Showing posts with label Everything. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Everything. Show all posts

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Contemplating to 7 Dimension Theory of Everything


Is Life just a string of random chemical reactions and biological accidents or could there possibly be a theory of everything?

Frank Wilczek who is considered one of the world's most eminent theoretical physicists has stated, "In recent months a different, much weaker notion of what a Theory of Everything might accomplish has gained ground, largely inspired by developments in string theory. In this concept, the Theory provides a unique set of equations, but those equations that have many solutions, which are realized in different parts of the Universe. One speaks instead of a multiverse, composed of many domains (dimensions), each forming a universe in itself, each with its own distinctive laws."

Although I believe that the Universe and/ or the Mind of God is too mysterious, complex and constantly full of surprises to be boiled down to a simple formula for mankind to know, I have humbly attempted - just for fun - to take a stab at a Seven Dimensional Theory of Everything. Considering that the basic fundamental building blocks of our Universe appear to be based on 7 Dimensions and that health and wellness can be facilitated and mental and emotional healing can be enhanced by using alternative energy therapies, I propose the following Seven Dimensions theory that has helped me to better organize the information in my world and to better manage my own life.

When did it all Begin?

 

In the 17th-century, an Anglican Bishop by the name of James Ussher deduced that the first day of creation began at nightfall Sunday October 27, 4004 BC. Refinements by others further pinpointed this to 9 a.m. London time, or midnight in the Garden of Eden.  Not everyone was excited by Bishop Ussher's proclamation that the universe had a beginning however, as most believed since Aristotle's time that the universe had always existed. The motivation for believing in an eternal universe was the desire to avoid invoking divine intervention.  Conversely, those who believed that the universe had a beginning, used it as an argument for the existence of God, as the first cause, or prime mover of the universe.  If one believed that the universe had a beginning, the obvious question was -  "What happened before the beginning?" (Stephen Hawkins, 2007).

 

The Big Bang Theory

 

Identifying the exact date and time of the origin of the universe sounds quite incredible to me, but the dominant scientific theory of the origin of the universe today is the "Big Bang" theory - which specifically indicates a point in time that the universe began.   According to the Big Bang theory, the universe was created approximately 13.7 billion years ago from the random, cosmic explosion (or expansion) of a subatomic ball that hurled space, time, matter and energy in all directions. Everything - the whole universe -- came from an initial speck of infinite density (also known as a "singularity"). This speck (existing outside of space and time) appeared from nowhere, for no reason, only to explode (start expanding) all of a sudden. Over a period of approximately 10 billion years, this newly created space, time, matter and energy evolved into remarkably-designed and fully-functional stars, galaxies and planets, including our earth.

In other words, everything that we see, hear, taste, touch, and smell today was created in a single micro-second by a fraction of an atom that instantaneously exploded the four known forces of nature - gravity, electromagnetism, and strong and weak nuclear forces. These forces evolved into space, time, matter and energy. This energy evolved into complex stars that eventually exploded their chemically rich guts - including the Seven most abundant chemicals in the universe: hydrogen, helium, oxygen, carbon, neon, iron and nitrogen - enriching pristine gas clouds with the chemistry of life into the galaxy - forming planetary systems (including planet earth) from the swirling elements. 

 

To summarize then, the atoms that construct the molecules that make up our bodies - are traceable to the crucibles that were once the centers of the high mass stars. So we are all connected to each other biologically, to the earth chemically, and to the rest of the universe atomically. We are not just in the universe. We are part of the universe. We are in the universe and the universe is in us.

 

The "Big Bang" is a scientific theory, and as such stands or falls by its agreement with observations. But as a theory which addresses the origins of reality, it has always been entangled with theological and philosophical implications. In the 1920s and '30s almost every major cosmologist preferred an eternal universe, and several complained that the beginning of time implied by the Big Bang imported religious concepts into physics; this objection was later repeated by supporters of the Steady State theory. This perception was enhanced by the fact that George Lemaitre, who put forth the Big Bang theory was a Roman Catholic priest. It is not my intention to get into a theological debate on the existence of God in this article, but to initially put forth some background information that seemingly supports a 7- Dimension theory of everything.

 

Background/ Historical Information 

 

The following series of sevens may just be some coincidental information, but I find them to be very interesting and supportive of a 7 Dimensional theory of everything. Note: The items in each column relate to each other multi-dimensionally, but do not necessarily relate to each of the items in the rows.

 

A. Evolution: The Big Bang Theory appears to have seven distinct and interrelated phases, set by Science in the following order:

1. Cosmic Evolution. The development of space, time, matter and energy from nothing.

2. Stellar Evolution. The development of complex stars from the chaotic first elements.

3. Chemical Evolution. The development of all chemical elements from the original two (hydrogen & helium).

4. Planetary Evolution. The development of planetary systems from swirling elements.

5. Organic Evolution. The development of organic life from inorganic matter.

6. Macro-Evolution. The development of one kind of life from a totally different kind of life.

7. Micro-Evolution. The development of variations within the same kind of life.

B. Physics: The scientific inherent physical laws of the universe indicate that there are seven fundamental forces of nature, seven electromagnetic energies, and seven colors in the visible light spectrum - that when randomly mixed make up all colors, and when equally contained make up the white sun light.

Forces of Nature: 1. Applied Force, 2. Gravitational Force, 3. Normal Force, 4. Frictional Force, 5. Air Resistance Force, 6. Tension Force, 7. Spring Force

Electromagnetic Energies: 1. Gamma rays, 2. X-rays, 3. Ultraviolet (UV) rays, 4. Visible light rays, 5. Infrared radiation, 6. Micro-waves, 7. Radio waves.

Visible Light Spectrum: 1. Red, 2. Orange, 3. Yellow, 4. Green, 5. Blue, 6. Indigo, 7. Violet

C. International Measurement Units: The International System of Units (SI) defines Seven SI base units

for a set of physical quantities of measure, or dimensions, that are used to measure 7 basic physical

properties and that define all other SI units, known as SI derived units. The set of Seven SI basic units

consists of: 1. Metre - Length, 2. Kilogram - Mass, 3. Second - Time, 4. Ampere - Electrical Current,5. Kelvin - Temperature, 6. Mole - Quantity of Substance, 7. Candela - Luminous Intensity.

D. Electromagnetic Energies: Everything in the universe (including our bodies) are made of atoms that emit electromagnetic energy in the form of auras (colors) and that have string-like substances in them that are vibrating and emitting sound waves. Their are Seven auric bodies that surround our bodies, seven basic notes in music and seven musical vibrations that make up all music:

Auric Bodies: 1. Etheric, 2. Emotional, 3. Mental, 4. Astral, 5. Etheric Template, 6. Celestial, 7. Causal

Western Music Notes: 1. c, 2. d, 3. e, 4. f, 5. g, 6. a, 7. b

Vibrations: 1. Do, 2. Re, 3. Mi, 4. Fa, 5. Sol, 6. La, 7. Ti

 

E. Ancient Astronomy/ Astrology: Prior to the invention of the telescope, humans could see seven heavenly bodies (planets) with the naked eye that are traditionally called the Seven Classical Planets. They were named after the seven days of creation documented in the Judeo-Christian Bible which are our present seven day weekly schedule. The Zodiac signs are also aligned with the planets. There are Seven daughters of Atlas in the Pleiades, also called the "Seven Sister Stars."

 

Classical Planets: 1. Sun, 2. Moon, 3. Mars, 4. Mercury, 5. Jupiter, 6. Venus, 7. Saturn

Week-days: 1. Sunday, 2. Monday, 3. Tuesday, 4. Wednesday, 5. Thursday, 6. Friday, 7. Saturday

Creation Days: 1st Day - Light, 2nd Day - Sky & Water, 3rd Day - Land & Seas, 4th Day - Sun, Moon & Stars, 5th Day - Fish & Birds, 6th Day - Animals, Man & Woman, 7th Day - God Rested

Zodiac Signs: 1. Gemini/ Cancer, 2. Taurus/ Leo 3. Aries/ Virgo, 4. Pisces/ Libra, 5. Aquarius/ Scorpio, 6. Saggitarius, 7. Capricorn

  

F. Geology: Ancient peoples not only studied the earth, but they also studied their Solar System and they ascribed seven corresponding metals and gem stones to each of the seven naked-eye planets.  It's also interesting to note that our planet has seven continents, seven oceans and seven seas:

Elements: 1. Earth, 2. Water, 3. Fire, 4. Air, 5. Sound, 6. Light, 7. Thought

Metals: 1. Gold, 2. Silver, 3. Iron, 4. Mercury, 5. Tin, 6. Copper, 7. Lead

Gem Stones: 1. Ruby, 2. Pearl, 3. Yellow Topaz, 4. Emerald, 5. Sapphire, 6. Diamond, 7. Amethyst

Continents: 1. Asia, 2. Africa, 3. North America, 4. South America, 5. Antartica, 6. Europe, 7. Australia

Oceans: 1. North Pacific, 2. South Pacific, 3. North Atlantic, 4. South Atlantic, 5. Indian, 6. Southern, 7. Arctic

Seas: 1. Persian, 2. Black, 3. Caspian, 4. Red, 5. Mediterranean, 6. Adriatic, 7. Arabian

G. Sacred Geometry: Some advanced ancient civilizations taught that sacred geometry held the blueprint of creation or the genesis of all form. They believed that it explained the energy patterns that create and unify all things and that on every scale, every natural pattern of growth or movement conformed to one or more geometric shapes. For example, the Seven tangent circles of the "Flower of Life" pattern creates a hexagon shape that represents one of natures most stable forms seen in convection cells of water, the bees honey comb, and even on planet Saturn's north pole. Others believe that sacred geometric wisdom was responsible for the advanced technology of the ancient civilizations that designed the pyramids in Egypt, China, Machu Picchu, Nubia, Bosnia, and Mesoamerica. Some believe that this advanced technology was passed down from a super-human race of aliens/ angels (gods & goddesses) that intermarried with the beautiful women of the earth to produce off-spring that were giant-like gods (prior to the Great Food of Noah's time). These half-human, half-god-like creatures were worshipped as gods (for example: Greek mythical Gods), and that this practice evolved into the polytheistic religions such as Hinduism.

H. Ancient Religions: The Romans, Greeks, and Hindus named their Gods and Goddesses after the Seven Classical Planets and our present week days.

Roman Gods: 1. Sol, 2. Luna, 3. Mars, 4. Mercurius, 5. Jupiter, 6. Venus, 7. Saturnus

Greek Gods: 1. Helios, 2. Selene, 3. Ares, 4. Hermes, 5. Zeus, 6. Aphrodite, 7. Chronos

Hindu Gods: 1. Surya, 2. Chandra, 3. Mangal, 4. Budha, 5. Guru, 6. Sukra, 7. Shani

I. Ancient Knowledge: Paracelsus (born Phillp von Hohenheim, in Switzerland in1493) - was the Father of Alchemy (the universal science of the time that developed what were to be the disciplines of biology, medicine, chemistry, physics and astronomy as well as psychology and philosophy).  He believed that the universe's macrocosm was represented in every person as a microcosm. According to the insights at the time, there were Seven planets in the sky, and Seven Chakras in Man that were closely interrelated with the natural and social sciences. In the 5th Century AD, Martianus Capella academically defined the seven Liberal Arts as: grammar, dialectic, rhetoric, geometry, arithmetic, astronomy, and music.

Natural Sciences: 1. Astronomy, 2. Physics, 3. Chemistry, 4. Biology, 5. Geology, 6. Ecology, 7. Meteorology

Social Sciences: 1. Anthropology, 2. History, 3. Education, 4. Sociology, 5. Economics, 6. Psychology, 7. Linguistics

Liberal Arts: 1. Grammar, 2. Rhetoric, 3. Logic, 4. Geometry, 5. Arithmetic, 6. Music, 7. Astrology

Chakras: 1. Root, 2. Sexual, 3. Solar Plexus, 4. Heart, 5. Throat, 6. Forehead, 7. Crown

J. Eastern Spirituality: The word Chakra is Sanskirt (Hindu scriptures) for wheel and signifies one of seven basic energy centers in the human body that correspond to nerve ganglia branching out from the spinal column, as well as states of consciousness, developmental stages of life, archetypal elements, body functions, colors, and much, much more. They were first written down between 1200 - 900 BC, but had been passed down orally for approximately 1000 years prior to that. During the last 2000 years countless alchemists' in India, China, Egypt, Europe, and those involved in eastern philosophies have used this holistic knowledge as a template for transformation. There are Seven worlds in the universe, seven seas in the world and seven gurus in Hindu mythology.

Energies: 1. Physical, 2. Sexual, 3. Ego, 4. Social, 5. Creative, 6. Mental, 7. Spiritual

Consciousness: 1. Self-preservation, 2. Self-gratification, 3. Self-definition, 4. Self-acceptance, 5. Self-expression, 6. Self-reflection, 7. Self-knowledge

 

K. Western Spirituality: Alchemists believed that life energy is closely related to the 'light of the seven planets.' They proclaimed that everything on earth emerges from the rays or energies of these planets. Like a prisma, the planets divide the divine 'light of creation' into seven qualities related to the seven chakras to promote inner maturity, the development of consciousness, and spiritual healing. The most famous alchemical illustration of chakras and their planetary influences was conceived by Johann Georg Gichtel (1638 0 1710). In his illustration Gichtel arranged the seven classical planets on the human body and assigned each of them to one of the seven vices or deadly sins, such as pride, stinginess and jealousy (below) to compare them with the Seven Virtues for spiritual transformation.

Sins: 1. Lust, 2. Gluttony, 3. Laziness, 4. Envy, 5. Greed, 6. Anger, 7. Pride

Virtues: 1. Purity, 2. Temperance, 3. Diligence, 4. Kindness, 5. Charity, 6. Patience, 7. Humility

 

L. World Religions: According to David Barrett et al, editors of the "World Christian Encyclopedia: A

comparative survey of churches and religions - AD 30 to 2200," there are 19 major world religions. In the year 2000, eight of these major religions had approximately 80% of the world's population adhering to their beliefs. Agnostics and atheists account for approximately 19% of the world's population and the rest of the world's religions including Judaism make up the last 1%.

Most of the worlds' religions do not fit neatly into little boxes, however, if we count the atheist and agnostic groups - they can be theoretically divided into Seven categories:

1. Atheist/ Agnostic groups

2. Non-theistic Religions - The belief or faith not in God or Gods, but in supreme enlightenment: (Example: Buddhism)

3. Pantheistic Religions - The belief that God and nature are one: (Example: Taoism, Animism, etc.)

4. Monotheistic Religions - The doctrine or belief that there is only one God:

(Example: Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc.)

5. Dualistic Religions - The belief that there are only two opposing Gods or two interacting forces: (Example: Zoroastrianism/ Taoism Yin/ Yang etc.)

6. Polytheistic Religions - The worship of or belief in many Gods or Goddesses: (Example: Hinduism, Shintoism, etc.)

Polyreligiousity - Having beliefs in multiple religion simultaneously (Example: Chinese Folk Religion/ New Asian Religions that combine Confucianism/ Buddhism/ Shintoism)

M. Monotheistic Religions: It's interesting to note that approximately 81% of the people on this earth

believe in a God or many Gods (minus the 19% that are agnostics and atheists), and that 66% believe in one God.

For thousands of years, the Holy Scriptures in the Judaic and Christian Bible and in the Islamic Koran have taught that there is One God. The Bible teaches that Melchizedek is the mysterious Eternal and Royal High Priest and King of Peace of all monotheistic religions - of which all subsequent religions evolved. All are called to be part of the Holy Nation and Royal Priesthood. The Apostle Paul devoted a whole chapter in the Bible to comparing Jesus to Melchizedek - repeating that Jesus was a High Priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Some believe that Melchizedek was the appearance on earth of the pre-incarnate Christ in a temporary bodily form.

The book of Isaiah 11:2 specifically identifies the Seven Spirits of God: "The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." This verse proclaims the seven spirits of God...(1) Spirit of the LORD, (2) Spirit of wisdom, (3) Spirit of understanding, (4) Spirit of counsel, (5) Spirit of power, (6) Spirit of knowledge, (7) Spirit of the fear of the Lord. The Bible teaches that their are Seven basic Gifts and Seven fruits of the Holy Spirit.  In the book of Romans we are called to be faithful to the gift given us.  Not everybody has the same gift, but God distributes the gifts among the body, that we may all have a part in building up the body.  In Romans 12:6-8, Paul lists the seven basic gifts.

In Islamic tradition, there are Seven Heavens, Seven fires in Hell, and Seven doors to hell. Below, I have listed the Seven Spirits of God, the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the Seven Fruits of the Holy Spirit with the Seven levels of Heaven according to the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Holy Scriptures.

In the Judaism tradition, Seven is a highly spiritual number representing Godliness, and there are Seven days of passover, Seven days of purification, and the Seven branched candelabrum or Menorah.

N. Intelligences/ Vocational Interests: It's also interesting to see a connection between Howard Gardner's Seven Intelligences, the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and John Holland's vocational interest theory that teaches that most people are one of six personality types: realistic, enterprising, artistic, social, conventional, and investigative.

 

Intelligences: 1. Kinesthetic (Body-Smart), 2. Intra-personal (Self-Smart), 3. Visual/ Spatial (Picture-Smart), 4. Interpersonal (People-Smart), 5. Logical/ Math (Logic-Smart), 6. Verbal/ Linguistic (Word-Smart), 7. Musical (Music-Smart)

Vocational Types: 1. Realistic, 2. Enterprising, 3. Artistic, 4. Social, 5. Conventional, 6. Investigative, 7. (Ministry - Not identified by John Holland).

O. Technology: There are Seven tools of Quality, Seven logic gates, Seven layers in the Open System Interconnection Reference Model's (OSI) computer network design, Seven individual segments in the seven-segment electronic device display, and Seven classes of plastics.

Quality Tools: 1. Fishbone diagram, 2. Pareto chart, 3. Check sheet, 4. Control chart, 5. Flow chart, 6. Histogram, 7. Scatter diagram

Logic Gates: 1. NOT, 2. AND, 3. OR, 4. NAND, 5. XOR, 6. NOR, 7. XNOR

OSI Layers: 1. Physical, 2. Data link, 3. Network, 4. Transport, 5. Session, 6. Presentation, 7. Application

Electronic Segments: 1. A, 2. B, 3. C, 4. D, 5. E, 6. F, 7. G

Plastics: 1. PET, 2. PE-HD, 3. PVC, 4. PE-LD, 5. PP, 6. PS, 7. O

 

P. Philosophy: Based on the types of questions that it asked, Philosophy can be divided into Seven different groups. Below is a list of these groups with some related questions. Any possible list of answers to these and other questions within these categories can be called a 'philosophy'. 

1. Ontology - What is reality?

2. Philosophy of mind/ religion - What is a mind / consciousness? Is there a God?

3. Epistemology - What is knowledge?

4. Ethics - What is right and wrong / What is good and bad?

5. Aesthetics - What is beauty?

6. Logic - What is truth?

7. Anxiology - What has value?

 

Q. Psychology: Many psychological approaches have been developed in an attempt to explain human behavior related to specific life-functioning dimensions, each emphasizing one aspect of personality or another.

Psychological Theories: 1. Behavioral, 2. Psychodynamic, 3. Social Learning, 4. Psycho-social, 5. Behavioral Economics, 6. Cognitive-behavioral, 7. Moral

Major Psychological Theorists: 1. B.F. Skinner, 2. Sigmund Freud, 3. Albert Bandura, 4. Eric Erikson, 5. Daniel Kahneman, 6. Aaron, Beck, 7. Lawrence Kohlberg

Psychological Needs: 1. Safety, 2. Enjoyment, 3. Power, 4. Love, 5. Expression, 6. Self-actualization, 7. Wholeness

 

R. Medicine:Modern science has established that the human bodies' systems (e.g., nervous, endocrine, immune, etc.), must all contribute to a homeostatic system.  The bodies systems work together to maintain a balanced environment or equilibrium. When we are are feeling sick, our life energy cannot flow in and out freely and the physical body may suffer from stress.  An unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, substance abuse, isolation from family and friends and disconnection from our higher power may all contribute to decreasing our energy levels and further contributing to our unhealthy conditions. A multi-dimensional system can be correlated with Seven levels of health, Seven Abnormalities, Seven Glands and the bodies organ systems.

Health: 1. Physical, 2. Self-regulation, 3. Occupational, 4. Social, 5. Financial, 6. Mental, 7. Spiritual

Abnormalities: 1. Physical Suffering, 2. Irrationality/ Unpredictability, 3. Maladaptiveness, 4. Socially disconnected, 5. Societal Violations, 6. Emotional deviancy, 7. Spiritually disconnected

Glands: 1. Adrenal, 2. Gonads, 3. Pancreas, 4. Thymus, 5. Thyroid, 6. Pituitary, 7. Pineal

Organ Systems: 1. Skeletal/ Skin, 2. Reproductive, 3. Gastrointestinal, 4. Cardiovascular, 5. Respiratory, 6. Nervous/ Endocrine, 7. Immune/ Lymph

Senses: 1. Smell, 2. Taste, 3. Vision, 4. Touch, 5. Hearing, 6. Individual Consciousness, 7. Universal Consciousness

 

S. The Nobel Prize-winning biologist David Baltimore devised the Baltimore classification system comprised of Seven groups of viruses: 1. dsDNA viruses (e.g. Adenoviruses, Herpesviruses, Poxviruses), 2. ssDNA viruses (e.g. (+)sense DNA (e.g. Parvoviruses), 3. dsRNA viruses (e.g. Reoviruses), 4. (+)ssRNA viruses (+)sense RNA (e.g. Picornaviruses, Togaviruses), 5. (-)ssRNA viruses (-)sense RNA (e.g. Orthmyxoviruses, Rhabdoviruses), 6. ssRNA-RT viruses (+)sense RNA with DNA intermediate in life-cycle (e.g. Retroviruses), 7. dsDNA-RT viruses (e.g. Hepadnaviruses)

T. Biology: Biologists teach us that there are Seven life processes for all living things. The 7 life processes are: 1. Movement (Moving), 2. Reproduction, 3. Sensitivity (Touching and Tasting), 4. Nutrition (Food), 5. Excretion (Going to the toilet), 6. Respiration (sweating), 7. Growth (Growing).

U. Chemistry: The periodic table of the chemical elements is a tabular method of displaying the chemical elements. There are Seven periods, or horizontal rows of elements, in the periodic table.

V. Genetics: This may be trivial, but it was not the lethal - 5 or 6 micro RNA gene family discovery that

launched the RNA revolution that changed the face of modern biology, but the let - 7 gene family. It is now known that RNA control the chemistry of life, regulate cellular and genetic processes throughout the human body, and are critical factors in the determination of health, disease and longevity.

 

W. Public Health Model: There are Seven Dimensions to the Public Health Model: 1. Universal, 2. Selective, 3. Indicated, 4. Case Identification, 5. Standard Treatment for Known Disorders, 6. Compliance with Long-term Treatment (Goal: Reduction in Relapse and Recurrence), 7. Aftercare (including Rehabilitation)

X. 7 - Dimension Model: In 2005, the "Addictions Recovery Measurement System (ARMS)," was published - describing the following seven life-functioning therapeutic activity dimensions for progress outcome measurements.  Each of the seven dimensions is interrelated with the public health models' focus on the individual within the psychosocial environment. The above series of sevens are also interrelated with the following Seven Energies, Abraham Maslow's famous Hierarchical Pyramid of Needs, and our Seven senses (and you were taught that we only had five). We need to consider that some individuals are more in touch with their extra-sensory perceptions.

Life-functioning Dimensions: 1. Medical/ Physical, 2. Self-regulation/ Impulse-control, 3. Educational/ Occupational, 4. Social/ Cultural, 5. Financial/ Legal, 6. Mental/ Emotional, 7. Spiritual/ Religious

 

Y. 7 - Dimension Intervention: This 7 - Dimensional health and wellness outcome measure was further

developed into an assessment and treatment process for stress management incorporating the following three screening instruments:

Guidelines for implementing a 7 Dimension Intervention

1. Start the interview with the "Open question" technique to elicit as much detailed information as possible from the client, prior to administering any questionnaires or checklists (Utilize reflective listening skills, etc.).

2. Administer the ACE questions and calculate the ACE score.

3. Administer the 7D - PSI and calculate scores.

4. Administer the 7D - TAS and calculate scores and plot all scores on the Wheel of Life to visualize the diathesis levels, current psycho-social stressor levels, and the current efforts to decrease stress and build resiliency.

5. Administer the "Stages of Change" question: On a scale of 1 to 10 - with 10 representing the highest motivation for change that you have at this time, how motivated are you?

Pre-contemplation Stage = 1 - 3

Contemplation Stage = 4 - 5

Preparation Stage = 6 - 7

Action Stage = 8 - 9

Maintenance Stage = 10

6. Provide a "Motivational Interviewing" session with your client discussing the "Stages of Change." The brevity of this article does not allow for an overview of this session (Tomlin, K. & Richardson, H., 2004)

7. Develop a holistic multidimensional health and wellness plan and a comprehensive individualized treatment plan if necessary along with a case management and treatment monitoring system.

 

Z. Alternative Medicine/ Energy Therapies: Considering that our bodies have over 70 trillion cells with electrical properties, much like that of a battery, and that they totally regenerate approximately every Seven years, we must be proactive in developing and sustaining a proactive individual health and wellness plan. It's also interesting to note that different cultures/ countries have different names for the same energy or Life Force.

LifeForces: 1. Africa (Ashe), 2. Hawaiian (Mana), 3. India (Prana, 4. Greece (Pneuma, 5. China (Chi), 6. Japan (Ki), 7. Christianity (Holy Spirit)

In view of the above, the following 7 - Dimension Energy Therapies and therapeutic activities are recommended to maintain the Seven energy levels.

Energy Therapies: 1. Chiropractor/ Osteopath/ Herbal Medicine, 2. Therapeutic Massage/ Reflexology, 3. Art Therapies, 4. Dance Therapies, 5. Music/ Singing Therapies, 6. Acupuncture/ Electric Medicine (Alpha-Stim), 7. Light Therapies/ Meditation/ Prayer

Summary

It's interesting to note that from the farthest reaches of the cosmos to the atomic structure of a single cell within the body, the same dimensions of form and mathematics apply. The secret to life is in these forms and numbers. So by studying anything in life, we can learn the basis of all life everywhere. Modern scientists are reaffirming the ancient wisdom observed in their world and taught in their myths: that a consistent multidimensional design underpins every level of the universe, from atoms to the galaxies.

 

7 Dimension Theory of Everything: Considering that the basic fundamental building blocks of our Universe are based on 7 Dimensions and that health and wellness can be facilitated and mental and emotional healing can be enhanced by using alternative energy therapies, I propose the following to better organize the information in my world and to better manage my own life:

 

1. Everything has a beginning and an end that transforms everything into a new beginning.

2. Everything from the microcosm to the macrocosm is made of 7 dimensions of energy.

3. Everything is connected to everything multi-dimensionally.

4. Everything is communicating positive and negative messages with everything multi-dimensionally.

5. Everything is maintained by a holistic, dynamically balanced system with a multidimensional semi-stable equilibrium force field of driving and restraining forces.

6. Everything disrupts everything when the system is disrupted by an unbalanced system.

Everything is in the process of restoring balance to everything.

I also believe in synergy or the combined effects produced by two or more parts, elements or individuals that is a ubiquitous phenomenon in nature and human societies alike.

The 7 - Dimensional Law of Synergism

Whenever two or more dimensions are focused on simultaneously for a significant period of time and

infinitesimally small, but positive incremental changes are made there is a positive synergistic effect

(depending on the intensity of dark and/ or light energy manifested), that spiritually elevates and connects an individual's multiple life functioning dimensions by reducing chaos and increasing resilience to bring an individual harmony, wellness, and productivity.

One last note:  I previously mentioned that it was not my intention to get into a theological debate on the existence of God in this article, but to initially put forth some background information that seemingly supports a 7- Dimension theory of everything. In light of the above, one must consider the possibility that the origin of the Universe could just be a random case of "Lucky Sevens." If this is the case, then it would take more faith to believe in a God-less Big Bang - then it would to believe in divine intelligence.




References: For more info see: http://www.7dimensions.net

James Slobodzien, Psy.D., CSAC, is a Hawaii licensed psychologist and certified substance abuse counselor who earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He is credentialed by the National Registry of Health Service Providers in Psychology. He has over 25-years of mental health experience primarily working in the fields of alcohol/ substance abuse and behavioral addictions in hospital, prison, and court settings. He is an adjunct professor of Psychology and also maintains a private practice as a mental health consultant.




Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Religion Poisons Everything? Or Everything Poisons Religion?


During the debate "does mean God exist?" Frank Turek vs. Christopher Hitchens, Hitchens made much ated about how "religion poisons everything". It is the subtitle of one of his books, in fact. Turek countered in his closing statement by remarking, "religion poisons not everything... everything poisons it the religion."

At the time, I thought "woaaaa, good!" It was a rhetorical punch to it.

However, thinking about it, I can see that the value of the instruction is limited.

Of course the statement by Hitchens goes too far, and notion of religion Turek is poisoned from abroad brings some balance. However, some religions are actually poisonous themselves. Some religions really teaches hatred and violence. I am thinking mainly Islam here. There is no doubt that some followers of Islam are peaceful people, but the Qur'an really inciting violence and backwardness. A study of the Koran or a cursory look at a culture where reigns Islam will tell you.

I know that some verses in the Qur'an prescribed peace, however, these verses tend to come from the moment when Muhammad lacked political and military power. The surahs "revealed" when Muhammad was to tell a very different story, however.

There are other examples. One need not stretch to see the venom of a religion which prescribes sacrificing children to Molech, for example.

Some religions ** are ** poisoned from the outside. Take Christianity, for example. Jesus is sublime. Its so seguidores-no (not that I'm biased...: I think I have good reason to be partial, however!)

But others are poisoning themselves, and fans that are peaceful and moral are such, not because of their religion, but in spite of this.

In addition, similar to "cure" cancer with a medication that obscures the pain, all religions but one only cure the symptoms of the human problem, not the disease. Only Christianity, with Jesus the real doctor, cure our illness of sin. Therefore, all others are impostors and therefore aren't intrinsically good.




Rich Bordner authors "Pugnacious Irish", a blog about the intersection of spirituality, ethics and politics in the public square of ideas. He has a b.a. in English and philosophy from the State University of Ohio (van Bucks!) and is in the process of winning a M.A in philosophy of Biola University. Remove the blog in http://pugnaciousirishman.wordpress.com




Sunday, June 3, 2012

On the issue of Turkey-EU membership - Yes, No and everything between


Intro

To ask the question of whether Turkey should or should not join the European Union is to completely misunderstand the context in which current negotiations are taking place. In other words, when France adamantly and vociferously maintains that if and when Turkey will be "ready" to join the EU, it will leave it up to its electorate to decide by means of a referendum, it completely misses the point. The primary objective of this paper is to briefly outline the contextual backdrop onto which accession talks have been, and continue to be made, by critically engaging with a cross-section of the current academic literature on this subject. Furthermore, the last section will offer a more pragmatic analysis of the possible directions in which Turkey-EU negotiations could be potentially taken. This will hopefully provide a coherent response to the reality that Turkey's political, cultural and economical future, will not by any means, be less successful or promising, without full EU membership.

Background

There is nothing "organic" about the way in which the modern Turkish republic came into existence. While it may be true that European modernity was the product of a centuries long industrialization process, a process influenced and fueled by revolutionary advancements in technological competence, the Turkish case is distinctly different. With the Ottoman Empire having suffered continued defeat "at the hands of the major European powers," modernity came to be seen as the best possible defensive strategy, offering renewed military competence and in short, provide the solution to a lack-of-competitiveness problem. Initially, modernity was not a ubiquitous and omnipresent fact of life, but limited to the military.

It is not difficult to conceptualize why the Ottoman Empire opted for modernity as a way of staying competitive among the other European powers and empires, of the 18th and 19th centuries. A modern army, however, also requires modern institutions to "train military officers and to offer medical services to military men." Schools were added for the purpose of training these officers. In addition, "capable administrators who could, among other functions, develop reliable systems for drafting soldiers and collecting taxes," soon followed, for the following reason. The Ottoman war-machine required a systematic approach to the administration of public and natural resources, as well as the human capital required to make it all possible. One caveat however, does exist. While new and modern institutions that dealt with realizing the primary objective of increasing the overall effectiveness of the military were being erected, traditional institutions, such as the medreses (schools charged with transmitting Islamic theology and religious law) were still in operation and often stood in contradiction with their modern counterparts.

It is at this point in the history of the Ottoman Empire, that a distinction can be made between a modern interpretation and a more traditional understanding of state governance. Modernity in pre-republican Turkey benefited a select few and alienated many, unemployment being the major pathology of modernity in 19th century. Because of this exclusionary effect, the modern Ottoman Empire came to antagonize those individuals who entertained more traditional approaches. Those who had been brought up and schooled under modern institutions "became aware of the backwardness" of their society. With the end of the First World War and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, modernization reforms became possible. Justified by the inefficacy of the old regime, the Republic People's Party (RPP), led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, institutionalized modernity in 1923, by establishing the Turkish republic.

Secular Kemalism has been a predominant feature of Turkish politics, a point of constant contention that often found Turkey under great political turmoil, instability and uncertainty. Between 1923 and 1946, Turkey operated under a single party system. The RPP was "the original tutelary single party that was associated with the founding of the republic and the westernizing reforms of Ataturk." RPP reforms were particularly intrusive, repressive and designed by the Kemalist state elites to "keep society under control and realize change through state action." As already mentioned, these state elites, having been brought up and trained under modern institutions and schools, felt justified in being the ones to guide a backward society. The only way this was possible in their view, was to adopt a doctrine of "security maximization," using as many top-down authoritarian measures as deemed necessary.

Turkey held elections in 1946 and in 1950, "power changed hands peacefully." Celal Bayar, a private banker, became Turkey's president. This is often referred to as the inflection point in Turkish politics, as with the end of one-party rule "came a distinction between the state elites of military leaders and bureaucrats and the political elites represented by elected officers." As it was the case in the past, the tension between those state elites who subscribed to secularism and nationalism as a way of reinforcing Turkey's interest to remain internationally competitive, and the political elites who were more sensitive to electoral impulses, reemerged from a period of dormancy. However, more important was Turkey's shift from the previous paradigm of "security maximization," to one of "prosperity maximization." Democracy, for the newly elected political elites in power, was seen as the only legitimate way of catering to the "wishes of the people."

However, the prospect of democratic consolidation was cut short in 1960 when the military intervened by means of a coup d'etat. In 1980, the military intervened once again, this time imposing the dissolution of all political parties. To fill in the newly created void, the military tried to impose a two-party system that although was favoured by military commanders, failed to materialize. The 1971 forced change in government by the military, acts as a further example of the instability of Turkish politics in the past.

Ilter Turan argues that there needs to be a reassessment of the extent to which politics in Turkey has really been a stable undertaking. While the current Turkish President, Ahmet Necdet Sezer is himself a state elite and staunch advocate of "strict secularism and absolute national sovereignty," the Turkish Prime Minister is less divorced from electoral politics. Recep Tayyip Erdogan is Turkey's PM and while his party, the Justice and Development Party (or AKP) are comfortable in power, with a majority of seats in parliament under their control, it is doubtful whether the up and coming presidential elections, in May of 2007, will see Erdogan succeed Sezer.

Turkey-EU Relations Background

Turkey signed an Association Agreement with the EU in 1963. In 1987 Turkey applied for EU membership but was rejected in 1987 due to a lack of economic development, a political and civil rights deficit, and a chronic unemployment rate that was considered to destabilize EU markets. In 1995, a Customs Agreement was negotiated and signed, followed by the EU Commission's decision in 1997, at the Luxembourg summit, to not grant candidate status to Turkey. However, new membership talks started once again in 1999. While Turkey was invited in 1999 by the European Council in Helsinki to join the CEEC (Central and Eastern European Countries) candidates, the European Commission refused to "set up a timetable for starting accession talks." Once again, the lack of political and economic reform was cited as having been the impetus driving the decision to refrain from taking the revolutionary step of accepting Turkey into the European club.

While Turkey reopened negations with the EU, after significant political, civil and legal reforms had been implemented, the EU had once again made its position clear: that "Turkey would have to be in full formal compliance with the Copenhagen criteria," as adopted at the EU summit in Denmark in 1993, if it is to be considered. The primary features of this Copenhagen criteria ask that Turkey "(i) be a stable democracy, respecting human rights, the rule of law and the protection of minorities, have (ii) a functioning market economy and the capacity to cope with the competitive pressures and market forces within the Union and (iii) adopt the common rules, standards and policies that make up the body of EU law," (also known as the acquis communitaire). As it currently stands, Turkey will have to wait until 2014 (at the earliest), before being given the green light to accede.

Secularism Unpacked

It could be argued that multiculturalism is no longer an example of successful policy in some European countries. While violence has nonetheless been a prominent feature of events in France, Germany and the Netherlands, violence alone says little about the underlying tensions causing it. What may perhaps help bridge the gap between cause and effect is a discussion of the role of religion in the public affairs of the state. Reality in Europe dictates that "ambiguity and ambivalence embedded in the connection between religion and secular European modernity," is actually indicative of the "far from settled" interconnections between "religion, secularism and multiculturalism."

Fuat Keyman asks us to revisit Turkey's secular past and be conscious of the challenge Islam "and its powerful symbolic and cultural role," has constantly posed to Turkish Kemalist secularism. Keyman is a proponent of Turkish-EU integration. However, this is not what matters. His analysis of secularism leads him to observe that while authoritarian secularism in Turkey was successfully institutionalized so as to maintain an objective "social-structural process," this was only half the battle. An assumption that secularism is an inherent corollary of modernity, and that private individuals will proportionally adopt rational interpretations of their surroundings, the more acute modernity becomes, failed. In fact, the opposite of this has happened. Islam in Turkey, never having fully been discarded by private citizens, acted as the paradigm in which uncertainty was made more certain. Although Turkish history is dominated by laicist repression of religious manifestations, both in public and private life, it also speaks of the "inability to respond to the various Islamic identity claims to recognition and cultural-group rights."

The tension between Turkish state elites, committed to maintaining secularism, and political elites, more sensitive to the identity claims and cultural-group rights of their respective electorate, has recently become more apparent. The European Union's hesitant response to Turkish-EU accession negotiations however, has actually more to do with Europe than Turkey. This irony is made clear by Elizabeth Hurd when she argues that the latest strand of Turkish secularism, neither traditional laicism (or Kemalism, a version of laicism), nor "Judeo-Christian" secularism, "threatens not only the Kemalist establishment in Turkey but European secularists as well." Furthermore, the implications of this phenomenon are such that "Turkey's potential accession to the EU has propelled the controversial question of what it means to be both 'secular' and 'European' into the public spotlight." In other words, questions of the role of religion in politics, previously perceived to have been historically resolved, have reappeared. However, as Hurd approximates Keyman when she says that the reasons why such questions have been awoken from a prolonged period of subdued dormancy, have everything to do with the fact that approaches to religion and to religious minorities, are not "set in stone but must be constantly renegotiated."

Hurd outlines the paradigms in which both European secularists and European exclusivists (read: Judeo-Christian secularists) operate. The ethnocentric biases are beyond obvious. For Judeo-Christians, "secularist separation of religion from politics," is a unique "Western achievement that is superior to its non-Western rivals." Furthermore, the inability of "others," non Judeo-Christians to transcend these fixed definitional presuppositions, disables Islamic societies to fully realize true secularism. Inclusive European laicists or secularists are equally biased and ethnocentric. This line of argument maintains that Turkey only differs "from Europe solely in terms of acquired characteristics." Turkish accession to the EU will only be made possible when these "shortcomings," will be "overcome through the importation of Western-style democracy and the secularization of politics and society."

When the introduction mentioned that France would completely miss the point, if it would leave the question of whether Turkey should or should not join the EU, to its electorate, it was not by any means an attack on democratic principle of majoritarian politics. It was actually a criticism of the lack-of democratic sensitivities in France, to those cultural and religious minorities within their own borders. The shift currently taking place in Turkey, while framed as an erosion of secularism by some, is actually becoming more sensitive to actual electoral and political realities. This is not to say that Turkey is a textbook example of how a perfect democracy should be. To make such an argument would be a mistake. However, and as Hurd herself leaves open to interpretation, secularism is a social construct that can be broken down, contested and reconstructed. Perhaps Hurd's most crucial contribution comes at the end of her article, when she makes it explicit that, notwithstanding her main argument that Europe would have to revisit its own understanding of secularism (before Turkish integration into the EU will be successful),

If Europe cannot be articulated in terms of complex space and complex time that allow for multiple ways of life (and not merely multiple identities) to flourish, it may be fated to be no more than the common market of an imperial civilization, always anxious about (Muslim) exiles within its gates and (Muslim) barbarians beyond.

John Redmond makes it explicit that if Turkey is to join, it must do so as a full member. Anything less than full membership is worrisome for the following reasons. First, Turkey would not have access to the EU single market, thereby making the economic benefits of integration political (and for security purposes) only. Second, there would be a lack of structural funds flowing from the European Union to Turkey. Third, the most important reason of all, Turkey would have "no seat at the EU decision-making table." It is important to ask the question of why Turkey would even be considered as a second-class member. The main argument for this however is unfortunately one designed with populist politics in mind and not something premised on a more cogent line of reasoning.

To quote Redmond, Turkey is still "seen as an outsider to the European mainstream, condemned to irresolvable difference from its western neighbours on historical, religious and cultural grounds." The general European public finds Turkey to be "too big, too poor, too far away and too Islamic." In other words, Turkey does not fit into the social construct that goes by the name of "Europeanness." Redmond himself points out that this is but "a ludicrous concept," a distraction from factual reality that speaks of the purpose of EU integration as still being "predominantly economic." However, Turkish economics and the success of organizations such as MUSIAD (Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association) have proved that Islam is compatible with market-based economies and the democratic tendencies that follow as by-products of such markets.

Economics

Mousseau presents his argument in a rather straightforward way. Corruption and little respect for law are both cushioned between "collective, traditional and social associations for income" and "state-led, feudal or command economies." Contracts bind individuals and create "cooperation, compromise and tolerance of different interests." Individuals have an interest in maintaining the rule of law so as to protect these agreements or contracts between them. When disagreements surface, the state intervenes and acts as a dispute resolution mechanism. Limiting the role of the state in this sense would therefore require a thin understanding of a liberal democracy.

However, a duality exists between maintaining state neutrality both in politics and economic endeavors on one hand, and the establishing of electorally sensitive political parties. The rise of the Turkish private sector during the 1980s and 1990s, has replaced "Turkey's clientalist politics with the market and rule of law." If one is to entertain Mousseau's argument, that market economies and the opportunities attached to them, will eventually and naturally lead Turkey to adopt Western-style civil-rights and democracy, then the reality that culturally and traditionally loaded Islamic capitalism can succeed and has succeeded, fails to be recognized as an alternative mean to a similar end.

Analysis

Part I

There are a few scenarios that could unfold. The first is that Turkey will not end up joining the European Union. However, this would offer more costs than benefits for a few reasons. One such reason is that the current public antagonism towards Turkey and Islam will only become more acrimonious. The dehumanization and disconnection between the EU (read: the West) and Turkey (read: the East) cannot possibly have any positive consequences. Turkey is not Europe's or the West's enemy. Islam is not incompatible with democracy and it certainly isn't incompatible with market-based liberal economies.

The duality that is found in the EU's acquis communitaire is indicative of the double standards of such institution. While the EU's Copenhagen criteria may push turkey towards maintaining the current secularist status-quo, this is simply unacceptable if Turkey is also to develop an electorally sensitive democracy. Religion, and more importantly, Islam, has and will continue to dominate both private and increasingly as of late, public life. As it has been pointed out before, secularism is a construct that is constantly being reinterpreted to keep in-sync with the dynamic complexities of change. In other words, the ethnocentric features of EU's integration process is borderline imperialistic, failing to address local and regional uniqueness and even more worryingly, as is the case in Turkey, inadvertently preventing democracy fundamentals from taking root. It is precisely because of this, that Turkey's future cannot be said to be less certain or more bleak as a result of not having been made a full member of the European Union.

However, if Turkey is to join the European Union, this will need to be more than just a mechanical and technical process. Europe, as was the point of some of the authors discussed, must engage in redefining for themselves the role of religion in society and the extent to which secularism is but a superficial and ignorant misunderstanding of the more bona fide realities of pragmatic politics. Sure Turkey will have access to structural funds, the promising EU single-market and a seat at the decision-making table. This unfortunately does not suffice. Market-oriented economics and the contracts that provides the glue that holds it all together simply cannot function if the European courts put in charge of arbitrating contract disputes, cloak their bias towards EU parties in rhetoric that dehumanizes Islam by maintaining the "us" (read: the West, the good) versus "them" (read: the East, the bad, the enemies) paradigm.

Part II

Seeing Islam as a problem in need of a solution is also particularly problematic. The questions of whether the European Union is engaged in an economic integration exercise, or in a political and ideological one, is arguable. There is a sense that Islam belongs to a crude, unjust and barbaric past, incompatible with a more modern understanding of secular democracy and rationally founded and sound public policy. However, the sophisticated present, with all its modern bells and whistles, has not yet been fully successful at creating electorally sensitive political parties, nor has it yet been entirely successful at completely eschewing religion from the subjective life of private individuals. This is true for both Europe and Turkey.

Although not entirely part of the scope of this paper, racial and cultural discrimination and distinctions are arguably corollaries of a wider accepted gamut of scientifically derived, and culturally based, evaluations of what is and isn't rational. In addition to this, public awareness and public scrutiny of social and cultural constructs may not be sufficient to safeguard from the potential pathologies of the imperialist nature of Western rationality. A further dimension is required, one that asks the electorate in both Turkey and Europe to critically engage, debate and discuss the possible effects of a Turkey-EU integration, or the lack thereof.

Conclusion

Turkey's democracy is moving towards becoming more electorally responsive and, contrary to the more ominous suspicions of some of its critics, not relapsing into a tyrannical display of Islamic authoritarianism. A wider recognition of human rights as they apply both to minorities as well as dominant cultural and religious groups, will naturally follow as a result of this. However, the key catalyst providing the impetus for the aforementioned, as argued by Mousseau, is the introduction of a liberal market economy and the possibility for economic opportunities that, albeit loaded with Islamic traditional values of community and reciprocal trust, produce beneficial results and allows for the further development and subsequent consolidation Turkey's democracy.

Future relations between the West and East, the European Union and Turkey, will depend on both European reevaluations of the role of religion and secularist constructs, as well as on future Turkish advancements towards a more open society, sensitive to unique regional cultural minorities and majorities. However, if the EU persists on applying its conditions for membership through a top-down approach, as if to say that only Western modernity and rationality is democratic, Turkey will simply end up with having swapped the Kemalist state elites, one hegemon, for another, the EU technocrats. This dilemma forms a paradox that is missing from current debates on Turkish-EU affairs; one that needs to be further studied, discussed and appreciated.




I was born with a disorder: talking too much. When I was two, my superiors bought me a keyboard. I began to shut up. After a while I was told that silence is an awful way to exit a building. So I didn't look back, make a fuss or trip over any partially-charged electrical chord. I started writing. Now I inconvenience people, angry academics and stick dynamite in people's blackberries. I'm known, I'm loved and I would like to think that my writing is at least read, if not heard.