Ross... Bureaucrats... and Privacy... and Stalin... and Hitler... and All the rest...

Ross believed in Resurrection for all... and he was not referring resurrection after death... but resurrection while living... "Everyone has the potential for epiphany and resurrection while living...," he postulated...

Ross's friend, the building/mechanical maintenance caretaker, planted a tree in front of the school in memory of Ross... And now the tree whispers with the February wind... reminds me what it could have been and what it could be... Ross respected my privacy and never tried to prey into things that belonged to me... My thoughts and my ways of living... 

I lived far from the school... I drove more than an hour every morning... early in the morning to avoid the congestion and traffic... I did not mind the drive for two reasons... First, it gave me time too organize my day in my mind... and when I was at school, I was ready to function properly... Second and more important, I was far away from the school environment such that the admin or the teachers or the students or their parents could not interfere in my private life... 

Ross on the other hand thrived on communication with students and their parents and teachers... and admin too... and he walked to school every day... rain, snow or shine... He had his straw hat and the black umbrella... That was enough protection for him... He loved to associate with people... with students, and laugh with them... converse with them... He loved to walk with them too... whenever that happened... and it happened quite often... He enjoyed the company...

It was not that he did not prize his privacy... but he loved to associate with others and if that compromised his privacy... he was ready to pay the price for that... he did not mind... He loved to meet students on the streets around the school where he lived... he was at times an open book... that everyone could enjoy...

We were very different in this respect and each one of us respected the other's way of life... It did not bother us... and as Ross will put it: "We were allowed..."

He was Diogenes without a lantern... He was a mathematician without numbers... and he was one of the happiest person in the school... in my life... 

But his personal way of living did not hinder him to hate passionately the "Big Brother..." He did not like intrusive government... He did not thrust bureaucrats  and apparatchiks... and that's was why we had that wonderful friendship and intellectual affinity... 

We were different, but both of us wanted "Big Brother" to stay away from us... he always cringed when the Law was walking the hallways... and when they pryed open one of the student lockers... He understood the necessity, but still did not like it... he looked for students who were in contradiction with the law... and talked with them... attempted to befriend them... and genuinely wanted to understand their needs... "Why they were doing what they were doing" was fascinating to him and he wanted to comprehend... and help... instead of just busting the locker and punishing them... He had student-friends who were in clash with the law... and to some who had stayed in touch with him... helped financially too...

For Ross money was to help people and not deprive them from being human... For him there were no "sinners"... and everyone had the promise for rise above the day to day stumbles... he did not dwell on the fall of a person... but stressed the potential to rise... and be resurrected... 

He believed everyone had the potential for epiphany... and of course resurrection.

...

I though about all these yesterday... and it drained me from my energy... and I did not post anything...

The controversy about he government and Apple... bothered me... and I engaged in a "dialogue" with Ross... and I realized that both of us will support Apple and avoid the intrusion of the apparatchiks in people's life... 

Ross did not have a mobile phone... I have one, but I never use it... I have it so as my family may locate me whenever necessary... during my long walks and while I am by myself at home... 

But we would not like the intrusive ways of the "Big Brother"... Ross formulated the situation at the time; "It's not the government of the people, and for the people...," he said, "but rather the people for the government..." 

He did not like it... It's not that he did not want to pay taxes... Money was secondary for him... But he did not welcome the "Big Brother" intrusion in our life... 

But 1984 has arrived... 
Read the book... See the play... watch the movie... You'll be better person for it... 
Ross asked the principal once; "Would you like Stalin or Hitler or Mao Tse Tung  to watch you..." 
The Principal said; "But those are bad people..."
"I rest my case..." Ross concluded and walked out...

***

Here is what they say... and where the controversy stands...

In his statement on Sunday,FBI Director James Comey said the debate over Farook’s [the San Bernardino terrorist] phone showed how “awesome new technology…. creates a serious tension between two values we all treasure –- privacy and safety.” And of course he sides with safety and wants a backdoor to people's privacy... 

Apple attorney: Unlocking San Bernardino shooter's iPhone would open 'Pandora's box'... He added that Apple has cooperated with federal authorities but must "draw the line at re-creating code, changing the iPhone." 

Creating the code will open a back door people's privacy... and harm business... as others who are outside the jurisdiction of the North American law... may use and sell the encrypted phones... 

Tim Cook [CEO of Apple] ...sent a letter to Apple employees saying, "The case is about much more than a single phone or a single investigation. At stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties.”

"The order would set a legal precedent that would expand the powers of the government and we simply don’t know where that would lead us. Should the government be allowed to order us to create other capabilities for surveillance purposes, such as recording conversations or location tracking? This would set a very dangerous precedent,"

Ross said" She is not here... She is gone..."

The mother of a student had passed away... and Ross wanted us to "visit" her... a conundrum invented humans... 

I consented and we drove together to the "visitation"... 
We entered the chapel and our student came to us... later we saw the father and the rest of the things that people do... 
When we looked at the mother... lying there... quiet and motionless... Ross said: "She is gone... she is not here..."
I was taken aback by his comment... Not that it was not true... But the body was still lying there and I never thought of the body spiritually... 
I asked Ross: "Why all of these... when she is gone and she is not here any more...?"  The material surroundings and the coffin and all the flowers and all the people... looked as various degrees of hypocrisy... Those who were alive wanted to show off their respect to the people who were left behind and had nothing to do with the respect that we expressed to the departed... 
Everything temporal... even the church services... were for the living and it is another form of socialization... coming together and consoling each other for the lose... just like consoling each other after any mishap... 

The Temporal Futility of Riches and Intellect... irritated me... and I suggested that we have to have a glass or two at a nearby place... Ross was an expert in finding places that we could have a glass... anytime... anywhere...

I raised the glass: "Ross, what is the difference between this glass and all the wasted followers and the 'respect' that we just witnessed...?"

"Forget it...," Ross cut me short... "Forget it... let's talk about more immediate things... Will you be able to attend the Saturday concert at the Redeemer...?" he was referring to the new church at the downtown that he had began to attend...

***

"Writing is painful..." He wrote... and indeed it is... writing like thinking is an arduous and very painful... and rewarding process... 

Once I complete a post... I always deserve a glass of something to relax and calm the nerves...

When I write longer... I do write longer... then I need more glasses to pull myself away from the events that I just wrote about...

Writing is autobiographical in its very essence... You write what you know about... and what you know about comes from experience... Even legal writing tells much more about the author than about the decision...

I did not agree much with Justice Scalia... but have great respect for his intellectual thrust and reasoning... "Reasoning is Math...," my friend, Ross will insist... and I will of course agree with him...

...And Tributes...

"He was brilliant. He never felt you were there to invent law from the bench, you were there to interpret. He was full of life and vigor. He lived life to the fullest," said Dirk Kempthorne, who was sworn in by Scalia as Secretary of the Interior in 2006, before the funeral. "What a wonderful, delightful man. He was the epitome of life and did not take himself too seriously."

What Scalia did unfailingly was to conjure up the precise words to make his most powerful arguments, no matter how many rewrites it took. "Writing is painful," he said last year. "It's exacting ... You have to do it, redo it and then do it again."

...And the Cathedral... 

Imagine yourself siting alone in the vast arches of the Cathedral... Alone for a change and listening to the hissing silence of the halls... The experience will be uplifting and transcendental... Try it...

Go to any church... and sit their alone by yourself... You do not need a dead body to keep you company... You don't need noise from the "living" crowd... gathered for "respect"... You just need yourself... wrapped up in your reasoning and logic and thoughts... Just try it...

The body of Justice Scalia... and the Cathedral... The largest in North America...

And a word from his son... eulogizing his father... very smart quote... from the son's eulogy...

"We are gathered here because of one man. A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known by man for great controversy, and for great compassion," Rev. Scalia. the son of Justice Scalia, said at his funeral... "That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth."

***

Harper Lee...

Author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ Dies at 89...

“I never expected any sort of success with ‘Mockingbird,’ I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers, but, at the same time I sort of hoped someone would like it well enough to give me encouragement.”

Harper Lee is quoted saying in an interview... 

I am sure you have read it... It might be that you only watched the movie... As a tribute read the novel again... or at least, watch the movie again...
You will be a better person for it... It will be a fantastic growing experience...

***

Read Justice Scalia... Read Harper Lee... You will be richer for the effort... You will be humanized more... 

Ross got bored... like Adam...

Ross asked me to accompany him to a church service in the downtown core... adjacent to the university campus... The Church of the Redeemer...

Cosy... intimate and friendly church tucked by modern towers...

"But you are not Anglican...," I teased... But Ross was offended... I saw that in his eyes...

"God did not create denominations... and I am not sectarian...," he countered. I already knew all that... and he had told me before that he was a bit apprehensive about the homilies in his church...

" That makes the two of us. I do not care about denominations too...  But Catholics are quite strict in their ways..." I wanted to ease the situation...  also I did not want to offend Ross over nonsense...

"The pastor is very educated and talks sense... The music is fascinating...  A group of students from the university perform...," Ross attempted to entice me... and I agreed...

Adjacent to bohemian cafes and bars... also close to the university...

On Saturday afternoon we were there to listen to a quartet... Good music... and churches have exceptional acoustics... We attended the church few Saturdays... Maybe three... maybe four... 
And then one Monday in the chapel Ross told me that he had met a lady in the church and they have become close... I was surprised and happy for him... They have met after the services and had lunch together and long talks... Ross like long talks over drinks...
And now I was going to meet this lady... Not on Sunday service, but on Saturday recital... 

Works with me... I am not a fan of Sunday church service... I rather have my spiritual revival at home by myself... in silence... and no one to see... in quiet reflection while the mass and choral music is playing in the house...

                 Recitals in churches have great acoustics... and are spiritual...too...

So Saturday after the recital we walked for a coffee shop nearby... The church was adjacent to the bohemian quarters of cafes and bars... famous from the hippy times... 
I sensed that the lady knew all about me... and Ross reintroduced us... and we talked about nothing special... most of the chatter was Ross's and I sensed that the lady is a bit overwhelmed... and I was correct... After two more months... the lady began avoiding Ross... and he was depressed... 
So we had to go for lunch and drinks... The two of us... and we did...

***

Wonders of the World... 
...God looked at it and all was great... I am not sure why Adam got bored...! So, out of pity and concern, God created a partner... Eve... But in the second attempt God perfected the previous creation...

  

A rare phenomenon known as "firefall" in Yosemite National Park in California.

The stunning visual display happens every February when the light hits a waterfall tumbling down El Capitan. The intensity of this phenomenon depends on the volume of water and the cloud cover.

The park authorities said: "The Horsetail Fall phenomenon appears when the angle of the setting sun sets the waterfall ablaze with reds and oranges, like a fire was falling down the cliffs on the shoulder of El Capitan."

Amazingly beautiful... 

***

Why Adam was bored is a puzzle to me... But things do happen... 

I do not think much about Adam or his boredom... Ross always insisted: "They are allowed..." I guess that includes Adam too...

I do not think about Adam that often... After all, the by-product of his boredom was fabulous...! 

God created Eve more refined... and perfect...!

Ross cancelled the Celebration...

I woke up in a good mood... and had my coffee... and read... I came across the rapper... the candidate... and the Mufti of Gaza... My happiness disappeared... Even my music irritated me and sounded like noise...

 ***

Ross was organizing the students to participate in festivities celebrating achievements of our school graduates... he wanted to have equal number from each gender... The principal disagreed with him... He said the emphasis should be on what each has achieved... and be judged accordingly... Ross explained that the achievements of women and men are of different quality... they are not to be compared with each other... For Ross, being a mother was as important as being an physician... 

The principal disagreed... Ross insisted on his convictions... The dispute was not resolved... and there was no celebration...                  ***My engineer-friend wrote again... and here is a paragraph...

... And another thought that I just kind of realized or question that I am asking myself is why is everyone fighting for equality? Females with the same rights as males and vice-versa, all the races trying to get the same rights, etc. I personally find it to be completely wrong in that there is no one race, gender, religion that has it all. Everybody has issues and problems that they have to deal with so why are people striving for something that in itself is far from perfect?

Antonin Scalia wrote referring to quotas...

“To pursue the concept of racial entitlement… is to reinforce… the way of thinking that produced race slavery, race privilege and race hatred.”

... and I agree with him... Race should not be a determining factor... Having a penis should not be an advantage... having a "uterus", as Killer rapper says below... should not disqualify someone... Women are not commodities and should not be hit, as the Islamic teacher... the Mufti of Gaza instructs...

But engineer-friend,

We have a long way to go... and maybe you will see the dawning of that day...

***

Diogenes, still lantern in hand, looking for man... 
The funny moments of Dick heads... See how happy they are...!!

Rapper Killer Mike spoke before Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at an Atlanta rally on Tuesday night, he sparked controversy by telling supporters that “a uterus doesn’t qualify you to be president of the United States.”

Robin Williams: Answers to the dick heads...

The rapper and his friends... may celebrate their dicks... But having a dick does not qualify them as human beings... 

 “A woman would never make a nuclear bomb. They would never make a weapon that kills. They'd make a weapon that makes you feel bad for a while.”

Robin Williams was a human being before being a man... 

In this age of "social media"... everyone who has a microphone in their hand will say something... Ross said; "They are allowed..." and then he added: "You have a brain and sort things out..."

“See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time. 

The rapper who regrets that he is deprived of a "uterus"... and the 74 year old who dreams of the good old days...
The rapper and the candidate and the mullah-shiekh... (read below...)
What they have in common...? 
All three have a penis and gender bias and sexism...!!!!
... It is a sad commentary on our culture.

The Shiekh instructing... how to punish women...

At first, you should warn women...  He added that “the warning should be made using a good word, good treatment and a positive look.” If the issue remains unresolved and efforts at reconciliation fail, only then, Laham advised, “comes the hitting — hitting that does not make her ugly.” “The Prophet [Muhammad] said: ‘Do not hit the face and do not make her ugly,'” he continued. “In other words, not hitting that will bring the police and break her hand and cause bleeding, or hitting that makes the face ugly. No….The hitting is not meant to disfigure, harm, or degrade. The hitting will be like a joke. He will hit her jokingly.”

The Mufti instructs to "hit her jokingly...," very similar to the Killer rapper when he says jokingly... that a uterus does not qualify... to be president...

Dear  engineer-friend... We have still have a long way to go... to have gender and race and religious equality...

Ross advised... "Forget it..."

Ross and I were climbing the stairs... We always climbed the stairs... others abused the elevator... and we laughed at them...

As everyone using the stairs... looks ahead... but ahead on the stairs is the back and bottom of the people ahead of you... 
Ross and I while climbing the stairs noticed a couple of girls in very, very short kilts... they were holding their skirts down with their hands... and attempting to cover their bottom and all the rest... I looked at Ross... and he smiled at me... and when we reached at the top of the stairs he told me: "Say nothing... I know... I know what you are going to say... Let it go and forget it... That's how things are... do not make your day miserable... You cannot fight the world..." 
He had tried... and like me, he had failed too...

But I was disturbed and ashamed... Holding the skirt down was darting a message to us... yelling from their bottom... out: "Dirty old men...!"

***

The principal emailed me a message... "Come and see me and bring the union rep with you..." 
I was thrown off... I did not know what he wanted... and had no clue what to expect... During my off period, I went to see him... "No need for a union rep... what is the issue...?" I asked...

"The vice-principal may sue you for sexual harassment...," he blurted... " I hear that you have commented about the way she dresses..."

"I have not mentioned anyone in name... But if that is the case... go ahead and sue me...," I told him...

The vice-principal in question had suspended a female student for uniform, dress code violation the day before... and I had commented in class that teachers must first look into the mirror to see what they are wearing and then take out their frustrations and rancour on students... 

The VP in question came to school with very low cut dresses and exposed cleavages... In fact, the more funny-happy-go-lucky male students acted up in class so as they will be sent down to her office... They loved it... They had begged me to be sent down... to her...!

Again Ross advised me to forget about it... "Don't make an issue... They are assholes...," he said... The way he expressed himself displayed extreme anger and frustration... Ross rarely used "assholes"... It was not part of his vocabulary... But he was frustrated and wanted to vent... above all, wanted to express solidarity with me... Ross was scared that I might retaliate with something which eventually may harm me more that the VP or the P...
There was no follow up to it... But I requested that another VP will be my contact and I refused all requests from the admin... to let things go... 
I never dealt with that VP again...

  

These maybe good for other occasions...            But not for a VP at a school...with dress code...

***

Scene Three...

I was driving to school and saw a couple jogging... The male   was in T-shirt and shorts... The female was in traditional Islamic dress with the head covered too... The male was jogging in front and the female was following... as the tradition dictates.

               

These are traditional coverings for females... and this is a traditional covering for males... If males get Westernized... Let females out of the oppression too...  

If females should jog while covered... the males should be covered too...

The hijab and the niqab are symbols of oppression... and oppression in all its forms is not human...

Islamic culture should realize that women are not for males pleasure and they are not commodities...

Maybe eventually they will realize that...

***

My engineer friend wrote in his email...

Here's where it gets interesting to me though.  I've mostly grown up where strictly male and female roles have started to subside, and it's becoming the norm that you have stay-at-home dads with moms working or dads cleaning and cooking. You on the other hand, just like most adults and my parents for example, grew up in a time where male and female roles were social norms. It's interesting to me because for the most part, those who grew up with these norms never really debate the merit of them. They accepted them as a fact of life and continue to accept them, provided males and females are happy with their roles.  You on the other hand, have been a staunch critic of the sexist roles ever since I have known you.  You will disagree with me here but I don't really think that there is a right or wrong opinion to have on the topic. Maybe this is the future engineer in me talking but I like the idea of efficiency, with people doing what they know best. I don't like the idea that let's say in a relationship, the male would have to cook simply to please new societal norms even though his female partner is the better cook. In the same way, you shouldn't be forcing a female to cook when the male is a better cook. For me personally, I simply think of a relationship as a team where each person brings forth their strengths and weaknesses and you work out a plan to best fit everything. If it goes against societal/gender norms, then so be it but I don't think that we should go setting new rules trying to reverse the past, and in turn simply just flipping the script and repeating past mistakes.  The other part of this gender discussion from your blogs is the dancing/modelling. Here is my hopefully thought-provoking question for you: you mention that you hated fashion shows and dance routines for their portrayal of the female body yet in the past, you've criticized those who have covered up their bodies for their own, or someone else's, religion/culture. Maybe I'm understanding something wrong here but it seems as though you're sitting on both sides of the argument here. I would obviously love to hear you clarification of this if it interests you.  Here's my opinion on the topic. I was friends with a lot of the girls in those dance routines, Christmas skits and fashion shows, and sure, some of the clothing has been more provocative than others but, none of them were ever forced into wearing anything they themselves didn't want to wear. They always brought in a few outfits and chose one collectively. Another thing to consider is that it was high school, where for some, popularity trumped all. The girls (and the guys too, but to a much lesser extent) always tried to dress in a way to get others attention, again some more than others. Regardless of how much or how little you cared about looks, deep down, you wanted to look good to your friends and to those who you may have been attracted to. The more provocative clothing hasn't changed all that much throughout history and I don't think I would be wrong in saying that there is always some small part of you that wonders what some people would look like if they were wearing less and showing more. It's human nature and it's been that way since the beginning of time and I don't see it changing anytime soon. You are right however that there is quite a difference between genders as to what is attractive or expected clothing-wise, but I don't think that there is any one right way to dress for either gender. For some guys, the most attractive woman could be wearing some sort of a suit, some dress, jeans, a dress, etc. There are different clothing types that fit different types of people and nobody should be forced to try and fit into something that they don't like or want to wear. For guys, you really have much less variety, with the only reasonable options being jeans, business casual or a full on suit. I could argue that any of those are more uncomfortable for guys than say a dress is for a girl. In the end, a dress is really only a modification of the robes we used to wear thousands of years to go, while for guys nowadays, everything has to be nicely tailored, ironed, etc. I would love it if I could wear trackpants to work but that can't happen as a professional. It's always dress pants, dress shoes and a buttoned up dress shirt, regardless of the weather or how uncomfortable it may be. In the summer, even if it's 30+ degrees outside, we're expected to wear long pants while women can get away with a skirt or dress. We had the same problem back at school when kilts still used to be a part of the uniform. Guys always had to have long, thick black pants on while for a few months, girls had the option to pick and choose. Nobody has a problem with Irish/Scottish men showing some skin and wearing kilts so I don't think that it's fair to really make much of a fuss when women do the same. (I just googled the origin of skirts and found out, maybe interestingly for you, that the oldest skirt ever found was found in Armenia dating back to about 5900 BC) Looking back a little at what I just wrote, it seems a little bit hard to follow but I'm sure you'll get the gist of it. I guess my main point, although not nicely articulated, is that clothing trends come and go. Now we are in a time where showing less is more as it was at the beginning of time and will eventually change back to covering up and showing less. Life is full of cycles and fashion is definitely one of them in my opinion.

Dear Friend,
Mixing Islamic dress code ( Hijab and Niqab... and all the rest...) with Western indecent exposure and contrasting them is a logical fallacy... unbecoming of an engineer... 
The Islamic dress code is oppression of females... in the name of tradition and religion... Essentially oppression of females by males...
The Western cultural norms emanate from profit and greed... They are essentially exploitation of females - and now more and more of males - for money...
They are two different ways of demeaning women... and demeaning human culture...
 The "devout" Islamist Jihadists and the Islamic patriarchy - the male dominated culture - treats the Islamic Prayer Mat better than the 2-3 or more wives that they have... and they believe that virgins are waiting for them in wherever they go after killing... beheading... mutilating people... 
For Islamic Jihadists the virgins are a reward... for the Westerner women are commodities for buying and selling...
I hope in time we understand that oppression and exploitation of women hurts them and demeans the human race... 

... And Diogenes with a lamp in the daylight looking for man...!

There are reports that thousands of Native Canadian women are missing or murdered...  The number maybe as high as 4,000... The government is not certain... It maybe higher... … And a national inquiry is to begin shortly... announced Ms. Bennett - Minister for the Status of Women... These women are murdered or abducted and missing for two reasons... 1. They are women...  2. They are native too... Depressing statistics... Depressing patriarchal culture...

I guess at one point in time... All of us will accept gender equality... and do not suppress and kill and rape and mutilate anyone... be that female or male... Maybe there will come a time when all of us will be equal... in the workplace, at school and at home too... 

Ross... My Engineer Friend... and I

I was in a "The Myth of Sisyphus" mood for the past few days... I still am... and I have to snap out of it... 
"You believe in mind over body," Ross told me whenever I was in this type of mood... adding; "go to your classroom and snap out of it..." 
He did not have a remedy... No one has... But when I am in a mood like this I fall back to my younger years and recall Camus... and the others... Gogol and Dostoevsky... and rebel again... If I was at the school, definitely Ross and I would have visited the nearby Canyon Creek for a glass or two and lots of philosophy...  It sometimes worked... at times it did not work... and the mood lingered longer... lasted a lifetime... lulled my senses... and breezed in a lullaby... "Thinking is a curse..." and Ross agreed with me... Thinking anchors you..." Ross did not agree with me... and to prove himself he just mentioned my situation... 
Ross rather dream... Dream and Believe... He wanted a jump of faith... "In order to snap out of the Myth... you need a leap of faith... in something... in anything... maybe in God... maybe in the goodness of human beings... Just have faith... and the absurdity will dissipate... You will be yourself again..." With my drink... Ross made sense... and when I drove back to my place... The Ross and the drink had done the magic... 
Ross was a magician... and the drink always helped... 
Ross was a friend... He did not lead... He did not follow either... He just waited... and said; "You are allowed..." 

Just a note:

Sisyphus, a figure of Greek mythology who was condemned to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again.   The central concern of The Myth of Sisyphus is what Camus calls "the absurd." Camus claims that there is a fundamental conflict between what we want from the universe (whether it be meaning, order, or reasons) and what we find in the universe (formless chaos). We will never find in life itself the meaning that we want to find. Either we will discover that meaning through a leap of faith, by placing our hopes in a God beyond this world, or we will conclude that life is meaningless...

Writing is always a good remedy for everything... It brings things into focus... Putting your thoughts and dreams down on paper, or just in your laptop, clarifies and refines the concepts, may even initiate new thoughts and unresolved ideas... 

I am sure when my friend writes he becomes more of a thinker than an engineer... and I am happy for that... 

Here are excerpts of what he wrote... The rest were personal and most of the time... not interesting to "others"...maybe even boring, for others...  So here are some relevant excerpts... that my engineer friend wrote... 

Hello Sir,  ... It's funny that you mention my provoking thoughts though, and I guess I will tie that in with what I've been seeing in the blog recently. Maybe what I say will provoke you a little bit, but nevertheless interest you the same.  A recurring theme I've recently noticed in your blog is that you really hate sexism against women and I know that you've always been a strong activist against it. Sometimes, you even took it a step further and argued that women are better than men, the most vivid example being your reasoning behind why God created Eve after Adam. [Refer to my note below...] Obviously, there are counter arguments to that story, many of which I remember trying to debate with you but you were never having any of it. You were always very protective of women's rights and that's something that you should be admired for.

Hi, 
Let me start with a quote from Camus; "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend."
My engineer friend... at one point in my growth I was fascinated by the concept of Hegelian Dialectic...of thesis, antithesis , and which contradicts or negates the thesis, and the tension between the two is resolved by means of synthesis... This method can be perpetual... since the synthesis will become the new thesis which will attract its negation ... eventually resulting in the new synthesis...
Maybe our dialogue is destined to follow the Hegelian methodology... So fascinating... and great...! Since with every rung of the conflict will result into a higher rung of synthesis... Do you still remember Mathematical Induction...? You should review the method again... 
Once I was fascinated with Dostoevsky... and Gogol.. and Camus... my aspiration for engineering evolved into mathematics... and  it in turn guided me into a perpetual search for Truth... and while I was teaching Ross, at one point, was helpful in my search... and my stay for a week in the monastery for my retreat by myself...alone ...brought me closer to the ever elusive Truth... 
Your thinking is creative and "provoking"... Your engineering is attempting to mimic older shapes and forms and mold them into new presentations... in time and space...
I suggest that you should always provoke... stirring the pot is refreshing  and prevents decay... To provoke and think... Maybe that's the healthy process... maybe they go hand in hand...
My telling of the creation story of Adam and Eve was just an intentional provocation... to make students think... and here is how it goes... "After all has been created... God created Adam to enjoy the created wonder... the world... But after a while God observed that Adam is not happy and sort of bored... with himself... So God pitied him and decided to create another one, a companion for him... But since God was experienced now while creating Adam... He created Eve better and more perfect..."
I concluded the story by challenging the students to find a fault in my made up tale... and it indeed provoked a discussion... For me math is thinking...  and thinking is Math... Ross comprehended this fundamental axiom and that's exactly why he metamorphosed into a mathematician without the boring numbers... 
I have told the Adam and Eve story to Ross too... and it made him happy... and for days he came up with colourful reasons why it was wrong... and non of them from the Bible...! Eventually, after few days, he came up with the brilliant suggestion... 
Let's go for a drink...," he said... and I concurred wholeheartedly...

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My friend wrote more... and I will print them tomorrow...