A Universal Consciousness – Interesting Conversation with My Son

[M.D. Holloway]

I was fishing after dinner with our Son. We spotted a couple schools of catfish hatchlings – our so they looked like catfish hatchlings. As we watched, I told him to notice how they all swim in the same direction and turn almost as if they were one. How do you suppose they do it so easily?

He said: “Maybe they talked to each other in a langue we couldn’t hear.”

I said: “Could be or maybe they share the same consciousness. Do you know what consciousness is?”

He shook his head yes…paused… then smiled and said no.

“Don’t worry lil buddy, I’m not really sure what it is either but best I can tell is that it is the ability to understand your place. You know that you are actually living and are experiencing things and that all actions have consequences.”

“So ya mean fish and birds and turtles and stuff don’t have comshushness?”

“Well, they may to a small extent but we really can’t tell like we can with people.”

“Cuz we don’t know what they think right Dad?”

“Ya, I would say that is fair to say. But look at that school of fish, it’s like they are all using just one brain.”

“Maybe that’s why they call it a school cuz all the fish all learn to be like all the others and become all the same and they are in a school to learn the same stuff.”

I like fishing with my Kids.

And now this has me thinking, is consciousness a universal? Do we actually share it with all things? Is it some sort of energy path oscillating at a particular frequency that is picked up by a place in our brain or maybe it resonates parts of our DNA? Does it help alter and change us? To assist in the success and continuation of life? Is it God?

The stuff that is passed on to offspring is not always taught by the parent. Somehow they know it through instincts. How is that? Could it be that a living conscious is analogous to the internet? An endless stream of information? Some people never get “on-line” while others have a “high-speed connection”?

[Mulhollanddose]

I would attempt an answer, however, I am too busy enjoying the experience you and your son had together. What a beautiful thing. You are blessed, Lube, and evidently you are a blessing to your family...Seems like a smart boy, must get it from his mom.

[Mulhollanddose]

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

i like the idea of hereditary re-incarnation. You get all the encoded material at conception. Not too difficult to imagine.

The dolphins are smarter than us, though. they dont let on.

[RoninLB]

specific information is ingested and processed. All info is not ingested but filtered first. Memory plays a large part in the volume of info digested and its results. The time period of this consciousness obviously varies among various species.

People think.

I guess you can reduce it all to the flow of electro magnetic particles flowing around the universe, including ourselves, in one way or another.

[artplumber]

Astral projection.

Mike, were there any special brownies for that dinner?

[M.D. Holloway]

No brownies but with the grill on from some T-bones for dinner, I did make them smores!

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
...must get it from his mom.

I did like you...

[M.D. Holloway]

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by RoninLB
specific information is ingested and processed. All info is not ingested but filtered first. Memory plays a large part in the volume of info digested and its results. The time period of this consciousness obviously varies among various species.

People think.

I guess you can reduce it all to the flow of electro magnetic particles flowing around the universe, including ourselves, in one way or another.

But something else is at play here. The human brain is pretty complicated for sure but the level of learning is...mind boggling! In just a few years a human develops knowledge and skills that if charted out according to a stimulus vs response curve vs application incentive...well it just grows at an exponential rate! It is almost seemingly impossible to have such a sequence without some sort of priori.

Baby chicks can tell the difference between the shadow of a hawk vs that of a crow even with the chick never having experienced a hawk prior. It guess Jungian architypes could fall into this as well. Something is going on here and it seems to be able to evolve as the environment evolves.

If this "thing" is God, then it will always be elusive. It would be like trying to catch a bullet as it is shot from the gun.

[scottmandue]

I study philosophy and theology as a hobby be it the Greek philosophers who didn't necessarily believe in a god (except for the polytheists), Buddhists who also don't have a god, and Christians who took the God of the Hebrews. All of these belief system developed by very different peoples at different times in very different places all came to the same conclusion.

Treat others as you would like to be treated.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by scottmandue
I study philosophy and theology as a hobby be it the Greek philosophers who didn't necessarily believe in a god (except for the polytheists), Buddhists who also don't have a god, and Christians who took the God of the Hebrews. All of these belief system developed by very different peoples at different times in very different places all came to the same conclusion.

Treat others as you would like to be treated.

In terms of Buddhists, I was under the impression that the mere mention of God or even using the word God lessened God and showed a lack of respect for God, sorta cheapens it. I might be wrong then again it may also be a zen buddhist thing which is a bit different than buddhist. It has been awhile (15 years) sense I last sat.

[Superman]

Originally posted by scottmandue
I study philosophy and theology as a hobby be it the Greek philosophers who didn't necessarily believe in a god (except for the polytheists), Buddhists who also don't have a god, and Christians who took the God of the Hebrews. All of these belief system developed by very different peoples at different times in very different places all came to the same conclusion.

Treat others as you would like to be treated.

CS Lewis' thoughts on this subject have resonated in my mind now for many years. He discusses the origin of the sense of right and wrong that seem to be shared worldwide, as well as spanning cultures and millenia.

[scottmandue]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
In terms of Buddhists, I was under the impression that the mere mention of God or even using the word God lessened God and showed a lack of respect for God, sorta cheapens it. I might be wrong then again it may also be a zen Buddhist thing which is a bit different than Buddhist. It has been awhile (15 years) sense I last sat.

Actually the Jews had a very similar custom,

and what's up with all these pyramids popping up all over the world around the same time? Although the more I think about the pyramid thing it doesn't strike me as a very original or unique architectural design.

I do sometimes have dinner with lady from work who does exhibit evaluation and she reads a lot on what draws people to museums, historical sites, etc. It seems like a simple concept but when you start to analyze why humans are interested in such things or what generates such interest it can become quite a mind bender. She is also a full blown Astro-physicist so I spend most of the time nodding my head mumbling... uh-huh, yes, mmmm, ahh, etc.

[Oh Haha]

Jeez, all I did was let my boy ride the tractor while we mowed the lawn tonight. (Of course, he can't exactly carry on a conversation yet.)



Your son is lucky to have a Daddy like you, Mike. I'm sure he'll remember these days for years to come.

[scottmandue]

I'm going home now and have a deep philosophical conversation with my cat.

To which she will reply...

feed me...

Very Zen like huh?

[Brian Cameron]

My eight year old's grade three teacher recently gave the class an assignment to write about their weekend. Here's what my kid came up with:

"My weekends
It is not that I mind being chained in the basement. It is just that when the meat is thrown the rats have the advantage in size numbers and weight. Savagely beat I scrub the steps I then clean the sports cars with my toothbrush. Then I go in for a breakfast of thin under nourishing gruel and sour milk that’s 2 months past its due date. Then scrub the garage clean. I then clean my captors bed by hand sheets and all. "

My wife was mortified, I couldn't stop laughing.

Don't worry, I would NEVER let him use a toothbrush on the Porsches.

[Oh Haha]

[Don't worry, I would NEVER let him use a toothbrush on the Porsches. [/B][/QUOTE]


Whew. You had us worried about this. That would just scratch the crap out of the paint.





that was funny. What did the teacher think?

[GDSOB]

Originally posted by scottmandue


Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Amen brother.

[scottmandue]

Speaking of this whole consciousness thing ever contemplate on the driving experience. Whereas some people can float around town in their SUV totally disconnected from the road I think that as enthusiast we have a much different experience. I for one can feel ever crack and pebble in the road. I can sense how in each corner of the car the suspension loads and unloads as I go around a turn. At the same time I work the clutch and throttle to keep the engine in the sweet spot. I can accelerate, decelerate, and corner the car all at the edge of loosing grip.
And do all that without thinking about it.

Long, long time ago my friend had a Fiat... he told me it was a POS... so I asked him if I could take it for a drive and see what was wrong with it.
We got in and I scared the piss out of him, as we got out of the car he said to me "I didn't know it could go that fast".