it's the great something somebody

It's my favoritest holiday of all!  And not just because it's the month of Oktoberfest, although that actually happens mostly in September.  There's nothing like a good Halloween movie, party, or beer.  The craft brewers have been diving into the season and its most useable representation, the pumpkin, with mixed results.  Slate recently ran an article on the snobbery that goes with craft brewing, and honestly craft anything, where flavor was the main complaint.  Some pumpkin beers were recommended, but sadly none of those were on the shelf when I was shopping.  Still, Sagra was there for me, with Calabaza y Canela.  I'll have to be satisfied with buying domestic, but with such domestics you can hardly go wrong.

Oh, him?  Jack's just hanging around the balcony

I guess there's a little bit of spicy scent when the bottle cap comes off, but it's practically unnoticeable.  It's a pretty beer, with a nice chestnut brown color, and very light head.  Held up to the light, it's dark orange, but opaque.  The cinnamon is a little more present when the beer is in the glass, and now for the big sip: There's kind of a cinnamon burning in the taste, like Cinnaburst gum, and some background sweetness.  In keeping with the article's criticism, I can't really identify any pumpkin in this beer, but it has avoided the trap of overly sweet seasonal brews.  It may suffer from some extra pinches of cinnamon, becoming slightly pumpkin pie-ish about halfway through the glass, but still a good companion for some on screen blood and tension.

Supplier: The Beer Garden
Price: €3.50

Well, at least you're safe from the bottle

Thinking Outside the Box

Whenever somebody says, "We need to think outside the box," they are trying to stimulate ideas from others, ideas that generate money, in most cases.  The usual interpretation is one of some novel or creative way of viewing the situation, although the truth is that nobody really likes new or creative things.  We like to have our habits, and our boxes, because we feel safe inside them without having to adapt to or reconsider what is happening around us.  Truly creative people, in spite of what we are told, are not lauded and applauded, rather they are shunned and considered crazy or tiresome.  This is true in the fields of science, art, and business, and in society and social mores as well.  While it may be exhilarating, thinking outside the box is a risk.

The True Philosopher and Source returned to form with a short article for us.  In it and in his in-meeting introduction, he questioned the reasons behind the existence of the box in the first place, and noted the feeling of comfort we have in our constructed and predictable spaces.  Not only do we have our individual boxes, but also larger boxes the smaller ones fit inside of.  Each one has a framework for guiding our habitual behavior in ways that have already been deemed proper.  Going outside the box should be motivational and exciting, since something new is out there, but for most people it is frightening.  Often we refuse to contemplate new perspectives because they require changes in our habits.  He mentioned the old saying, albeit in a reversed form: Invention is the child of Necessity.  When we reach a dead end in our projects, we are forced to consider new avenues, perhaps unconventional ones.  He also admitted the possible consequences to unconventional ideas, such as not receiving a deserved promotion or being thought crazy by others.

A New Face agreed that comfort is an important basis for building the box in the first place, but was more generous in her interpretation of the possibilities each of us has to get in touch with the necessary creativity and unconventionality to leave it.  In her opinion, it should be possible for anybody to think outside the box, but we have been carefully trained not to throughout our formal educations, an odd thing when we consider that we will have to be less conventional in real life.  She was especially sure that children were naturally creative and able to access the unenclosed space outside the social framework they are told to construct.  It requires a certain level of confidence, but as adults we should be sure of ourselves and be able to do unexpected things once in a while.  She also reminded us that the best way to learn is to try and fail - or succeed.  Without making and effort to improve, which requires us to leave behind our comfort zones every so often, we will never evolve as people.  I do not quite agree that children are more creative or consciously unconventional, but they are less inhibited than adults, due to the lifelong training we receive.  The Leader later mentioned that thinking is based on knowledge and experience, which children simply do not have, so their ideas are not necessarily creative so much as the pure fantasy of a mind building itself.  While it is true that those ideas can be workable, and unsaid by older people because of our learned fear of ridicule, for the most part children are not discovering new things in the world, only discovering the world to themselves the same way everyone else has.  Children are also fanatically conventional and almost bloodthirsty groupthinkers, as anyone who has attended school can attest.

The Leader had focused on the business environment the phrase is most at home in.  He also distinguished the unconventionality of thinking outside the box from pure creativity, which has been labeled "lateral thinking" at least in some areas.  The important thing to remember, he said, is that we start to think outside the box when we need a solution to a problem, that is when our habitual solutions have failed.  Thinking outside the box often means something is seriously wrong.  Still, the answers we find have to be relevant, which relates a bit to the uninhibited questions and responses children give us.  Creativity does not have to be relevant to the situation, but problem solving does.  We also need to be aware of possible and unintended consequences of the solutions we implement, which often puts a damper on our free thinking.  Still, according to the Leader, thinking is the only free thing we can do, the only thing left uncontrolled and unsupervised.  Unfortunately, when we put voice to our thoughts, our freedom can be seriously compromised.  We are also in danger of manipulation by business and authority, which try their best to promote certain lines of thinking which benefit them but not necessarily we the people.  Even the language we use to express ourselves is a risk, as words have connotations and meanings we may not be aware of, true many more times when foreign languages are involved.  Clear thoughts are not necessarily expressed clearly.  At the end of the day, he finished, people need to think more seriously about problems, which probably means fewer short-term solutions.

The Deep Thinker also held the opinion that children are less inhibited than adults, although they are conditioned from birth to think and behave in certain ways.  The box, he felt, was what one takes for granted and what can be challenged by stepping outside established boundaries.  Everything can be challenged, but first it must be understood.  We have boxes, established norms and scientific theories, as a way of saving time; the Leader also pointed out that we do not need to rediscover every natural law and substance to perform an experiment.  We start with certain assumptions about reality that exist for our convenience, and for the most part, they work for us and not against us.  The Deep Thinker revealed his more mystical side, however, as he went on to say that the ultimate escape from the box is finding the way to stop thinking altogether.  Being aware without thought is the basis of all true creativity.  As an example, he gave the seemingly magic problem solving of the subconscious.  When we cannot find a solution after much effort, the best thing to do is step away from the problem, put it out of the conscious mind.  The unconscious often continues gnawing away at it, and later on we have a flash of inspiration in a dream, in the shower, or while doing some other completely mundane and unrelated activity.  We are not following a conscious process, so this method of problem solving cannot be in the box.

The Educator was struck with very literal images of the box, and being inside and outside it.  Thoughts of a free life can preserve the sanity of a prisoner.  The danger of remaining inside the comfort zone, due to circumstances generally beyond our control, can force people to flee.  This is the case of refugees, whose risk analysis has led them to pick up stakes and try to find better lives far away from what they know.  On the other hand, our comfortable space can end up being a prison without our even realizing it.  As much as we dislike change, human beings need it sometimes.  We need the stimulation to remain mentally supple and prepared to survive.  Regarding children, she told us how impressed she was with her students, who could take a cardboard box and make it a house or a horse, depending on the situation.  The box literally is thought of outside itself in their games, a hallmark of childhood play, although perhaps exaggerated in our memories.

Finally, an Occasional Participant mused over the number of tools we try to use to solve our problems, conventionally or not.  From her perspective, simpler is better, and too many tools do not help, but muddle the process.  She also found it laughable to speak of rule-breakers as admirable rebels, when they have their own set of rules to follow.  Rules for rule-breaking!  A box of a different color, material, or shape is still a box.

inside information

Despite the closing of Cervezorama (sniff), there are plenty of other places to get good beer, with too many for me to carry in one go.  It ends up being two or three at a time.  I was looking for some fall and Halloween appropriate labels and styles, which I think turned out pretty well.  Actually, IPA is good for any time, but Naparbier's Insider IPA has a label that befits the season, most definitely.

Should have been more careful with that Guatemalan insanity pepper

There's a good whiff of citrus when the pouring starts, like with most craft IPAs, and the beer comes out clear golden with abundant white head.  The orange pith is strong in the taste, with a bitter punch right off the bat.  Underneath, there is a hint of sweetness as well.  It's an interesting balance that's constantly changing from the beginning to the end of the glass; some sips seem to be heavier on the flowery sweet, maybe with a little touch of honey, while the first ones had been a flatter bitter.  The bitter remains in the aftertaste, and at the back of the tongue.  Perhaps a little too refreshing for the season, when breezes are chilly and days are less than scorching, but in a stuffy bar or a summer beer garden, Insider IPA would fit the bill for sure.

Supplier: The Beer Garden
Price: €3.50

No One is an Island

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.

-John Donne, Meditation XVII

This fragment of Donne's Meditation, especially the first phrase, have provoked many a meditation in others over the centuries.  It seems to be a comforting thought, one that assures us that we are not alone in the world, and we have undeniable connections to other people.  However, Donne's idea of the individual and the nature of those connections might not be so palatable to us today.  Donne was a churchman and wrote this collection of meditations after having suffered a serious illness, so he was probably in a mystical and godly frame of mind, but his view of the individual person was less a being to itself and more a cell in a larger body.  There are people who would argue in favor of this image today, but more likely with the body representing society or nature, rather than the church, as Donne pictured it.  Of course, the church and his society were much less separated than ours, at least we might hope.  The connections he spoke of were less paths to personal fulfillment through human relationships and more the awareness of the fact that existing affects others who exist.  "[The bell] tolls for thee" - every death is our own death, a piece of ourselves has disappeared forever.  "[A baptised child] is thereby ... ingrafted into that body whereof I am a member" - every life is a part of our life, and our responsibility to protect as the "head" of the "body" sees fit.  The expectations of the time were less in personal fulfillment and more in the simple act of doing one's duty; each person was to act as a cog in the machine of their community, not seek personal recognition or glory.  In a more modern setting, we might prefer to interpret the body as our community or society, and the connections as friendly or family relationships, which we expect to provide not only happiness, but also fulfillment and success.  The shift to a more individualistic society has made the interpretation of the meditation more self-serving, but not meaningless.  We still need to keep in mind how our actions affect others, and how they can provoke others to be mindful or to ignore their affect on us.  The choices we make can have far-reaching consequences, even among people we do not know, and those consequences can be much worse, or better, than we might have wished.  The other side of the coin is the desire to be an island; many of us desire protection - from the responsibilities of society, from distractions to our intellectual or financial advancement, from harmful people.  The island represents a setting of peace and isolation, although some communication certainly comes through; real islands are reached by boat or plane and garbage washes up on their shores or is deposited by the wind.  Even if we are islands, we are an archipelago rather than isolated landforms.

A Sometime Participant argued that the ties of affect between members of society do not prevent an individual from feeling lonely.  We do not feel accepted and understood by those around us in many cases, and superficial interactions do not stimulate sensations of belonging.  She also raised the issue of the elderly and disabled, categories that are in danger of being physically and emotionally isolated from the rest, to the point of dying alone in their rooms and being discovered only days, months or years later.  While this is a point worth remembering when we consider how to promote happiness among individuals, I do not think this entered into Donne's thinking.  He was not considering individual emotions of joy or sorrow, but rather the satisfaction of doing one's duty as a human on earth.  Only people who disappear into the wilderness, leaving not even their memory, are unconnected to the rest.  As sad as it may be, those who cut themselves off in their own houses and whose bodies are found after their deaths are not islands in their loneliness; their lives leave marks and their deaths affect us, provoking worry and consternation.  Perhaps we do owe the mentally ill more in terms of care and attention, but not all who isolate themselves are mentally ill.  Some are just jerks.  They are toxic people who make interactions with them painful and uncomfortable through there own choice, and it is little wonder that individuals cut off interactions with them as much as they can.  Donne's meditation carries no obligation to cater to awful people, rather to recognize that we are part of a greater whole, although we do not deal directly with one another.  The question may deserve consideration, but I think it is not the question we are examining here. 

The True Philosopher emphasized the link between human reality and social reality in Donne's writing, and the fact that we may not have defined links to every individual we know.  We can choose to be alone or forge relationships with others.  Our relationships, however, are created individually, not through the actions of others.  As for those individualists who would retire from the world and society, many of them are not able to maintain such solitude, that is not even complete.  Thoreau, for example, spent only one year at Walden Pond.  As a contrast to our modern individuality, he offered the concept of ubuntu, an African philosophy, in which the individual identifies so strongly with the group that, so the story goes, individuals refuse to even eat in shifts.  "If one eats, we all eat," was their explanation.  We do need others in order to get a sense of ourselves, and he mildly criticized the modern tendency to "I and id" rather than "I and thou".  He also picked up the archipelago as metaphor, reminding us that modern technology makes it possible to see and hear each other even at thousands of miles of distance.  We may have a sense of our own individuality, we may have boundaries, but we are not truly isolated.  Donne's meditation should be taken as an ethical statement, rather than one subject to verification: we cannot be self-sufficient, and we should not think of ourselves as separated from others.

The Educator reflected on the image of the island representing the uniqueness of each person, but also said that people are social beings.  It is simply a matter of survival, especially for the very young.  Solitude is not the same as loneliness, and can in fact be a calming and necessary experience for many people, although they will need to return to society after their time of contemplation.  She was less trusting of social networks and technology than the True Philosopher, saying those connections are superficial and based on quantity rather than quality.  It is easy enough to connect with 1000 "friends" on these networks, but when one really needs help or just an ear to listen, those electronic friends can be hard to reach.  She was even suspicious of the feeling of comfort in simply having the number of connections, since numbers are not very meaningful in terms of social and human contact.  Those who do isolate themselves to en extreme degree are often ill, or have suffered abuse, and these are things that should be dealt with by professionals.  It is also true, however, that we expect a little more personal space than people of the past did; more and more people live alone, and most people would choose to do so, finances providing.

The Leader was more positive about the effect technology can have on creating connections between people, and making plain that we have those connections in the first place.  The paradox of being alone in the crowd may stem from the basic unnaturalness of city life, which most of us have as our normal lifestyle.  At the same time, the capitalist mentality is more individualistic, and we are encouraged to attempt self-sufficiency rather than rely on others.  The fact that most if not all successful people only "made it" because of support from others is conveniently ignored.  The common use of the phrase today is to encourage people not to refuse help when it is offered, to emphasize the actual impossibility of survival without support.  Yet, there is a difference between needing social connections and being forced into contact with people who are not to your liking.  Mere disagreement does not cause one to cut connections with others.  He also wondered about the degree of involvement that would threaten individuality, but left the question unsettled.

The Deep Thinker declared himself impressed with the topic and the many possibilities for discussion.  He first stated that even the act of noticing other people is indicative of a connection with them, although it may not be deep or especially personal.  He also mentioned two possible paths to isolation, both of them maybe unintentional.  One is the isolation of the "top dog", the person who believes herself to be so much better than others that she cannot associate with them.  The True Philosopher considered the egotistical to find toadies rather than simply isolate themselves, but the Thinker insisted that there is a separation to be found in these situations not spanned by mindless yea-sayers.  Inferiors cannot be friends.  He also admitted that bad behavior can be a reason for isolation, although those who behave badly may not be able to gauge the consequences of their actions through organic perception problems or simple bad upbringing. 

In the same way nobody is an expert in all things, no topic is full of experts.  While most people are at least thoughtful in offering their opinions, there are always snotbag ninnies who cannot be bothered to be considerate of others' time and attention.  The manifest ignorance of modern English would be comical if it were not so pathetic, since it requires deliberate stupidity rather than natural distraction or lack of attention.  These are the people we can only wish would put off to sea and leave archipelagos of interest and respect in peace.

yes, i hear the song too

This is the last of the bottles I got from Cervezorama before they rolled down the blinds forever.  Ugly Duckling Foxy Brown Ale has enough sass to perk you up on a rainy day like this one, when you're remembering that your first beer store has closed, but its somber color also goes with the clouds.

No, I can't not leave this here

Should you have any doubts

A pretty, if standard, color, dark brown and off white head.  It has an aley scent, although nothing stands out in terms of special ingredients.  I was half expecting a bitter craft ale flavor, but although there is some bitterness, it's surprisingly more like a stout - smoky, tongue covering, and mellow.  There are a couple of high notes which one might connect with an ale, being vaguely citrusy.   The sweetness starts to overcome the darker flavors pretty quickly, and about a third of the way into the glass it's a mildly sweet, caramelly drink.  It's very pleasant, and just strong enough for the season I think, although a cooler summer night would also be good conditions for this beer.

A toast to beers and stores come and gone

Supplier: Cervezorama (RIP)
Price: €2.80

Self Destruction in Human Beings

"Self destruction's got me again"

We can think in big or small terms with regards to this topic, since we can destroy ourselves as a species through the actions of a few, or destroy ourselves individually.  Many people argue that the whole of the human race is guilty of causing climatic change that will kill off the entire species, not to mention other species.  Each and every one of us is guilty because we all benefit from the industry and use of resources that cause the accumulation of gases and chemicals that create changes in temperature and ph balance in the air and water.  Well, those of us in industrialized societies benefit anyway.  It may be that those human societies that have remained isolated and "primitive" will survive and continue, adapting to the new conditions with their lesser dependence on complex technology.  Some outstanding members of the species have developed weapons which, when used in quantity, could devastate the environment enough to cause our extinction in a matter of months.  While only a privileged few have been able to achieve this remarkable feat, we are all to blame for aiding and abetting their achievement by supporting the cultural conditions necessary for the research to be done and the artifacts to be finished.

Somehow, we can face this generalized destruction with some calm, perhaps we can point to only a few as the "real culprits" while the rest of us are just victims, trying to get along in the society we were born to.  Personal self-destruction seems to bring out much stronger emotions, oddly more personal offense, even though the way one person destroys herself affects very few other individuals in any appreciable way.  For some reason, other people's choices - e.g. drug taking, suicide, or euthanasia - provoke heated responses as if the decisions were made purely as a form of insult.  In order to promote peace and respect for ourselves, we demonstrate peaceful treatment of others, relying on a form of social contract to protect us from harmful behavior by others.  When one individual acts to harm herself, it can feel like an attack on us, because of the idea that we humans, and living beings, are somehow sacred.  An attack on a sacred object is an attack on our beliefs, and by extension on our person.  Nobody can be permitted to show disdain for the human body or life by damaging or extinguishing it without there being some other crime committed by the target to justify this violence.  If we allow an attack on one individual, even if it comes from that same individual, what would stop us from attacking one another?

A Sometime Visitor was not in total agreement with the argument for generalized guilt when it comes to climate change, saying that the people who make the pertinent decisions are very few and very high on the social ladder.  The driving force behind those decisions is none other than greed.  In fact, most people are not aware of the truth behind any big news story, be it war or crime, or even the findings of a new study.  We human beings have a certain amount of natural aggression and it often gets swept under the rug in favor of a more pacifistic narrative to encourage the populace not to react with violence to things it does not like.  We are constantly manipulated by the press to develop opinions that are beneficial to whoever is pulling the strings, and even when we are aware of the manipulation there is only so much we can do to work around it.  We all have many obligations on our time and effort.  It all comes down to our being told what to think by a media controlled by people whose greatest concern is not the good of any one person besides themselves, the country, or the world, but rather their bank accounts, wherever they may be.

The Actress marveled over a perceived heartlessness among people who decide they cannot solve global problems, and therefore try not to think about them at all.  The least we can do, in her opinion, is think about the problems in the world, and worry.  The act of deliberately forgetting problems seems cold-hearted and cruel.  We should at least send some positive "energy".

The Leader was not altogether happy with the individual side of self-destruction, preferring to spend his thinking time on the manipulation by authority to its own benefit as well.  His view was that an individual has more psychological than philosophical problems, although I would argue that we are not focusing on the destruction of the individual but the reaction of others to that destruction.  When large groups are allowed to cause wanton destruction that results in illness and death of humans, the Leader can find toxic philosophies.  Some industries take advantage of loopholes in pollution laws to pollute as much as they like, such as the California paper industry buying up dry cleaners to cannibalize their more lenient allowances, which is the hallmark of lack of care about pollution to begin with.  If we do not want a thing to happen, we do not allow it to happen under any circumstances.  He agreed with the Visitor's conclusion that money was really the most important factor, saying that the pharmaceutical industry, one of her examples of modern corporate greed, could save its reputation by publishing the negative outcomes of experiments, so nobody has to waste time and money doing them again, and furthermore, an extension of patent protection could give the companies some cushion of income so that they felt more motivated to research less Western diseases with less wealthy victims.

An Infrequent Guest seemed to be obsessed with eating.  He began by talking about the self-imposed isolation and self-destruction of the successful and later spoke for some time on potatoes.  As an anecdote, I would add his story of offending an English woman by telling her she would be his aperatif and being mystified that she refused to meet with him after that.  The man is obsessed with things to stick in the mouth.  He did bring up the problem of addiction to tobacco, which is a subject related to manipulation, self-destruction, and corruption, without any doubt.  Even knowing the dangers, many people choose to smoke or refuse to quit.  The same might be said for alcohol.  With regard to authority, he let us know that the problems that keep government officials awake, even in Spain, are never reported on in the media; we hear about only the most banal and ridiculous problems the government has to deal with.  He felt the need to reassure us that the friend who did the interview that gave this information was a "lady".  I do not know if he was afraid we doubted his ability to make lady friends or if we doubted the existence of lady journalists.  Like so many other factors that lead to destruction, or not, it probably only matters to a select few.

shade of the bottle

When I was looking forward to this, I was remembering the beer as a stout, probably influenced by The Mayan (oh, nectar of the gods).  But, it is an ale.  Cocoa and chili ale, but a light and golden brew nonetheless.  It also came with a cork, which I had to buy a corkscrew especially for; I guess if somebody gives me wine later on, I'll be prepared now.  With an eye to the coming holiday, here's Fantôme Chocolat.

Taa-daa!

Wait a minute...

Sheesh

The cap pops off with little fanfare, but the real opening is with a champagne worthy pop.  Fortunately, that's where the resemblance ends, since no beer is wasted in gushing foam.  It is a little heady at first, a thick, white cap on an orangey gold brew, but soon settles down.  It's not especially aromatic, unlike the chocolaty perfume of the Mayan, but a good sniff makes it out to be typically aley in smell.  The flavor, on the other hand, does reveal some cocoa in the first sip, with just a touch of chili bitterness at the edges.  The overwhelming taste is the craft ale, though, on a bed of citrusy sour.  It's a very mild-tasting beer, probably just fine for a summer sipping actually.  As the days are getting darker and temperatures more pleasant (for me, anyway) The Mayan probably fits the bill better.  Still, good to keep in mind for a sunnier sit-down.

Something tells me the label was a little rushed

Supplier: Cervezorama (RIP)
Price: €6

Do We Have a Soul?

No matter how many times topics of this sort are discussed, we never seem to reach a point where they are not attractive to discussion anymore.  For the most part, it is rehashing what we said before, possibly with a new set of linguistic tricks to make things clearer or, we think, more persuasive.  Overall, once one discussion has been had, all the following discussions will be the same.

The answer depends entirely on what we define "soul" as.  In general, when the question is asked the soul we are looking for is the Christian idea of some consciousness that will continue to exist after the body has ceased to function.  This soul is often imagined to have our physical image, although which part of the body's life is represented is sometimes debated, as well as our personality and memories; in other words, the soul is the "self".  However, all we know of consciousness and perception is based on the workings of the brain.  Anecdotal evidence of "extra-sensory perception" exists, as well as stories of "knowing" things without having any way of using the brain/body to acquire that information, but none of that is actually considered the realm of the soul.  The idea of this type of soul appears to be ridiculous, a desperate attempt to deny the end of existence.  In religious beliefs, there is an afterlife where the soul dwells forever, or a new earthly life through reincarnation.  A part of ourselves lives on after the body has perished, something that will keep experiencing life and all the workings of the universe, keep enjoying itself, keep compiling knowledge, until the end of time and all things.  It is a comforting idea, but there is absolutely no reason to take it as fact.  We have no way to measure the presence of a soul in the body, much less a soul in another place.  Despite tales of memories of past lives, nothing can be proved.  The religious soul is a fairy tale to the hardline practical mind.  Nevertheless, there are other uses of the word soul that might open doors to other possibilities, for example: having "soul" rather than "a soul"; being "soulful"; being "soulless".  A person, performance or work of art has soul when there is resonance with (other) people, when we feel a connection and identification with it.  This does not necessitate a feeling of timelessness or the certainty of the work being remembered through the ages, it is an impression of the moment.  A soulful being is one that can perform with soul or seems to hold some kind of wisdom or deep humanity, one that we should all strive to reach.  As for soulless, it is mostly used as a synonym for cruel or evil, but in the context of the last two terms, perhaps we can refine the definition to be disconnected from others.  Being cruel requires us to not empathize or sympathize with what others feel, a denial of our connection to our fellow humans or living beings.  It removes our humanity and makes us automatons, and yet we follow our own internal orders and desires, for the purpose of causing suffering.  Returning to the possession of a soul, we consider it to be intertwined with physical life, so the living being must have a soul if such a thing exists.  I would go farther, and say that every living being has a soul, in that the soul is simply life.  Animating energy.  Of course, we could then argue that electronics also contain energy, so by extension they also have souls, but I am not prepared to extend my definition just yet.

The Actress wondered where the whole idea came from in the first place, saying it seemed to be a rather arrogant way of seeing ourselves and our own importance to the universe.  She had her stories of "revelation" and proposed the soul as a non-material extension of ourselves that can gather data from places we ourselves cannot go.  Still, she was reluctant to mix the concepts of soul and energy.

The Educator pointed out that death is a universal experience, perhaps the most important one we have, but it is not known what comes after.  We have to create answers when we cannot find them.  She described herself as skeptical of the existence of a soul, but has had to reconsider throughout her life due to the popularity of the concept in human history and society.  She admitted that science was not capable to proving the soul's existence, but reminded us that science advances constantly.  What was impossible to know even one century ago is fairly common knowledge today.  It may be possible that we discover some particle or force that can be considered a "soul" in the future with the development of new technology to examine the universe.  She ended with the statement that nothing is clear and the topic is only questions, channeling the absent Doctor perhaps.

The Source carried on the scientific point, declaring that discovery has only just begun.  We think many things are clear and thoroughly proven, but we will surely be shown to have committed many errors.  She equated matter and energy, and said that since thoughts are energy, we create matter in our brains.  The soul may not be measurable, but we should not take that to mean it cannot exist; tumors and diseases remain undiagnosed for years sometimes, but they certainly exist and affect us.  If we limit our beliefs to only the provable, we are unnecessarily limiting our own participation in and understanding of the world.  She rejected the need for religion to base the belief in a soul on, saying that practices such as yoga include such ideas, but they are not themselves religions.  She was also quite sure that the soul resided in oneself, although she could not pinpoint the exact location of it.  Towards the end of the meeting, she began to connect the soul to instinct, maintaining that we need instincts to survive and that makes them essentially the same as a soul, although the soul is also a connection to something greater than ourselves as individual life forms.

The Leader admitted that he did not find the topic very exciting, hence the lack of writing from him, both this time and the last time we spoke of the soul.  He discarded the religious views and definitions, calling them "clearly false" and basically threw out the possibility of the soul being energy because, as the Source had mentioned, energy is physical, therefore the energy soul would be physical and discoverable.  We cannot do real studies on this topic because it is impossible to have a control group.  Still, he recognized some benefit of the belief in the soul and the afterlife, if only to somewhat relieve the despair that many people would experience in a hard, desperate existence on Earth.  Religion is a tool of control and the soul is just one of its methods. The concept of the soul can be useful in the same sense as religion, as a way of codifying certain behaviors that are desirable, such as empathy or interpersonal connection.  The relevance of questioning the existence of the soul is the way it gives us to rebel against religion and the simple assumption that it exists.  The soul is a great player in our stories of karma and reincarnation, as well as the tool for us to dream of living forever, while we should probably focus more on our legacy as a memory in the minds of other people.

The True Philosopher gave a brief history in writing of the idea of "soul" in several classical cultures, often connected with the idea of breathing and therefore life itself.  He was not present at the meeting and so unable to elaborate more on the subject.  Another Participant was somewhat fascinated with the connection between soul and emotion, saying the search for one can block the examination of the other, but he held out hope that one day we would be able to study both in the most scientific of manners.

developing a sweet tooth?

I like beer.  I like bock beer.  I like raspberries.  I have not much liked fruit in my beer until recently.  Feeling inspired to try things out of my ordinary with the closing of the beer store, I picked up a raspberry bock.  It's Mikkeller, a brand I know and have come to enjoy, so trust is there.  It was a bit pricey, but sometimes we have to splurge if we're going to have new experiences.

The air fills with raspberry tanginess as soon as the cap comes off, sort of a raspberry chocolate smell in fact.  That's probably just wishful thinking on my part, though.  It pours a little transparently for a bock, but in the glass it has a solid chestnut color, with a fluffy beige head.  Raspberry flavor definitely hangs around in that head, overpowering the beeriness at first.  Bock isn't a very bitter beer anyway, so it doesn't make itself known too strongly.  There's a certain balance of beer and fruit, like it should be, although in the past I might have argued against the adulteration of beer at all.  I must be getting tolerant in my age.

Supplier: Cervezorama (RIP)
Price: €8.40