1. Illusions and delusions.
2. First Principles.
3. One possible nature of memory.
4. So what?

1. Illusions and delusions.

What are the greatest forces of evil in the world today? Of course, many will say, "Religion." Some might say, "Megalomaniacs" (and be thinking of some of today's interpreters of religion and people like Saddam Hussein).

Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Science (in alphabetical order). Of course, we could add many other religions that involve major populations in the world. But today, the tensions are highest between these four. People are fighting and dying for their religious beliefs. Albeit, there are very few today who will die for their scientific beliefs, science creates major tensions with all religions.

Who is right? Who is wrong? And, why?

Back in 1995, I proposed doing a series for PBS called, "Why religion? Which religion?" We should still do it, maybe even more today than then. The modus operandi for the show was to find the best thinkers within every religion, including the leading scientists within that faith to consider the first principles of each body of knowledge.

2. First Principles. Immanuel Kant (philosopher, 1724 - 1804) proposed four basic questions, "Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? And what is the meaning and value of life?" Good questions, especially for a Memorial Day, but probably not basic enough to bring coherence to the four warring factions.

Science (and mathematics, logic). These cornerstones of intelligence are based on first principles (which are intuited from the constants and universals of both science and religion). The most basic first principle that I discern within the sciences/religions (certainly open to debate and update) is: order/continuity where the form is order and the function is continuity.

An extension of that first principle is: relation/symmetry. The form is a relation. The function is symmetry. And, an extension of this is: dynamics/harmony. The form is dynamics. The function is harmony. Religion looks at the perfection of universals and constants. Science studies the imperfections.

Religions, however, have adopted and continue to use metaphorical language to describe such basic first principles and extensions.

When interpreters of religion make statements that do not cohere with first principles and known universals, they are creating their own unique dogma. The one's who hold their dogma as sacrosanct are in fact the megalomaniacs, individuals with a mania for the great or grandiose.

3. One possible nature of memory. Of course, to understand memory, we really need to understand time. Memories are past. Experience is the present. Projections are the future. Is there anything else? Of course, first principles. So, how do they all cohere?

Somehow much of science is done ignoring the basic dilemma of space and time. We know (vis-a-vis Einstein, Heisenberg, and many others) that space and time are not the fundamental frames of reference that define life, meaning and value. So what is?

How about those first principles? (Now please bear with me; it's going to get even more obtuse).

If all space / time (and everything therein) is derivative, then what is fundamental and where does coherence take place? An answer would help to change the emphasis of our work and possibly bridge religion and science. Though there are higher dimensions in mathematics and geometry, those studies are almost impenetrable for most of us; possibly in time, we might be able to begin to understand that work. For now, I am in search of a tutor.

There is a more simple access to all this study. And I am going way out on the limb now, but I think it comes down to a point, a point of transformation between that which is exterior (everything within space and time) and that which is interior (our first principles and that which defines the initial conditions of space and time).

What is the point? Is it Zero Point? Perhaps. And perhaps what follows is a naive model for zero point. It may also just be too simple. Though it'll look complex initially, it is not.

The second most basic structure (form) that we know is the octahedron, a perfect eight-sided object. In my literature search, including the work of Buckminister Fuller, I could not find the perfectly enclosed pieces of the octahedron, a half-sized octahedron in each corner (6) and tetrahedrons (8) in the open spaces on each side. In the "middle" of the octahedron, there is a square and a cluster of four octahedrons. All fourteen parts of the octahedron share a common point in the middle of these four.

I believe that is a modulus of transformation between that which is defined by science and that which is defined by the universals, constants, and perfected-states of any kind.

I believe in its simplest perfection, that octahedral-tetrahedral cluster is a memory, the top and bottom octahedron are polarity, and of the four base octahedron, one is the "container" of the present, another the past, another the many-possible future, and the other the first principles.

Just so this discussion doesn't get too abstracted, take a look at the logo in the upper-left corner. Here is an explanation of it (click here and a new window will open).

Though we experience time's arrow and tend to put the past behind us and the future in front of us, this model of time brings the past, present and future into a singularity.

4. So what? The story of my life... "And, so?"
One, we have a basic model that cries out for imputing meaning to it.
Two, we have warring religionists who have no basic models and hardly understand their first principles. We all need to understand first principles, especially those shared in common by all religions and the sciences.
Three, we have scientists, who although they know better, still have no more fundamental reference than space and time and are very reluctant to embrace the simplicity of a fundamental frame of reference based on the extensions of a few generalizations, the physical being the imperfect manifestation of the universal.

If meaning, life, and value are just a simple extension of these first principles, what does it say?

4a. Continuity-discontinuity. The martyrs have been duped and the Muslim "theologians" that advocate martyrdom are not theologians and not holy men. They are delusional. Not only does what they say fly in the face of the Holy Qur’an (Koran) where Allah forbids the taking of one's own life, the historic role of the Islamic Community is to embody virtue and to be the enemy of vice. Vice begins with discontinuity, is empowered through asymmetries, and creates a path of disharmony. Virtue creates continuities, where relations are heighten by various symmetries and get celebrated as moments of harmony. Taking ones life and taking other people's with it is an ultimate discontinuity. In colorful language, one might say, "Blasphemy."

4b. Relations-symmetries. What are wars generally fought over? Power? control? Remember we started with the four basic freedoms. A freedom is a symmetry. This is a day to think about basic freedoms.

4c. Dynamics-harmonies. So little of our life is lived in harmony, but every harmonic moment shapes our life fundamentally. These become the cherished moments. And if there is something here for small business owners, for our memories, and for this Memorial Day, it is that we are all moved by this basic force within life to create the circumstances whereby there is ever more harmony in our days, our memories, and our projections for the coming days.

And, that is also the modus operandi of any good business.

In our mission statement it says, " ...business is when there is continuity, focus, and a growing expertise within a particular set of relations. I would also call this work and if this work is one of the ways that you use to define your self -- your expertise, often referred to as a calling-- then we call it good work. Business is one of the key ways that we all shape meaning in our lives. I have begun work on a business modeling project based on these concepts."

"So, if our definition of business is creating order, building relations, creating an abundance of value, and exchanging and transacting those values, Small Business School is a business that tries to create some sense of order around the basics of starting, running and growing a business. It is the business of helping people understand and develop the relations of business.

When asked, "How will you do this?" we answer, "Let's find people who are already doing it and lift them up as our roles models. Let's discover their sources of inspiration. Let's see how they handle problems. Our other questions were, "What happens when we genuinely celebrate the success of others and we open ourselves to learn from them? What is our path to wisdom? . . . to a fulfilled life?"

We sincerely believe there is a hero within each of us. There is creativity that struggles to find its way out. And when all of humanity feels liberated to exercise their unique creativity, the world will be transformed. By lifting up highly successful entrepreneurs who are, as we say in the opening of each show, "...creating jobs, creating wealth, making the world a better place," we hope this series makes the world a better place, too.

-Bruce Camber, Memorial Day, 2003