So, here I am on the last day of the year, typing away at my laptop for the last Daily Entry of this year. Our whole society is in review mode the last few days and that makes it a good setting for me to look back a bit.

Yesterday we had an extra session of Free fall writing at Alexandra, which has been a new initiative for me this year, starting last fall. There were other markers so to speak. My former spouse Ina and I toasted to our wedding dating fifty years back to July’s end 1965, at Ina’s suggestion. Then there was Derrick’s becoming a qualified ‘Clinical Counsellor’ after a five year midlife change of profession, as well as changing his name to Metta exploring a new gender identity. To me the latter is the bigger adjustment to make, when children explore their own lives and I as parent adjust … some!

To me the latter is the bigger adjustment to make, when children explore their own lives and I as parent adjust … some!

My friend Ron moved to ‘the Island’ which precludes our occasional coffees, but not our contact as Ron left me a message yesterday, while I was at Alexandra’s. My tooth doctor took a byte out of my bank account restoring and maintaining my ’chew-ability’. I had Christmas breakfast with my former colleagues, which made me realise that we have grown to become friends.

I have my walks to downtowne meeting up with John for coffee, getting my haircut, book store stops and at times some shopping. All this I can do in good health, for which I’m grateful.

Then there are the regular coffees with Jack, Don, Elisabeth, Shirley at times, the lunches with Herman, neighbourly visits and helping Juliet write her story. I have my walks to downtowne meeting up John for coffee, getting my haircut, book store stops and at times some shopping. All this I can do in good health, for which I’m grateful.
On Sunday’s I meet with friends at the Palliser, where I speak myself four times a year. And last but not least are the family get together with Roy, Shirley and family, about four times a year.

Aside from these social activities the most important personal aspect is marking the end of my talks about world religions this last July 26. It was titled “Body & Soul. Made in Africa” and is posted under Talks on my website. With that talk I concluded my explorations of world religions and now have turned my attention and efforts to formulating a message centered on Existence Divine.

My first presentation in this new framework was last November 22nd talk titled “Humanity’s Threshold”. I plan to continue with this theme and further explore it in my up coming presentations the next of which is titled “A World Narrative …” for March 13, 2016. My present ‘Writings’ are dealing with this subject material, which is not entirely new to me, but now needs to given structure and perspective.
<9:58am, coffee time.

In yesterday’s Writings I summarised three separate topics on which to write. Today I want to give them initial titles and add at least two more to round out the Existence Divine framework I am working to formulate.

First the three initial titles: Modern Reinterpretation, Traditional Reinterpretation and Boundary Conditions. These three titles reference back to my Writings of yesterday and the day before. The two additional topics I still need to give an initial formulation intuiting that at least two more ideas need to be expressed. So, here goes.

The two additional topics I still need to give an initial formulation intuiting that at least two more ideas need to be expressed. So, here goes.

Next is idea four, after the Boundary Condition mentioned above, addressing the need to describe how a genuine boundary condition would be identified and described. Some testable criteria are required to prevent bogus and self-serving claims from causing unwarranted change.

To spell this out specifically at this time is difficult, but I have always noted and said so, that the handed down traditions of humankind need to be honoured and must inform our actions as we walk on our evolutionary path, of which we are now in charge.
Guidance comes from geology, the history of our planet and our solar system, as well as the fossil record, all showing evolutionary and adaptive changes with time, be they long or short.

A striking example is the evolution of the modern human brain for as much as we know that, in that the new is built onto the old through adaptation and optimizing compromises. This we need to keep in mind, but not shrink from retro-fits as Gould suggests in his essay titled ‘The Premature Ape’, which could have happened in times of distress to find new forms.

This regression also happens at times in our social setting today, as given forms founder and new ones emerge referenced to earlier world views, e.g. Pagan before Christian!

The old drives for survival of one’s own group, view and identity are preventing us from seeing the value of the stranger across our border.

The second additional idea - the fifth in total - that I want to address is the way in which we as a planetary human society need to come to a mutual accommodation of our diversity. The present mode of accommodation has become inadequate leading to self-destructive in many cases. The old drives for survival of one’s own group, view and identity are preventing us from seeing the value of the stranger across our border.

Accommodation of that stranger is viewed as treachery towards one’s own in the old world view. That value system aims at preserving the old tribal relations in time of danger and are still being relied upon for guidance. Mis-guidance would be the word, as we now are facing totally different conditions on our planet today calling for accommodation and tolerance, but also for the preservation of handed down identity. How to affect change is the question!

I suggest that the concept of Existence Divine provides a frame work in which each human tradition is honoured as making a valuable addition to the diversity that we human display in our revealed traditions since time immemorial.

Having accepted each tradition as a contributor to this diversity that reflects the mystery of our own existence, as well as all that exists besides, we can discern that humanity as a whole adds the value of its experience to the mystery called ‘Existence Divine’.
<11:0am and 6:41pm~