his name was gnat,, and he found himself on top of the Tao Tao tower.a tubular stone tower 50 feet tall with a flat circular roof ....it was covered with one big yin yang symbol......a well known symbol of Taoism tao... two tears chasing each other one black ....one white.... the black tear had a white dot and the white tear had a black dot.....it was foggy and windy...there was a man there..he had on a black robe, a long grey beard and a pointy green felt hat with a wide brim..... ...
MW>> well gnat,,,, its been awhile since we bumped into each other.... the first time you were here,on Tao tao tower,your were in a bit of a rush......so..,let me re-inrtroduce myself to you .you can call me MW.we've been following your adventures here in the noosphere and they make for a great storey..i hope you have as much fun on this trip...one little addition..if ever you need help or need some assistance of any kind ..all you gotta do is say "get back to greem".three times..and help will come ..ok...well gnat, you have a choice.... to stand on the black circle in the white tear and go to Babel Land ...where you have already been....or go to stand on the white circle in the black tear and go to Greem where you have already been....its entirely up to you...
gnat>> I choose to get back to greem if its all the same to you ....
MW>>:its not all the same, but still .... go stand on the white dot......
gnat went over and stood on the white dot in the black tear....suddenly the solid floor gave way and he plunged down a hole .. . a rabbt hole .. at first it was frightening, then it was exhilarating.. and he let out a yelp of joy.... WEEEEeeeeee Wheeeeeeeee..up down and all around. a splash through water and then freefall.. soon enough the ride was at an end and he emerged into a new world...the nootopia .. . ..
gnat now was standing on a circle of white in a field of black . All the landscape was shimmering like a mirage . ..
before gnat could move 3 huge dragon's appeared..or just their huge floating heads . as they had immensly long necks that stretched forever.. and they all three looked gnat up and down critically....
the dragon Rill>> well look what we have here....... look who's back... why if it isn't gnat...
the dragon Gill>> your in for a treat.. welcome once again to the NOOTOPIA .....this a land where there are no lies....every uttered word from each individual mouth has to be the truth ..involuntariily...there are no lies here......
the dragon Rill>>: also in the real world there is multiple of items in a catagory..in the noosphere there is only one...llike drilling rigs here there is only one.....suburban houses there is only one....a simplified but representative version of reality..
the dragon GILL>> the NOOSPHERE is divided into three equal parts...nootopia and dystopia . . .at the center of Dystopia there is Babel and at the center of Nootopia is Greem,,,.at the start they were identical in every way...the same seas and the same trees and the same bees.....this was the case for many many years,, while it reached equilibrium..... a steady state garden and then slowly...people were introduced....they were all given free will except for one thing....in one half of the noosphere, the dystopia, they obeyed the laws of man while in the other half of the noosphere ,the notopia, they obeyed the laws of nature...
the dragon RILL>>Babel and Greem are very differnt . . .Babel is out of control and overpolluting . . .greenhouse gases are skyrocketing , . ..nature is on the run . . .forests are being felled unsustainably ... where as Greem is in a healthy steady state .. ..no pollution . . .no internal combustion engines . . .relying on ebikes for the most part . ..electricity being generated by fusion reactors.
the dragon GILL>> and here you are in NOOTOPIA on your way to greem...
the dragon Pendrake>>you can't go wrong if you keep to the green brick road...follow the green brick road gnat .......follow the green brick road...
every journey of 1000 miles starts with the first single step..now take that step...
THE GREEN BRICK ROAD
gnat looked down at his feet ... he was standing on a large lime green brick..and in front of that brick were two bricks and in front of them there were three bricks and on and on till it reached a maximum width of 8 feet.. a proper road....with low curbs.......beside him was a backpack...a very nice one. . . .on the backpack was a baseball cap ... its was green with the phrase "Getbacktogreem" on it . . .he put on the cap and .he llifted up the backpack ... it weighed about 90 pounds...he swung it up on to his back..it felt good.....it fit him nicely,,,the dragon Pendrake>>Well what are you waiting for,,,,an invitation??move it or lose it.....i wish you good luck to you now and in the future ,, may you be blessed by Tao tao
a blessing happened almost immediately . . . gnat took his first step,, and then another and another and then he was on his way..he heard a screaching sound over on his left shoulder.. when he looked in that direction there was a beautiful hawk flying high and straight towards him....when the hawk passed directly over him, it brushed its tail feathers against his hat , , ,gnat lost sight of the hawk and then it was gone.....a very great blessing indeed....a blessing from nature..a blessing from Tao tao,,,,
the sun was shining brightly, and the warmth felt good....an iridescent skink was laying in the sun on the road. . .gnat stood still .....he so loved the little creatures .. ..a meditative moment that ended when the little fellow hurried for cover...gnat continued walking.....just rolling fields as far as the eye could see.....no fences no structures ...he walked on for an hour...on closer inspection,,the fields were predominately made up of grass about one foot tall with seeds . . low .clover with white flowers ,, ,a low plant with yellow flowers and honeysuckle which gave off a very nice perfume . . .it was nice , looking into the distance and seeing only grassy hills .. he scanned the hills for animals .. . he could see a herd of buffalo grazing way .off in the distance .. . ....the fields gave way to a bush or two..and then the occasional tree,..one tree happened to be an apple tree and gnat got a wonderful crisp fruit from a low hanging branch..perfect...a blessing again from Tao tao....he took off his pack and sat down with his back against the apple tree . . .watching the clouds go by . . .he dozed off ,, ,,and dreamed , ,he dreamed of a time in the future when the Earth would not be under attack from all directions, especially climate heating . . . .,then a crow cawing woke him up . . .the crow was walking around him hopping up and down .. . gnat got up put on his pack and went back on to the gbr . . . .. he walked on.....the fields turned into forest...and then he came upon a sign next to the green brick road,,,,that said :
you are entering the
AVENUE OF THE GIANTS
.....then the forests gave way to a grove ..of ancient redwoods trees ....the redwood tree standing 300 feet tall and up to 50 feet wide at the base...with thick gnarly bark and limbless lower trunks reaching to the sky.the trees were spaced out enough to allow each trees leafy crown to have adequate sunshine..the ground was shaded and sandy ... the only vegetation were bunches of big green shamrocks and grin bushes. .....ah the grin seed ... .. the magical grin seed , , , good for a good mood . . .not an intoxicant but a mood elevator , , , , a giver of courage .. a lover of truth and happiness . . . .he popped a grin into his mouth....and chewed it......the road wound amongst the redwoods..deeper and deeper into the grove of trees..there was a hush in the air and everything was calm,,,,,, gnat was very much in the present moment, and loving it...
to the side of the green brick road on a slight hill there was a cabin. with a tables outside..on a patio...gnat removed his backpack and took a seat.. soon a man in a blue beret came out. and placed a bowl on the table that contained 2 black figs and two grin seeds..the man then sat down and they each took a grin seed and ate it,,,, followed by a black fig..
Buzzy>> there thats better...there is something special about a fig isnt there....the grin seed is even more special. and .it is very aptly named ..dont you think ..hi, my name is Buzzy Bee and I'm gonna be with you today and who may I ask would you be ?? ....Can you take out your sphone??
gnat>> hi ....my name is gnat and I've just come from Earth and so far I've been in love with this noosphere and this nootopia...I dont have an sphone.. i just got here..in fact I dont even know what a sphone is ... is it like an Iphone? i had one those..
Buzzy>>:not an iphone,,, the sphone is everythng rolled into one..it has your personal information your bank balance, and every week a princley sum of up to one hundred dollars is loaded into.it.everyone in greem has one...check your backpack for one.. check the outer pockets .. gnat went thru his pack and found it , , , ,,Buzzy swiped something on the sphone . ..
Buzzy>>... here's the menu...its on your sphone .. . .
the menu looked like parchment .. lots of delicious items and gnat was quite hungry...he ordered a spinach salad and quiche... an herbal tea..and finished with a pie, any type of pie.... please. surprise me. ....Buzz giggled, got up and went inside...
gnat stretched and watched the giant redwoods..they had stood here for 2000 years and more ..a single bird was calling and gnat listened carefully..lost in the monent..like he wasn't even there...he closed his eyes and smiled...time stood still ..........no past no present , , , ,,,,,just now ...................Buzz returned with the food on a large tray.
Buzz>> here is your spinach salad, quiche...and an herbal tea .and here is your desert...a suprise .. its pecan pie.warmed ...You'll notice that all the plates and utensils are non-disposable...Buzz sat down at the table.beside gnat....the salad has fresh spinach with crumbled egg and bacon with a special orange sauce...the slice of quiche has sausage and tomato...Buzz was having the crepe suzette and a cappuccino...everything was delicious...they ate for awhile in silence...
gnat>>tell me about greem why is it so special....
Buzz:>>well for one thing noone owns property..no landlord and no rent and no houses with yards...just apartments...pretty densly packed..so you can walk wherever you want to go...so no cars....no gas no pollution...no suburbs.....no commute. . . . ..if you need to go a little farther you have your own electric bike.... ...if you need to ,,you can call a taxi on your sphone ..soon a VW electric bus painted red with white on the top will appear.......everyone living here wants to be here......its voluntary. . ...they chose to be here so they submit to its rule,,,, the rule of nature .. . . . . .and what makes it all possible is the fact that noone can lie...not even a white lie....
Buzz:>>would you like to stay here overnight??This is basicly a one room stone cabin.. lots of people like to travel, so this is a good waystation....an experience like no other.....
gnat agreed to stay....the sun was getting quite a bit lower in the sky,,there now appearred crows..loud birds....they cry and then fly straight at you ...unnerving..the temperature started to drop ..soon Buzz took the dishes and went into the cabin and gnat soon followed....
gnat>>let me do the dishes........Buzz nodded ok.....
the one room cabin had a nice kitchen a fire place with a stone mantle, two single beds and two chairs and a couch....on one wall was a beautiful Governor Winthrop writing desk and a comfy chair . . . above it was a book case ,. he perused the books...there were lots of sierra club books...all about nature, ecology, botany, nature stuff amd the book, "the Revenge of Gaia" by Lovelock . . .
after the dishes .. . .they started a fire in the fireplace .. ..using dry moss, shavings and a fire stick. Buzz had alot of practice at it but he let gnat start the fire with some help ..it was good practice ..soon they had a roaring fire going ......later they toasted marshmellows on twigs...it required patience to get it just right....the cabin warmed up nicely.
Buzz>>everybody in Nootopia is 35 years old....and physically robust..we all do Tai Chi every morning....everyone ........there are no diseases and no ailments....no cigarettes and no booze , , ,, , ,but we do have the grin seeds which more than makes up for it....there are no STD's and you cant get pregnant......its all very magical....
gnat>>what about work????
Buzz>>there is work to be done.for sure . . . but there is no hurry , , most people work on their own creative projects , , , ,and publish on the Sphone , , , , .since you're new to nootopia you would go to the job center for an asssignment....just to start off..every one in nootopia is an artist...... what is your art gnat?? . . . .
gnat>>I'm a singer/songwriter . . .got my first guitar when I was 10 years old , , I think a child should be given a guitar or a piano when they turn 10 . . . .just like they give them paints and brushes . . . .
they grabbed some shuteye ....the sleeping bag from his backpack was luxurious, comfortable and clean..
................................
the next morning was cloudy and cool...
first things first before breakfast, out in front of the cabin..,, Buzz did 30 minutes of Tai Chi and gnat followed along as best he could.
they had cereal and waffles at the table... decaff coffee was hot and the maple syrup was real...
Buzz>>" how would you like a little side mission? what do say gnat....are you game??" gnat nodded affirmatively......"well there is a woman living in the top of a redwood tree., here ..... the woman is called butterfly and the tree is called luna....and every week or so someone needs to bring supplies to her....water,,food you know stuff.....plus she could use the company...what do you say??",.....gnat was alright with it...
Buzz>>"Follow the green brick road you cant miss it...you'll know the tree luna when you get there" ........gnat pulled on his backpack...
Buzz gave gnat heavy suitcase with wheels...it was filled with all kinda goodies destined for luna and butterfly. . .... before he left buzz told him of the tree elevator...on Luna.."attach the suitcase with the d ring,,and yell for butterflys attention and ask her to pull the suitcase up.....then tug on the rope . . ...she'll say "ready" .and up it goes....soon the disk will come back down with another suitcase ...this suitcase has garbage in it..take it off and then stand on the disk and connect with the dring....and call out "pull me up" ..yank on the rope ,,and up you go....got it?
gnat >> got it....................so gnat said farewell....
LUNA
he contunued along the greenbrick road , it was very shadey..,, .the trees were spectacular . .there was very little groundcover ..just sand ..the tree didnt have branches on the lower trunk .. .branches started at about the 200 foot level . . .some of the trunks were hollowed out by fire . .he crawled into one just for fun , ,it was as big as a small room..he made some crazy noises and listened to the acoustics...nice,,, he saw a sign on a redwood . . .that said "General Sherman . . .the most massive living thing in this world or the next",and it was .. it didnt have a circular trunk,, but it had a central shaft with flying buttresses supporting it..,. it was truly amazing, , , as he mosied along the gbr . he saw a small sign on a huge redwood that said LUNA......that was the name of the tree he had heard about...he attached the suitcase to the rope ..he yelled to get butterflys attention......and she answered "ready" ..and gnat yelled "go"...and up it went,,,soon it came back down with another suitcase..he detached it .....he stood on the disk attached the dring held onto the rope ,,yanked it .. and yelled ............"pull me up"
slowly but steadily gnat started to rise.....up and up he went beside the limbless trunk....higher and higher till he reached the first linbs...the rope threaded thru them till he reached the top....he removed the d-ring and stepped off the disk .. he was standing on a wooden deck in front of a lovely young lady with short brown hair....a red and black flannel shirt, denim jeans, and blue socks
butterfly>>welcome to my world ... I'm butterfly....and this here tree is my love Luna ..thanks for bringing supplies ..its just . like christmas morning..
gnat>>"hi .yes . I'm gnat ..". and he took off the backpack "I am newly from earth . . .
gnat looked around..off the side was a one room shack..with windows and a stovepipe....and a shingle roof.. they were standing on the deck in front of the shack.....and everything was embraced by the gnarly branches ,,,, the view was misty and spectacular....
Butterfly>> this calls for a treat..... she rifled thru the suitcase until she found two bars and then handed one to gnat......... it was delicious...
gnat>> wow it must get lonesome up here....how long has it been?
butterfly>> its been a long time....i come up here because I love it here... I love luna and luna is in nootopia and babel land at the same time..it lived before the split between the topias....its the same tree...over 2000 years old ,. I guess that means I have dual citizenship.... and in babel land the only thing that keeps them from cutting luna down is because i am up here living.. breathing...meditating.........
they got to know each other better...shared their worldviews,,,,
she showed him around...which took 5 miinutes..basically there was a 100 sq ft platform and a chest for storing food and water..then onthe roof there was a bank of solar panels attached to some marine batteries....attached to the rope elevator motor ,.she took out her sphone and called buzz to let him know gnat had arrived....she talked to buzz for awhile and then she hung up...
gnat took his sleeping bag out of his backpack and laid it down on the platform...and got comfortable....
butterfly>> is there a God??.....................................
gnat>>" in nootopia there is magic....and where there is magic there must be a hierarchy of some sort..so lets pose that question to someone on Earth,,,,,is there a god,,the first question is, is there magic?? is there a MetaPhysics???..is there a MP..what is MP literally.... it means higher than the physical...like can i snap my fingers and move an object.....
where there are miracles there is MP and where there is MP
there is a god of some sort
one sort of MP effort is concerned with the bringing about of a habitable planet with intelligent creatures .. that is physical MP and biologcal MP. and intellectual MP .at work
2/miracle of the big bang...with its sea of particles and its dim mathematical laws
1/miracle of creation..spreading the galaxies.....all pointed at raising up conscoiusness,,,requires a huge number of worlds to able to support life.. looking for goldilock planets...
science can sometimes answer how but not why....science is good at describing the physical world ,, , ,no luck describing the MP world but never the less its there . . . .
/localized MP .localized spirit occurs with the mass at its center . ...GAIA arose inside Earth...and during its long history ..has been guiding the planet on a path for life...managing all the factors required for producing life . . . .
/miracle of life from no life......to one celled creatures...to multicell creatures to plants to insects and animals to humans....all requiring MP at the atomic level......the dna level . the molecular level and cellular level..and planetery level to the solar system level
/miracle of consciousness.....a brain arises from bacteria....
/miracle of survival....all the ecosystems work together to create an optimal environment...cooperation
miracle of technology....the presence of oil....glass...a world to exploit the framework of knowledge waiting to be discovered..
miracle of science - a world that is mathmatical and logical
miracle of electronics the explosion of the digital domain...computers exploding
it took:::::::: ; ; ; ; ; ////
14B YEARS evolve the universse
4B years to evolve the planet
1B years to evolve the life
100M years to evolve mammals
30M years to evolve apes
3M years to evolve man
200K years to evolve humans
up until now everyone obeyed the natural laws...and if it did break the natural laws then GIAI took it out...physically,,,it was toast... so she was constantly tinkering with the planet...and now man arose.. and started to tease out the many secrets of nature...beginning with fire....you can break the rules at a small scale and get away with it ...
butterfly>>:i love playing cribbage..do you play...
gnat>>I used to play it all the time with my friend Bud.....he beat me alot..we'd play for 10cents a point with a maximum of $20....""
so they frittered the day away playing cribbage on a board made of a whiskey barrel stave and hand made square iron nails as pegs....
he stayed there awhile... .. had a great time . . .but it was time to go, , , ,,he asked butterfly if she wanted to come along with him .. . ..
so he packed his bag, and said goodbye to butterfly and luna . . .they had a long hug and a kiss ,, , and then he returned to the ground . .
. to keep going, click on the underlined sentence below.....
green brick road 4