I'll be going back to China for the Beijing Olympics and I'd like to take this last opportunity to exercise my constitutional right to the freedom of speech before a communication brown-out. As some of you who travel to China know, some websites, specially non-Chinese news, is blocked. Ironically, it gives you a very welcome respite from a type of “Opium of the People,” as the communists would say. Even many Americans would agree that they are sick and tired of watching American news propaganda, sick movies, worthless sitcoms, and they are intoxicated and drugged by tons of junk mail, annoying music, solicitations, flyers, billboards and the like. It even patches up your wallet from cable fees, magazine subscriptions, indirect franchise-fees, theater tickets and other payments to the “drug lords.”

“Drugs” can delude you. Indeed, to be in Beijing's Forbidden City during the Olympics can feel a bit crazy. I guess that's what the Olympics is all about—ironically competing and cooperating simultaneously. I wonder if the Ming emperors ever wondered if foreign “barbarians” from all over the planet, friend and foe alike, would ever gather here together as “One World,” even for only a few days.

The notorious walls that barred foreigners and foes are seemingly vanishing. Even President Bush will be in my ancestral home to save the world from himself. The last time I felt his personal presence was when he visited Metro Manila years ago. I'll also be dropping by Shanghai to observe the “jet venting hole” through the World Financial Center, currently the tallest building in the world (spires aside), in the race for King Dong. Hopefully, Murphy's Law will also decide to take a break. Then, I'll be flying to Xiamen, to visit my paternal grandparents who recently moved there to escape the harsh winters of Beijing, where they used to live. It will be a fine respite for me too, before going back to Hong Kong and Macau.

This gives me an opportunity to think about the past and the old stories that my maternal grandmother used to tell me. She used to say that we were related to the Last Emperor “Henry” Pu Yi, but, filial piety aside, I think she may be deluded, or at the very least, mistaken. I think she conceived this error by thinking that Pu Yi is the emperor's surname. My Manchurian maternal great grandfather “Edward” Yii was a Beijing diplomat under the early republican government who was assigned to head a Southeast Asian consulate. He served the Chinese consulate during World War II and was imprisoned by the Japanese during the occupation years. Sadly, he died in Fort Santiago, but after the Japanese surrendered and withdrew, he was honored with a 21-gun salute. The communists, however, eventually took over China after WW II, and the nationalist republican government had to flee to Taiwan. Grandma couldn't go back to China.

I think grandma did not realize that when the people called the Last Emperor, Pu Yi, they were calling him by his first name instead of his regal name to mock him. For the Chinese, calling a high ranking individual by their first name is disrespectful. Grandma must have thought PuYi was his last name, not his given name. But here I am, going back to Beijing where my ancestors came from, fortunately not related to royalty, and still enjoying a commoner's life.

Delusions are a sad thing, since it can be harmful. Maybe, that's even an understatement. I watched Christian Bale as Batman again a few weeks ago, and I remembered how some Hong Kong residents reacted last year while Chris Nolan was shooting some scenes there, specially where Batman jumps from the top of the pointy 2-IFC and crashes into it with views of the buildings near Victoria Harbour. Nolan wrote to the residents of those buildings, urging them to keep their rooms illuminated the whole night to accommodate the late night shooting scenes for a more spectacular view of Hong Kong. Most residents, though, were indifferent and did not comply with Nolan's special request. Some "green" Chinese environmentalists even condemned Nolan for wasting energy and destroying the planet.

Maybe some Chinese remembered the 1960s Batman who sported tights like Superman, wearing bikini briefs over, instead of under, his pants. Maybe they thought, “When men like to wear tight fitting clothes and emphasize their underwear, doesn't that make them gay? Isn't that something that gay men do when they run along the streets of San Francisco or Sydney during their parades? Don't gay men love to wear tight leather pants and body-fit leather jackets in downtown Toronto? Don't they love to wear gay masks during the Venetian Carnivale? And isn't there something that they're hiding that we need to know? Look up in the sky! Is that a bird, a queen, or Superman?”


Sure enough, when I actually watched the Dark Knight during its opening day on July 17 in the Philippines, my hunches were confirmed.

“...Parang Bading...(like a fag),” said a woman next to me while Bale dressed up in front of Michael Caine.

Maybe that's why Ang Lee did so well in Brokeback Mountain with Heath Ledger portraying a closet queen, but did so poorly with the Incredible Hulk. It seems to confirm my theory about the four primal elements. The free preview of my third book, Sync My World, shows an oversimplified brain illustration labeling the “Far left” (White), “Center Left” (Yellow), “Center Right” (Brown), and “Far Right” (Black), which corresponds to the "races" and their characteristics. The Left is “rational,” and the Right is “emotional.” Of course, it seems so politically incorrect. Hence, I did not include everything in Sync My World's introduction. But at this point, with the death of Ledger, who played the Joker, through an “accidental” psychiatric drug overdose, after the production of the Dark Knight, although hesitant as I am, I think it would be inappropriate not to include it, since Ledger's sacrifice would be in vain if it were omitted.

Since the “Far Left” and “Right” are extremists, they are pendulum swingers. They tend to have characteristics on the opposite side every now and then. In other words, Whites are “gay,” Yellows are “male,” Browns are “female” and Blacks are “lesbians.” Of course, there is an infinite amount of combinations, and these are approximate descriptions of characteristics displayed by the "races."

After all, how could a straight Taiwanese man, like Ang Lee, know anything about gay white Americans? Or how to act it properly? You simply exaggerate a European American's manners relative to everyone else's. An outside observer would notice this more like a fish out of water. While in water, fish never know what water is because they are not mindful of it. How many Americans are aware that when they admire Superman, they are subliminally admiring a man in gay attire, like admiring a participant in a gay-pride parade?

Relative to everyone else, Whites (Fire) are fashionable. They like to wear tight-fitting clothes. They greet each other by grasping each other's hands, pumping their arms or hugging and kissing each other's cheeks, even if they are both male. Whites are vivid in art, whether visual or performing, and their art is more colorful. They are more sociable and they converse relatively in a loud and gay manner. They possess sculptures of naked men, even idolizing one that hangs from a cross. They are good in flattery and spin. When they make movies, it is full of variety, with special attention to gender-neutral (children's) markets, revolving around fantastic "gay" themes, spread through subliminal marketing tricks, like bacteria, viruses and contagious diseases, feared by the Yellows, who build "Great Red Firewalls" against it, just like protecting a forest (Wood) from wildfire.

Yellows (Air or Wood), next in line, are "male." They greet each other by bowing or through the hand-over-fist bow or with the curled-prayer salute. They dress sloppily, favoring loose clothes like pajamas. They are relatively comfortable discussing disgusting matters and are relatively dull or unsettling in art, unless they are “mixed” like the Japanese. Their color palettes don't match up properly. They are blunt and are awkward socially. They are not good conversationalists, but are rational. They never get tired of creating Kung Fu movies, and love to see fighters endlessly killing each other. Their food is sometimes presented with the head, tail, claws, tentacles and other undesirable parts intact. They may be uncomfortable with Whites, just as men are uncomfortable with gays.

On the other hand, Browns (Water & Space Ether or Metal) are "female." They greet each other with the straight-finger prayer salute, palm-on-forehead bow, nose-pressing or other intimate displays of affection. They have great difficulty carrying their emotional baggage and cannot live without their relationships. They like to talk and gossip and are relatively more comfortable being with the Whites and Yellows since females are comfortable being with gays or men but not necessarily lesbians. Although they usually prefer "gay" or "pseudo-gay" characteristics, specially for "good times" and "dating," they may eventually commit to "males" for practical reasons. They are relatively better caregivers. They create movies about relationships. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, but their parents are disagreeable, or there may be some type of love triangle, or they must overcome some type of persecution. Of course, on occasion, there must be a dance number in the end!

Lastly, Blacks (Earth) are "lesbians." Some of them greet each other by kneeling (female) or prostrating (male); others bow slightly, slide palms or shake hands. They like native things. They seem to have female characteristics since they are smooth, nimble and relatively talkative. However, they're athletic. They are usually not in the limelight, but they may be political. They are also better known for their verbal skills. Hence, their movies are limited. Yellows may not be threatened by them, just as males are not alarmed by lesbians, unless the lesbians are in competition with them. But Browns may dislike them. And Whites may only join them if necessary, specially if they have to rally for their democratic rights.

As you can see, the harmony and conflict relationships illustrated in the introduction to Sync My World, using the five-pointed star or Pentacle of Kung Fu Tzu (Confucius), can similarly show the relationships between the four Colors. The relationship star or stars is traditionally used in national iconography or corporate trademarks. The color relationships, for example, are visible in white (“gay”) America, through President Bush. He had a relationship with Saudi Arabia's (“pseudo-gay”) Bin Laden family which turned sour. Bitter about that relationship, (“gay”) Bush tries to score on a difficult “gay-to-straight” relationship with China's Hu Jintao. But he eventually may become disappointed as usual and settle for a more traditional and elegant “gay-to-gay marriage” with Europe. (Fire melts Metal, feeds on Wood, thrives in an inferno, but is extinguished by Water and Earth.)

Conflicts also arise as a result of delusionary views toward preferences. For instance, Western business processes usually involve what I call gayification(TM). You can buy a rotten male-lived house for a low price. Then fix it up, paint it with harmonious colors and decorate it. Buyers will be attracted to it and you can raise the price and strike a profit! You gayified(TM) the house. You can do the same thing with a car, a business process or even the entire business itself. Now, just because this works for business and entertainment, some people think that the whole world should be gayified. Governments, cultures, you name it. And if they don't, tough sanctions would be enforced on their straight necks! After all, isn't the earth called Gaea?

But what these people forget is the way nature works. Not everyone likes peach, fushia pink and baby blue. Some like indigo. Some people like lime, tangerine and cyan. Some like it all black. Others, earthy beige, forest green and chestnut brown. What is “better” is a matter of preference. Although usually, the most common preference is considered “best.” Consequently, people fight endlessly and engage in “great” Alexander-like forms of “sodomy,” thinking that the “best” should overcome the “worst,” not realizing that the spectrum of “best” and “worst” are relative and will never disappear. They waste their energy.

These are, of course, generalizations and cannot be used precisely. There are always exceptions. (The final scenes of the Dark Knight suggest a superficial recognition of a “gay,” Two-Faced American democratic system. It would imply that although a single-minded Chinese-style authoritarian system is imperfect, the Chinese system is relatively more beneficial. The relationships of the four "races" and the four genders also suggest that the “gay” two-faced nature of Whites and Brown males (Space Ether or Metal, "feminine males" or "pseudo-gays" ) is prone to harmful behavior, or even acts of terrorism at worst. But due to a multitude of other factors, including the Uncertainty Principle, it is not always true. Brain bio-chemical processes function at the quantum level, resulting in variations. Browns have sometimes resorted to a maternal society, as opposed to the paternal society of Yellows, to promote "single-mindedness" because Brown males are inconsistent. They invented the "3 Rs," but they have also resorted to various forms of "cannibalism." Ironically, "Cannibalism" and terrorism result from taking the self-image or the relational world too seriously. Abrupt changes are devastating. Remember, the "pseudo-gay" invented the idea of "sacred sacraments," including Holy Communion and Marriage, through Iranian Mithraism and the like, later copied by the "gays" through the Catholic Church. Don't forget too that the brain chemicals of love can be equivalent to the hallucinogen LSD. Schizophrenic symptoms such as the Cloud-9 and "Angels and Demons" effect can be simulated by falling in love. Partnerships between the "male" Yellows and "female" Browns to produce stability have been sought after, but without the "gays" and "lesbians" in the picture, it cannot succeed, just as Wood rots when soaked. It needs some sunshine and soil to survive. Creating harmonious chemistry with a beneficial relationship diagram, however, is difficult at best and impossible at worst. It is not as simple as drawing the Olympic Rings, although to achieve it is the Middle Way. Not a vain uncertain pursuit like multi-dimensional string theory or CERN's super collider. Nor a permanent fusion like "gays" and "lesbians." But a separable practical partnership as "male" and "female," with their family, friends and acquaintances. It's common sense.)

These characteristics are indeed dark. Heath Ledger's Joker portrayal in the Dark Knight shows the extreme side of “gays,” specially if they are “closet queens.” Some people may think that his case is entirely environmentally caused, as he explains with his dagger. But there is a more “sinister” biological, astrophysical cause.

Art is related to deception, and deception to banditry and militancy. Art is all about fooling the senses. Something ugly can be portrayed in a beautiful manner such as the way Hollywood produces “true” stories. The opposite is true, such as the way Senator Obama was wickedly caricatured by the New Yorker. Consequently, groups such as the Taliban or philosophers like Plato, oppose art. This is also why the Chinese communists used to oppose advertising, which is the forte of gays, because the people could be robbed by businessmen. This is also why they block some non-Chinese media broadcasts to China. One man's news is another man's propaganda.

Seeing a Coke commercial may also make you feel good or viewing a Pepsi ad may make you thirst for it. Presentation is the key, or rather, the “trick.” A “magnificent sculpture” such as a Trojan horse could sack your city. A lovely lass may elude security personnel. The media could picture a “third world” country to look worse than a “first world” country, even if in reality, considering all things, it may be equal or even better occasionally. Hence, the Buddha, mindful of the drug pushers and addicts of India, advised “Right View” as a key step to personal freedom, since our perception can deceive us.

Many times, you suffer because of delusionary views. you may think that something is better than another, but it is basically identical. You may think, for instance, that you are extremely superior to a fruit fly, not realizing that flies share almost 60% of human genes. And a chimp's genes? It's at least 94% identical to yours!

You may also believe sometimes that you are being intelligent, rational and reasonable. But intelligence is related to autism, and even to the symptoms of Down's Syndrome. Yellows sometimes achieve wonders historically, then suddenly shut themselves up and act irrationally.

In addition, Browns may become slaves to their relationships. They may never know how to live for themselves. And Blacks may feel they are persecuted all the time.

Everything in the universe is yin and yang with its varying degrees. You are not hurt by what you see, feel, hear, smell, or taste, but how you perceive and think about it. And if you free your mind from delusion, you can sleep better. Honestly, it's easier said than done, but it's better than being a doctor's dope!

This is Heath Ledger's note to you. Remember him every time you visit Ronald McDonald's restaurant, the global American icon. Remember how enigmatic and sick it is. Today it entertains and satisfies your cravings. Tomorrow, it kills you. Remember Ledger's deadly sacrifice to deliver this message. And remember, America doesn't need your pity. Nor your compassion. Just your benevolent understanding. May he rest in peace.

Posted on Friday 01 of August, 2008 [10:43:14 UTC]

The 25th of December is fast approaching and once again it is time to remember the true spirit of Christmas--Enlightenment. Two thousand years ago, in Ancient Rome, before Christmas evolved to its current name and form, the birthday of Sol Invictus (the Invincible Sun) on December 25 celebrated the symbolic ascension of veritas (truth) over the horizon, signifying illumination or enlightenment.

And what better way to be enlightened once again than to visit your local planetarium this season for the annual Star of Bethlehem show. This year, I visited a planetarium in the Philippines where the triple conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BCE (in the constellation Pisces) still reigns as the winning theory for the Christmas Star, described in Matthew's canonized account of the life of Yoshua the Nazarene. It was the "Wandering Star" (as planets were called in those days) that guided magi from the East to the child, prophesied by the Iranian schizophrenic guru Zoroaster to be the Messiah, who will usher in the mystical Age of Pisces, lasting for two-thousand years, part of the astronomical phenomenon called the Precession of the Equinoxes.

As Zoroaster said centuries before the Christ was born, "You, my children, shall be the first honored by the manifestation of that divine person who is to appear in the world. A star shall go before you to conduct you to the place of his nativity, and when you shall find him, present to him your oblations and sacrifices, for he is indeed your Lord and an everlasting king."

Predating the Western Bible, this ancient Iranian (Persian) sacred text guided a group of wise men (magi), who some believe to be three (Western tradition) and others believe to be 12 (Eastern)--organized into four subdivisions of trinities, much like the astrological zodiac signs today, originating from Ancient Iraq (Babylon), which are divided into Earth, Fire, Air and Water signs.

Early Church tradition claims that the magi traveled from Iraq, Pakistan-India and Iran--somewhat like George Bush's "Axis of Evil." And magi is a term used for ancient Iranian astronomer-astrologer priests who practice Zoroastrianism. (Today, most magi no longer live in Islamic Iran, but flourish in the vicinity of Mumbai, India).

It is more likely though that they were 12, as Eastern tradition believes, since multiple sightings of sets of three magi, were witnessed in the past. For instance, Helena, mother of Roman emperor Constantine, is said to have captured the bone relics of one set of magi, which is now housed in Earthly Cologne, Germany. Another set of three magi was witnessed by the Venetian businessman-explorer Marco Polo near Tehran, Iran. He claims in his book that he saw their tombs in Fiery Savah. Moreover, Thomas the Apostle is also said to have Water baptized three magi on his way to India. (The last set seems to have vanished into thin Air like magic.) With numerous magi sightings, the likelihood of four groups of trinities is more believable than the Western tradition with only 1 set of three magi.

Today, these magi can be compared to Tibetan lamas searching for a new child Dalai Lama, or in George Lucas' Star Wars, Jedi searching for the boy prophesied to bring balance to the Force.

The set of bone relics housed in Cologne has skull sutures that indicate the age of the alleged magi. One is young, the other middle-aged and the last is old. Tradition also says that they come from the three "races." One is fair-complexioned, the second is brown and the third is dark-skinned.

This trinity clearly implies the Asian belief of the harmony of "good," "bad" and "neutral." In psychology, it is the Superego, the Id and the Ego, or in politics, the Left, Right and Center. Of course, the practice of the Middle Way attempts to balance all three to produce peace, harmony and health.

And the astronomical events that occurred in 7 BCE seem perfect for this trinity philosophy. In 1603, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, who restated the planetary laws of motion, calculated a triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BCE. And he theorized that it may have been a nova, together with this conjunction, that was the Star of Bethlehem. But no records of a nova occurred during that time. Chinese and Korean astronomers observed a nova in 4 and 5 BCE, but not in 7 BCE. Asian astronomy was far superior to Western astronomy at that time, and its reliability can be counted on, much like a Toyota.

However, the onset of the conjunction of the two planets, which occurred three times in 7 BCE (May, September-October and December) actually started as a heliacal rising in March, 7 BCE. And for astrologers, this is significant since a heliacal rising, where Jupiter and Saturn rises almost simultaneously with the Sun, indicates BIRTH. The predicted birth of Christ would occur on this date, consequently. (Even in museums today, Ancient Iraqi clay tablets dating to that era point to the significance of planetary heliacal risings.)

Yoshua then would be a Pisces, just like me. (My birthday is on March 7, the same day when Emperor Constantine declared in 321 CE, that the "venerable day of the Sun" or Sunday would be the official rest day of Europe and the Empire.) And thus, Yoshua fits into the schizophrenic window of birth with the schizophrenic sign of Pisces (like Albert Einstein).

Pisces is indeed a dualistic sign that fits Yoshua the Nazarene. In fact, the non-canonized Infancy Gospels describe him as a naughty child who kills other children, such as in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas. Even the Qur'an (5:110) describes his childish behavior. And the canonized gospels describe him as a decapitating sadist adult (Matthew 5:29-30), who teaches his secret fraternity pacified ritualistic cannibalism, which Christians call "Holy Communion" (Mat 26:26-28), similar to the religious cannibalism practiced in Ancient Europe (Druidic Celts) and "Indo-Egyptian" Central America, whose leaders eat the "gods" because "their bodies (are) full of magic" (Pyramid Text Utterance 273-274). Unlike his counterparts--Buddha, Confucius and Lao Tzu, who lived to old age--Yoshua died prematurely because of his arrogance, fear and paranoia, much like the disabled Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars. If he did escape death, as the Muslims and non-canonized works suggest, he still would have lived a dark, underground life similar to a vengeful Darth Vader.

Apparently, the symbolic magi gifts--Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh--did not have much effect on him since he was not able to master the Middle Way and heal himself. Gold (Id) is the Body. Frankincense (Ego) is incense used by Zoroastrians to worship Mazda (Wisdom) and the Eye of Mazda (the Sun or enlightenment). It is the Mind. Myrrh (Superego), embalming oil for the dead, is the Spirit. And the union of Body, Mind and Spirit, or the Left, Center and Right, through the Middle Way, was implied in the magi gifts. But apparently, Yoshua did not exactly get it.

The Sun, the symbol for Wisdom, Light and Truth, is also symbolized as the "All-Seeing Eye." In Ancient Egypt, it is the Eye of Ra (the Sun). In Ancient Iran, it is the Eye of Mazda watching over the duality of Truth and Lie. In other parts of Asia, even until today, it is the Eye of Buddha (Enlightenment) or the Eye of the World and is a Buddhist symbol used together with the triratna or triple gem (which appears like the Thai Airways logo). The Eye of Buddha appears at the top of some Buddhist temples in South Asia, even today.

Interestingly, I saw a new Buddhist temple, with the All-Seeing Eye, in the mostly Roman-Catholic Philippines, a few years ago. It's unsightly, of course, and is more common in South Asia. (I prefer East Asian Zen architecture, located in an urban greenbelt, which appears simple, rather than elaborate "psychedelic" South Asian art which seems to be a product of too much dopamine. That's why I don't blame Peter Jackson for associating the All-Seeing Eye with Sauron, Lord of the "One Ring to Rule them All." Indeed, Vader, Sauron and Yoshua are related.)

But somehow, the Eye made it to the Great Seal of the United States. It was first suggested in 1776 as an element for the original Great Seal. Among the three members of the original design committee was Ben Franklin, a confirmed Freemason, who is undoubtedly familiar with the "Eye of Providence" philosophy. In 1782, the Eye was eventually adopted into the Great Seal, and in 1935, the 32-degree Scottish-Rite Mason, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, approved an inverted version of the Great Seal for the U.S. One Dollar bill.

So the next time that you look at a ONE dollar bill, always remember to think about the triratna or trinity. The three are One, as it says. A united mind, family, city, country and world is ideally All for One and One for All.

It is not easy to do though. Although Filipino "Freemasons"--the founding fathers of the Philippines, just like the United States and other countries--designed the "Golden Eye" or the "Illuminati Triangle" on the Philippine flag to heal the nation from European and American enslavement, it has not, expectedly, worked perfectly well. (Diorama 31 in the Philippines' Ayala museum shows the national hero being initiated into "Freemasonry" with the All-Seeing Eye in the background. The museum is owned by the freedom-loving Zobels--a Hispanic Filipino-German business dynasty with links to the Freemasons and to a German pharmacist, Dr. Johannes Andreas Zobel, who fled a revolutionary Europe for the Philippines after the Enlightenment era, possibly in response to what the revolutionists did to enlightened chemists such as Lavoisier, the "Father of Modern Chemistry" who named Oxygen and Hydrogen, and was later beheaded. Even so, the Diorama Experience clearly shows that the craft of Enlightened "Hobbits" is not as scary as one funny book portrays it to be. Westerners, who have been inspired by Asian philosophy, such as Hitler and Bush, have given it a pretty "bad" name. But I can't wait to see Tom Hanks "Gump" portrayed in the coming movie version. Columbia Tri-Star will most likely meet many challenges along the way and will need to pull out some magic from its sleeves. Its worldwide premiere in 2009 will coincide with the International Year of Astronomy, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of Galileo's rediscovery and improvement of the telescope, first used as ball lenses around 400 BCE in China and India.)

However, on the lighter side, Filipino world billiards champion Efren "Bata" Reyes surprised the world for the past several years by defeating the top 8-ball and 9-ball world champs and claimed record-breaking prize money for his wins. The Americans call him "The Magician" (a word derived from magi) because of his incredible skill in precisely calculating instinctively, Newtonian physical laws, alongside Euclidean geometry and trigonometry, while precisely adjusting his nervous system to implement his thoughts with a carefully handled stick.

Malay Filipinos are indeed amazing. They can adjust and be happy in various environments. They can sleep on a bed of roses, a bed of garbage, or a plain-vanilla bed, in relative comfort.

An American would probably kill someone (in thought if not in action) if that happened to him. In fact, the world often thinks (if not explicitly then subliminally) of the United States as Christian Bale's American Psycho, obsessed with great wealth--the "American Dream." He parties hard when he has it, then starts killing people when it dies out. Likewise, the British are thought of as the Englishman, "Sir" Jack the Ripper, trying with all their might to cleanse the world of "filthy whores," much like fundamentalist Christians calling Iraq as the Biblical Babylon, "Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the World" (Rev 17:5) And of course, Europe would be non-other than the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecter, M.D. They believe that the world needs to be "fixed," and they are the anointed "brilliant geniuses" to "fix" it. Altogether, these three amigos would be called "The Alliance for the Greater Good," naturally standing up against the "Axis of Evil."

What a riot! Thank God that I'm living here in Southeast Asia, where I can feel the gentle stubbornness of the wealthy Singaporeans, Taiwanese, Hong-Kong Chinese and Macau Venetian-casino gamblers; where I can sense the moderation of lay Buddhists; the aloof warmth of Filipina nurses; the terrific justice of Muslim Malays; and the relative South East Asian calmness, despite the sardine-like crowds, the peaceful anarchy and the beautiful troubled environment.

Not exactly a pretty sight. But it is the lesser of evils...

In any case, as the magi of Old would say today: The Axis of Evil wishes One and All, Merry Christmas! Peace and goodwill toward all sentient beings!

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon! Mabuhay!

Posted on Saturday 15 of December, 2007 [09:42:02 UTC]

A few meters away from the IMAX theater in the Philippines lies the Science Discovery Center for kids. I was amused, yesterday, to see a temporary exhibit of the Shroud of Turin, housed in a make-shift outfit next to the science center. And what made it interesting was the sight of a funnel-shaped three-dimensional model of gravity, contained in a coin-activated “jukebox,” standing in between, and in front of, the science center and the shroud exhibit.

Kids flocked around the gravity machine while the Turin ticket booth remained idle. They would insert two coins through two slots at the left and right top edges, at opposite ends on the mouth of the funnel. And once released, the coins would roll in circular orbits, like planets orbiting a black hole. Eventually, of course, the coins meet at the center, swallowed by the hole.

This gravity simulator is an imperfect analogy of how gravity works, but it’s a good start. Albert Einstein described gravity as the effect of the curvature caused by matter or energy on four-dimensional spacetime. It captures the skeleton or framework of God, and it is Einstein’s God. It has also been Asia’s God for thousands of years. The Chinese call it the Tao. It is the Virtuous Force in Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, written more than 2,500 years ago, that teaches one the relativity of all things and the polar opposites of all things. It instructs one to glide with the natural flow of this “Way” to avoid difficulties in life.

Tao is the Chinese word for the “Way” since the forces of nature (Gravity, the Electroweak Force and the Strong Force), teaches the “Way.” But in the Filipino language, Tao means “humanity.” And in this essence, it is also Einstein’s God in the form of Humanism. It helps us to understand that people are children of the Sun. They are products of the forces of nature through both determinism and probability, so for people who are guided by the Tao, it is more natural to be more compassionate and tolerant.

Westerners have a hard time understanding Einstein’s belief in God since he despises the atheists for their disbelief and yet he also criticizes cardinals and rabbis for promoting a kindergarten-like idea of a Father-like God, with a beard, a staff, and a white robe. But for Asians familiar with Taoism, Buddhism and the Middle Way, Einstein’s God is all too well-known. It is a pity though that Einstein did not learn about this God much sooner, since it could have saved his son Eduard from being institutionalized in Zurich for schizophrenia.

It was like space and time divided. In 1905, Einstein, the German non-conformist, published a paper that is now called the Special Theory of Relativity. And in it, he explains that Time and Space are not absolute values. In other words, if one observer says that a ruler is 12 inches long, it may be only valid from that person’s perspective. Someone else, for example, traveling in a spacecraft moving near the speed of light, will measure the ruler differently. He may say, for instance, that it is only 11 inches long.

Any spatial frame of reference has equal standing. You cannot say that your frame is more correct than another’s frame. Einstein also adds that Time is also relative. In other words, if a chicken takes one minute to cross the road from one observer’s frame of reference, the time may be different from another frame, such as a moving plane, for example. It will be shorter, but both measurements, again, are equally valid.

As strange as it may seem, modern physicists have confirmed the validity of Einstein’s theory through experiments like Atomic clocks moving in different frames of reference, particle decay in the atmosphere, and particle accelerators where sub-atomic particles are collided with each other to subdivide it further. From the perspective of a particle accelerating in a super collider that is miles long in circumference, the collider infrastructure might be only a few feet long.

It is only when time and three-dimensional space are combined to form a four-dimensional spacetime continuum that multiple observers can agree on “absolute” measurements. In other words, space by itself or time by itself is relative. Only its union as spacetime is “absolute.”

Einstein then continued his thesis in 1915 and published the General Theory of Relativity. One of the statements of this theory claims that gravity is not really a force, as Newton thought. Gravity is the effect of the curvature or “dent” created by matter or energy (being equivalent, e= mc2) through four-dimensional spacetime. Gravity would then be like the funnel-shaped or V-shaped coin-orbiter that I saw displayed in front of the Shroud of Turin exhibit. The coins orbit around the curvature not because of a “force” but because of the curvature. It is an imperfect analogy, but as Lao Tzu says, “if the Tao can be explained through words, then it is not the Tao.”

Einstein was able to formulate his thesis because he believed that the tidal forces—the subtle gravitational “pull” of the sun and the moon which causes the tides—is more significant than Newton thought. (Galileo also discussed planetary tidal forces in his smuggled book, Discorsi, although he did not believe that ocean tides were caused by the sun and moon's gravity, unlike the astrologer Johannes Kepler. Scientists now believe that Kepler is right. The astrologer won in that round. Knowledge gathered and copied from Asia through traders proved useful.)

Variations in the tidal forces along with its effects on the earth's magnetosphere, are in fact so significant that as my theory states, it is the cause of humanity’s disagreements with each other—the "imperfect circle" or "elliptical" journey or better known as Buddha's life description, dukkha, an irregular potter's wheel, from the micro frame of the mind to the macro frame of the world. (Tidal forces are also theorized to be a factor that causes earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and consequently, tsunamis.)

Disagreements, for example, in how to interpret the Shroud of Turin abound. Some believe it to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ displaying his physical impression, like a photographic negative of his face and body “radiated” into the cloth. But carbon dating dates it back to the Middle Ages and some theorize that it was Leonardo da Vinci who created it. (Although the traveling exhibit showed photographs and a scientist claiming that the carbon-dated sample cut from the shroud was a patch used to mend the damaged shroud after it was partly burned in a fire during the Middle Ages).

Regardless though of who or what created it, whether Leonardo or an anonymous creative schizophrenic in the Dark Ages or the organic impression of a schizophrenic cadaver 2,000 years ago, one thing is clear. A V-shaped or toilet-bowl-shaped God is just not marketable to all sectors, just as Chinese art, color palettes and design is unaesthetic and unappealing to many sectors of society.

Moreover, a simple “magical” cloth with no foundation or meaning cannot stand alone. Although the Shroud artist highlighted the V-shaped features of the human form, through the bearded face, the torso, the legs, arms and so forth, its meaning is hidden from most people.

Most people need to see, feel and touch a more personable God, whose unconditional attraction to everyone is mysteriously felt, not mechanically known. So imagine the Tao or the Logos as the skeleton of God and the art of the Shroud as his skin. It would be the “Word made flesh.” Imagine his hair waving in front of a cheering and screaming crowd, like the young girls in a Click-5 live outdoor concert that I passed by last night, as the pop band, whose first time in Manila, produces Filipina euphoria. Then imagine him singing, “I AM the First and the Last! I AM Alpha and Omega! I AM the bearer of peace! And yet I have not come to bring peace because I AM the bearer of a sword!” He would be just as hard to understand as Click 5’s “Jenny,” who says she won't then says she will.

Wow! That God has personality! That’s God all pimped up the way the Gnostic John imagined him to be. God would then be alive, and the two becomes one, no longer just a coin-orbiter or an image embossed on a shroud independent of each other…but fused into one.

That’s God. And that’s the Tao.

Posted on Sunday 14 of October, 2007 [07:44:09 UTC]

I just came back from the Lands Up Over – Australia and New Zealand. I don’t think Down Under would be appropriate terms for the home of the Aussies and Kiwis, since it is America now that is “Down Under.” Remember also that direction is purely relative from the perspective of the viewer.

The South Pole is “down” there or is “south” based on an arbitrary European perspective, just as negatively charged electrons are not really negative nor are positively charged protons really positive. The terms are just used to distinguish one from the other. This reminded me of the legal system that we use today as I traveled through Sydney, Auckland, Wellington, Picton, Christchurch and Melbourne, in that order.

When I was a kid, I used to think that laws and morality were absolute truth. It turns out to be complete nonsense since laws are purely relative and it becomes temporarily “absolute” from the perspective of the sector or voice in power.

If the “shaman,” for instance, were in power, such as the case during the European Middle Ages, religious laws would be the moral and legal code. If the Fascists or Republicans were in the driver's seat, the code of capitalism would be the legal code. If the working class were in control, they would enforce the communist code. And if the nerds were in charge, they would create a geeky myopia state like Singapore.

So who is right and wrong? As it turns out, “right” and “wrong” are purely relative, just as “left” and “right” depends on where you are coming from. If two people face each other, their perspectives of left and right would be in completely opposite directions. I like the way Jack, my “Lord of the Rings” guide, put it, as he toured me around “Middle Earth” in Wellington, New Zealand, together with some friendly folks from the Australian Navy, Germany and the U.S. He asked me on which side of the road we drove on in the Philippines, and I said, “on the right side.” Naturally, he said that it was on “the wrong side,” since Kiwis and Aussies drive on the left side of the road.

I think a simpler way of explaining it is to think about the life of a cockroach. Many people would say that it is right to kill a cockroach if they see one. But if the cockroach had lawyers, they would say that it is morally wrong.

Being a penal colony in the past, Australia shares a similar plight. I visited some of the historic prisons and jails in Australia and New Zealand, including Sydney’s Hyde Park Barracks, the Old Melbourne Gaol, and I even stayed for two nights at the former Addington Jail (which is now a Cathedral-like hostel) in Christchurch, New Zealand.

It was interesting to note that while some Americans may trace their roots from immigrants in the Mayflower, Aussies may trace their ancestry from convicts imprisoned in Australia by the British Empire. The convicts built the early infrastructure of Australia and once they were released or pardoned, they rebuilt their lives in Australia. Today, we can see the results of their labor. It has now become a progressive first-world country and cosmopolitan tolerance is now the norm in cities such as Melbourne, whose Lord Mayor is an Asian Aussie named John So.

I found it also quite amusing that the Aussies had an interest in the physical exercise routine of a prison in Cebu, Philippines. I read an article in a Melbourne newspaper about the worldwide spectacle of Cebu prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the Village People’s “YMCA” in YouTube.

On the other hand, I found it disturbing that a 3-year-old was jailed in the Melbourne Gaol for simply being “disorderly.” Or that someone spent 7 years imprisoned in Sydney for stealing a handkerchief.

But what is most interesting is that today, people like George Bush can murder thousands and get away with it. JFK also ordered the assassination of Fidel Castro through the CIA, as now known through its declassified files, while people like Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos get the blame for assassinating Ninoy Aquino and impoverishing the Philippines—a crime perpetrated by the U.S. government, as unveiled now through hundreds of leaked World Bank documents. Undisputed evidence now also exists that the U.S. government through the CIA promotes research on behavior modification and mind-control on unwitting U.S. citizens and foreigners alike, including the mentally ill, such as the cases for Project Chatter, Bluebird (creation of multiple personalities), Artichoke (creation of amnesia and other vulnerable states) and the recently revealed Project MK-Ultra. This is clear proof that the law and morality are purely relative.

Truly, the Buddha is on target again. His First Noble Truth says that life is dukkha (uncomfortable, uneasy, annoying, imperfect, impermanent and unsatisfactory by default, like riding an ancient Chinese cart with an imperfect wheel, or using a slightly elliptical Indian potter's wheel). And that dukkha is caused by the existence of the infinite Matrix combinations of the Left ("male," aversion, communism, socialism, Democrats, liberalism, Science, Stalin, binary 1, etc.) and the Right ("female," desire, fascism, capitalism, Republicans, conservatism, Art, Hitler, binary 0, etc.) This is the Second Noble Truth, which shows the existence of imperfect cycles, like a multi-dimensional roller coaster. (Adding dimensions such as up, down, front, back, time, etc. makes the 1-dimensional model increasingly complex.) If you can extinguish the burning flames of Left and Right, you can relatively diminish dukkha (Third Noble Truth), like "minimizing" or "controlling" the wave amplitude of the cycles to extinguish the discomfort of "boom" and "bust." So to extinguish Left and Right, you must follow the Middle Way (Fourth Noble Truth).

It is not easy though. It takes constant practice to develop this skill. I imagine that it is like punting along the Avon River in New Zealand. I rode this gondola-like boat and watched Jason, my punter, skillfully pushing a long pole towards the riverbed in different directions, to navigate through the water, avoiding the ducks and the swans, while trying to make the ride as smooth and comfortable as possible.

One thing, though, is for sure, you can’t stay in the middle all the time, since it would be like your car locked in neutral gear perpetually. But you do have to go through the neutral gear every now and then. Also, most of the time, the steering wheel is centered; but sometimes, you need to steer it to the left or right.

Now, I no longer consider the absolutes of “good” and “evil” but I do recognize majority interests and the most significant voice, while considering other voices in society. It is no longer about “right’ and “wrong” anymore, but about interests, and if I learn to skillfully consider the interests of other voices as well as my own, I can free myself relatively from dukkha. Positions are now deemed to be beneficial or harmful in the near "absolute" sense when time, the fourth dimension, is added. Depending on time or circumstance will an action be skillfully and carefully judged as good or evil.

I think I may be getting better at it. I spent some time with my Filipino-Aussie friends, Maoi and Carlo, in Melbourne, and I thought that being with them was the Middle Way itself. It was so much fun! Filipinos may be as small as hobbits but they can sure carry heavy burdens. It’s hard to explain, but maybe one day, I can, as long as I do not obsess on the Third Ring and let it be.

So let it be.

Cheers mates!

Posted on Sunday 12 of August, 2007 [12:10:59 UTC]

Wow! It's the New Year here in Hong Kong, China and it is so crowded in the streets of Causeway Bay.

But I was really delighted a few days ago when I experienced the "Journey of Enlightenment" in Lantau Island near the HK International Airport. The trip starts with a skyrail cable ride across the mountains, and when you reach one of the peaks, the village looks as lovely as the heavenly Shangri-La.

It looks like a "Buddha Theme Park" since it has theaters similar to Disneyland in structure, but instead of learning about Mickey Mouse, you learn the life and lessons of the Buddha. It was really funny to see how marketing and business was presented in the shows as being harmonious to Buddhist ways since business is the life of Hong Kong. I thought the ending of the Monkey theater where they said that it is better to give than to receive was really funny, since the souvenir shops were lined up outside, after the show ended, in the traditional theme park format.

You also get to climb up the Giant Buddha statue that looks like a "Statue of Liberty" in Hong Kong. And then later, you can walk along the Wisdom Path, a mountain trail that leads you to large wooden "pillars" that appear like Stonehenge, carved with Chinese characters, translating the Buddhist Heart Sutra. The pillars are arranged in a figure-eight infinity symbol, and it is truly a spectacular sight to see, specially when you hike up to that area just before sundown, as I did.

It is truly remarkable how the five elements can be combined this way in Hong Kong, as their flag suggests. This world city is truly amazing!

It makes it seem that the idea of enlightenment just happened not too long ago. The Buddha, once a bodhisatva (Sanskrit for "heroic enlightened ones") never claimed that he discovered the path to enlightenment. He says he rediscovered an ancient path which must be immediately announced to the King and Queen--You! Buddhas existed before him, he says, and will continue to exist as time flows.

Enlightenment easily flowed to East Asia and South East Asia, but somehow its development in the West evolved differently--secretly. Gnostics spoke of "illuminated" or "esoteric knowledge." Schizophrenics in Rome may have learned it independently or through Eastern influences. In Italian, "Enlightened Ones" is translated to "Illuminati," and it was used generically in the Roman Empire's vicinity by schizophrenics, such as Montanus around 172 CE; their groups being labelled "Illuminati." The belief system was always persecuted by the totalitarian Roman Catholic Church because its version of Christianity or Buddhahood was "subversive." Their cause died as Europe slipped into what historians call the Dark Ages. Many schizophrenics still held the idea but the light faded as the original form of Christianity evolved into something else.

Fortunately, Marco Polo's Il Milione rekindled Italy in the 13th century. His story of Asia's advances was so unbelievable to the Europeans that many thought (even until now) that he made it all up. Soon after, the Renaissance--the rebirth of light--emerged, and schizophrenics started "enlightened" groups (some "organized," others informal, independent of each other, yet related by the common goal of enlightenment) including the Alumbrados (Spanish for "enlightened" or "illuminated") in 1492, the Illumines (French for "illuminate") in 1623, and the German Perfektibilisten ("Perfectibilists") in 1776, who were later labelled just like the Italian church's other historic "enlightened" enemies. They were stamped as "Illuminati" (a name that has stuck and is commonly attributed erroneously and exclusively, with much paranoia, to this particular group).

Of course, there were many other groups, independent of each other and sometimes in competition, who also claimed to be "enlightened," including the English Freemasons in the 17th century, and the Italian Accademia dei Lincei or "Academy of the Lynxes." (After all, no one holds a copyright or trademark to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.) Galileo was inducted to this academy on December 25, 1611; thus calling himself Galileo Galilei Linceo. (The mythological Lynx, of course, esteemed for its sharp "illuminated" vision, is called "the keeper of secrets of the forest," seeing without being seen. It is also identified with the Celtic god Lugus, later bearing an association with triplicity and the archangel St.Michael.) The "Enlightened" members of the Academy, thus published the works of Galileo and supported him financially and morally, including his tribulations with the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately, his academy shut down three years before his trial, but his works would later be used by Isaac Newton and England. Indeed, this was the Age of Enlightenment in the West.

Europe suffered, and Buddha's First Noble Truth was really true! So revolutions, influenced by the "enlightened," including the French and American Revolutions, spread and took off around the world. And guess what? The French gives a gift to the Americans. A gift resembling the sun god Helios--the Colossus of Rhodes. The sun being the ancient Asian symbol of Enlightenment, Wisdom and Truth. The French called it, La liberté éclairant le monde or "Liberty Enlightening the World." But it is more commonly known today as the Statue of Liberty--Buddha's vision for the world. Finally, there was a country where freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of religion was protected.

Buddha's vision was now here, and there, and everywhere.

Indeed, it makes it all the better to say every lunar year, Kung Hei Fat Choi!

http://illuminated.tripod.com

Posted on Saturday 17 of February, 2007 [17:00:30 UTC]

In the 1880s, Charles Darwin's cousin, Sir Francis Galton, wanted to find out if criminals share the same facial features. In the process of studying photographs of male criminals, he discovered that when their ugly faces were blended together using composite images from multiple exposures, the resulting picture produced pleasant faces. In other words,



More than a hundred years later, Judith Langlois and the University of Texas performed a similar experiment using female faces and digital photography. The results were similar. And when they blended the face of many women, attractive and unattractive, the resulting face was voted by men to be more attractive than about 90% of women.

The discovery that beauty is in the average of the extremes is nothing new, of course. Euclid, while collecting the works of Egyptian mathematicians for the Greek Empire, wrote the Elements around 300 BCE and in it, he showed the method to calculate what he called the "extreme and mean (average) ratio." Later, this ratio was called the Phi by the Greeks, and it is better known today as the Golden Mean, Golden Ratio or the Sacred Ratio.



And in 1202 CE, the Italian mathematician Leonardo Pisano (Fibonacci), tried to understand Rabbit reproduction by using a series of numbers, now called the Fibonacci Series (originally from India):



Add the first two numbers, and the next number is produced. Add the second and third, and the fourth number appears, somewhat like golden bunnies playing around and producing babies eternally. And if the next number is divided by the previous number, the result is approximately 1.6. This number becomes constant after the 13th number in the series.

233/144 = 1.618

377/233 = 1.618

610/377 = 1.618

Although unverified, this ratio is said to have been used in the Egyptian Pyramids and even by the Italian eccentric Leonardo da Vinci. The ratio can produce what is called a Fibonacci Square. The famous illustration of da Vinci with a man outstretching his arms and legs within a square and a circle, is a good example of how he demonstrates the symmetry and ratio of the human body which obeys the Golden Mean.

Pythagoras, who spent 22 years in Egyptian temples, studying their ways, revered its counterpart, just like Archimedes who called the counterpart "the measure of the fish," since the "fish" intersection produced by the vesica pisces (Mastercard logo) has a height to length ratio of 153: 265, which is approximately 0.6. The vesica pisces is the symbol of the Greek Logos or Word (John 1:1), just as the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol personifies the Tao. The image is sexual and beautiful and can be found in the male and female body. It is the icon of ecstasy when the opposites are joined together as one.

The Gnostic Apostle John mentions the sacred number 153 (John 21:11) for a fishy story similar to a Pythagorean tale hundreds of years earlier.

Indeed, the Beauty Ratio is...



And if your face and body follow this ratio, it is voted to be more beautiful than bodies that do not obey this ratio. It is like saying that the Law of God in aesthetics is still the Middle Way. Even today, the Sacred Ratio is the basis of the Neufert, an important reference book of architects.

And in the world scene, the average of all "races" can be found in South East Asia, where beautiful girls are a dime a dozen. White women, for instance, consider their skin tone too pale and tan it. Black women might prefer to bleach it. But the skin tone of South East Asians is just right. The ones, of course, who live in cosmopolitan areas are judged to be the most beautiful, both in appearance and personality, since cosmopolitanism is the Middle Way.

This is why many Europeans and Americans want to destroy it. Some people hate what is beautiful because they are not. That is nature. But bunny hunting is like the traditional Egyptian Easter egg hunt. The process of death and destruction is part of the cycle of rebirth, where the product may be more beautiful than the parents, since it is a product of convergence.

The product will continue to be one of the five types of genders; namely,the average male or female, or the eccentric gay, lesbian or bisexual. And of course, the Logos--Gravity, Space and Time--will produce its varying degrees. This will be bred through various types of relationships. Some will be extreme, such as the non-consensual type, or where a business deal takes place and disease is spread. Others will be born from another extreme, where strict religious adherence to marriage customs produce great suffering. These extremes are naturally very harmful. Others will come from a more moderate path, from "common-law" partnerships or "open" relationships similar to the practices of Old Tibet. And here, the Logos will be made flesh, and He will dwell among us. (John 1:14) For in the middle, he is begotten of the "Father."

In 2,500 BCE the Egyptian Pyramid Texts proclaim the glory of the Logos. 2,000 years later, Lao Tzu calls it the Tao in China and Heraclitus of Ephesus names it the Logos or Word. Plutarch teaches that Osiris is "the Logos in itself, transcendant and impassible." And around 30 CE, John calls his teacher Iesous (Jesus) as the Logos.

Indeed, the beauty of the Middle Way is very ancient. And even if some cultures have tried to destroy it or alter it, it is here to stay. It will live forever. It is the eternal law of the universe. It is the Ultimate Architect!

Posted on Monday 17 of April, 2006 [13:38:05 UTC]

Recently an ancient map was discovered and revealed to the public this year, 2006, which dates itself to 1763. The writings on the map indicate that it is an updated copy of a map that dates back to the 16th year of Chinese Emperor Yong-le (1418). At first, many doubted its authenticity and blasted it as a 20th-century forgery. But it was carbon-dated last month in New Zealand and the results prove that the year 1763 is within the highest probable range for its age.

It has sparked great controversy since it implies that China, with its Asian partners, already mapped the entire world years before any European explorer. But what I like most about it is its orientation. World maps today are centered on the British Isles. Today's Time Zones are also centered on it. But the 1418 map is centered on the ASEAN nations--the Philippine Islands, that little Guinea Pig, in particular.

It is also shaped like the Vesica Pisces--the symbol of the Greek Logos or Word, popularized by Heraclitus in 500 BCE and immortalized by the Gnostic Apostle John 500 years later (John 1:1 in the Western New Testament). It is the Greek version of the Chinese Tao, and the ancient Greeks also associate it with the female vulva, to symbolize the union of opposites, just like the Mastercard logo, where both worlds are one.

The Chinese, Arab, Indian and East Asian Admirals, sailors and cartographers must have admired the ASEAN region at that time to consider it to be the center of the vulva. That's very interesting! And that's my kind of map!

View the Original Map of Middle Earth and Read an Article from the UK's Economist

Posted on Thursday 30 of March, 2006 [10:21:28 UTC]

We recently finished Dr. Stuart Atkins' Life Orientation Training in our company, and I have to admit that I was somewhat disappointed with it. It's based on Atkins' book, The Name of Your Game, which is a western version of Indian-Chinese four and five-element Theory. But it never gives credit to its Asian origins, naturally, for political correctness to a Western audience.

Actually, most western psychologists base their conflict-management and organizational-development strategies on the four or five-element theory but never say so. Dr. Atkins, for instance, mentions that someone taught the moderation theory around 500 BCE, but he never mentions the name of the person who preached it.

He calls the four orientations or personalities as Supporting-Giving, Controlling-Taking, Conserving-Holding and Adapting-Dealing, instead of Air, Fire, Earth and Water. And he explains that each orientation has a strength, a threshold and an excess, just as Buddha says that there is no right or wrong orientation as long as it is moderate. Suffering occurs when the orientation gauge moves to the red zone.

In reality, it is not really the excessive use of each personality's traits that creates harm, as Atkins claims. It is actually timing and circumstance that produces beneficial or harmful effects for each elemental personality, whether they act sparingly or excessively.

Dr. Atkins also has an online psychometric test based on the four elements just like the popular Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument which is based on the five elements. This test is used mostly by corporations to assess the level of schizophrenia in their organization. However, Western attempts to increase the precision of four or five-element philosophy only increases inaccuracy because they refuse to acknowledge the role of Quantum Theory in human behavior.

It is difficult though to blame Western psychologists for hiding its Asian origins because of its political incorrectness. In a way, it is very much like saying that the historical Knights of the Round Table were Iranian captives who were forced to join the Roman Empire around 500 CE, and who were stationed in Britain against their will for a Roman commander named Arturius, who had to fight the Saxons, and who eventually won the hearts of the Britons. It is, of course, easier to absorb the English myth of the King Arthur legends, with chivalrous Christian English Knights instead of pagans. Reality would probably lead to vomiting for some Britons.

But that is really what the four-element theory is all about. Indeed, it is very hard, for example, for some Asians to believe that there is nothing wrong with the Controlling-Taking orientation as long as it is moderated. In fact, an unmoderated Adapting-Dealing orientation would be wrong.

In reality, your enemies are really also your friends. And your friends are really also your enemies. If more people pondered on this fact, life would definitely be more pleasant!

Posted on Tuesday 28 of March, 2006 [23:56:42 UTC]

I am dumbfounded that even up to now, many new discoveries and theories are coming out supporting the predictions of the Convergence Theory. It's as if I just let the red sails of a piece of junk go with the wind and current, and I end up in New England, Greenland and Iceland. So it looks as if I will be able to continue the last two books in the pentology--Sync My World: Thief's Honor GA SK and Sync My World: The Middle Man & the Middle Way SKSK.

Thanks to Gavin Menzies, submarine commander of the British Royal Navy, the world now knows more about the greatest naval fleet that sailed the world almost 600 hundred years ago. With hundreds of ships and almost 30,000 seamen, unequaled until World War I, Zheng He sailed the world and proved the power of the five elements in union. Although the Mandarin Scholars hated him--since he is not exactly Chinese, being a Muslim-Buddhist Mongol-Arab, and since he is not exactly a man, being a eunuch whose manhood was severed at an early age--now China looks at him in a new light as it opens up to the world.

Menzies claims that Fushan (the Buddhist name of Zheng He) circumnavigated, mapped and discovered many new worlds for the Middle Kingdom decades before Columbus, Vasco de Gama and Magellan. But most of the records of his accomplishments were destroyed in China because the brainy Confucian Mandarins disliked the Working Class, Militants and Business Class. It is improper, after all, under the rules of Confucian filial piety, to go abroad while one's parents are still alive. So most of Fushan's discoveries were completely destroyed, and most Chinese today don't even know him at all.

Thus, after his era, China rolled downhill and was overtaken by the thieves who stole the "plans" from them. In fact, China burned their books so thoroughly that some of the only existing products of Fushan's voyages are in pirated hands. The only copy, for instance, of the I Yu Thu Chih (1430) is in the hands of the University of Cambridge. The Chinese Embassy recently had to ask for a photocopy of it.

After Fushan's voyages, China completely halted all its overseas exploits, with almost complete disregard for the Id. This, historians say, was one of the greatest foreign policy errors that China ever made, and it cracked the Middle Kingdom.

Today, in a small place in Java, Indonesia, Fushan is worshiped as a god. He symbolizes the success of combinatorics and five-element unity. To respect the Id, just as much as the Ego and Superego is to facilitate success. To disrespect either one is to ensure failure, as China has learned.

Now, China has huge cargo ships instead of its Treasure Fleet, and it is not turning back. For the last three decades, it averaged 9.6% in economic growth, an achievement unsurpassed by any other country. China's current leadership claims that the secret is in finding a middle path between communist-socialism and capitalism.

The ASEAN+3 region is also moving toward the combinatorics that Fushan envisioned, starting with Chinese-styled Singapore, where one third of the world's trade passes through, then slowly spreading to its neighbors. Proper legislation and enforcement through Congress, the Senate or Parliament is still lacking though to ensure respect for all five elements, but as time passes, the wind and current will bring it there. It's only a matter of time.

Sharing the process though, expedites its natural movement and hastens convergence. And it moves the world forward to Fushan's vision of fraternity, equality and world peace through trade.

---

"Today most of us think that the natural order of things is a rich and powerful West and a weak and poor East, but in fact, for most of human history, it's been the other way around. The upshot is, I think, is that the 21st century will belong to India and China, and beyond that, the entire third millennium will be Asia's once more."

--Nicholas Kristof, New York Times

Posted on Saturday 24 of December, 2005 [16:40:16 UTC]

Watch Discovery Channel's Altered Statesmen series:
Click Here

"Each episode of ALTERED STATESMEN looks at how these leaders could potentially have had their judgments impaired due to a variety of illnesses and drug dependencies. In contrast, the series also examines the positive acts perpetrated by these 'altered statesmen' while they were in office and questions whether these unusual personal traits could have played a part in their legacies as some of the most dynamic politicians of their time."

--Discovery Channel

ASEANChristmas2008TheaterAds@ZobelPath

Posted on Sunday 27 of November, 2005 [01:03:34 UTC]

As I look across the Singapore River from the Coffee Bean café where I'm lounging in right now, I can see three colorful banners vertically posted with five stars and a crescent moon on each banner. It reminds me of the movie that I watched a few weeks ago--The Fantastic Four plus Dr.Doom. When I was a kid, I never realized that the Fantastic Four symbolized the Four Elements--the Indian-Greek version of the Chinese Five Elements. Now I know what it means, just as I appreciate now the meaning of the Olympic flag, the HK flag, or even the detailed version of it in the EU flag.

The variance of course between the Indian-Greek and Chinese versions of the Elements is due to approximation and frame of reference. And Stan Lee's movie version has bridged the gap by highlighting the fifth element, Metal, as the industrialist Dr. Doom. Water and Air, Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Girl are also highlighted as the main heroes since it is told from the "gay-bi" perspective, where Wood is viewed as nothing but Air, although sexy and attractive for Fire, who switches the male-female role of Water and Air.

Naturally, this is only a frame of reference. Americans, who are eccentric toward the Body, will tend to search for the Mind and Spirit. The Mind-eccentric Chinese, on the other hand, will dynamically move toward the Body and Spirit. And the Asian Indians, who are Spirit-eccentric will mate with the Body and Mind.

Part of the Body is the Subtle Thief. This is a Western strength that the East learns from, just as the West learns spiritual matters from the East. The militant Middle Man or Western merchant, as opposed to the Ubuntu (Earth) merchant, is a subtle thief in varying degrees. And he learns his craft from the School of Thieves or more commonly known with its politically-correct name, business school. And as "Rich Dad" would say, the authentic business school is not held in a classroom. That is Water and Air's territory. Real business skills are developed in the School of Life, in Experiential Learning. And when Life bumps you around, it is another wake up call. It's Life telling you to be enlightened once again.

The Fire businessman then hones and polishes his key skill, positive spin and rhetoric. He doesn't say things in blunt honesty like the Chinese, who tend to be socially inadequate. Instead, he spins the ball and magically creates fantasy out of reality, stealing the show from Earth. For instance, He will not tell a pregnant woman that she looks obese. Instead, he will say that she looks cute and bubbly.

He will not settle for a simple Chinese tea house or a South American Coffee or Chocolate Hut. And so, he steals it, plants it in India, Ceylon or Java, and he repackages the whole idea into a concept such as Starbucks.

He then uses his mastery in spin to deliver his message in what is called marketing, advertising and sales. He can make you believe that leather goods, clothes or any other item is really worth ten times the price of what it costs to produce in Asia.

Take note that he believes that this is not exploitation. He really believes in this and that is the key. His frame of reference is from the body which is why he truly believes in it. The American worker for instance thinks that the American Industrialist is evil in the sense that he sends their jobs overseas to countries like India and China. But in his heart, the militant Middle Man thinks that he is truly helping the less fortunate since he is helping those who need it more.

And Asians, strong in the Mind or in the Spirit, but weak in the Body, are realizing this gradually. A few days ago, I asked the Singapore Visitor's Centre along Orchard Road about the whereabouts of Gavin Menzie's 1421 Theory Exhibit. The staff there hardly knew about its existence. And even when I went to the Esplanade, the staff there did not even know that the exhibit was next to their building. It did not seem important for them that the Chinese discovered America first before Columbus. It seems that Singaporeans prefer to spend their time in the craft of the Body instead of the eccentricities of the Mind.

Interestingly enough, the exhibit shows a Chinese Map of the West Coast of the United States and the Far East with Marco Polo's mark on it. A copy of the map is now in a vault in the Library of Congress. And at first it seems fascinating that the Italians stole U.S. maps from China as early as the 13th century and that Columbus did not blindly go to America without previous maps from China. But what is truly fascinating is the excellence of the Italians in theft, something that the Mind and Spirit can learn from. To this day, Venice has the highest crime rate in Western Europe, yet it is remembered for its romantic ambience.

Indeed, the Thief follows no law except for the Laws of Physics. Sectors and Voices create laws based on their interests and values. People can escape from the Laws of Moses, the U.S. Constitution, the Laws of India, Japan or Europe, but they must all bow down to the Laws of God--the Laws of Physics, which is valid everywhere in the Universe, according to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

It would be great if we could capture the Five Elements with deeper precision, but because of Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principal--which states that when you observe phenomena, you inevitably interact with it and change its course--only approximations and probabilities are possible. In the quantum level--the level of negatively charged electrons, positively charged protons, neutral neutrons or its components, up quarks and down quarks--the uncertainty is more obvious than large objects such as the moon.

But humans deal with the quantum level regularly. Light waves, for instance, enter the human eye and react with numerous variables in the brain that produce perception and thought. The variables are too numerous and it complies to a lesser or greater degree to the Uncertainty Principal that you can only approximate human behavior.

Thus, the Subtle Thief, markets to "all." He knows that being too precise in his judgments, which is commonly called "prejudice," leads to inaccurate results. So he amasses the wealth of the Body by globalizing, expanding and believing that "everyone" can do it. (Many times, he gets carried away though. He promotes his beliefs in corporate logos portraying three or more stars such as in the logos of Starbucks and Procter & Gamble. Or he may depict a three, four or five-pointed star such as in the logos of Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Citibank, Texaco or Chrysler. And like everything else that needs to be moderated, excessive use of the Trinitarian or multi-element theory leads to harm and conflict. But the people and the forces of nature automatically moderate them and the harm is neutralized. On the other hand, companies that use it below moderation, such as Africa's Ubuntu Linux, seeing "the whole as greater than the sum of its parts," or French-Brazilian Mandriva Linux, the default free Operating System in my five-OS multi-boot laptop, are likely to grow.)

Indeed, the Middle Man knows more about practical physics than is believed. He knows that to produce fine products and services, different voices and sectors must participate in it. For instance, the British company, which produced the O2 XDA mini that I'm using now to type this essay, used components and engineers from all over Asia. The American Palm keyboard that I use in conjunction with it did likewise. And the Taiwanese Sandisk Wifi card that links it to the World Wide Web does the same thing. A Japanese Sony earphone plugs into it while I listen to a Filipina artist, Kitchie Nadal. I then codify ideas from Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Lastly, when I'm done, I protect my XDA mini with a fine leather case from Spain, courtesy of Piel Frama.

Indeed, the Subtle Thief is a master craftsman in uniting Body, Mind and Spirit. So, when I prepare for my business trip to India in a few weeks, I will remember the Fantastic Fifth Element. Way to go Fantastic Five!

Posted on Friday 26 of August, 2005 [15:59:25 UTC]

It's the 33rd year of my life, and life has never been this good!

Posted on Sunday 22 of May, 2005 [23:40:37 UTC]

I was walking along Zobel's Greenbelt 3 park in the Philippines yesterday, and I was surprised to see a Star Wars promotional party, sponsored by Zobel's Globe Telecom, in the fountain-stage area. Two Star-Wars promo hosts were asking people around the area different questions about a new movie, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, while a cameraman followed these hosts to project their presence on the big screen. If the people around the park answered the questions correctly, they would be awarded free tickets for the advanced screening on May 18th in the nearby Greenbelt 3 theater.

I was one of the lucky ones who answered a question correctly. They just asked me about one of the key causes of Anakin's suffering--Queen Amidala. And I won three FREE tickets!

Wow! The third episode is indeed the best one among the six! It reminded me of the movie, The Killing Fields, about the massacre in Cambodia. And Jedi architecture reminded me of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. This episode though is probably the most preachy, which is why it did not seem to attract the massive crowds that one usually expects from a Lucas movie.

It shows how the cycle of "good" and "evil" alternates, and it reveals the dark side of "good" and the light side of "evil." It depicts how an innocent boy like Anakin Skywalker becomes a brutal monster like Darth Vader and how it becomes difficult to point a finger at him.

In the end, I walked out the theater feeling very satisfied. My American boss has invited our team to watch it on Sunday, May 22, Vesak Day (Buddha Day). Most people probably don't know that Episode III's opening weekend will be on Buddha weekend.

But when I watch it on Sunday again at Rockwell, I will remember the birth, enlightenment and death of a great buddha--Anakin Skywalker. His followers worship him daily in his samurai-helmet temple in the Greenbelt 4 vicinity. His former Grand Master and the Rebel Alliance sit and party along the hall of Greenbelt 2.

And I will remember the themes of impermanence, detachment and the neutralization of fear. I will remember that it is only when all 5 elements are mutually respected and completed, that peace settles in. And I will remember that it was the nation of "pirates" and "militants" who delivered this message to the "unbelieving" shaman nations.

Happy Vesak Day!

Posted on Thursday 19 of May, 2005 [11:44:23 UTC]

Throughout history, man has attempted to chart his own destiny with a compass, sometimes believing that by going around in a circle, he will get somewhere. But as stubbornly insane as man is, he finally succumbed to the Tao—the god of Gravity, Space and Time. He finally realized that the cycles are supreme, and he laid it down in books, such as the Tao Te Ching and the I-Ching, or the Way of the Virtuous Force and the Cycles. For he noticed that as the moon circled the earth, as the earth spins around its axis, producing the cycle of day and night, and as the earth revolves around the sun, cycling through the four seasons, the tides also turned from a manic high to a depressing low.

And although he noticed that the Virtuous Force produced a legion of personalities as it circled the globe, he simplified this rainbow-like spectrum into five elements—wood, water, earth, fire and metal—the characteristics of the Scholar, Shaman, Business Class, Militants and Working Class. He also realized that the Force pronounced five basic needs within these personalities, namely; self-actualization needs, superego needs, social or belongingness needs, security needs and physiological needs, respectively, as restated by Abraham Maslow in his Hierarchy of Needs.

In the end, man produced an ancient algorithm that could approximate a person’s predisposed needs at birth, after the Force molds the fetus like clay on a Potter’s Wheel. For a while, this secret code allowed an ancient elite group to balance their brain chemistry by knowing the levels of their five elements, to produce happiness and peace. Later, the secret was revealed, but some people thought that this was all hearsay.

However, in 1915, the schizophrenic scientist, Albert Einstein, introduced his Nobel-prize-winning thesis, called Gravitational Theory or better known as the General Theory of Relativity. And all of a sudden, the Way of the Force was confirmed.

Today, the Force continues to shape political, spiritual, economic, security and social policy, around the globe. Some are now seeing the light and have succumbed to the Virtuous Force. How about you? Is the Force with you?

Posted on Wednesday 12 of May, 2004 [03:38:38 UTC]