All Knowledge is Connected

Sometimes I like to bite off more than I can chew...But then again, sometimes I am surprised with something truly wonderful.

So, in a nutshell, my adventure this past few days has been my attempting to read some non fiction books about the Poincare Conjecture as well as the famous Russian mathematician by the name of Grigory Perelman who solved it.

Whenever I delve into something beyond my comfort zone, I never know what gem I may uncover. Therefore, in wading into the second book I had sourced about said subject matter, I was delighted to hear the author speak about a link to the Black-Scholes Model, which indicates a method for understanding and pricing option contracts.

Option trading is something I taught myself to do, some years ago. That kind of trading was something that I took considerable time and practice to comprehend. Therefore it was wonderfully comforting, when dipping my toe in this strange new mathematical world of Perelman´s that I recognized a familiar theory.

It has been said that when you master one subject, no matter what that subject is, that you will more easily understand and master other subjects. Therefore learning, in and of itself, can be quite empowering and liberating. Especially when we begin to notice the circular nature of knowledge. All knowledge is indeed connected.  When someone becomes an expert in one field of study or practice, he/she will then become more capable of excelling in other unrelated fields of study.

All that God has made in the universes and worlds we know, is governed by the same laws and strategies. When we understand one facet of this diamond of life, we get to understand more easily, other facets of that diamond.

So, Carla what are you trying to say to your friends who dare read your blog today? I am merely saying this. Don´t be afraid to read or study something that is completely foreign to you. Why? Because that study may one just surprise you by allowing you to link it in your mind with something that you have already mastered and fully understand. Then, you will have become a master of not only one fabulous field of study....but two.....and then three or four or 100.

One only need to study the current media friendly billionaire by the name Mr. Elon Musk. His accomplishments stretch from finance, and coding to Space travel and brain surgery. His imagination is unlimited. He has not governed his life with stodgy goals or restrictive fences. He truly lives as if all of life is ¨understandable¨ and ¨conquerable¨. He believes he can....and so he does.

Dream big.....step big and you will live even bigger, my friend.

Peace,

Carla

Beware of "Tik Tok Brain

Some may say that we are simply becoming "fast learners" and able to process information at a faster pace. While that may be the case on a certain level, I have noticed that some of us, myself included, are developing a preference for info sources and reading material that move at the speed of light. Our brains are on visual crack.

Basically, any media that you can't swipe right away from seems a bit "old fashioned" and slow.

Now, I am not trying to slow down humanity. Ok, maybe just a bit. 

But I am noticing that I need to make an intentional effort to sit down and read normal paper bound books.

To sit and read a real book feels awkward and old school and cumbersome, especially when your mind is racing with fast flow media such as Twitter, youtube shorts or Tik Tok.

So, I discovered one way to slow down my brain is simply by reading one page aloud of a paper bound book. This allows more of my 5 senses to be involved in the reading... drawing my auditory  and tactile senses into the act of reading proactively instead of just visually. Just reading one page aloud  calms me down sufficiently to decide if I want to proceed with another page or another paragraph whether silently or on  "out loud" mode. (and yes, I do realize that reading aloud can really annoy room mates or family members :)

I am not going to say anything at all about which kind of book to read, as that is just not the point.

The point is that I would prefer that us humans remain capable of reading real books, real printed books. Even if these books become more expensive because the cost of paper has risen, that's ok.  i believe the process of holding a book, isolates you and your mind with access to the author of the book, without you having the distractions of other apps beeping or signalling for your attention. Paper bound books also have the wonderful option of having us humble readers the ability to write our own thoughts and annotations in the margins. 

Some folks hate to see hand written notes in a paper bound book. But I find it delightful for the most part. The reason being, that some authors become gloated with a sense of importance and have no ears for honest response. Therefore, sometimes the only reasonable outlet for voicing your objection to any author who strays too far from the good path, is a good note of objection in the side margins.

And what would a good post from Carla be without a hint of conspiracy? If all the books we read are only available "online", we are giving "the net" control over what we read and don't read. When we keep and curate a beautiful selection of real books for our homes or businesses or churches, we are protecting that treasure for the future generations. Keep them under lock and key. The last 5 years in North America have shown us a wave of strange censorship has sprung up across the continent. It does not bode well with me.

Treasure the books you have read that opened worlds for you and your mind. Speak of them, write of them and print them up if you can't buy a clean copy. Keep the originals safe under lock and key.

Well, that's all for now.

Peace,

Carla

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Professor Evelyn L. Forget Wrote a Book about Basic Income

I found a book at the library written by Professor Evelyn L. Forget  who teaches at the University of Manitoba. 

It is entitled "Basic Income for Canadians..... From the Covid-19 emergency to Financial Security for All" .

I thought it would be a good idea to feed my internal debate about the drawbacks and merits of a Universal Basic Income program being utilized in my beloved country. Is it possible? Would it be wise???

I finally meandered over to Chapter 9, which is titled "Can We Afford a Basic Income?"

I would like to quote the last sentence of the first paragraph verbatim 

" If governments are prepared to pay the interest on the debt, they can refinance it forever". 

And that was her thought process. Canada will just borrow and borrow and borrow and not worry about interest rates or debt repayment until we are forced to. She believes that, unlike a personal household, it is "normal" for governments to carry debt into infinity. 

And so ended my curiosity into Universal Basic Income. The perspective of the author on government debt was so deeply warped and unrealistic. It alarmed me further, when I noted that Professor Forget has actually been granted the status of 

"Officer of the Order of Canada"...which is a great honor.

What began as a gentle walk into the idealogy of U.B.I. and it's possible pros and cons, morphed into an unpleasant 

"drowning in debt" feeling, when the author began to discuss how such a "progressive" idea might be funded.

So, just to put things into perspective, I am not usually surprised by bureaucratic mumbo jumbo. But oy, the author declares that we have nothing to worry about, because we can just keep borrowing as a country to pay our citizens to exist. It must be noted that this book was published before the epic rise in Canada's interest rates that have choked ALL debt holders, including our own federal government.  Professor Evelyn Forget wrongly assumed that interest rates would stay low forever. Professor Forget wrote this book from the perspective that government debt is some kind of lame tame duck we can carry forever.

The national debt of Canada is a disgrace. It is a testament of a lack of wisdom and discipline. It is a picture of a man using a credit card that doesn't belong to him...running around spending billions. How did we as a country allow this to occur???Are we all asleep at the wheel?

According to my studies (i apologize for not having the proper citations for this paragraph)... the national debt of Canada has doubled since the reign of the Liberal government. Doubled! The number of government employees has increased by 20% over the past 9 years. More personnel...indicate a much heavier payroll for taxpayers to carry. 

I wonder if Professor Forget would take back some of these careless notions that she put forward in chapter 9. Debt is not a tame lame duck. Generations to come will have to come to terms with the damage done by undisciplined politicians and bureaucrats fed by emotion instead of common sense.

If you are curious as to what our current national debt here in Canada is take  a gander at debtclock.ca    .

As of today Oct 5,2024, our national debt stands at 1.2 Trillion Canadian dollars.

Dear Lord. Help us face this. Notice that I say "we", not playing the blame game. We as a country are in this boat together. We are building the future of the country with every decision we make. We can fix it together if we choose to do so.

Dear God, help us as a country to not spend before we earn. Help our leaders to understand right from wrong and to learn how to steer our country well.

I thank you God for all the many blessings that are here, right now all across Canada. I thank you for the strength and resilience of Canadians from coast to coast. I thank you for the great intelligence and wisdom that exists in Canada. Help us create a wise path for our country for this generation and the generations to come, in Jesus' name. amen.

If you are looking for a thought provoking book, you may wish to read Professor Forget's book "Basic Income for Canadians". But be prepared to be startled by it's illusions.

Peace,

Carla.

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