Reflections on departing from Ithaca

These three weeks in Ithaca have been so much more than I'd expected. God has blessed my life and made it rich with friends. It has been an extraordinary bounty and privilege to spend so much time with so many wonderful people, to reconnect with old friends and to catch up on news. Watching one's friends progress through life parallel to one's own is amazing; it lends perspective to the journey and enriches the entire experience. My deepest gratitude goes out to all my friends, recent and long-standing, who have blessed my life by their warmth, their insight, their thoughtfulness and their character. It's been humbling and enlightening and oh-so-enjoyable. I depart out of this city with my heart set firmly on the Almighty, trusting in Him, and confident that whatever this world of ours must undergo it will emerge stronger and more beautiful because of the people that inhabit it. Words can barely express how joyful and at peace I am right now. Truly inspiring. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

My third German publication

has appeared in the local weekend newspaper, the ExtraTip. The question was about friction between car tires and the road. Specifically, what force causes the tires to lose traction. You can check out the article (in German, many thanks to Angela for translating) here.

Below is the original article.

We know that friction occurs whenever two surfaces in contact try to slide past one another. As our reader correctly points out, the force of friction between any two surfaces is proportional to the force with which they are pressed together (the normal force) and the coefficient of friction, a pure number that depends mostly on the surfaces and on whether the objects are at rest (static friction) or moving relative to each other (kinetic friction). When the objects are at rest, the force of friction between them increases as we push harder. The maximum force with which we can push before moving one of the objects determines the coefficient of static friction. As one might expect, the coefficient of static friction is generally larger than the coefficient of kinetic friction. Our reader asks what happens when a car brakes and loses traction. How does friction work then?

Well the principle is the same as for flat objects but there is a subtlety. Let's examine a single tire on pavement as an example. The key is that no part of the tire ever slips along the ground. (To show this, place a colored dot on the side rim of the tire and slowly roll the tire back and forth. Does the dot slide along the ground or does it only touch the pavement for a moment?) When you want to change direction or speed, you have to apply some force onto the road through the tire. The force between tire and road that effects this change is the force of static friction; the maximum rate of change is thus determined by the coefficient of static friction. So having good traction means rolling smoothly without slipping.

When we exceed the maximum force of static friction by accelerating or braking too hard or by turning the wheel too sharply, the tire begins to slip and we lose traction. If we decrease the force required either by straightening the wheel or by releasing the brakes or gas pedal, the tire will regain traction.

In my native Canada, road conditions in winter are often very slippery from ice and snow. When I first learned to drive, I was taught to pump the brakes in and out if I had to stop suddenly. This lets the car decelerate as fast as possible while maintaining control. Anti-lock brakes work this way. And if the car starts skidding, you have to turn the wheel into the direction of the skid to reestablish control then gently bring the car out of its skid. It’s scary but I can tell you it works!

Late night at the movies

It's 1:17am and I just got home from seeing Knocked Up. I'd been wanting to see it for a while and I'm happy I finally got the chance. I won't rehash the plot which I guess makes this less of a review and more of a personal take on it. Regardless, here are some of my reactions in stream of consciousness style.

Scary life decisions. Taking responsibility. Being angry. Being honest. Being yourself. Facing up to yourself. Being supportive. Being there for someone else when they need you. Get a good gynecologist. Don't do drugs. Laugh. Do have sex. Wear a condom. Sacrifice. Be beautiful. Ask for advice even if you don't follow it. And when you get to the big scary life decisions, go with your heart.

Oh, and if you haven't already, go see Knocked Up. I entertained the audience with my bursts of laughter. :)

Difficult days

Difficult days can be a Godsend. You never know what you'll get out of it until it's over or nearly over. Striving to do your best in the midst of difficulty is always a sure bet however. Taking time out to collect your thoughts and emotions, to read and meditate, to pray and reflect, is invaluable. These activities soothe the soul and calm the mind. They bring clarity, focus and joy where there was confusion, frustration and resentment. This evening I read from Baha'u'llah's Tablet of Wisdom (Lawh-i-Hikmat) and it was fabulous. Before closing with a few favorite passages I came across, may I simply point out that reading Sacred Writings as if they were addressed to you personally (which they are if you think about it) is an entirely different experience to that of reading them as addressed to someone else, or even to humanity as a whole. It's too easy to depersonalize it and to abstract oneself from the implications and challenges of the text. That said, I think any text can be (and perhaps should be) read this way: as a direct conversation between you and the author. And I do mean conversation because in my mind there are always thoughts and reactions to what I'm reading. Ok, now here are the passages. Enjoy.

Strive to be shining examples unto all mankind, and true reminders of the virtues of God amidst men. He that riseth to serve My Cause should manifest My wisdom, and bend every effort to banish ignorance from the earth. Be united in counsel, be one in thought. Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday.

Be thou as a throbbing artery, pulsating in the body of the entire creation, that through the heat generated by this motion there may appear that which will quicken the hearts of those who hesitate.

Say: Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure. As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as prescribed in the Holy Scriptures and Tablets.

America, part 2

I need to add another major plus for America: when I say Hi to people, they often will flash a smile and say Hi back. That conveys warmth and fellowship.

Europe vs. America, the Rematch

So it struck me that yesterday's analysis was in fact extremely biased so I thought I'd put more thought into some of the things I appreciate about the United States. Lo and behold, wasn't that hard. My thinking was crystallized and epitomized by this morning's drive to work. With one turn of the dial, the radio went from three mainstream radio hosts joking about the sad state of porn today to songs of praise on "The Family Life Network: your christian companion." Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the U.S. of A., land of extreme diversity and diversity of extremes.

So hear me out. With the possible exception of India, I don't think any country in the world incorporates as much diversity as the United States does. Whether it's in politics, ethnicity, music, business, education, dress, lifestyle, wealth, culture, technology, one is hard pressed to find such a rich combination of different (often opposing) approaches, attitudes, perspectives, outlooks and styles.

This richness makes the United States the envy of the world but there's a catch. While everyone else looks up to and tries to emulate the most powerful nation on earth (I have a hard time hearing German music on German radio), who is the most powerful nation on earth to look up to? I've been reading the Kitab-i-Iqan, Baha'u'llah's Book of Certitude, written in answer to a question about the truth of the Bab's mission, and it is becoming so clear to me how much we need divine guidance in every age, what a deep and far-reaching influence it has on the course of human affairs. I'm not doing a very good job of expressing this idea so I'll come back to it later.

Europe vs. America

People ask me what I like about Germany. How it's different. Why I like it better (I do). After much pondering, here are my observations. Note that this isn't a competition but just a record of my observations on the differences I've noticed. If it sounds biased, that's because it is. Enjoy.

1. There is more stress and tension everywhere I go in Ithaca. People are in a hurry, or else are purposely not in a hurry, which to me is just as bad because it's also self-conscious. Germans may hurry if they're late but overall I find them much less self-conscious.

2. Balance. Germans work hard but they know when to quit. Americans don't. Period.

3. The outdoors. Germans use them. Americans don't. They landscape and design and architecturize like nobody's business. Then they sit in their cars, their coffeeshops (they don't qualify as cafés.. for that you do have to go to Europe), their malls, offices and homes, safe behind that window pane, safe from other people. Americans seem afraid to interact with one another. Which brings me to my last point for today:

4. Germans will make and hold eye contact with complete strangers. There's no judgement, no appraising, no lust or disgust, not even joy or sadness really. Just two people acknowledging one another. Quietly. No nods. Just a look, held for a second or two, then on with the day.

The Purpose of Life

I have determined that the purpose of life is to conquer my ego. When you think about it, what do all the really happy people in our lives have in common? I submit that it is their lack of ego. Ego is what holds us back. It's the little voice that reminds us of our fears, whispers to us of desire, distracts us with illusory dreams, boasts of our accomplishments. To recognize that voice and to teach it to obey us, that is true greatness.

Here's the next great bit. Baha'u'llah wrote in one of his prayers:

And when He (God) desired to manifest grace and beneficence to men, and to set the world in order, He revealed observances and created laws; among them He established the law of marriage, made it as a fortress for well-being and salvation, and enjoined it upon us in that which was sent down out of the heaven of sanctity in His Most Holy Book.

Now I've long wondered: what is it about marriage that makes it a "fortress for well-being and salvation"? Today, I think it has to do with conquering ego. In marriage, you have to put aside your ego and focus on someone else's needs. You have to learn to love another being so completely, devotedly and selflessly, and no matter the circumstances. Isn't that a beautiful thing?
Furthermore, our spouse serves as a mirror in which we see reflected those attributes we still need to develop. By that I mean that because our spouse is a witness to all our decisions and actions and because they know us and love us so intimately, we can't get away from our weaknesses and frailties: we are forced to confront them.
No wonder marriage is so scary, and so beautiful.

Greetings from Ithaca

Gimme coffee... 4$.
Lunch at Aladdin's... 8.50$
Gas for the borrowed car... 15$
Hanging out with friends... priceless.

But window offices in the vet tower... are great. Except when the sun beats in cuz there's no air conditioning. Yeah, ouch is right.

Really though, it's all about putting out productivity while I'm here. And I'm relishing it. Gimme more!

a working maxim

When I'm torn between considering all that can be done and what to actually do right now, I follow this maxim:

Tomorrow holds the richness of illimitable possibilities.
Today is simple. Do what comes next.