of sacrifices we, as a species, are capable of achieving. 

Pfc James Anderson  was born on Jan. 22, 1947.  At age 19 he enlisted in the Marine Corp in 1966.  The following year at just 20 years old his unit was sent to Vietnam. On Feb. 28, 1967, his unit was ambushed while on patrol. An enemy grenade was thrown at his platoon. Without hesitation he dove towards the grenade, covered it with his body and was killed when it exploded. His sacrifice saved several marines from serious injury or death.

"On August 21, 1968, he became the first African American U.S. Marine recipient of the Medal of Honor while serving in Vietnam."

In an eerily strange and almost retroactive coincidence, we go back to the previous  generation when on February 1, 1944 another heroic incident happened in another war - WWII. - with another Marine of the same last name.

Richard Beatty Anderson was born on Jan. 26, 1921. As you can see from the photo below, he was a white man. Wait till you read his story.

"Summary of Action for which He was Awarded the Medal of Honor

On 1 February 1944, during the assault on Roi Island in the Marshall Islands, Private First Class Richard Beatty Anderson was sheltering in a shell crater with three fellow Marines under intense enemy fire. As he prepared to throw a grenade at a nearby Japanese position, the grenade slipped from his grasp and rolled back into the crater where the men were crowded together."

Pfc Anderson "hurled himself onto the grenade, absorbing the full force of the explosion with his body. His deliberate and selfless act saved the lives of the Marines beside him at the cost of his own."

Did you make note of the date?  Both died in February, 23 years apart - one generation between them.  Both were Marines, one black, one white. Both recipients of the Medal of Honor.

Reincarnation buffs have this to say. Pfc Richard Anderson died in 1944, three years later he was reborn as James Anderson in 1947, to a black family.  The two heroic incidents seemed like a re-play, except that in Vietnam the grenade was thrown by the enemy.  It was as if Richard Anderson wanted to redo his heroism when it was not his fault and by sheer selfless sacrifice, he saved his fellow Marines (again).

Reincarnation or just plain simple coincidence is up to the reader to determine.

Just last week I got into a conversation with the nurse who took my vital signs (pulse, temperature, blood pressure, weight) before the doctor could see me in the other room. Since there was a patient before me I had to wait.  The nurse stayed with me until the other room became available. She proceeded to tell me her story when she realized my wife has Parkinson's to share her experience in care giving to a family member.

She is the eldest child with a younger handicapped brother - unable to speak and  suffering from epilepsy. Then a few years ago her mom was diagnosed with cancer. The nurse became caregiver to both.  During all that time she took only night shift jobs so she can take care of them during the day. Her mom passed away.  She still had to care for her brother.  The brother, at 44, died two years ago. The nurse never had  time to enter into any personal relationship of her own so she never married. 

When she finished her story, I did not have the courage to tell her my own caregiving story vis-a-vis  my wife's Parkinson's.  Compared to what she went through, my so-called sacrifice is petty and a minuscule facsimile of her own sacrifices.

I hope I have given enough credence to what  anatomy of sacrifices mean.

 

Does Every Decision Really Matter?

Without us realizing it, we ask this question often, whether we actually  say it or not, every time  we do things or merely contemplate on doing something, or even just saying something to somebody, or anybody. And, for that matter, does everything we ever do really matter. Before we go on let's  just for a moment revisit the one famous fable about the "butterfly effect".  We find that it is more than just a fable because, while hypothetical in every sense, it is profoundly and sensibly within the realm of loosely correlated causality; keeping in mind, however, that there is a big difference between correlation and causation.  The embellishment to the little story is all mine.

"Out in the plains of the Serengeti, a lone butterfly was going about its business from flower to flower. Not too far away is a pride of lions patiently waiting for a herd of wildebeest to come closer. The butterfly, as it flutters its wings, hovering and landing on several flowers, causes some of the disturbed pollen to be carried away by the wafting air. A few of the pollen went into the nostrils of the lead lioness, thus causing it to sneeze uncontrollably and loudly - loud enough to spook the ever alert and nervous wildebeest. They turned, saw the lions, and they panicked. The resulting stampede of  several thousand wildebeests soon after, caused a cloud of swirling dust to ascend with the rising warm air. The dust clouds joined the Jetstream up above, which somehow changed its density and air speed. In a matter of three days, the global weather pattern had changed considerably and by the seventh day, a typhoon had developed on the Bay of Bengal.  In a few more days, Bangladesh was devastated by strong winds and flooding that followed.  All that was caused by one butterfly."

Can one event from the activity of a single butterfly   really cause that much devastation? 

Or, how about the decision of one Dutch family during the German occupation of their homeland when they decided to hide an entire Jewish family in their basement until the end of the war.  Had the Dutch family not done it an entire  lineage could have ended right at the moment of their capture.  Instead, the Jewish family survived and later emigrated to the U.S. at  the end of the war.  The family's children went on to excel in school, one became a doctor and another an engineer. Two generations later the Jewish family's descendants continue to contribute to the betterment of the community of people around them wherever they settled, always acknowledging the remembrance of a distant debt of gratitude. That was just one story.  Just imagine many more stories from just that one global tragedy of a war that raised so many acts of courage and sacrifices that in the words of Winston Churchill, "Never was so much owed by so many to so few".

Richard Feynman, acclaimed theoretical physicist in his lecture on the chain of probabilities asked and answered, "Why one small decision changes everything".  With anecdotes he went on to tell how one decision,  large or small, changes the outcome that affects all outcomes that followed. Of course, his discussions were from the points of view of a physicist. That is true but then I ask, "Where did it all begin?" You see, from the question and from every example, before every decision or choice  was made, there were conditions that already existed that were also products of decisions, choices and events prior.  It is as if the decision maker was merely being part of a continuous chain of events and decisions that he or she may have little to do with.

Decisions begin as  mental processes, assuming that the decider did take the time to think everything through.   A 3-1/2 pound mass of tissues and nerves and blood vessels sit atop between the two shoulders of every human  decider.  Inside that mass of tissue are approximately 100 billion nerve cells or neurons that are capable of making billions upon billions of connections from neuron to neuron  at any one time. Is that where we begin?  How about family upbringing, inherited genes, mental trauma, even nutrition, etc. Of course not.  But just for fun, let's go back to  one specific point prior to but somewhere that is simple enough - the early universe.

Eons of time had elapsed before the universe had its first atoms. Then everything was made up of hydrogen and a little bit of helium and nothing else.  It took more eons of time before there was oxygen because massive stars (all made of hydrogen) at the later stages of their existence that took millions of years needed to explode to create the other elements, one of which was oxygen.

That was crucial because only then that the combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen gave the universe its first water. How is it then that neither hydrogen nor oxygen may exist as a liquid at room temperature, yet when the two of them combined we have liquid water? Perhaps we do not  want to begin there although as far as we know only our earth has water in such abundance that makes life possible, significantly, human life - able to ponder and wonder about these things.

Where do we begin? Well, we can go back to where one hundred billion neurons reside - in each individual human brain. 

One U.S. president at the beginning of 2008 did say that elections have consequences.  

We find out, of course, that all the  neural activities of all the voters combined in one election decided all past elections.  Elections that had consequences.  Does that explain the butterfly effect?  It will be one massive undertaking to explain, well beyond one blog.

Suffice it to say that everything begins where everything is still small. Did a career criminal begin with one stolen candy bar from  a grocery store? But then what was it that caused one man to hunt down early Christians only to turn his life around the opposite way and write several gospels of the New Testament? His writings are now known as Paul's Letters to various recipients - from "to the Thessalonians to the Hebrews", and nine others in between.

So, now we may begin anywhere. The question is whether anything that occurs anywhere and everywhere has a consequence that is worthy of consideration as to have any effect on everything, or just anything. As a general rule, yes, when taken from the point of view of cause and effect.  But it is always from someone's point of view, or is it?  This takes us to another common if not purely parlor-esque question as in a cocktail party setting that asks, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it still make a sound"? The question always recedes back to "from whose point of view" is the consequence being assessed. We don't want to go there because we are not prepared to dig a bottomless pit into which we may end up dumping an infinite number of scenarios no matter where we start.  You see, from the butterfly effect story, would it have mattered if, say, it occurred in ancient times when there were no people living then in the present day country of Bangladesh?

Well, here we are. Back to the one hundred billion neurons again.

For  conclusion: Yes, every decision we make does indeed matter.  Just by believing that can mean that from here on in, you and I will take great care in every little or big decision we make, convinced that it will have one small or large difference, however inconsequential it is.

One thing to keep in mind is that consequences do not just add up. They actually multiply.

Let me end with a portion of what I wrote in Dec. 2016, "What's Fishy With Human Nature":

"There was a B-movie that reminded me of how one little trickle of a white lie could cascade into an unstoppable waterfall.

A guy called in to his boss with a little lie for not coming to work one morning.  He lied that he was taking care of a sick daughter at home.  Granted he was quite unhappy with his job he didn’t exactly want to quit.  He doubled up on his excuse next time he felt like not showing up for work again by telling that his sick daughter was now at the hospital.  So the one simple lie has taken a life of its own as he lied to his wife as well, doing his routine task of taking his daughter to a baby sitter every morning, but never said anything about not going to work. The third time he called in  for not coming to work his boss fired him over the phone.  Then, again bereft of any thought process, he doubled up his lie further by telling his boss that his daughter just died at the hospital.

His daughter was perfectly fine but his boss softened immensely by asking  him back to work the following day; his boss spoke kindly to him and later took up a collection for him from very willing co-workers to help him out.  One morning a kind co-worker went as far as to bring a home-made quiche to his home.  His wife opened the door to greet the co-worker but his quick maneuver saved the day for him as he shortened the visit without alerting his clueless wife but to the bewilderment of his co-worker.  Of course, as always with cases like this, things unravel rapidly with devastating consequences.  This was fiction but how many have we seen in real life where one simple lie intensified to more lies and ultimately to a disastrous resolution, shattering lives and reputation or sometimes resulting in violence?

Remember, in real life consequences don't just add up; they multiply.

 

An Angel and A Devil Met Again

A year and a half ago I published a transcript of a conversation where  I introduced it with a cover paragraph that went:

"Through a  rare cosmic oddity, unfathomably irregular if not  weirdly improbable, an angel and a devil were sitting around a table having drinks. The devil had one unimaginably strong cocktail while the angel settled for a tall glass of cold lemonade.  The devil (D) looked haggard but still menacing while the angel (A) looked calm but uncomfortably intent.  They started talking with each other".

When they parted ways both were called to their respective head offices for their next missions. As it turned out each of them was given similar assignments.  They were going to engage in a competition which came with a significant prize for the winner.  Each was to win over as many minds and souls of high school students in diverse places around the world within seven months.

There were mixed results for both and neither won the prize.  The devil had a little bit of an overwhelming advantage of an enormous amount of advertising budget; however, the angel did put in some extraordinary efforts despite its meager amount of resources.

This time both were sent to Davos, Switzerland after their lackluster performances. No competition was involved except for each  to report or make an assessment of how the entire economic forum went. 

"The Davos conference, officially known as the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, focuses on global economic issues, international cooperation, and social challenges".

Unbeknownst to the two there were other agents of good and evil that were there at work to influence the attendees.  The two were mere observers directed to submit written reports.

Transcript (01/22/26 1830 H):

D: What is that you're drinking?  Not lemonade again, is it?

A: It's Gruvi, Dry Secco, Non-Alcoholic Wine. It's a specialty here, if you must know.

D: Of course. Why did I even ask?

A: And I won't ask what you're drinking either. I'm sure it's suitable for starting a fire. Don't you already have enough of it at your head office?  Or, is that what you use to heat up the place?

D: Come on, let's not start being confrontational with each other, for once. So, what does your report say?

A: We're not supposed to discuss it, okay? Especially not between you and me.

D: Rules.  Who cares?  I'll tell you what mine is.

A: I won't listen.  Let's talk about something else. You didn't win the prize from the last contest.  I didn't either but you must be bitter.  You want to talk about that?

D: Just listen to me, okay?  What I'm about to tell you will affect the entire world. By the way, it will be according to how it was written by your own prophets centuries ago.  It  started here at the conference of many nations.  And you won't believe what the next generation of humanity will be faced with.

A: What, that your boss will be cast away forever? 

D: No, before that happens there is going to be one tragedy to befall humanity.

A: I know what you're talking about. But we really don't know when.  If at all.  We can't know.  Oh, wait you are the devil, so you're commanded to deceive many.  Starting now.

D: Listen.  Hear me out. It begins ironically enough at a very cold place. It is called Greenland.  Yes, that is how it will begin.

A: Really! Your imagination ran amok again?  Be serious for once.

D: I'm serious.  Hear me out, then tell me my thesis is correct, okay?

A: Okay, I might still save you from embarrassing yourself. Why did I just say that? You're a devil.  How will embarrassment really affect you?

D: Be serious now.  Hear me out.

A: Okay, go ahead.

D: So, Greenland.  This big hullabaloo about that icy island is where it all begins.  America wants it as a focal point for what it calls the golden dome. That dome is really some sort of umbrella shield to thwart missile attacks from Russia or China.  As always we, meaning me and my legion of deceivers, as you put it, managed to do it again - lead humanity to war or prepare for war as it had always been  throughout their history.  So, Greenland becomes the point of contention, if you will.

A: Wait, wait.  How does Greenland lead to war or become a humanity problem?

D: Don't be so naive.  You're better than that.  Let me finish and don't interrupt me again.  Then you can ask your questions.

A: Okay, okay.

D: Where was I? Okay, Greenland is where it begins.  You see, all the posturing and debating and threatening resulted in an unprecedented animosity between the European nations and America.  Even  Canada had become uncomfortable with the whole debate.  NATO, where America is a member, and England and Canada too, is showing some cracks. Well, guess what.  There is talk about the United States of Europe. That used to be far fetched and on the fringe but now it is being talked about rather seriously.  What is sparking it is Greenland.  My boss knows a lot more and all I'm doing is report that it is working.

A: What is working?

D: You interrupt again.  Listen to my whole thesis first.

A: Sorry.  Go ahead.

D: Just so you know, I read your Holy Scripture. There in clear language according to your writer of prophecy, named John of Patmos, is a reference to the rise of a dragon with "ten horns that are often interpreted as representing ten kings or kingdoms that will rise in the end times".  It's in your own Book of Revelation. Other references in the same book also mentions a beast with ten horns and seven heads - a powerful empire of some sort.  Based on today's environment, it can only mean an organization of several nations.  It is not NATO, clearly not the United Nations. Now, you may ask a question.

A: So, which nations will form what?

D: Look, earth is not that big in the entire scheme of the universe, okay. There are only so many nations in one fixed geography. Nations that had been fighting one another for centuries. Even after the last two world wars, nations in Europe will be forced to overcome their natural instincts against Germany. They need it despite their common apprehension that Germany will re-arm again.   It has the strongest economy by far over any other European nation, it has the technology, a people predisposed to obsessive loyalty and discipline. They will need Germany to lead the United States of Europe.  Go ahead, ask a question.

A: So, what you are saying is that because of an emerging  power that you describe, another war in Europe is inevitable?  This time Western Europe against the eastern part, primarily Russia and its eastern allies.  What about China?  And what will be the roles of America and England? And since when did you rely on the Holy Book?

D: I said you may ask a question, not several.  But I will answer them all. The next big war will not be in Europe.  It will, however, involve the new European empire.  The place will be Har Megiddo, Mount Megiddo, or in its Anglicized iteration, Armageddon. That is how it will become a bigger war. China and several middle eastern countries that will also include Turkey will be in the mix. Japan has no option but to also re-arm because of the China imperative in Asia. America, England and Australia will be drawn into it.  That is why this is going to be a much bigger war - one to end all wars. Now all of that are as predicted by your own prophets.  Here are a couple of quotes for you, "Revelation 16:16: "And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon." and "Revelation 19:19: "And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army."

A:  Again, since when did you take the Holy Word as your reference?

D: You have so much to learn, don't you? Why do you think we've been competing with you? Just because I'm the devil doesn't mean I don't believe in your existence or the existence of your boss.  You don't get it, do you? My true mission is to convince people that I do not exist. Consequently, they will also not believe in you once they're convinced of my non-existence.  Clever, isn't it?

A: I don't see the logic.

D: One more time. Once man and woman are convinced that there is nothing else out there, no belief in anything greater than them, no consequences no matter how they act, they will have convinced themselves that everything is in their power to do, to think and commit only to what pleases them. The self is what they will end up worshipping. I must emphasize that. But you know what, we digressed.  Let me get back to my thesis. Now, you just had my train of thought inextricably derailed by your silly questions.  Where was I?

A: You were talking about Mount Megiddo, Har Megiddo, whatever.

D: Yes. That mount is located in present day Israel.  First, where everybody is wrong is for another war to occur in Europe, Asia, or wherever. The next war will not be in Europe, I say that again.  It will be in the Middle East. Your own book unequivocally identifies the place as Har Megiddo. At the risk of repeating myself once more, Har Megiddo are two words fused in the English language as Armageddon.

A: Why there? I mean why will the next big conflict take place there?

D: It is a very long story.  Let me shorten it for your sake.

A: Please do.

D: Ancient humans believed in many gods. Then at the seat of civilization in Mesopotamia monotheism started. My boss did not like the idea of just one god. He was just like you but he took a good number of angels to take exception to the one-god rule. My boss took to chaos by splitting the population between Judaism and Islam from the  original Abrahamic faith. The Jews kept to the Bible while Islam had the Quran.  Both books have many things in common, starting with calling the father of their nation  Abraham or Ibrahim. Then came the promise of the Messiah that both concurred with. Centuries and centuries of evolving faiths, followers split. The Messianic faith, the promised savior predicted in both the Bible and the Quran gave rise to Christianity but you must know that all have common origins, generally speaking.

My boss saw an opportunity to cause more chaos.  Jerusalem is considered by both Islam and Judaism  as the seat of their faith, their Holy Land, which then  became a source of conflict.  Jerusalem changed hands several times between the two competing interests during centuries of fighting. Then when the Roman empire converted to Christianity as a result of Emperor Constantine's own personal conversion, Jerusalem became three times more contentious. My boss saw added opportunity to sow more chaos.  The three-way tug of war for control of Jerusalem caused so many deaths and human suffering. My boss was satisfied.

A: Apparently he was never satisfied because, according to you, your boss is still sowing chaos and anguish.

D: Well, humanity is mostly to blame. One thousand years after the birth of your Messiah began the crusades in the late 11th century (1095 A.D.) that lasted for another two centuries. Crusaders under the authority from the pope - the head of the Catholic church in Rome - did several campaigns to regain Jerusalem from the control of Islam which wrestled it from the Jews.  At that point in time the Jewish people were banished from their land through forced and voluntary exits from the region. Many of them were enslaved and taken to scattered parts in Europe. It was only after the second world war when from many corners of the world they were returned to a small place that became what is today the country of Israel.

A: And Megiddo happens to be in that country today, right?

D: Yes, but there is more to the history.  But first, let me quote from your own Holy Book. 

From the Book of Matthew  24:5-8 (from King James English), keeping in mind that the Christian Messiah came from the Jewish lineage, which many adherents usually forget that he was born in Bethlehem.

"5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass.."

That by the way, predicted the rise of many different versions of Christianity.  While there are also different sects in Islam and Judaism, your Bible only makes special mention in that quote which even human scholars admit that it means the many number of Christian faiths that arose from a single belief system that turned into many denominations, sects and subsets of denominations. 

A: Is that also one of the handiworks of your boss?

D: Well, again it was Christ's prophecy that many shall be deceived.  You believe that my boss and  I are deceivers. I will have you know that the true faith, religion if you will, is not represented by any of these churches.  And there lies the ultimate deception.

A:  What do you mean?

D:  My boss will make Jerusalem a bone of contention, once more. You see, when the current state of Israel was created, Jerusalem being part of it, was cause for torment among the Islamic countries in the Middle East. It had always been that way during all those many wars to settle ownership of it and it still is today.

A: One small city?

D: It is the very same location where temples were built, destroyed, and rebuilt time after time. The new European empire will venture into what will be one big geopolitical and economic move, a military campaign that shall be what it will describe as the final crusade to settle once and for all what previous actions failed  to fulfil - the final re-taking of Jerusalem. The failure of many crusades in the past will have been at last put to rest.  Along with it and this is important - control of the middle east and its oil. The final crusade will settle everything, or so it is believed, but it too will fail in the end. My boss conceived all of these to happen in about a generation from today.

A: Why that timeline?

D: Prophetic words from your Holy Book describe what humanity will later know as "future histories". Your God knows everything from today to all future days.  America today is still a very strong country - enough to inhibit all kinds of adventurism by other nations. But it is being stressed internally by overwhelming political, social and moral divisions and erosion in ethical behavior, as we speak. These conditions will seem unsustainable in the eyes of others looking in. It will cause nations or groups of nations to underestimate or misread America's conditions two decades from now. It will be perceived by others as irreversible decline of a world power past its prime. True or not, my boss will make sure to deceive and mis-direct all human resolve.

A: And ..

D: Then my boss will be granted to do what he wants. Legions like me will try to do my boss's bidding.  We will fail in the midst of the return of the real Messiah. Men and women who will steadfastly hold on to their faith in your God will in the end cause us to fail.  Only then will they have attained what your God had planned and we, my boss and its legion, will be cast away never to torment humanity again.

A: Why then do your boss, his legion of deceivers and you go through all of these for what in the end will mean you will fail and result in your banishment?

D: You are asking me?  Does it look like I know everything? Well, goodbye for now. We will see each other again before all will come to pass.

The devil left. Shortly after that another angel sat next to the other.

A2:  Well, you and that devil talked again, huh?

A: Oh, it thought it was a clever deceiver.  I let it talk and I pretended to be ignorant and in its words, "naive". It knows as much but it does not know everything.  However, the devil does know enough to describe humanity's future story.  Or, as it described it, "future's history".

A2:  Well, I came by to tell you that you have a new assignment.  Come by the office tomorrow.

2026 Aladdin's Magic Lamp

Aladdin's magic lamp is one of the more popular stories from "Tales of the Arabian Nights". However, if one were to read the original story he or she will be surprised to know the elaborate plot was more than just about Aladdin finding the lamp, rubbing it and out came the genie that granted him three wishes. 

And, of course, all the stories we hear now are the funny ones about three wishes  allowed the finder of the lamp.

But hardly has anyone wondered why these popular stories are all about a man or young boy finding the lamp and granted three wishes and not by a young girl or woman. By the way, the original story does not impose any limits on the number of wishes. So, let's speculate on how the story would unfold if a modern woman finds the lamp.

But first this.  This has been around for quite some time now.  This one I embellished for a bit.

A political adviser to the lady senator from Hawaii found  the lamp on a  beach in  that state one day.  As he was wiping away the sand from the lamp, blue smoke came out and a genie appeared.

Genie: Sire, thank you for freeing me from a thousand years of bondage inside the lamp.  I therefore grant you whatever you wish for.

Man: I work for the lady senator from Hawaii so I express her wish.

Genie: Go ahead, Sire.

Man: She wants a bridge from Hawaii to the mainland so she can travel in her electric car.  Oh, and add to that an electric charging station every 250 miles.

Genie:  But sire, that is impossible!  Do you know the engineering challenges involved? Construction equipment that has not been invented yet will be needed and dealing with the ocean in all kinds of weather and special metallurgy for the long span of the bridge will bring the cost to stratospheric heights. Providing the charging stations with electricity every 250 miles, who knows how many will be needed,  is definitely a pie-in-the- sky ambition.  And labor and so many other factors we need to consider.  Sire, please ask me another.

Man:  Okay, okay. The woman senator I already mentioned.  I'm married to a woman.  So, here's my wish.  I want to understand what my boss thinks and why and how she comes up with her ideas.  And likewise, I too want to understand what my wife is thinking at all times and how she generally goes about her thought processes and predict every which way she changes her mind. In other words I want to understand what a woman is thinking.

The genie after a little bit of thinking, stroking his bearded chin for a bit, replied ..

Genie: Do you want that bridge to have two or four lanes?

(My sincere apologies to all the women.  But if you must know, the  idea for the punchline was the genie's all along).

Okay,  let's have a better story not once you've heard before till now.

Genie in Suburbia

A couple had just bought an old house in the suburbs.  While the husband was away at work, the stay-at-home wife went up the attic to check for more storage space. In one corner she found a dusty sack cloth. When she opened it, there was a lamp. She was wiping it off to see the intricate design that adorned the girth of the lamp's body when smoke came out and a genie appeared.

Genie: Don't be scared my lady.  I am a genie and I am  grateful for giving me back my freedom after years of imprisonment.  I grant you three wishes.

Wife: You scared me but I'm okay now.  Three wishes, huh?

Genie: Yes, my lady.

Wife: I wish my husband will do more in taking care of household chores. I want him to take the trash out without me reminding him each time. He can load the dishwasher from time to time. Perhaps help with laundry too. Oh, on the way home I wish he'd pick up some groceries along with stuff from the cleaners. And is it too much to ask that perhaps he'll do the cooking on weekends. Yard work should not take him all day, right?

Genie: Forgive me for asking, my lady. Shouldn't you wish for more money? More money than you could ever imagine?  Just think, my lady, you can hire a maid or two, a butler to maybe  do the grocery shopping and pick up the laundry too, and hire someone to do the yard work.  With money you can hire all the help you need?

Wife: And just so my husband can watch TV before dinner and watch more TV after and live sports all night?  No! He can't be doing those. And trash had to be by the curb every Tuesday and Friday morning. And on weekends, what will he do?  No, just grant me what I wish for.

Genie: It's your call my lady.

An hour later the wife was in their upstairs bedroom. She was sitting in front of a mirror. In the middle of fixing her hair and make-up she stopped to think whether she just had a daydream in the attic.  If it was real, did she make the right choice? At that precise moment she heard sounds of the  door that connected the garage to the kitchen open and shut.

Husband:  Honey, I'm home! I got the groceries and I just stopped by the dry cleaner's.  What do you feel like for dinner?

The wife looked intently at the mirror once more, then she smiled, followed by a really wide almost mischievous grin, and yelled back ..

Wife: Surprise me!

Genie in Rural America

This nineteen year-old girl lived in a sparsely populated town somewhere in rural America.  She had just slopped the pigs, collected the eggs from the hen house and was about to prepare dinner. Her mom and dad had been trying their best  to marry her off.  There were no takers from a limited number of bachelors in the small town. She's not pretty but not ugly either.  Just a simple face and a moderate stature of 5 foot 4. Not overweight, besides she does all the work that keeps her in good shape.

She went out to the back of the house to pick some leafy greens and tomatoes. She pulled out a head of lettuce when from the hollowed out soil she caught something that glistened. She pulled the whole thing out.  It was an old lamp.  She was peeling the soil crust around the lamp when smoke came out and a genie appeared.

Genie:  Thank you, thank you, my lady.  You may wish for anything and I will grant it.

Girl: You don't scare me. I've seen men dressed more weirdly than you and uglier too.  What do you want?

Genie: You don't understand.  Tell me what you want and I will grant it.

Girl: Oh yeah? Well, I want all the young single men from the whole county to want me like bees want honey.  Or, like a pack of wolves over a freshly killed deer.

Genie:  Slow down, slow down young lady.  Wouldn't you want to be the most beautiful woman in the world - to be desired by all the men from around the globe?

The genie, from out of the blue, produced a pad and pencil and with quick strokes drew something on it.

Genie: Here, my lady.  I did a hurried sketch of what you could look like, if you let me grant it.  You can look like this with all the fine clothes and jewelry you want.

The young lady took one quick look and said ..

Girl: No.  I want all the young men to like me as I am now.

Genie: But my lady, you don't even have nice clothes and make-up.  How do you expect  men to like you?

Girl:  I want them to be lining up from the fence line to our door, wanting to want me and marry me as I look now.

Genie: But, my lady..

Girl: Any self-respecting genie will grant me what I wish for.  That or you are back inside the lamp.  And I wish it so.

Poof! The blue smoke and the genie disappeared into the lamp. 

The young lady went back inside.  Her mom was sewing.  Her dad looked away from the paper he was reading.

Dad: Were you talking to somebody in the back of the house?

Girl: Yeah, some guy stopped by the back fence.

Dad:  Really? What did he want? Will he come by the front door next time?  Maybe later in the week, perhaps?

Girl: No, I don't think so.

Mom: Why dear?

Girl: Oh, he was just blowing smoke up my you-know-what.

Mom: That's not very nice to say dear.

Girl:  It's true, mother.  

Father:  That's okay, dear.  You're still young. 

The young girl proceeded to wash the veggies and started preparing dinner.

 

In the entire history of genie lore, this was the first time that a genie was rejected by the finder.  By the way, what the young lady said about "blowing smoke up my-you-know-what" actually had a life saving origin.

Historical Context:

"The expression likely dates back to the 19th century.

It refers to a method used in medicine where smoke was blown into the rectum, supposedly to revive drowning victims or treat ailments".

Later, losing its use or effectiveness perhaps because it really didn't work, the expression simply became, "It is often used in informal contexts to indicate that someone is trying to mislead or manipulate another".

I own up to writing the second and third stories to make amends for the first story about the lady senator and I hope they have more than made up for my version of the first story where I took so much liberty at embellishing it at the expense of the  senator and all the  female readers.