Blog #164--Interesting Tidbits Not Included in Book, Part 9

Due to space limitations, I left out a number of discussions that can help reinforce various conclusions drawn in my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life.” This blog is the ninth in a continuing series of supplemental information.

Tidbit #1: I have spoken several times, both in the book and my blogs, about our need to prefer the message over the messenger when learning about ourselves and our world. But it is our ego’s tendency to latch onto various symbols and story lines that represent and/or glorify the messenger, sometimes at the expense of the message.

I was raised a Christian, and I certainly don’t wish to shake anyone’s faith in the spiritual messages included in that religion or the Bible. But Christian scholars have discovered a number of mistakes that do nothing to falsify spiritual truths but which, once discovered, can create a strong emotional backlash from those whom have been taught differently.

One I wish to share at this time relates to the notion that Jesus died on a cross. The passion play celebrated each Easter places great emphasis on how Jesus carried a heavy wooden cross a great distance before being nailed to it for crucifixion. However, I ask readers to refer to two credible references that refute at least part of that story.

In the New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. IV, page 475, appears the following quote: “there is no proof of the use of a cross until much later” than the 6th century. The 6th Ecumenical Council in 680 required the adoption of a man dying on a cross. It is believed by some scholars that a cross was originally part of an ancient Egyptian mystery school initiation and later copied by the Church.

The highly respected Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church includes on page 842 of the 1997 edition the statement in capital letters: “THE INVENTION OF THE CROSS.” It states that Emperor Constantine’s mother Helena made up the story of Jesus dying on a cross. The cross symbol wasn’t required on all churches and altars until Pope Benedict XIV decreed it in 1754.

In my mind, it doesn’t really matter how Jesus died. What is vastly more important is how his story shows us there is nothing to fear in death, that we continue to exist eternally. Maybe if we let go of our emphasis on the details of his dying, we can begin to focus on the fact he is still living, as will we, past the death of our bodies.

Tidbit #2: The word “altruism” is defined as an unselfish willingness to assist another. This is especially true when one disregards the consequences to self. Many humans engage in unselfish acts, especially towards their own children and families. But giving up one’s life to save another is truly a rare occurrence. We have also seen examples of animals engaging in altruism for their own species and occasionally other species.

It has recently been discovered that plants can show altruism as well. According to Science Daily, 2/1/2013, researchers Chi-Chih Wu and William “Ned” Friedman, working at Colorado University-Boulder, studied multicolored “Indian corn” kernels since it was possible to find individual kernels from two different fathers on the same cob. Each fertilized seed contains two “siblings,” an embryo and an endosperm. The endosperm feeds the embryo as the seed grows, much like an egg yolk feeds a growing chick inside an egg.

The scientists found that kernels with both embryo and endosperm from the same father weighed significantly more than those from two different fathers. The explanation on how this occurs is more complex that can be related in this space, but basically this is a case where the endosperm from a different father than its corresponding embryo does not share as much food as those from the same fathers as their embryos. The researchers concluded that an endosperm giving up all its food to its sibling and then dying is completely altruistic.

Humans believe we are being altruistic out of a conscious choice. But if it is an instinct more finely ingrained in some than others, our similarity to corn plants is closer than previously assumed.

Tidbit #3: Nature is filled with vast diversity, far more than can be reported in any one book. A couple of examples indigenous to Hawaii I’ve heard about recently add to my love for the world around us. The “Happy Face Spider,” which has markings on the top of its abdomen that resemble a happy face, does something only 1% of spiders worldwide do. Only 1/4” long, these spiders actually feed and care for their young after they hatch.

At least one species of Hawaiian goby fish, a mere one inch long, makes a remarkable journey to spawn. Living normally at the bottom of waterfalls, it must climb up a steep rock face as water cascades down upon it to lay its eggs in the pool at the top of the falls. Some may ascend as much as 100 meters or more using a sucker on the bottom of their heads to latch onto the rock face. It is a slow, pain-staking process, but its babies will hatch above the falls and then follow the water to the pool below before repeating the cycle.

Nature is amazing. The more we observe it in action, the more amazing it becomes. Please check out the world around you. It is you.

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