My Sunday Thought for 041617: Initium Enim Prope Est

"Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking.”

-- Stephen Hawking

We look to the horizon and await the dawn of forever. Ancient knowledge, long lost, is being rediscovered by open minds undeterred by that which they're told can't be accomplished. We use to dream of the unattainable, and now we are discovering the unattainable is simply our inability to see the appropriate path. Our predilection for 'failure before trying' has given way to the constant proof that what we are told is unattainable, consistently is being attained. Science fiction brings new ideas to the forefront of our imagination so those seekers among us can make the fiction become fact.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.  

To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”

-- R. Buckminster Fuller

Naysayers only fuel the mind of the seeker.  Tell a seeker they can't and watch them prove you wrong, maybe not today or tomorrow, but they will not stop until they succeed or die in the effort.  And if they should die, there will always be another seeker to take up their mantle and continue the search.  This is who we are, what we are and, most importantly, why we are.  Seeking knowledge is how we are genetically programmed.

“Do not let the memories of your past limit the potential of your future. There are no limits to what you can achieve on your journey through life, except in your mind.”

-- Roy T. Bennett

We were created in the image of God, but it was left up to us, through freedom of choice, to discover how to become the beings God intended.  A parent cannot, simply, declare a child is an adult and expect the child will know all which being an adult entails.  The child must learn to crawl before it flies.  We must learn, for ourselves, to understand the knowledge which will make us as righteous, moral, gods before our creator.  Once we have the knowledge we will begin to also understand the true path which God has set for us, as well as our place, in this universe - and in the next.

Today we are proving thought has substance, is tangible, and the power of the mind is actually a controllable physical manifestation we have forgotten how to utilize.  The age of revelation, the great unveiling of forgotten knowledge, the new beginning, is upon us.  Can we transplant a human head?  Can we transfer our consciousness into an interstellar vehicle for space exploration?  Can we control matter and time with our minds? Are we mature enough to move forward down this path, daring to count ourselves among the gods, and stand with our creator?

The beginning is nearer than we think, and I can't wait to find out what lies ahead.

“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” 

-- Marcus Aurelius

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 23 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with an Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects in pharmaceutical research.  Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, to wage battle in the guise of the Congregation's official, online, blog, "The Path," of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteers as lead chaplain, and Chaplain Liaison, at a regional medical center.