Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Chaos & Ignorance


California’s recent pension reform bill conflicts with Federal law regarding union members at transit districts receiving Federal aid. Missing that $1.6 billion in aid has caused a halt in funding that threatens millions of daily bus and train riders. The legislature is quickly adopting the necessary changes which will add even more uncertainty to the budgetary process.  But between the time that bill passes and the aid returns the Sacramento Regional Transit District may lose up to 10% of its current budget. Other transit districts are presumably in the same situation.  Whatever one may think of Jerry Brown’s political positions, he is intelligent and knowledgeable. The same probably holds generally true for his staff and the Legislature. Am I to assume that ignorance is the answer for passing illegal legislation? If that is the only explanation than this is not liberal government or conservative government but rather chaos government. I find this frightening.

Many people question or lose their faith because of some inconsistencies in the Bible. And while most scholars agree that both the New and Old Testaments contain inconsistencies, inconsistencies are inherent in sacred writings from many faiths and traditions. Some may reductively express this as being like a Zen riddle. Personally, I feel that sacred texts are meant to prompt you to resolve the so called inconsistencies. It’s a set up for an internal experience. They are not meant for idle readers. Many people seem to be criticizing from ignorance. 

A very pious physicist once told me something amazing.  Assuming that you accept Einstein’s theory of relativity  that time expands as you move outward  from the center of the universe, then the earth is the billions of years old that official science states. But if you measure that same elapsed time from the center of the universe, what  some call the eye of God  and others ground zero for the big bang, then the earth is exactly as old as the Bible states.   So not only is the accuracy of the Bible reinforced, but the writers- the transcribers from divine intelligence- were in tune with something beyond most current awareness. If what I have said is true, then why isn’t this front page news? Couldn’t this information eliminate much acrimonious and passionate debate which may, in fact, be false?

Are we becoming, as many social critics advocate, more ignorant as a people? Does this create chaos as a natural outcome? Is there more to come?


Copyright 2013, Mark L. Bennett