All is a system, Models clarify systems, Systems are models.
It’s turtles all the way down
Bodhisattva Christo
From the Fallen One I learned Of the vanity in pride. Adam and Eve taught me that, From the Creator you cannot hide. Noah’s lesson, to be ever fearful. Abraham was the Knight most faithful. To the wandering tribes of Israel, God commanded of the covenant hold. Master Moses who late realized, With the Divine be not too bold. To David the Lord of all Spoke of his temple in the heart. Erudite Solomon’s lesson, Better wise than smart. From Mary Magdalene and the Apostles, What greater gift than the Gospels, Those teachings of the Trinity Embodied in the Messiah, Christ the Son, That through compassionate love all are one. Namo Guru Christo.
A Shade’s Song
Not coins of silver, nor gold, nor platinum, Are accepted as passage by somber Charon, Who rules the coasts of Styx and Acheron. His grisly conditioned outstretched hands Take not but copper to ferry from those pitch sands. Only those who have kissed obol with cold blue lips Can board the grisly-hull which over shadow slips, Of the psychopomp son of Erebos and Nyx, The ferryman of ghosts across the river Styx. Kin to Thantos and Hypnos, death and sleep, Guardian and guide for those who gravely weep, Carrying away those furloughed souls, Over waters only navigable by his long pole. Grey eyed and of keen gaze, The one who sees through the deathly haze, Where others having met their doom See no horizon only fog of gloom. Psyche he bears on skiff most stable, Toward that dominion of Hades so sable. Hail, shepherd of souls over waters raven Bearer of spirits to the grey safe haven.
Ohm
Arrow finds its way, While the archer finds his breath, And bow hums away.
Nāmarūpa (name and form)
Before having poured
Water in the glass,
Where was the glass of water?
Subject to dependent origination,
As were its constituent parts,
As was the one who poured.
Arising from the causes
And consequences of karma,
Its impermanence
The source of dukkha,
Stemming from attachment.
Neither existing nor not,
Before conditioned arising,
As is the one who poured.
Praxis Thinking World News on Twitter
Veitnow: Afghanistan and the U.S.
An editorial plea to our fellow American citizens to recognize a most grievous atrocity committed in our name .
A tragic comedy of errors is unfolding and the U.S. citizen is the punchline. After twenty years of war and occupation, the total cost in lives of the war in Afghanistan (as of April 2021) is 2,448 American Service Members and 3,836 U.S. contractors (as reported by the AP and using data gathered by Harvard University’s Kennedy School and from the Brown University.)
The capital costs, based on official data as reported by the BBC is an estimated $822bn (spent between 2001 and 2019). This estimate does not include expenses accrued in Pakistan, which the U.S. used as a base of operations during the Afghan-conflict.
And what did the U.S. secure after all this? “Guarantees and enforcement mechanisms that will prevent the use of the soil of Afghanistan by any group or individual against the security of the United States and its allies.” A grantee secured from an organization that the US does not even recognize. The ceasefire agreement refers to the other party simply as “the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban.”
The U.S. tax payer will be paying for this “war” for generations to come, receiving in return a guarantee from an organization we do not recognize and are told not to trust. Does this seem right to you? More glaringly, American families paid the ultimate price, the lives of loved ones they will never see again.
According to the Council of Foreign Relations “The [Taliban] has withstood counterinsurgency operations from the world’s most powerful security alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and three U.S. administrations in a war that has killed more than 6,000 U.S. troops and contractors”
After all that, it estimated that the Taliban, has between fifty-eight thousand to one-hundred thousand full-time fighters and that it is stronger now than at any point in the last twenty years. Add to that, the United Nations recently reported that the Taliban still maintains a strong alliance with al-Qaeda.
The UN further reports the Taliban still receives resources and training from al-Qaeda in exchange for protection. An estimated two hundred to five hundred al-Qaeda fighters are thought to be in Afghanistan with leaders believed to be based in regions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
As of this writing, the Taliban have retaken most of, and are on the verge of securing all of Afghanistan, with the terms of the ceasefire all but broken. The Taliban are stronger now than when NATO invaded.
One need look no further as to the comedy in this tragedy then to read reports concerning the Taliban’s capture of the Kunduz Airport this week. It is reported that upon overrunning the airport the Taliban seized billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment including MaxPro Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, ScanEagle drones and Humvees. U.S. tax dollars just went toward supplying the Taliban and possibly al-Qaeda with state of the art military equipment.
Was it all worth it?
In future essays we hope to explore that question along with several others. How did we get here? What were the true costs (sunk costs and ongoing future costs) of the war? What are the geopolitical ramifications? What will come of Afghanistan?
From Veitnow by Rage Against the Machine ”Terror's tha product ya push Well I'm a truth addict, oh shit I gotta headrush Tha sheep tremble an here come tha votes“
Praxis Thinking Supports the Principles of the Electronic Frontier Alliance
As a non-member organization we support the EFA, we believe that technology should support the intellectual freedom at the heart of a democratic society. In the digital age, that entails advancing:
Free Expression
People should be able to speak their minds to whoever will listen.
Security
Technology should be trustworthy and answer to its users.
Privacy
Technology should allow private and anonymous speech, and allow users to set their own parameters about what to share with whom.
Creativity
Technology should promote progress by allowing people to build on the ideas, creations, and inventions of others.
Access to Knowledge
Curiosity should be rewarded, not stifled.
We uphold these principles by fighting for transparency and freedom in culture, code, and law.
Where is Mahabodhi?
Mahāsiddha Tilopā: “Six Words of Advice” for abiding in non-dual continuum of clear light:
Let go of what has passed. Let go of what may come. Let go of what is happening. Do not try and figure anything out. Do not try and control anything. Relax, right now, and rest in the radiant luminescent coalescence of emptiness and appearance.