‘Bud the Brain Explores The Question Of Existence’. When I was young I tried to find the answer to why we exist, in religion. Now that I am 72, nearing the end of my journey, my questions are more modest. I am content with ‘how we exist, asking science and philosophy. The finite cannot explain the infinite but only stand in awe & gratitude.
 After years of academic frustration, I found that graphics can free me somewhat from the tyranny of language.
         ‘Bud’ will make more sense to you if you follow it in order (ie page numbers). So far I am not able to post it sequentially but I’m working on that. I also have an erratum. Somewhere along the way, my primitive brain went primal. I misspelled ‘primitive’ as ‘primitive,’ a problem I correct along about page 50 or so.

       As time goes on I shall probably add to this preface. Thanks for reading.

  I had a box in which was a skull with an exposed rubber brain on which were rubber maggots, and a loaf of bread.   I explained to those who came up that the bread represented our life and was NOW.
  I told them each slice of bread was like an incident in their life – both happy and sad. 
  I made 2 piles of bread – things they felt hate for and things they loved.
  Then I told them inside the box was the cause and sometimes the cure for all the world’s problems.
  They would stick their hand in and feel around.
   I asked them what they felt. Sometimes they identified it as a brain.
  Then I’d open the box to reveal the brain with the maggots.
       “This is a brain filled with hate,” I said. “And it causes all the world’s problems.”
   Then I went back to the piles of bread which I reminded them was NOW, and I said: “An old philosopher (Spinoza) said every time we thing about something in the ‘hate’ pile, we bring hate back into the NOW. the place we presently occupy. Things like anger, guit, greed and the rest, only have the power we give them. They produce the emotions that cause hate in the world.
  But we can stop thinking about the ‘hate’ pile and focus on the other pile, the ‘love.’ Here we find truth, beauty, science and so forth.
  It doesn’t hurt to memorize quotes from thinkers you appreciate and focus on these when the ‘hate’ pile seems to be taking over your thinking.
  This is a simplified version of Spinoza’s ideas. He is quite complex when you read him.
  While very simple, the presentation with the brain and the bread was quite effective on that summer afternoon.
  Think of something you can do using ordinary language that can show ideas to your audience.
   Let me know how you do. Have a happy slice of NOw doing your presentation.
 
Dick DeShaw

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