CHAPTER 1

In the Beginning

"In the beginning, God created heaven and earth" has beena paradigm that has lasted through the centuries. It has been thefoundation of Jewish and Christian faiths since writings of theBible were scribed in their original text. But accepting that thereis a beginning must also imply that there is an ending. An alphaand an omega, if you will. But an ending to what? To time. To life.To the earth. To all these.

Let me pose for a moment that there is no end to any ofthese events. Let me instead say that there is no limit to time,life, or the end of the earth. Would you even think that this is apossibility? I would like to tell you that, in my world, it is not. Iview all things as transitional. There is no beginning, and there isno end. It's what's in between that is the interesting part. This iswhere we as human beings exist, and of course, that's where ourlives come into the scheme of things.

In figure 1, I introduce life as we know it, as consisting oftwo basic concepts—a physical realm and a spiritual realm.Above these concepts are the biblical references of the alphaand omega or Satan and God. Notice that I have indicated thatthe pursuit of the physical realm tends toward degradation whilethe pursuit of the spiritual realm tends toward enlightenment. Inthe middle is us, a synergy of the realms.

As you read further into this book, I will shed additional lightas to the meaning of it all.

So what is a beginning? Let's begin with the birth of a childas an appropriate starting point or beginning. Firstly, is this abeginning at all? I think most of us would say yes. I would sayno. Why? Because the birth of a child is a culmination of eventsthat took place far ahead of the birth event in the delivery room.Before there was a child, there was a mother and a father, whowould produce an egg and fertilize that egg, respectively. Inorder for them to perform that conception, they both would haveto receive the proper nutrients from the earth to enable theirbodies to produce healthy eggs and sperm. The nutrients wouldbe drawn from the soil, which, in reality, is the decomposition oforganic and inorganic material, the origin of the organic materialbeing waste products from living and decomposing plants andanimals.

I know this is pretty basic biology, but my emphasis is on thefact that many events must take place prior to an event, whichwe would term a beginning. Consider the death of an adult as anending. I would say that the life and death of any living organismis only a transition from the soil, back to the soil. Ashes to ashesand dust to dust, if you will. I'm sure by this time many of you areasking, "What about the soul?" I will only tell you at this time thatour souls are no exception to the transitional state of existence.They also have no beginning or ending.

Let me shift the discussion on beginnings and endings to amore abstract format, that of mathematics. In mathematics, wemake many assumptions or postulates, which lead us to a logicalconclusion. When studying numbers and fractions of numbers,we found that for every numerical value, there was alwaysanother numerical value either larger or smaller. In fact, thenumbers get so large or so small we assume they go on forever,and of course, they do. In advanced mathematics, equationstake on properties known as either convergence or divergence. Itsimply means that the resultant value either becomes extremelylarge or extremely small. Mathematicians then postulate thata divergent equation will eventually result in an infinitely largesolution or infinity, and a convergent equation will eventuallyresult in an infinitely small solution or zero.

So what does this have to do with anything? Simple.Mathematics assumes infinite values or infinity as a solution toexplaining the physical world. There is no beginning or endingto numerical values. The physical and spiritual worlds have noboundaries, no stops and starts, no beginnings or endings. Theones that we imagine as beginnings are only transitions fromanother form. The good news is that all events in the universetransition in cycles. It is the cycles in our lives that I believe giveus a sense of stability.

So here is my first set of rules for the day:

1. There is no such thing as a beginning or ending.

2. All things are in transition.

3. All transitions are cyclical.

You may ask the question, "If the universe is infinite, how canwe exist on a finite planet?" Mathematics once again providesthe solution. A line on a two-dimensional plane is consideredto have an infinite number of points along that line. Each point,or series of points, has a specific value or set of values. Thepoints can be grouped and segmented and are unique amongthemselves even though they exist on an infinite line. Earth,the sun, the solar system, and the Milky Way all exist within aninfinite universe. All can be defined as a point or set of points inspace. All are unique. We on Earth are finite portions of matter inan infinite sea of matter.

CHAPTER 2

Mother Earth

Sir Isaac Newton was a brilliant man. Why? Becausehe formulated three fundamental rules of physics, one ofwhich stated, "Matter can neither be created nor destroyed."I remember reading in my college freshman physics booka wonderful sentence at the beginning of one of the earlychapters. It stated that all the matter on Earth has been heresince its creation. Everything that exists on Earth today ismade up from the same matter as earlier civilizations and livingorganisms. Examine the world around you today. Absolutelyeverything you see, touch, smell, and taste is made up ofageless atoms and molecules that have been a part of Earthsince it was created from cosmic dust. And by the way, wheredid the cosmic dust come from originally? I'll get to that in a laterchapter.

What is not particularly obvious is that the world that we arefamiliar with during our lifetime is merely a temporary state ofmatter. Since most of our surroundings will be here well beyondour life spans, it is difficult to imagine Earth in any other form.

The atoms of matter contained in our bodies were once otherliving and nonliving things dwelling upon this planet. When wedie, our bodies will then help to make up living organisms in ourfuture. The cycle continues.

With this knowledge come some rather profound socialimplications. Remember that our predecessors are now a partof our living bodies. Who were our predecessors? Those of usin North America don't need to look too far into the past to findNative Americans, French, Spanish, and African Americans asjust a sample of other cultures sharing the same land beforeus. As difficult as it may seem to you, we now exist from someof the same matter as these people once did. We share theiratoms. We are all physically related to every living thing beforeus. Knowing this, prejudicial behavior toward your fellow humanbeing seems a little ridiculous.

We share the same planet.

We are the same planet.

Welcome to Mother Earth.

CHAPTER 3

The Perfect Computer:The Brain

You might think that it is kind of strange to think of your brainas a computer, but it truly is. We process incredible amounts ofinformation each day, which results in a daily pattern or routine.Of course, some days don't always end up in the routine mannerin which we would like. In these instances, we now have to relyon our experiences. To do that, first we have to have some.

From our birth, our mind is subjected to a wide range ofinputs. Some come from our home environments, and somecome from the environments of other families, outdoor activities,or formal education. Each one serves to program our brain tofunction in a logical and socially acceptable manner. Whatdetermines that acceptable manner depends on the sourceof the input. In other words, how we think depends on othersaround us and the physical world around us. Additionally, sinceour brain functions as a result of chemical reactions, we mustalso consider the effects of nutrition on the thought process.

Neural pathways in the brain are formed from repetitionand continual use. Without proper nutrition to sustain cellgrowth, neural pathways in our brains will not properly processinformation necessary to perform complex tasks.

Where I am heading with all this discussion is the foundationfor discovering abnormal behavior and brain dysfunction. Inother words, why can't we all think alike and behave in sociallyacceptable manners? The answers are really quite obvious butnot simple to remedy.

The ability for our brains to function properly depends ona "normal" home environment coupled with proper nutrition.Proper nutrition also includes the nutrition of the motherduring pregnancy, and the lack of chemical contaminants inher bloodstream. Also, the mother's ability to provide nutrientsto the growing child depends on the mother's mother. Everygeneration is dependent on the previous ones to provide ahealthy foundation for proper growth.

Drugs, food additives, preservatives, pesticides, herbicides,and unbalanced diets will eventually result in inferior cell growthin children from generation to generation. This includes thedevelopment of the brain, central nervous system, bone andmuscle growth, and the ability of women to give birth to healthybabies.

After decades of human consumptionof these products, we are only nowbeginning to understand the long-termconsequences of ingesting food additives.Although many additives help to preventthe ingestion of toxic bacteria, such asbutylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylatedhydroxyanisole (BHA), many others, suchas food colorings, may do more harm thangood. Nitrites, which are widely used aspreservatives, can lead to certain forms ofcancer if converted to nitrosamines within thebody or if consumed in large enough quantities.Aspartame, a common sugar substitute in softdrinks, chewing gum and desserts has now beenlinked to multiple health risks includingbrain damage, depression, vision and auditoryloss and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Those of uswho consume the majority of our diets fromprocessed food sources are multiplying the illeffects of these additives.

In recent years, we have seen theintroduction of organically produced foodproducts, which are supposed to be lowerin pesticides and nitrates (fertilizer).Unfortunately, through extensive testing,these products have not been found to beappreciably lower in harmful chemicals. Whatmakes these food products potentially morebeneficial for consumption is the use ofvitamin E as a food preservative in lieu ofother chemical compounds. Flash freezing hasalso been helpful in reducing the amounts ofchemical preservatives required to minimizethe spoilage in produce and fish. The bottomline is, buy fresh, cook fresh, and avoid anoverabundance of processed foods. And yes,this means eating more fruits and vegetablesand avoiding processed sugar. Mom was rightafter all!

Now comes the really hard part. How do we provide a"normal" home environment? I have to use quotations aroundthe word normal since there really doesn't seem to be a standardfor normality. If your normal home environment includes spouseabuse, drug abuse, or child abuse, then your brain will perceivethis as normal behavior. Your mind will become programmed toaccept this as socially acceptable. The neural network will beestablished in your brain. If your home environment includespraise for good behavior, physical exercise as a daily routine,and nutritional education, your brain will develop to accept theseas normal behaviors.

The priorities we establish as adults are directly related toour normal home environment and the nutritional needs ofour bodies. Abnormal behavior and dysfunction now becomemore a result of home environment and nutrition than physicalabnormalities. (Although the latter can produce further-reachingdamage.)

Once we establish genetic disorders within our society, weare apt to face some frightening revelations. As much as wewould like to distance ourselves from the personalities of ourparents, we are destined to exhibit neurological patterns similarto our parents. Hormonal development, musculature, height,weight, and skin and hair color are all genetically transmitted toour offspring. I refer to this trait as "genetic memory."

One more trait that we often dispel, but must face, isdemeanor. In animal breeding, it is known as temperament.For centuries we have selected and bred domesticated animalsbased on their physical attributes and temperament. We havebypassed natural selection and have "fine-tuned" various speciesto our liking. The human species, for the most part, has been leftto its own to procreate unfettered or freely. This does not posea problem genetically until the world becomes saturated withhuman beings, as it is now.

Countries with high education standards and strong industrialbases have faced this dilemma by instituting sophisticated birthcontrol measures. Family size is limited to coincide with mortalityrates of their countries. Smaller family size also equates to lowerfinancial burden for the parents and a more intimate interactionof the parents with the children. Fertile lands are left untouchedby human encroachment and thereby produce food quantitiesequal to consumption.

Recent studies have shown that as educationlevels of females in a society have increased,birthrates have dropped. Women who stayin school longer are less likely to becomepregnant than those women who drop out ofschool or only finish a primary education. Whenthey do have children, they are older, moreaffluent, and tend to only conceive one to twochildren, total.

Underdeveloped countries with uneducated populationsreproduce at a rate unrelated to mortality rates. Large familysize is a plus, enabling young children to drop out of school,secure a job, and bring money back to the parents. Jobs arescarce since so many people need jobs. Pay is low since theworkforce is large, and the workers are limited due to their pooreducation. Industrialization is minimal. Parental supervision isminimal. Teen pregnancies abound. Fertile lands are needed forhousing, resulting in inadequate food production for an increasingpopulation. Disease and starvation ensue.

The earth has a finite limit to foodproduction and freshwater supplies, so itfollows that the more humans that inhabit theearth, the fewer natural resources will beavailable for consumption. With fewer humans,a greater standard of living will prevail(food, space, and energy). With more humans,a reduced standard of living will prevail. Inshort, more for less, less for more.

Nature chooses its own solution to curb humanoverpopulation. What we in the United States are currentlycoming to realize is that young segments of our own societyare behaving like underdeveloped nations. Lack of parentalsupervision results in poor education, resulting in early dropouts,resulting in low-paying jobs or no job at all, resulting in teenpregnancies, resulting eventually into an unqualified workforceincapable of sustaining an industrialized economy. Individualscaught up in this cycle seem to gravitate to others in the samedilemma. Their demeanors are similar. They tend to produceoffspring with similar temperaments. Drug and alcohol abuse isrampant. Children of these parents many times are born withpreexisting cocaine addictions or fetal alcohol syndrome. Geneticdisorder has been established. Birth control is nonexistent, sofamily size tends to be large. Interpersonal relationships betweenthe mother and father are severely strained due to limitedscholastic or spiritual development. Divorce usually ensues,assuming wedding vows were ever exchanged. Drive andambition tend to be low due to a general feeling of hopelessness.Those that overcome their plight may find it difficult to succeedbecause of limited cognitive ability. Hence, the cycle continues.

Over time, these small segments will become large enoughto create an enormous strain on our resources. There willbecome an ever-increasing division between the educated anduneducated. Civil unrest and crime will pervade our society. Howwe change this pattern to influence our future will be discussedin a future chapter.

Since I wrote this chapter fifteen years ago,do you think that this prediction was accurateor not?