Aristotle . . . On Metaphysics . . . "This wondering is aroused, first by trivial things, and then by more weighty matters such as the very meaning of the universe and man."   Article . . . posted 5/22/06 . . . Science, Metaphysical Science, Wisdom, Power, and . . . Hope Jet Dana Part I of IV Metaphysical Science relates to the philosophical study of the nature of being and beings.  If “meta” means later or behind; as well as beyond or transcending; and “physics” relates to the study of physical forces and qualities, then, putting them together, we could say that metaphysics, in a sense, circles physics, like covered  wagons around a campfire.  We might say it comes before physical science, during physical science and even after physical science. It is the Wisdom of the Ancients, lost or discounted for centuries - in favor of the nuts and bolts of modern science; but rediscovered in the light of the parallel of its wisdom with the basic precepts of religion and science.  In short, it is “what is.”   It opens up the doors of the mind, the heart, and the soul to the amazing potential we all hold within us.  In fact, As A Man Thinketh, James Allen (Leicester, England 1864 - 1912) a basic metaphysical primer, and Norman Vincent Peale’s, The Power of Positive Thinking, have become the basis for much of the self-help industry and many of the motivational speakers so well-known today.  More recently, there has been much in the media, indicating a rise in the interest level of the general public about the common ground that science and metaphysics have finally found, such as:   12/20/01, The Science of God, A Stunning New View, Reader’s Digest;  8/4/04 , The Science of Meditation,  Time magazine;  9/27/04, The New Science of Mind & Body, Newsweek;  and (not so new; but an astounding revelation) 8/82, Wisdom & Power, A general Systems Analysis of the Inner Side Of Tai Chi, Inside Kung Fu magazine . . . just to name a few and not even mentioning the proliferation of New Age websites (over two million at last count) and Web publications.  For example from the above mentioned article, The Science of God, Vince Rause. . . as the new field of Neurotheology emerges exploring the links between spirituality and the brain, and with the help of an imaging technology know as SPECT,  Andrew Newberg, a radiologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a leader in this groundbreaking field teamed up with psychiatrist and anthropologist, Eugene d”Aquili to map the brains of Tibetan Buddhists meditating and Franciscan nuns in deep, meditative prayer.  They were successful in proving . . . a “higher reality” may very well exist!  They determined . . .  that the part of the brain that is affected during deep prayer and meditation is the part  . . . that defines self!   At peak moments of prayer and meditation, the subject would experience a sense of limitless awareness; of melting into infinite space; of achieving what the Buddhists call Nirvana, what the Hindu call Moksha, and what the Christians might call Communion with God . . . not personal, conscious states of bliss . . . but a loss of individual personality when one is merged with the All! In Wisdom & Power, Gregory Ellison puzzled aloud over the lack of information as to the softer side of Tai Chi . . . an ancient discipline based on what is probably one of the oldest recorded systems of thought in the world, having its roots inTaoism ( Lao Tzu, Sixth Century B.C.), a path to wisdom or enlightenment.  To fill this gap, he wrote a brilliant and comprehensive analysis of its depth and power and compared and connected its philosophies on the nature of reality with the principles of general science, applicable to all systems, whatever those systems might be . . .  atoms, molecules, humans, civilization, or galaxies.  The study of these general principles that apply to all systems and all branches of science is called the General Systems Theory, a contemporary (if not “the most” contemporary) system of thought which recognizes that no real, solid things exist; that if we look closely at anything, we will discover that it is really a system composed of smaller things, which are also systems composed of smaller things, perhaps ad infinitum.  Most physicists today agree that there is no actual solid stuff anywhere in the universe.  Ellison used this comparison to GST to take an objective look at the very subjective subject of wisdom, and came up with an amazing number of hard and fast connections between these two models of reality.  He connected, for example: “Taoism, the philosophy of Lao Tzu, based on the idea that all things are related and interconnected; so that the most profound secrets of the universe can be discovered in even the simplest objects and actions”  - with "Holism, an advanced paradigm of modern quantum physics, which states that all of physical reality is a complex, interconnected “web” of forces and energies” and that . . . “like a multi-dimensional hologram . . . the entire universe is contained or reflected within every separate part” “Chi, the mysterious, non-physical vital energy of Tai Chi and many other arts, thought to be the source of all life” - with "Negentrophy, short for negative entropy, the non-physical ordering principle of life, the source of intelligence, evolution and metabolism; the principle which accounts for the fact that a living organism is always more than the sum of its separate parts” “the I Ching, the ancient Chinese Book of Change which describes an orderly pattern of change occurring in 64 archetypal hexagrams, each representing a particular stage in the cycle of change, thought to describe the basic structure of all possible changes and events in the universe upon which much of the Tai Chi philosophy is built” – with "Isomorphism, the central thesis of GST which concludes that every system is isomorphic” (comparable; connected by similarities; having the same structure) “with the organization of every other system.”  (Interestingly enough, the 64 molecular “code words” of the DNA – the basic blueprint for all living creatures – has the same formal structure as the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching!) “Yin & Yang, the doctrine that supposes that everything in the universe is governed by two opposite tendencies and their orderly interaction” - with "Polarity, the doctrine that declares all systems are ultimately composed of positive and negative forces (waves, particles, fields, etc) and their orderly interactions” “Balance-In-Change, the Tai Chi of remaining gracefully balanced at all times, even while moving” - with "Equilibrium, the cybernetic principle that theorizes that all systems seek a dynamic balance, even while changing” In the end, he defines Wisdom as, “the ability to understand these great systems of life and to follow them with one’s mind and spirit,” and Power as, “The ability to follow them with one’s body” . . . working together in the synthesis of mind, body, and spirit . . . in Wisdom & Power;  and he summarizes, saying that “both Tai Chi and the General Systems Theory are built around the idea that the same general principles of organization and change can be found to apply to all particular situations, whether we describe these general principles in scientific or philosophical terms.  The “wise” man or woman, then, is one who can understand the eternal within the transitory,  for such a person will be able to deal powerfully, compassionately and harmoniously with all particular situations; for Wisdom is the ability to apply general understandings to particular situations,”  . . . and Power, then, as well as any Hope for the future, would come from following this path of Wisdom, without flinching, without blinking, without a moment's pause; no hesitation, never stopping,  never side-stepping, not reversing course and never deviating, not even for a moment; not  even for one second . . . moving perpetually forward . . . out of the darkness . . . into the light . . . of Wisdom, Power, and . . . Hope. Scroll down for Part II . . .           Science, Metaphysical Science, Wisdom, Power, and . . . Hope Jet Dana Part II of IV In Part I we established that Metaphysical Science, the Wisdom of the Ancients, lost or discounted for centuries in favor of the nuts and bolts of modern science, has recently been rediscovered in light of the parallel of its wisdom with the basic precepts of religion and science, and we demonstrated some of those connections. Ancient wisdoms are often discounted because, some say, they have their foundation in “Magic Thinking.”   Hmmmm.   Should people completely discount something they can’t see, or simply just don’t understand?  We can’t see gravity, but since we don’t go flying off the Earth as it rotates on its axis, we can assume that this force arbitrarily called gravity exists.  We can’t necessarily see the results of “mind over matter” concepts, but there is all kinds of evidence around us everyday; stories of determination, inner strength, confidence, and for many, belief in a power greater than themselves having helped someone (or, in fact, many someones), overcome serious disadvantages and/or achieve at the highest possible level in spite of impossible circumstances.  There are those who believe that mindset is intricate to success; that setting goals and reviewing them daily engages our subconscious in becoming a filter, helping us to become aware, then, of information and opportunities that will further these goals.  Combining this process with visualization; mental, emotional and spiritual exercise; physical exercise; and, finally with balance, determination and dedication to a cause, we have what many believe to be the basic recipe for success.  Is this  . . . mind over matter . . . part and parcel of a winning attitude?  Or, as some would call it, is this . . . “Magic Thinking?”  It has been proven that these same applications enable the masters of various religions, disciplines or philosophies, the enlightened ones, to achieve the highest level of prayer and/or meditation; to walk across burning coals, etc; and these same principles are used more and more to combat the issues of ill health. . . to lower blood pressure, for example; or as a basic healing tool (8/4/03, The Science of Meditation, Time Magazine).  “Magic Thinking?”  Bah . . . humbug! It takes “Magic Thinking” just to get through the day, sometimes; and during an emotional crisis, it might take a lot of  “Magic Thinking”  to get through even one night; but that’s another topic. I believe there are better applications for the term “Magic Thinking.”  I believe, and, as well, I feel that many would agree that this term better describes the mindset of some at the highest levels of government and other institutions when they believe . . .  . . .  that saying one thing and doing another, or saying something is happening for one reason when it is obviously happening for another, believing all the while that all of this is not going to be noticed and questioned.  This is, more accurately, “Magic Thinking.”   From Gregory Ellison (8/82, Wisdom & Power, A general Systems Analysis of the Inner Side Of Tai Chi, Inside Kung Fu magazine), “Truth is what is . . . not what we say about what is.” . . . that continuing to ignore the issues of a world out of balance . . .  a plagued and overburdened environment, creatures on or soon-to-be on the endangered species list, rainforests . . . needed to hold the moisture in our biosphere and providing some of our most valued and important resources . . .diminishing at an alarming rate, a depressed (regardless what the “numbers” say) economy, increasing  corruption and violence . . . gang warfare,  rape, murder . . . and other problems of society, tainted water supplies, global warming and its effect on our weather and beyond (melting ice caps, artic animals without habitat, rising levels of ocean waters, entire islands becoming uninhabitable as they fall below sea level, etc.) . . . will not eventually destroy this planet and everyone and everything in it.  . . . that systematically destroying the very planet that gives us life in some completely illogical attempt to support a supra-materialistic lifestyle that is, unfortunately, due to the limited resources of this planet, unsustainable. . is OK; that if we just ignore the inevitability of it all, the problem will just go away.  The indigenous tribes were (and where they still exist many still are) the exclusive guardians of this Earth; of this planet’s biological reserves (1998, Indigenous Peoples, Why and How we should support the Cause, Jean-Philippe Soule, www.nativeplanet.org).  Their lifestyles are models for practice of sustained consumption of resources.  Indigenous tribes are taught to be constantly grateful for the bounty of the Earth lest it be destroyed by inattention.  Shouldn’t we be learning from them rather than destroying them or conveniently letting them destroy each other . . . giving us, coincidentally, easier access to the resources of their land . . .  . . .that continuing to develop nuclear energy . . . without a moratorium . . . to give us time to step back; to work out the logistics of  how to deal with this volatile technology that currently hurts us as much as it helps us (leaks, storage, terrorist target, transport, theft of materials to develop nuclear weapons, health issues; see http://www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/ ); as well as to investigate and analyze the necessity and true value of it in view of other available sources of energy (such as solar, wind, and water power and vegetable fuels which are less costly and significantly less volatile, and electromagnetic energy, which is free, coming right out of the air around us, but not promoted, most likely, because . . . there is no way for anyone to make massive amounts of money with it . . .and more; so much more) . . .will not further poison and endanger, not to mention destroy, our environment as well as the people and creatures in it and the planet itself.  (Search “free energy” on the web.) . . .that it is not completely crazy  . . . humanity, having grown at a much faster pace from a science and technology point of view than at a moral, spiritual, emotional level and, basically, still in evolutionary infancy,  even having access to nuclear weapons.  (From General Omar Bradley, Mother Earth News, Nov/Dec 1984, "We have grasped the mystery of tha atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount . . . ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants.  We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we do about living."  It is in the same fashion as a very intelligent pre-teen who understands the basic concept of driving having access to a very large and dangerously fast car . . . and proceeding to drive it . . . drunk.  This act puts everyone and everything at risk . . . much as we are putting life as we know it at risk, because, just as this teen, young and immature and further impaired by alcohol . . . we are as a civilization young, and, therefore, from a higher consciousness point of view, relatively immature, and, as some might say, slightly tipsy if not drunk with egocentric power . . .  not knowing . . . what it is we do not know. . . but still believing, as the young teen might, that we are capable of handling such awesome responsibility.  . . . that killing everybody else on the planet to impose upon them our values while, incidentally, acquiring their resources so we can live at this level just a little bit longer, until THOSE resources run out is OK.  Even as we minimize the atrocity and dehumanize the dead by referring to them as “human collateral,” we know somewhere deep within us that this can not possibly be considered as correct action; not by any culture; not by any religion or philosophy . . . not on any day of the week, month, year, or century; that there has got to be another way.  Just as a rock tossed into the center of a pond sets off actions and reactions, visual at first, but continuing on at levels imperceptible to our senses . . . perhaps ad infinitum; so it is with actions and even words set into motion.  There is a need to analyze the action . . . against the long-term reaction; a need to analyze current situations and potential actions against probable solutions and results and and hold them up to the light of  true history; plotting a course, then, applying the Wisdom, as defined by Gregory Ellison, that we have gained by going through this process, and drawing, in the end, the necessary conclusions that will enable us to move forward in the spirit of what Ellison describes as Wisdom and Power; “Understanding the eternal within the transitory, applying the principles of Wisdom, and then being able to deal powerfully, compassionately and harmoniously with all particular situations” . . . and, let’s add . . . to the benefit of everyone and everything . . .with hope for the future.  Scroll down for Part III       Science, Metaphysical Science, Wisdom, Power, and . . . Hope Jet Dana Part III of IV In Part I we established that Metaphysical Science, the Wisdom of the Ancients, lost or discounted for centuries in favor of the nuts and bolts of modern science, has recently been rediscovered in light of the parallel of its wisdom with the basic precepts of religion and science, and we demonstrated some of those connections.  In Part II we explored the fact that ancient wisdoms are often discounted because, some say, they have their foundation in “Magic Thinking,”  and we discussed some “mind-over-matter” disciplines which could potentially be labeled by some as examples of “Magic Thinking’ . . . except for the mounting body of evidence supporting the fact that many of these principles do, indeed, work.  We also determined that the term “Magic Thinking” might have better applications, such as describing the mindset of those in power who believe that no one will eventually notice and question reckless, egocentric applications of authority with little regard for anything other than fulfilling immediate needs (as well as probably building personal fortunes; but that is another subject) and those in power who believe that a kamikaze approach to preserving an unsustainable status quo while wreaking complete havoc on mankind as well as on every species that inhabits the Earth, and on the Earth itself . . . is somehow OK. There is an illusive nature to truth.  Some people seem to start out in public-trust positions aligning themselves with obvious truth; being as forthright as possible.  Then, all too often, once they gain the needed trust and respect, knowing that people stop watching, they begin. They change; shape shift, inserting a different brand of truth into their program.  Catching a now trusting public entirely off guard, they slowly divert the river of reality onto a shadowy new course.  Successfully distorting our perceptions – grain by grain – they, without anyone even noticing, change the course of history; the future of the planet itself.  With this masterful sleight of hand, they create the “grand illusion,” a version of reality that plays out for most of us in some garbled, non sequitur fashion in some language that sounds only remotely familiar.  We’re straining to hear, to understand, to ‘’see” what is really going on; but we’re not quite getting it –and we are at a loss to understand why.  We don’t realize that our vision and, therefore, our understanding are obscured by the thick colored lens of “perception management,” a device our government uses in creating “spin,” a form of misdirection that favors its own interest.  (www.comw.org/pda/staff.html) Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us of the misplaced power of the military-industrial machine and pleaded with us to be alert and knowledgeable citizenry on perpetual guard.  Even Abe Lincoln warned . . . “As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed.” This is chilling, especially in light of the testimony of Dr. Carol Rosin, the first woman corporate manager of Fairchild Industries, and the spokesperson for Wernher Von Braun, the founder of modern rocket science, in the last years of his life.  She, before Congress, indicated that Von Braun had warned her that our enemies are, basically, predetermined; first, the Russians (“In fact, in 1974, they were the enemy, the identified enemy.  We were told that they had “killer satellites,”   We were told that they were coming to get us and control us – that they were Commies.”), following that, the terrorists would be identified (and that was soon to follow;), next would come the third-world country “crazies” who would come to be known as the “Nations of Concern,” then asteroids, and then, finally, come the “space aliens.”  All of this propaganda is designed to lay the ground-work for the need for space-based weapons; the purpose of which is to make the power elite that much richer and that much more powerful.  (Note:  In 1977, Von Braun also talked of the upcoming “Gulf War”) At this point you might say, yes, but . . . 9/11 was very real.  And then I would suggest you ask yourself, yes but . . . WHY was it real.  Think of all the non-sequitur events relating to 9/11.  Think of the warnings not heeded; of the fact that in this day and age, our own planes were allowed to be hijacked and used as weapons against us; of the old and solid connections between Bush and the Bin Laden family , of the Bin Laden family being allowed to fly out of the US that day; of the failure to capitalize on the many leads to capture Bin Laden, and, finally, what would Bush have used as a political platform had 9/11 NOT occurred?  I have no answers; no one does, really, but . . . there are certainly enough questions . . . to raise even more questions. Dr. Rosin founded the Institute for Security and Cooperation in Outer Space, in Washington, DC.  She and many others believe that the solutions to Earth’s urgent and long-term potential problems are there; that there is a system that could be built in space “that would benefit every single person, all of the animals, and the environment of the planet.” (Check out www.peaceinspace.com as well as www.seaspower.com; SEAS standing for Space Energy Access Systems).  She believes that wars still occur because they are a cooperative effort from which too many people benefit as well as there are others who seem to believe Armageddon should happen; that we have to have these wars.  They either want war; or they accept war, due to programmed beliefs, as an inevitability. What she believes is that the game of war can be transformed “with just a decision based on our highest consciousness, our spirituality, and on the fact that we have no choice unless we all want to die; and . . . we don’t.  So we can all benefit financially, spiritually, socially, psychologically;  it is technologically and politically feasible to transform this game now, and everybody will benefit.” Taking lives to acquire control of resources may serve a momentary strategic, political, economic, and military purpose, even as it is knocking us completely out of spiritual balance and turning up the voltage of distrust, anger, and even hatred against us.  These actions, however, can not and do not serve any good purpose . . . in the long-term.  This is clearly illustrated in the recently released book Overthrow, America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq, by Stephen Kinzer, who, having had a long affiliation with the New York Times, has reported from more than fifty countries and served as the paper’s bureau chief in Turkey, Germany and Nicaragua, and who has the perspective to analyze and draw informed and educated conclusions about the long-term affects of this kind of political activity. Mostly, with the exception of probably only Hawaii, it can be summarized as “short-term gain” but “long-term hardship!” Moving forward from here, our hope for the future and the real test of the greatness of any individual as well as of any nation will be the ability to achieve through diplomacy what would have, in the dark times of the past, been achieved through violence, killing, and war.  This is now . . . and will be even more so . . . in time to come!  The risk is too great . . . to have it any other way!  There is a need to assess our strategies against the backdrop of true history and find ways of confronting issues . . . in a non-confrontational and fair way . . . with respect for all the living creatures across the planet, acknowledgement of everyone’s right to life, and consideration for the needs of everyone and everything, including our host planet; applying the Wisdom, as defined by Gregory Ellison, (8/82, Wisdom and Power, A general Systems Analysis of the Inner Side Of Tai Chi, Inside Kung Fu magazine) that we have gained by going through this process, and drawing, in the end, the necessary conclusions that will enable us to move forward in the spirit of what Ellison describes as Wisdom and Power; “Understanding the eternal within the transitory, applying the principles of Wisdom, and then being able to deal powerfully, compassionately and harmoniously with all particular situations” . . .  to the benefit of everyone and everything . . .with hope for the future.  Scroll down for Part IV     Closed Doors   What do important men do, behind closed doors? Or maybe – it’s blasphemy to ask I know the impropriety of breaking protocol But there are situations - impossible to grasp   When you consider that you are who you are when you’re alone And that silence is the same thing as consent With the way the world is going and the headlines in the news You have to wonder, moral worth, where it up and went   If you peeled back the layers – of what seemed to be conviction More likely you will find – a tangled web of contradiction – Serving interests other than – those of humanity Fueled by vengeance, greed, power; deviant sexuality   Whispered conspiracies behind closed doors Lead to not-so-quiet heresies and ethnocentric wars Truth will be told; the future will reveal it But the future of this world, will these men have saved – or sealed it?         Science, Metaphysical Science, Wisdom, Power, and . . . Hope Jet Dana Part IV   In Part I we established that Metaphysical Science, the Wisdom of the Ancients, lost or discounted for centuries in favor of the nuts and bolts of modern science, has recently been rediscovered in light of the parallel of its wisdom with the basic precepts of religion and science, and we demonstrated some of those connections.  In Part II we explored the fact that ancient wisdoms are often discounted because, some say, they have their foundation in “Magic Thinking,”  and we discussed some “mind-over-matter” disciplines which could potentially be labeled by some as examples of “Magic Thinking’ . . . except for the mounting body of evidence supporting the fact that many of these principles do, indeed, work.  We also determined that the term “Magic Thinking” might have better applications, such as describing the mindset of those in power who believe that no one will eventually notice and question reckless, egocentric applications of authority with little regard for anything other than fulfilling immediate needs (as well as probably building personal fortunes; but that is another subject) and those in power who believe that a kamikaze approach to preserving an unsustainable status quo while wreaking complete havoc on mankind as well as on every species that inhabits the Earth, and on the Earth itself . . . is somehow OK. In Part III we examined the illusive nature of truth and how our destinies could very well be being choreographed by those puppeteers, the moneyed elite, that play, as Dr. Carol Rosin, the first woman corporate manager of Fairchild Industries, and the spokesperson for Wernher Von Braun, the founder of modern rocket science, in the last years of his life, so aptly puts it “an old, dangerous, costly game for their own pocketbooks and power struggle.” Now, where do we go from here? Albert Einstein said, “The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything.  Until the fallacy of dominance is exposed, understood, and discarded, life on Earth will be in ever greater peril." (Mother Earth News Nov/Dec 1984). "Creating a just and lasting peace . . . in the long-run, is the only real way to protect ourselves against terrorism.” (A Vision of Peace, Lawrence M. Hinman)  In short . . . war is obsolete . . . except as an absolute last resort . . . post . . . as well as pre . . . 9/11. Norman Cousin, the Human Advocate, worked hard to develop a language that transcends force.  He always maintained nations would have to come together; work together to abolish war, protect our rights and freedoms, and solve the problems facing humanity that no nation can solve alone.  (www.globalsolutions.org)  He also believed, along with Eisenhower and many others, that the path to a better world begins with the individual; that the only pressure greater than all other pressures is public pressure.  “We have to liberate ourselves from helplessness, immunize ourselves from panic, and identify the ways in which we can participate in the big decisions of our time.” It seems we are standing in the middle of a crossroads right now, and as the fog of years of manipulation, propaganda, and double talk slowly dissipates around us, it reveals the truth to be an ugly, harsh reality bearing down on us like a ten-ton locomotive.                                                                                                            Moving forward from here, perhaps we need to not discard, but transcend the elaborate ritual of religious tradition long enough to reach that common plateau of spirituality, innate to civilization, that bound the ancients together in spiritual communion with everyone and everything. Maintaining the balance of nature was a way of life.  One-mindedness was the rule as opposed to the exception.  We were still using our instinctive lower brain, which connected us to each other and to Nature in an intimate way, helping us to have a constant awareness of ourselves, others, and of a mysterious presence everywhere.  This is, incidentally, still the dominant brain in most living things.  It is not conceptual, and it is not exceedingly cognitive, but it does possess the power to feel and, above all, “to be.”  We live, now, however, in the age of the higher brain, the cerebral cortex.  It has grown and developed and has overwhelmed the ancient, instinctive lower brain.  We have developed science to answer many of the unanswered questions of the ancients and technology to make use of this Earth’s resources to their fullest potential as well as a humanistic philosophy to make everything we do as humans pretty much OK.   Enter the materialistic age; enter the increased emphasis on “I” instead of “we.”  But perhaps even as we take tremendous pride in that which we have acquired through science and reason, we should stop for just a moment to assess what it is we may have lost, having distanced ourselves from our innate access to ancient wisdoms.  In fact, as everything runs in cycles, there are those who suggest that to survive as a species, without giving up our distinct individuality and all that we have gained through the use of our new brain, we will once again return to this connectedness. As Daniel Quinn assesses in his book, Beyond Civilization, there are many messages that the civilizations from the past have left for us to interpret and apply to our own situation.  If something is not working, then we should change it; and we may have to take a step backward . . . in order to move forward.  We can gain, perhaps, a better perspective doing so.  We can get a clearer vision.  We can begin to see that we do not have to accept complete madness . . . as the status quo; that there are better alternatives to achieving the same end.  We can study the patterns of change evidenced by history and apply the Wisdom, as defined by Gregory Ellison, (8/82, Wisdom & Power, A general Systems Analysis of the Inner Side Of Tai Chi, Inside Kung Fu magazine) that we have gained by going through this process,  measuring our alleged progress as well as the cost of it against the broad perspective of what it has done for us as a society and as a nation,  in relation to the world around us as well as in relation to how the world perceives us; and, finally, in connection with the impact we have had on the planet upon which we live, drawing, in the end, the necessary conclusions that will enable us to move forward in the spirit of what Ellison describes as Wisdom and Power; “Understanding the eternal within the transitory, applying the principles of wisdom, and then being able to deal powerfully, compassionately and harmoniously with all particular situations” . . .  to the benefit of everyone and everything . . .with hope for the future.