Hello from SF bay area

MarkD

MarkD

Keeper of the Hounds & Garden
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
I’m almost 70, retired & healthy, childless & married (she is +10 years & less healthy), make a garden (not for food), walk two active dogs every day and am close to my 10 years younger brother & his kids.

I was an undergrad philosophy major and am interested in psychology and brain research. Since retiring I’ve gotten interested in good fiction and poetry after a lifetime of near exclusivity with nonfiction. But now I’ve started reading Iain McGilchrist’s The Matter With Things, the best nonfiction I’ve ever read. So I’m hoping to find a place to discuss ideas.

I’m an agnostic but I’m interested in religion so I enjoy discussing that too. Really I’m interested in what it is that gives rise to God belief and supports it too. I’ll never think it is just what any Christian denomination believes, or just what any Muslim, Hindi or other religion thinks it is either. But I do think it’s real, dynamic and important and any adequate account would have to account for how each connects to what that is.

I’m also a bit of a garden/plant nerd and am a member of my local horticultural society. Travel has been out of the question because of the pandemic. My ailing wife has been told by her doctors that in condition she just shouldn’t get Covid even with all the vaxes and boosts. As her most likely vector I have to be just as careful. Sucks but worth it.

Okay that’s wrap. Time to post this intro snd later I’ll take a look around.
 

Hi Mark. I enjoyed your intro. I have a lot of same interests as you so I can relate about philosophy, psychology, dogs, agnostic, plants. I have been involved in all. Now I am just being a bff to my doggie. Nice to meet you and Happy Thanksgiving!

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Thanks and back at you. Hope you have good company and a good time. Rather than ask you about your other details I’ll see if I can find your bio. Thanks for saying hello.
 

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MarkD said:
I’m an agnostic but I’m interested in religion so I enjoy discussing that too. Really I’m interested in what it is that gives rise to God belief and supports it too. I’ll never think it is just what any Christian denomination believes, or just what any Muslim, Hindi or other religion thinks it is either. But I do think it’s real, dynamic and important and any adequate account would have to account for how each connects to what that is.
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You will get on famously with @Paco Dennis, relax jump in and enjoy.

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MarkD said:
I’m almost 70, retired & healthy, childless & married (she is +10 years & less healthy), make a garden (not for food), walk two active dogs every day and am close to my 10 years younger brother & his kids.

I was an undergrad philosophy major and am interested in psychology and brain research. Since retiring I’ve gotten interested in good fiction and poetry after a lifetime of near exclusivity with nonfiction. But now I’ve started reading Iain McGilchrist’s The Matter With Things, the best nonfiction I’ve ever read. So I’m hoping to find a place to discuss ideas.

I’m an agnostic but I’m interested in religion so I enjoy discussing that too. Really I’m interested in what it is that gives rise to God belief and supports it too. I’ll never think it is just what any Christian denomination believes, or just what any Muslim, Hindi or other religion thinks it is either. But I do think it’s real, dynamic and important and any adequate account would have to account for how each connects to what that is.

I’m also a bit of a garden/plant nerd and am a member of my local horticultural society. Travel has been out of the question because of the pandemic. My ailing wife has been told by her doctors that in condition she just shouldn’t get Covid even with all the vaxes and boosts. As her most likely vector I have to be just as careful. Sucks but worth it.

Okay that’s wrap. Time to post this intro snd later I’ll take a look around.
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Welcome. I live in a small Buddhist Monastery/Church, in central Missouri. I read a review of the book you mentioned above, and it is a little too "quantum" oriented for me. :) I am more of a practicing awareness type of "thinker". I have kinda quit looking for answers and now act like I have discovered something original. :) I am sure that we will mix it up as reality is a mysterious thing, and discovery is forever beckoning.

I just noticed you are from the Bay Area. I grew up in Cupertino. From about 1954 to 1973. :) I am 70 years old.
 
MarkD said:
I was an undergrad philosophy major and am interested in psychology and brain research. Since retiring I’ve gotten interested in good fiction and poetry after a lifetime of near exclusivity with nonfiction. But now I’ve started reading Iain McGilchrist’s The Matter With Things, the best nonfiction I’ve ever read. So I’m hoping to find a place to discuss ideas.
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Welcome @MarkD, Sounds like we might have interesting conversation. :)


Paco Dennis said:
Welcome. I live in a small Buddhist Monastery/Church, in central Missouri. I read a review of the book you mentioned above, and it is a little too "quantum" oriented for me. :) I am more of a practicing awareness type of "thinker". I have kinda quit looking for answers and now act like I have discovered something original. :) I am sure that we will mix it up as reality is a mysterious thing, and discovery is forever beckoning.

I just noticed you are from the Bay Area. I grew up in Cupertino. From about 1954 to 1973. :) I am 70 years old.
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@Paco Dennis, I either wasn't aware of these details of your life or I had forgotten, you know how us 70 yr. olds are....hip deep in living life as if there's no tomorrow. ;)
 
Ah, Deeply interested in the mind in the relative field and how it integrates with the soul, and the eternal, unmanifested field of the absolute Being.
You don't believe in a Being. Well, It's good to question. It's not important that you come to a conclusion or change beliefs.
You grow and evolve in your own way at your own time.
I WILL order and read the book you mentioned.
Welcome. Look forward to your posts.
 
Hey @MarkD , welcome!
MarkD said:
I’m an agnostic but I’m interested in religion so I enjoy discussing that too. Really I’m interested in what it is that gives rise to God belief and supports it too. I’ll never think it is just what any Christian denomination believes, or just what any Muslim, Hindi or other religion thinks it is either. But I do think it’s real, dynamic and important and any adequate account would have to account for how each connects to what that is.
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We've had some very interesting discussion of religion here, maybe you can restart that. We have the full range of people here, with a wide range of beliefs. Most are willing to openly and rationally discuss.
 
Gaer said:
Ah, Deeply interested in the mind in the relative field and how it integrates with the soul, and the eternal, unmanifested field of the absolute Being.
You don't believe in a Being. Well, It's good to question. It's not important that you come to a conclusion or change beliefs.
You grow and evolve in your own way at your own time.
I WILL order and read the book you mentioned.
Welcome. Look forward to your posts.
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I plan to respond to more folks here soon but I have to warn you the book is in two volumes of 1500 pages. It caused me to break down and buy a Kindle so I can read it in bed at night.

if you haven’t seen it, this video was my introduction and led to my reading his earlier book, The Master and His Emissary:

 
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You lost me at the Darwin illustrations. I don't believe in Darwinism or in Creationism.
Interesting video but I don't believe his opinions are more profound than my own realizations.
This speaks of only the brain. I agree of the importance of strong, free thought, but
the mind is still in the field of relativity; constantly changing, fluid, whereas I have more interest
in finding the pure unlimited, unbounded, eternal creative intelligence; pure existence, the absolute.
 
Hi Mark, welcome glad you found us
As you learn your way around the site, you'll meet great group of members from around the world here at SF which makes this a cool place to hang out every day
Enjoy yourself
Sue in Buffalo, NY
 
No worries. I wasn’t trying to sell you on any opinions and everyone naturally prefers their own. But I have a number of online Christian friends who see no conflict between evolution and creation. But I’m no Christian and I find the idea of creation as the intention of a being something like a person but more powerful to be untenable.
 
Welcome. I too live in the Bay Area — born in Oakland, grew up there, left in my twenties to join the Navy, and eventually returned, but not to Oakland. (-8
 
ElCastor said:
Welcome. I too live in the Bay Area — born in Oakland, grew up there, left in my twenties to join the Navy, and eventually returned, but not to Oakland. (-8
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Small world. I was born there too at Oak Knoll hospital because my father was in the navy. But with him in the navy I grew in several port towns. I had a home in Oakland as an adult before I turned 30 but moved to where I am now forty years ago. Not too far away.
 
MarkD said:
Small world. I was born there too at Oak Knoll hospital because my father was in the navy. But with him in the navy I grew in several port towns. I had a home in Oakland as an adult before I turned 30 but moved to where I am now forty years ago. Not too far away.
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I grew up in the Oakland hills. Nice place then, and maybe now, but the rest of the city has been declining. Sadly, not a place I would want to live now.
 
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