History

History is a funny thing. Modern historians considered Homer’s stories of Troy (in Iliad and Odyssey) as a pure fiction for a long time. Then in late 19^th century amateur archeologist Heinrich Schliemann shocked the historians by locating and digging up remains of Troy. Same thing happened with Odyssey. He was considered by most historians as fictional character until 1991 when Greek archeologists found the tomb of Odyssey from the island of Kefalonia, located on west coast of Greece.

It makes you wonder what kind of life Odyssey lived. Did he really have a long journey back to his home, Ithaca? What really happened on that journey? It also makes you wonder how big part of all the legends, stories about ancient heroes are based on actual historic events. One of my favourite such legend is the story of Atlantis. Plato was first one to write about Atlantis (in Timaeus and Critias). According to the story Athenian lawgiver Solon was visiting Egypt when he met priest of Sais, who translated him history of ancient Athens and Atlantis, recorded on papyri in Egyptian hieroglyphs, into Greek. That’s how we know (at least, according to Plato) about Atlantis, the way it was and of its ultimate destruction. Actual events would go back a long in ancient times, perhaps over eleven thousand years ago.

Personally after reading lots of material about Atlantis I’m inclined to believe that there was ancient civilization like that, which existed much earlier than historians think about well-developed civilizations. Civilizations do not always evolve straightly “forwards”, knowledge of things can be lost and found again. That’s why scientists scratch their head when they look at the pyramids or when they read the story written on papyri about ancient Egyptian sea voyage where Africa was circumnavigated 2000 years before Vasco da Gama. One metaphor about same phenomenon is the idea of growing up. People often tend to think that there are somehow wiser now than they were, for example, 5 years ago. This is not so. They have only changed. They may have become “better” in some things, more clever in another things and at the same time lost some realizations on the way. And what comes to essence of humanity – it is timeless.

Times change

Some update about recent happenings could be added here.

On last Friday (notice the carefully selected date) I got engaged with my girlfriend. It may have seemed as very sudden action but actually already after our first time meeting we were talking about ring sizes. Everything in our relationship has felt very natural. In the past I have been somewhat against engagement & marriage because I thought (and actually still do) that these things should not be considered important because they do not make relationship "better" anyhow. People often get trapped with ideas about their "status" and "role" when they go through these rituals. For me, they can be beautiful gestures & symbols but only thing what really matters is love. Rings that we now wear symbolize that love. Perhaps some other time I will try to write about love, now I just live it :)

Next month we're going to Switzerland for three week trekking vacation. We are going to do route called "Alpine Pass Route" - it goes through whole Switzerland in east-west direction from one border to another. Naturally there are lots of great sceneries on the way :) Whole route is something like 354 kilometers (which will feel lot longer on mountains) but we probably have to use bus on some less scenic sections so vacation will be relaxing enough. Also we'll use GPS to navigate the way and possibly seek some geocaches on the way. Funny thing is that I have never traveled with anyone for three weeks - times change indeed.

Brain

Many people are aware that biological structure of our brain affects to our way of thinking. Not so many people are aware that the process is also possible the other way around: our thoughts also modify the biological structure of the brain. Our life experiencces from cradle to grave leave marks to its structure, our thoughts, ideas and views have an effect to our brain. Scientists were surprised to find out about placebo effect - how it did not not affect to result whether patients got real medicine pills or just pills without any medicine in them. Another well known example is when at old age partner dies and person loses his/her will to live - body and mind are tied together.

There's also theory about some people having born with such brain structure, which makes it very easy for them not to get involved with things that most of the mankind does (dualism, beliefs, seeking authority, grouping and so on). That makes them stand out already at very early age and term "enlightened" is sometimes put upon them. Still, even if that theory was true (personally I agree with it to certain extent) it does not make much difference - we all can change the structure of our brain. Not only unconsciously as we all do that all the time but consciously, seeing the cause and effect.

Here are some links about the subject:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroplasticity
http://home.att.net/~meditation/soul.html
http://psyphz.psych.wisc.edu/web/News/wsj_1-19-07_begley.html