All posts by jebrahim2@gmail.com

Modern Living, Politics, Psychology, Uncategorized

In case you thought I was anti-American….lol

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Follow this thread from my Facebook page to see how I combat “black and white thinking”

Joel Ibrahim Kreps
Absolutely! The Americans have almost nothing to contribute to morality,that is.-except for the principle of hard work-often overdone however.They do make important contributions however to digital technology and science.I did appreciate their medical conferences and spiritual seminars over the years! Beware Khadijah of “black and white thinking”.That is one of my more important teachings!…
Khadijah:
Joel Ibrahim Kreps

I wasn’t aware that they were a part of those types of conferences.

Joel Ibrahim Kreps
The Americans are the best teachers of medicine and psychiatry and psychology on the planet!

Joel Ibrahim Kreps

I once attended an iftar dinner with a Pakistani friend and his relatives.One of the relatives,a middle-aged Pakistani man said” Those Americans,everything they do is evil”! That got me upset and Allah sent me an inspiration- something I had never thought before! ” Yea” I said “If the Americans had not been involved in the Pacific theater in WW2( yes,I know about Pearl Harbour but that is beside the point) Pakistan would now be occupied by the Japanese.Ask the Chinese and Koreans what that is like”! The whole table went silent lol
Then some even more foolish Muslim on my Facebook page took it upon himself to point out that it was still India at the time.As if it makes a difference whether you are a citizen of India or Pakistan to the Japanese?!Completely irrelevant lol
Joel Ibrahim Kreps
Even in terms of Islamic scholars,I trust Hamza Yusuf, Omar Suleiman and Sheikh Nuh- all American-raised, two of the three being converts, more than any of the Eastern scholars-none of whom have ANY perspective on their own societies.So, like everything else on the planet ,there is some good in America-lots of good in fact and lots of evil! I guess,you could call it an interesting place lol
Metaphysics, Modern Living, Spiritual Practice, Uncategorized

The Truth is in the Anecdotes!

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And btw-2…Sorry O worshipers at the altar of contemporary science but “The Truth is in the anecdotes!!“Ever notice that the Bible and the Torah and the Quran are full of teaching anecdotes! Not of data! In Islam we call these stories Qisas.That’s where the juice is! That’s where the real food is.The data is like dry dust-powdered food.As you like…H-m-m-m.
Modern Living, Politics

A Full Investigation?!

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FYI and for your better understanding…Whenever they say that they want a full investigation ,in fact they are asking for a long-drawn out process ,costing enormous amounts of money,accumulating reams and reams of data and the analysis of the data,filling the pockets of expensive lawyers and experts who know a cash-cow when they see one and ultimately arriving at an official report that almost no-one reads and most people don’t trust because of all the manipulation going on behind the scenes.(Think the Warren Commission on the Kennedy Assassination and the Report on the 9/11 attack if you need a point of reference).So whenever you hear that phrase”a complete investigation” realize that they are asking for a dead-end process.Sobering ,no doubt but that’s the gist of it(.P.S. Forgot to mention the more recent Mueller report on Russian collusion.Did you notice how useless that was ?!)

Counselling, Modern Living, Psychology

Family Dynamics-Bowen

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Important to understand-especially in immigrant families!

Definitions from Bowen Theory

 

Differentiation of Self:  

“The ability to be in emotional contact with others yet still autonomous in one’s own emotional functioning is the essence of the concept of differentiation.” (Kerr & Bowen. 1988)

“Differentiation is a product of a way of thinking that translates into a way of being….Such changes are reflected in the ability to be in emotional contact with a difficult, emotionally charged problem and not feel compelled to preach about what others “should” do, not rush in to “fix” the problem and not pretend to be detached by emotionally insulating oneself.” (Kerr & Bowen 1988)

Fusion:

“Fusion or lack of differentiation is where individual choices are set aside in service of achieving harmony in the system” (Brown, 1999)

Fusion is where “people form intense relationships with others and their actions depend largely on the condition of the relationships at any given time…Decisions depend on what others think and whether the decision will disturb the fusion of the existing relationships.” (Papero, 2000)

Fusion:

“Fusion or lack of differentiation is where individual choices are set aside in service of achieving harmony in the system” (Brown, 1999)

Fusion is where “people form intense relationships with others and their actions depend largely on the condition of the relationships at any given time…Decisions depend on what others think and whether the decision will disturb the fusion of the existing relationships.” (Papero, 2000)

Emotional Cut-off:

“The concept of emotional cut-off refers to the phenomenon of emotional distancing, whether the cut-off takes the form of internal mechanisms or physical distancing.”(Titelman. 1987)

“The emotional cut-off is a natural process. On a simple level people speak of the need for personal space…as a means of “explaining” their avoidance of others. Distance seems to be the safety valve of the emotional system. Yet at the same time distance leaves people primed for closeness….The more an individual employs cut-off to manage attachment to parents and the original family, the greater his or her vulnerability to intense emotional processes in current relationships.” (Papero.1990)

Metaphysics, Modern Living, Psychology

Cognitive Error on the Hill?!

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Ok. Security lapse on Capitol Hill explained-by an ex-chief of Capitol Police! Remember the importance of “sammiyya”(the hearing function- more truth that way than all the commissions of enquiry put together lol).So here is what he said” After the Trump foray across the lawn to the Church,the police and military were accused of over-reacting. So the police wanted to have a low-profile presence” Sounds good to me! But think about it.! That is a classic mistake.Think the non-intervention in Syria(reaction to Iraq) and the defeat of the American forces in Danang(reaction to the defeat of the French at Dienbienphu) All the same error!

I once met a building inspector at a conference on sick buildings in Ottawa.He was considered one of the best in Canada! I asked him what his secret of success was?! He said” It’s simple.95% (yes 95% !) of the problems I am called upon to analyze are solutions to previous problems”! Ajib!(amazing).From thence my own aphorism about life.”Every solution you find contains the seeds of future problems”! Think chemotherapy in cancer or automobiles in transportation.Think about your solutions to problems of loneliness lol!The list is almost infinite.Think about it .But be careful.You might become a believer and that DOES solve a lot of problems.Although that, too, can cause problems down the road.Ever noticed lol?!

Comparative Religion, Modern Living, Politics

American Politics in a Nutshell

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Jan. 6/2021(Right after the Senate runoffs in Georgia):America is clearly a divided country! On one side we have the so-called liberal,progressive Democrats.On the other side we have the right-leaning Republicans-pro and anti-Trump.No viable third-party alternative has emerged,mostly because all parties and their supporters are strategizing and manipulating to avoid that option-an option offered in almost every other democratic country,

So( the newly forbidden word from the liberal grammarians lol) the liberal/progressives believe the right-wingers are foolish,backward or to use a Clintonian expression “deplorables” and the Republicans believe that the liberals are immoral,atheistic and radical Socialists.Now,(the next word for the grammarians to prohibit lol) this might look like a black and white issue for many.I would have been in that camp in my early years of political activism.But(another dubious word lol?) I no longer see it quite the same way- since I embarked on a spiritual path many,long years ago.Btw one of the turning points on my path was attending a meeting of left-wing activists in Quebec and clearly “seeing” the evil on their faces! That was the end of my Marxist phase!

Given my past ,it is easy to see the point of view of the leftists.It took a longer time to be more sympathetic to the right-wing-especially with their morally corrupt leadership under Trump.Please note that it wasn’t always that way.I was struck,even as a left-wing activist,how the marriages of the Republicans (think both Bushs and Reagan) seemed so much better than the marriages of the liberals(think Kennedy,Clinton and all the way back to F.D.R.!)Already,in the local left-wing groups, I could see that evidence of relationship corruption and promiscuity amongst my colleagues.So the nuances were already there in the back of my mind.

So(there we go again)how can I defend these backward Republicans.Well,they are often simple folk.The “salt of the Earth” so to speak.They are believers,they are God-fearing, go to Church sincerely(unlike some of their politicians),they support traditional values like heterosexual marriages,no abortions,fidelity in marriage and honesty.They hate the half-truths and manipulations of the left-wingers and they hate political correctness.So do I! One example comes to mind,here.As a “progressive” you were not allowed to criticize Obama.He was sanctified.Whenever you opposed his actions,like I did in the Syria issue,you were labelled”racist”. That is ideological Fascism and there is plenty of it to go around.

Now(oops!) as a Muslim,I believe we have a lot in common with these “fundamentalist” Christians.We are both believing,God-fearing people of a book(whether it is the Quran or the Bible).The major issue that divides us is the state of Israel-a thorny issue no doubt.The evangelicals see the Zionist state as a prelude to the second coming of Jesus.The Muslims see Israel as an oppressor of the Arabs of Palestine.Both may well be right.But,we have a lot in common.And,I have been thinking for a long-time that we should join forces.This is the real”Clash of Civilizations” Mr. Huntington aside. The oldest clash we know of-believers vs. non-believers.There are no national and racial issues here. All religions have had to clash with opposition to their Revelations.

The bottom line:(to use an American expression). The political schism in America is not as black and white as most Americans would like to think.I am sympathetic to the progressive wing’s attempt to be well-informed and think through the issues in an intelligent way.I am not sympathetic to their hypocrisy,their “political correctness” and their clever attempts to cover-up their biases.I am sympathetic to the right-wingers attachment to their religion and their traditional values and their attempts to be straight-forward in their communications.I am not happy with their lack of knowledge,their knee-jerk reactions and their lack of understanding nuances.

So there it is-go figure! Salaams,Ibrahim

 

Holistic Medicine, Modern Living, Politics

Climate Change-Points of Interest

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N.B. Because people have become more and more ideological,it has become increasingly difficult to know what is going on in any area of investigation.This includes,amongst others,what is happening with the Covid crisis ,what is the best form of energy (solar,wind,natural gas,nuclear or geothermic) to be investing in,are vaccines really safe and useful and, of course, climate change.As far as I can see,there are NO systematically reliable sources of information out there.So,we need to develop more subtle skills like seeing,hearing,intuition and feeling to separate the chaff from the wheat.What I am sharing here is the fruits of just such an effort on my part-with reference to the Climate Change issue.The trigger for this article was the posting on peakprosperity.com of the annual Year in Review by David Collum- specifically the 2019 edition.Although I do not agree with everything written by Collum,I do believe he is unusally smart and despite his cynicism,his desire for Truth is sincere(i.e. he is not just another ideologue)-just like  Chris Martenson,the host of the website that published this Review..So here are my conclusions at this point.These conclusions are subject to change with further evidence,as all science should be btw.I totally agree with Collum on that point.There is no such thing as settled science.The latter is theology rather than science.And as any student of religion well knows, even theology is debatable lol. 

  1. The certitude around the concept of Anthropogenic Global Warming (AWG) is misplaced.There are many scientists of considerable training and experience who do not agree.The deniers are increasing while the changers,as they call them,are beginning to question themselves.The infamous and oft-repeated statement that “97% of climate scientists agree about this” is total BS.It is based on what is called in statistical science “selection bias”.It is based on choosing 79 papers amongst over 11,000 possible options in order to confirm their hypothesis.This is also known as “confirmation bias” in the trade!As Collum rightfully said the only thing true in this statement is that 77/79 = 97% But what about the other 10,920 articles?!
  2. The climate is constantly changing,in any case.There was  the Medieval Warming period(950-1250 A.D.)in which the world was considerably hotter than now.They were growing barley in Greenland during that period.And Mediterranean grapes were growing all over Great Britain.Civilization was also resurging (including Islamic Civilization) so people were doing well!
  3. Remember the old caveat in science that correlation is not necessarily causation.Well it is quite possible, and there is some evidence for this,that the temperature increasing is causing the increase in CO2 rather than the contrary! And it appears that plants and trees like the CO2 and grow better with it lol
  4. Collum’s mother calls the famous Michael Mann,the architect of the famous “hockey stick”of global temperature rise made famous by Al Gore,”a piece of work” lol.When journalist Mark Steyn and climate scientist Tim Ball criticized the model Mann had proposed,he decided to sue them for libel! After eight years in the courts,the judge declared that Mann failed to present evidence of his model’s validity .Mann declared that he did not need to produce evidence(similar to Trumps attempt to reverse the election results lol).The judge declared him in contempt of court and ordered him to pay all of Tim Ball’s legal expenses! Is that the kind of authority you would like to be betting on in this debate ?!
  5. (Comical but intriguing tidbit.)Nobel prize-winning physicist Ivar Giaver states that the CO2 spewed into the the global atmosphere  by all the cars in the world is equivalent to sitting in a 20 by 20 by 8 room lighting one match every three years lol
  6. There are many alternative theories of global warming.When I brought this up to two old friends-one a long-time Buddhist practitioner who now joined the Extinction Revolution Movement- and the other a well-read progressive writer,they literally lost it in me! The latter one blurted out in anger”We can’t let the petroleum companies be right.”The first one,the Buddhist,looked like he was ready to slug me if I said one word more.So much for’ ahimsa'(non-violence) lol
  7. As far as I am concerned,the most likely explanation for the modest warming effect we are witnessing is Solar Activity.This is consistent with the Heinrich Svensmark theory of cosmic rays where the sun displaces the cosmic rays so there are less dense clouds and increased temperaure.Physicist Nir Shaviv of the University of Jerusalem,puts it this way.”CO2 emissions don’t play the major role in climate change…the bulk of the climate change is caused by sun via its impact on atmospheric charge which means that most of the climate change comes from nature.A freshman physics student can see this”
  8. “Neither the rate nor the magnitude of the reported late twentieth century surface warming(1979-2000) lay outside of the normal natural variablity”. i.e. even if and I believe it to be so,the climate is warming somewhat,it is not such a big deal,it has happened before and it could reverse at any time-without intervention!
  9. “Melting glaciers are doom porn”(David Collum).While the ice is receding in the Arctic,it is growing in Antartica(Bet you haven’t heard that one!).So the total mass of ice appears to be holding constant!
  10. Global warming,in any case,is NOT the most important issue facing us.A largely separate issue,that of toxins in our air, food, water and construction materials as well as electropollution is a much more immediate threat! That is what is driving the cancer,autism and Alzheimer’s epidemic all around us! And we don’t need any fancy scientific models and instruments to see that.It is all around us!!
  11. Bottom Line :Don’t believe everything you are told! Much of it is “bubbameises” (Yiddish for tales of the grandmothers lol). Do your own research.Think for yourselves! Salaams,Ibrahim
Metaphysics, Modern Living, Politics

Beware of Experts-2

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“It does not matter who you are, or how smart you are, or what title you have, or how many papers your side has published, if your prediction is wrong then your hypothesis is wrong. Period.”( Tell that to the “Climate Scientists” lol)

~ Richard Feynman, winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics (and one of the greats on that scale),(Sheldon of Big Bang Theory refers to him all the time! Lol)

”Consensus science is not science. Consensus science is politics.”

~ Michael Crichton, best-selling science-fiction author and denier, RIP

Metaphysics, Modern Living, Politics

Beware of Experts-1

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(More from David Collum) Just saying …The most popular of all statistics declares that “97% of climate scientists believe anthropogenic global warming (AGW) is a significant problem.” A colleague and climate change activist at Cornell recently claimed in a debate at Cornell, “that 97% number is not even debatable.” He’s right; it’s complete garbage. Over 11,000 abstracts from papers supposedly on climate change were culled down to 79 papers, of which 77 said climate change was a problem. The one chard of truth: 77 of 79 is about 97%. This is what is known by students of Statistics 101 as “selection bias”! Shame on you scientists. You have become propagandists!