Boundaries, Not Really

Even though we may become numb to the outside world, our connection with it never ceases. The level of awareness and sensitivity we have to the universe, inside and out, is always present. This isn't even meant in a theoretically way. We never truly lose that boundless, vibrant state. We can always move beyond our boundaries because, they're not truly boundaries, not really. They exist, sure, and it's our own willingness, our own action of blockage, yes, but to move past them is as direct as moving your arm forward, opening your eyes, or, no, even easier: breathing. It's just there. Feel the air inhale, exhale.

It's difficult to describe it but, our sensitivity to the subtle bodies, including our own, is heightened when we are less inhibited by our own conditioning. "I can't feel this, I can't connect to another's soul, feel their emotions, No way! What am I, a sage?"

Personally I often forget about it, I drift back into a normal, bounded state of affairs. Where we must pick up what others think and feel by clues they give. Where we often hold up our personal fortress and interact with the world through a fence. Sometimes it's so easy to forget that's all artificial, and not realize that being open and boundless is actually a release from such heavy, convoluted mannerisms. It's already, always present. Your fear, your will, your "i" shouting in the night is the only act of refusal. Release, open, and swim a little in the river. For in truth, "simply being" is closer to you than your own breath.

A look at the First Issue

So, it's out! We had to do cut it in half, and then use a different binding form, but it's out! So far the feedback is great and we have received decent funding for next year.  I have the PDF version of the issue too, but I'm not sure where I'd actually host the file. Therefore, if you want the PDF, just email me and I'll send it via gmail. We made 150 copies in all, spread them around and passed them out. I still have about half of a box in my room. We'll be sure to hand them out come next week. All in all I consider it a success. Next year, we will be working closely with the Sociology Department, and hopefully the English department, creating workshops and hosting Spiral Dynamics/Integral presentations. Exciting indeed...

Kosmos is Published!

Yes, it's out. Some pictures to come!

Sunset in the Distance

So, I was talking with the head of the Philosophy Club, and the philosophy advisor at our school. The president of the club, a graduating senior, is stepping down with nobody to replace him. I offered to take over and reboot the philosophy club. If I have time today, I'll meet with him and our advisor to see what we can do. If this is approved, we'll have an awesome kick-start to next semester. Having started philosophy club in my previous school, this is nothing short of exciting. Weekly meetings where tutoring, discussion topics and much more will be offered. Plus, since these are relatively basic events, we will have plenty of time for Kosmos. Adding to that, people who join the club will be welcome to write for Kosmos, our cross-disciplinary magazine. More on this later...

To the Printers

After a long series of email attachments and red tape, Kosmos is set to come out this wednesday. It's being sent to the duplicating center today (I sure hope it works out). If not, our budget may be cut for next semester. I have hope though. We'll see how the school receives the magazine...

In the meantime, I've been working on a coherent summary of my thesis. I believe I can sum it up in a few short sentences now (What I've been trying to do for a while). The thesis is this: In order to understand society in deeper, inclusive and more helpful levels, we must understand how perception molds our reality, and consequently the way we interact with the world. Our identity evolves as our consciousness does, gradually becoming more inclusive and complex. Often enough, we limit our perception by imposing boundaries on self and other- this simple distinction has aided in creating a culture rich in philosophy, and a world ravaged by duality. Nonetheless, in order to approach the grave issues of war, poverty, ecology and identity, we must see how such a dualistic view of ourselves in relation to the world has been a major source to our troubles. Understanding this will open up new gateways of understanding we may have not thought possible before, but we must look in directions that are often remote from the bookshelves of Universities.

That's all I have for now. I was reading No Boundary on the train today and realized that Wilber was writing along the same lines I was trying to- in a sense. I'm definitely going to use that book for a source, along with Alan Watt's "Man, Nature and Woman." In order to get my thesis approved, I'll have to look at some more traditional writers who are commonly found in Sociology. They can be used too....

Sinking Clouds= Thesis?

The future of sociology will not just be juggling complex theoretical differences and political strife, but also understanding the underlying causes behind our suffering, so that we may at last transcend it. Sociology will offer us a more inclusive picture of humanity, rather than a fragmented one.

Introducing the Ion Engine

This new "electric propulsion system" enables long distance space travel by harnessing the power of the sun to charge its ion engines. This sci-fi looking ship is being developed by the European Space Program to map out the gravity of Earth, but the hype right now is all about it's potential for true space travel without the need of fossil fuels. I found this at work this morning, and I couldn't help but have a huge grin on my face. The ion engine will be tested first with the GOCE spacecraft, seen on the left.

30 years in the making, the new ion engine may just open up the doors to the frontier of space travel, making manned missions to distant worlds a reality for the next few generations (Perhaps even our own, if you're thinking Mars).

The technology is complicated, yet elegant. The BBC article explains,

"These are the xenon pumps and these are cooled down by the helium compressors to approximately 20 degrees Kelvin," he explains.
"So any gas atoms that strike those panels, they freeze. After you've been running the engines for a number of hours you can see a frost - it looks like snow - which is actually frozen air and xenon."
During testing, the engine fires ions towards the opposite end of the chamber, which has a protective coating of graphite.
"The ions are travelling very fast, at approximately 50km a second," he says.
"When they strike the other end of the chamber, they actually knock atoms off the surfaces they strike; it's analogous to sand-blasting on an atomic level."

Imagine the vastness between the planets, where worlds are but dots in the distance. The only thing you can see is the exhaust from ion engines- pale blue streams dispelling into the darkness, like comet tails. With a closer look, you can see fleets of ships powered by ion engines, traveling to a new colony on Mars, or even Titan or Europa.

If humanity survives this century, we may see such sights more commonly.