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Saturday, Jan 24, 2026 - 21:04 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

A Meaning In Years

Since I'm hitting the big 42, here's coverage of a recent short trip to Indonesia - and some related thoughts:


Back To Bali

It has been almost two years since I was last there for a conference, and it was good to see that the monkeys had reformed their thieving ways - or maybe it was just that they had been adequately bribed at the resort. The highlight of this holiday was dinner at Merlin's, which featured a custom Tarot-inspired spread to decide the dishes. For the record:
  • Past: VI. Addiction
  • Present: IX. Magic
  • Future: IX. Discovery
  • Lesson: III. Self Confidence
  • Superpower: V. Wisdom
  • Love: II. Honeymoon
  • Destiny-tion: XI. Sphinx, Transylvania, Romania

This appears an extension of the basic Past, Present, Future spread, if also with a reworked deck to facilitate good vibes, because it would be hard to spin cards like Death, The Devil and The Hanged Man into a lighthearted and palatable entrée; since we're on the subject of food, the latest update to the local (short-lived) budget meal initiative has had the national broadsheet conclude from their interviews that "diners were generally unconcerned" - which may imply that S$3.50 may no longer be sufficient for a slap-up meal - which recalls one of the most-famous parliamentary exchanges on food subsidies from some twenty years ago, that asserted about S$3 for a basic meal even back then.

On to traffic, it only struck me on this trip that there were essentially no traffic lights on the island, which had the drivers somehow navigate their way through swarms of motorcycles and scooters at intersections - while also squeezing the cars past oncoming vehicles along what definitely felt like single-lane roads (which recalls the recurring query on how the heck a bus can fit within a lane, given that it contains double seats on either side of an aisle). All this appears possible due to lower average speeds, a more conservative driving style (countering the stereotype of maniac traffic in certain less-developed countries), greater awareness by all road users, and some courtesy habits (e.g. honking when approaching bends)



Vote for Dog at Lodge, or Cat on Bench!
[N.B. This may recall the story of wise Yudhisthira from the Mahabharata, who would not leave his (pariah) dog behind for all of Heaven.]



Great Scott

The trip would also coincide with the passing of influential cartoonist and humourist Scott Adams at 68 from prostate cancer, despite the best efforts of GEOTUS and RFK Jr. to procure the Pluvicto drug that he wanted*. The former would duly eulogize Adams as a Great Influencer, and as covered here back in May 2016 on 7 Reasons Why TRUMP Will Be The Next POTUS (indeed), Adams was perhaps the only high-profile analyst that correctly identified TRUMP's persuasion genius leading into that historic election, making this a case of Game recognizes Game. Before that, Adams was best known as the brains behind Dilbert (an early prototype of yours truly, maybe) and the author of an eclectic selection of self-help tracts, including God's Debris (as reviewed here in 2007)

On that last, Adams had reportedly independently rediscovered Pascal's wager towards the end, resulting in a (close to) deathbed conversion, the appropriateness and effectiveness of which would be hotly debated. Although this might not have the savoir faire of Voltaire, Adams remains a quite-uniquely clear-headed investigator of reality, which has had him convincingly debate Sam Harris on the merits of TRUMP, amongst other feats of cutting through media sophistry and social engineering. As with many honest prophets, Scottadamus would wind up abandoned by the general public, with his trying out of Ivermectin as part of a last-ditch treatment predictably dissed as using "worm pills" - but that's a subject for next time.

One believes Adams' last act - somewhat reminiscent of his namesake, the First of Man - was one final effort at persuasion, or at any rate, of driving inquiry particularly amongst believers. A typical analysis of his case goes as follows: suppose his deathbed conversion was indeed legitimate; if so, what would be the reward for the lifetime adherent of an Abrahamic religion, over and above that for last-minute opportunists?



There are levels to this too
(Source: facebook.com)


As Adams often demonstrates in his comics and writings (and as comprehensively recounted in Astral Codex Ten, whose author happens to share the same first name and initial), this question might be better approached through a switch of framing and perspective. In this case, the pertinent question would be: have non-believers actually done anything, to be deserving of eternal damnation? Further questions naturally follow: How would one know what specific flavour of God is correct, then - since this seems to often come down to "the one that is most politically and culturally dominant amongst the social circle of my family and/or geographic region"? And what does it say about humanity, that such a belief is so widely accepted?

One has to confess that the entire idea of transactional admission to Heaven or Hell remains problematic - consider, for example, the old trope of an old lady waiting to cross the road. A person might help her for nothing, because it was the right and compassionate thing to do. Let us say, then, that Elon Musk suddenly appears, and offers a million bucks for somebody to do the deed. Not many would turn down the opportunity in real life, one figures - and the deed remains worthy - but maybe it still says something about those that performed it out of a promise of reward, and not for its own sake...

Given this, my current understanding is: let us say that God exists. If so, then He knows everything - including one's underlying motivations - anyway. And if so, what was the point of all this ornamentation? Humans are amazing, if one thinks about it; after conceiving of an Almighty, their very next move is to attempt to come up with all manner of ways to swindle Him! Considering this, it seems reasonable not to wish for or believe in anybody else to suffer eternal torment, while accepting that one cannot control what others think of him. In following this, I sleep quite well at night, thank you.


[*On the subject of curing cancer, this appears to have become a point of contention from the U.S. regarding China.]



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Next: Ere I Saw Alba


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The Explainer
A Puff of Logic (Part Deux)
Skin In The Art (Part II)
A New Chapter
Catered Food For Thought
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