Böcker av Steve Bruttig

Man's behaviors are driven by beliefs and truths. So, how do we believe? Why do we believe? And what do we believe (or not)? When beliefs are unfounded and truths are negotiated and no longer true, man's behavior becomes hostile, violent, chaotic, and cruel, not because man realizes he has been duped - he does not - but because man believes fervently in the altered reality that has been presented to him - that has given him power over others. You can see evidence of such behavior throughout man's history - imperial domination driven by cruelty, violence, greed, slavery, and various forms of "manifest destiny". We see it in the group identities permeating history; the chosen people, the "immortals" the one true church, the master race, and divine guarantees - "ethnocentric" all. Victor and vanquished co-exist in misery for no other reason than the perceived superiority of one or both parties. The blame and the cause lie with realities engineered to favor superiority - negotiated truths. So, what is truth? Is your truth my truth? Is there truth at all? But correction of our faulty truths is still within reach if we recoup our reality. "If you would change the world, you must change yourself." We can start with our beliefs. So, this volume explores the process of believing and beliefs, both sacred and secular. Other volumes will explore scriptures, religions and rituals - they are among the breeding grounds for negotiated truth.

This book details many facets in the development of man, from humble animal beginnings to the sophisticated, citified man we see today. We explore the evolutionary changes of man in a world of creation. But if we're honest, we recognize man as an unfinished work and currently a "bad actor". So, we explore the "who", "what", "when", "where", "why" and "how" man got this far and what drives his behavior in this complex, complicated, and convoluted world. We'll take advantage of paleontologic and archaeologic evidence, but also explore extraterrestrial hocus pocus. We'll consider the soul as the essence of individual existence and ensoulment as the process of receiving that soul. And we'll look at what man does, might do, or has done (some that he might not be proud of - e.g., conspiracy, rebellion, and revolution) - all in the quest to know man, now and in the future.

Do you know how the world began? How the universe began? How life began? You may think you do, but you don’t know – not really. Some may believe everything was created in some way (actually most people do). Some may believe in a “spontaneous event” like the Big Bang – many people believe that. But the operative word here isbelieve. We use words like know, believe, fact and truth, and we sort of use them interchangeably – but they’re not the same. What about Creation or Evolution? What do you think? What do you believe? What do you know? Well, this book, First and Foremost, explores all of these topics and sets the stage for much more investigation of truth versus belief versus negotiated truth in a series of non-fiction books to follow. So, open your mind, think, and come along for the ride.