Drum Machines Don't Have Souls

Loosely based on "The Argument of the Unmoved Mover" by

St. Thomas Aquinas

The first and more manifest way is the argument from motion. 

A skilled drummer, moving her hands over a drum, produces the sounds of organized rhythm.  Who can doubt this or not be moved by it during a night of entertainment?

It is certain, and evident to our senses, that in the world some things are in motion. 

Certainly, we see the hands of this drummer moving in time, 1,2,3,4, while hearing the sound Dum Dum Pa Te Re, Dum Dum Du Pa Ta Te Re emanating from the skin of the drum head and making us want to move.

Now whatever is in motion is put in motion by another, for nothing can be in motion except it is in potentiality to that towards which it is in motion; whereas a thing moves inasmuch as it is in act.

The hands of this drummer, creating the rhythm that moves us while in the audience, were put into motion by the heart and mind of the drummer, from where else?  Ever since the drummer loved this pattern and then learned and practiced the pattern, she's been quite ready to play the pattern, only lacking the opportunity to play it before an audience - that's all.

For motion is nothing else than the reduction of something from potentiality to actuality.

Before then, she was just a woman desiring to play something recognizably cool on some instrument already known to most cultures around the world as a hand drum.  Before then she was just the baby girl in a family who loved to perform music in front of her siblings.    Before then she was conceived in love by her mother and father after a night of dancing at Ricky Ricardo's nightclub.

But nothing can be reduced from potentiality to actuality, except by something in a state of actuality.

But first, it took seeing herself capable of loving, learning, and playing such an instrument.  In most cases, prior to becoming a drummer, one needs:

• two hands-check, 
• a belief in ones own sense of rhythm-semi check, 
• a love of music-check, 
• vainglory for the adoration of an audience-bold check, and 
• perhaps even a genetic disposition to perform music-check (she had brothers that were in a band).

Love first, to get her through all of the purchasing of instruments, lesson books, tapes, private lessons, practice and more practice and then the big leap into performing music next. 

Thus that which is actually hot, as fire, makes wood, which is potentially hot, to be actually hot, and thereby moves and changes it.

One day, finally, standing straight before her audience, tapping her foot in time 1, 2, 3, 4, out comes the pattern from her heart and mind, to her hand, to the drum head, Dum Dum Pa Te Re, Dum Dum Du Pa Ta Te Re.

Now, we too feel this love of music, fully evolved in a passionate delivery of rhythm over a hand drum.  Hearing it moves us and the rest of the crowd and we begin to sway and tap our feet to the beat.

Now it is not possible that the same thing should be at once in actuality and potentiality in the same respect, but only in different respects.  For what is actually hot cannot simultaneously be potentially hot; but it is simultaneously potentially cold.

While the drummer is right on the mark with her drumming, those of us in the audience continue to feel this incredible pull to get up and dance, which we all do, but some of us can dance while the rest of us cannot; we are all moved by the beat to try anyway, maybe even someone in the audience will be so inspired now to take up drumming too.

It is therefore impossible that in the same respect and in the same way a thing should be both mover and moved, i.e. that it should move itself. Therefore, whatever is in motion must be put in motion by another.

She sees us dance and is filled with joy, making her want to also dance, but she cannot, as she is the one providing the very beat that we are dancing to. 

If that by which it is put in motion be itself put in motion, then this also must needs be put in motion by another, and that by another again.

Driven by her own music genealogy, mutated forward from the million plus year old primordial soup she originated from, she could try to seamlessly switch on her pre-programmed drum machine, set a drum loop, and leave the bandstand and join us in dance.   As she comes toward us we might envision the programmer of the drum loop having sat in some home studio operating some music software created by some mathematical formula translated into bits and bytes, in some office run by some person who took 4 years of electrical engineering at some college formed by some board of directors, managing the assets of some wealthy donors…..

But this cannot go on to infinity, because then there would be no first mover, and, consequently, no other mover; seeing that subsequent movers move only inasmuch as they are put in motion by the first mover; as the staff moves only because it is put in motion by the hand.

….and precisely conclude drum machines don't have souls and wouldn't move us quite like our human drummer with love in her heart.

Therefore it is necessary to arrive at a first mover, put in motion by no other; and this everyone understands to be God.

Tasting It

We all forget but still, we are created creatures, we have limits.  Even our best scientific discoveries, while trying to go further, while pursuing the origin of our beginnings, end up at a wall.  A wall that seemingly prevents us from going any further, a wall of finality. 

Underlying all biology, chemistry, cosmology, and other fields of the natural sciences are common physical principals, these we can observe.  Below these, the scientist finds even more order; in fact the deeper science delves, the more orderly and mathematical the world becomes.  Finally, science gets to a point where only assumptions regarding our origin remain.  The human mind goes as far as it can go, until no more can be understood; man's finite mind trying to understand the Creator's infinite mind, no wonder we struggle to understand.

Many of us here would assume God the Creator as the ultimate source, the first mover.  But others seemingly refuse "to bow down" if you will, to the notion of God the Creator, imposing instead far greater, fantastic theories of chance; speculative but non provable scientific hypotheses.

Rational scientists believe theories like these would require a far greater leap of faith than simply, faith in God.

So, "Have faith" we tell each other.

I started to realize how many things I actually put faith in.  Take flying in an airplane for example.  Just looking at the plane from afar, never getting on it, could I have judged by reason alone that it would fly?  Would I thus demand to understand every detail of the airplane, every wiring schematic, every mechanical detail, the principals of aerodynamics, the psychology of the flight crew, the maintenance records, the financial status of the owner of the plane, etc. before I would fly in it?  No, into the darkness I went, taking a huge leap of faith into the workings of all these multiple variables, finally just getting on the plane and trusting. 

Probably, like me, you too already rely a great deal on faith in others; faith in your fellow mankind to do their jobs well, in many areas of your life.

"You can taste 'in the darkness of faith' and come to a surer knowledge than by seeing in the light of reason.  When it comes to ultimate important truths, you cannot judge by reason any more surely than you can tell whether an object is sweet or bitter by looking at it. You must taste it."

"Taste and see that the Lord is sweet." urged St. Bonaventure.  Sometimes, this tasting is the only way to find out.  In tasting we either choose God or we go back to the wildly speculative scientific assumptions for the explanation of our ultimate "source."
  
Many of the great scientific minds have tasted and chosen God.  Here's what has helped me so far:

• opening up to Christian ideas regarding creation, 
• applying natural reason to understand creation: 
• the creation one can actually see and touch and 
• the creation one can't see and touch,
• analyzing the mysteries occurring in my own life and asking: chance or design?, and 
• listening during prayer.     

I too have gradually come to believe what lies beyond this "wall of finality" to be no other than God Himself.

How blind I had become following the ways of the world and shutting out God as an impossibility!  Now, a repentant sinner, I've come to believe in Jesus Christ through the Gospel writings and hence I'm learning even more about God through historical revelation accounts as written in the Bible. 

If I can give you any advice, taste it for yourself.  Start by making a short prayer to God asking Him to give you what you need to begin the journey.  Don't try to understand how it will happen either.  With eyes gradually opened in faith, you'll be led by the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ and you'll begin to see real, concrete manifestations of God everywhere you turn.  In the process, let Him know that you regret your sins and that you accept His forgiveness through His Son.  

You can repeat this prayer in your car, while at work, or any other time throughout the day, simply gather your thoughts and make a brief prayer.  In fact, repeating brief prayers like these put you in the habit of daily communication with God.  Just talk to the One whom created you and know that He will respond, you'll see for yourself.  What have you got to lose?  Nothing.  More importantly, what have you got to gain?  Everything, you are restoring your relationship with God the Almighty, your creator and the creator of the heavens and and the earth.  Everything, including eternal life in paradise, Heaven.

 Tasting it and finding it is sweet.

Losing My Apatheism

There's hope for the apatheist, I should know, I once was one.

Philosopher Mr.Keith Ward writes about evolutionary biologist, author and atheist Mr.Richard Dawkins:  "Dawkins conclusion that there is no God or any purpose in the universe is "naïve" and not based on science but a hatred of religion.  Dawkins' strong anti-religious views originate, according to Ward, from earlier encounters with "certain forms of religion which are anti-intellectual and anti-scientific...and also emotionally pressuring."

Although I never considered myself an atheist, I strongly disliked organized religion for many years of my life for these very reasons.  After all, I had gone on to engineering school and studied science and physics and chemistry.  I knew how the world worked and I knew how to make the world work for me, or so I thought.  My moral relativist attitude of sorts was to please everyone, to be cool, and to love all people and so quite naturally, I felt within bounds to object to people or groups trying to tell me or my loved ones how to live based on "non-provable" religious dogma.

Getting beyond those walls meant becoming receptive, slowly but surely, to the validity of ideas that are thousands of years old that when digested, are revealed as current today and as relevant today as any other modern idea.  There were my own prayers too.  Even though my pride still wanted to fight against it, putting my hands together, kneeling down before God and praying a simple prayer or two to my Creator began to soften that hardened heart of mine. 

I understand we pray to One much greater than ourselves, our Creator, the Creator of all form and all matter.  If that's too hard to conceive, don't worry, we can pray to His Son, Jesus Christ instead.  We can all "see" Jesus Christ in the myriad of images and art passed down by tradition and we can know from historical accounts, the Bible, records, documents, etc. that He really existed.

Fr. Francis Fernandez writes: "In Christ we find the fullness of revelation.  In his word and life all that God willed to say to mankind and to each person is contained.  In Jesus we find all we should know about our own existence, in him we understand the meaning of daily life.  In Christ everything has been said to us; it is for us to listen to him and follow the counsel of Mary: "Do whatever He tells you (John 2:5)" Conversation with God, Daily Meditations Volume Three: Ordinary Time: Weeks 1-12

I couldn't have fathomed that one day I would be able to

• use rational reasoning to prove the existence of God, or

• find historical and scholarly works proving the existence of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, or

• listen to the wisdom in testimony after testimony of God's work in people's lives, or
• see the many happenings in my own life as not just coincidence after chance coincidence, but indeed answered prayers and yes, miracles, or

• recognize the hard evidence that has been there all along, everywhere, bible based churches, the brick and mortar structures resulting from faith in God, and

• join a community of believers, the real flesh, blood, and Mystical Body of Christ present in this very day and age.

But here I am, no longer an apatheist.  No matter how far you've strayed, no matter what sinful things you've done, maybe I'll be the first ex-apatheist to tell you, other people's prayers for you, God's constant love for you, and yes you, in finally accepting God's grace, can choose once and for all, to allow the supernatural to light your way. 

1. If you see a guy on the street begging for money, whether you think he's scamming or not, roll down the window and give the man a few dollars. 
2. Skip a meal while thinking about all that Jesus Christ gave up out of love for you and me, enduring death by crucifixion and then offer up the resulting hunger, in a short prayer, for some poor soul who is starving and wondering where he will get his next meal. 
3. When you see someone in the store that you'd normally think critical thoughts about, this time, try saying to yourself: "there goes somebody's precious child, how her mother loves her and used to hold her as a baby in her arms and rock her to sleep." 

You'll get the hang of it and your heart will begin to turn from stone to flesh.

If you've ever felt like an apatheist, the good news is that when the time comes, God willing, it will be far easier for you to recognize God's Divine Providence at work, this I can personally assure you.  You will know it in your heart and those that really know you will see it in your core that something supernatural HAD to have happened to turn YOU, yeah YOU, of all people, towards the truth.  "Just look at my past" you'll say over and over, just look at my past.

Whether you're an apatheist or not, what have you got to lose by making a simple prayer?  Try it, no one has to see it either.  Layperson to layperson, I encourage you to simply put your hands together, close your eyes and tell God: "Here I am Lord, I-want-to-know-this-great-love-that-you-have for me.  Despite all of my sins, convince this hardened heart of mine of your great love for me Lord, show me your will for me, take me into your fold, through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen."  

Practice, Perform, and Preach

If you're a baptized Christian, it's your obligation.


If you're Catholic, regardless of where you are in the world, this is what you heard at mass today during the second reading:


Brothers and sisters:

If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,
for an obligation has been imposed on me,
and woe to me if I do not preach it!
If I do so willingly, I have a recompense,
but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship.
What then is my recompense?
That, when I preach,
I offer the gospel free of charge
so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all,
I have made myself a slave to all
so as to win over as many as possible.
To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak.
I have become all things to all, to save at least some.
All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it.
 1 Cor 9:16-19, 22-23

Spreading the Good News is my obligation too and yet I'm provided infinite freedom in how to go about doing it but do it I must.


St. Paul provides prose, purpose, and proof to practice, perform, play, paint, provide, picket, praise, post, promote, plant, profess, preach, pray, perhaps any number of other pursuits; however it is that you can 'get' to all people, even without profit, so as "to become all things to all, to save at least some."   Powerful!

The Last Things

NARNIA or BORG

CHILD or SLAVE

DEATH and JUDGMENT
HEAVEN or HELL