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BETWEEN the FINITE and the INFINITE

BETWEEN the FINITE and the INFINITE

By John Martin Ramsay

In these podcasts, Dr. John Martin Ramsay looks at living at the interface between the finite and the infinite by taking small bits of easily understood situations to nibble at the magnitude of the insight. If you want more, get his book, ANSWERS BECOME QUESTIONS, from most booksellers.
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#102, Politically Correct

BETWEEN the FINITE and the INFINITEJul 28, 2021

00:00
08:59
#102, Politically Correct

#102, Politically Correct

I have provided some links in the printed version and will gladly send the printed version to you upon request.

Jul 28, 202108:59
#101, Finally!!!

#101, Finally!!!

For pictures and information about my sons, Martin and Loren, go to my website www.ShareInPrint.com. I will be updating information as I am able, including "Grandfathers' Learning Adventures" which will be added as each movie short is completed.

Apr 02, 202102:24
#100, The Cave Man In Me!
Mar 24, 202104:23
#99, The Ideal Cow!

#99, The Ideal Cow!

Survival of the fittest and Covid 19.

Mar 18, 202105:46
#98, Crossroads Between Art and Science

#98, Crossroads Between Art and Science

Listen to why I no longer sing in a choir!

Mar 11, 202104:16
#97, A Thriller!

#97, A Thriller!

This one is timeless, in 4 minutes!

Mar 05, 202103:59
#96, Folk Education

#96, Folk Education

The first Largest Windmill!

Feb 25, 202103:27
#95, Looking Two Ways

#95, Looking Two Ways

You have hold of the steering wheel!

Feb 21, 202103:09
#94, Word Nerd

#94, Word Nerd

Is my play with words fun or a distraction?

Feb 11, 202103:10
#93, You Be the Judge!

#93, You Be the Judge!

The world is at your fingertips, and that is speeding change!

Feb 10, 202103:37
#92, Inside the Cosmic Egg

#92, Inside the Cosmic Egg

Finding your place in the cosmos.

Jan 31, 202102:43
#91, Between the Poles

#91, Between the Poles

Thoughts on the Inauguration!

Jan 22, 202104:26
#90, Afterlife

#90, Afterlife

My computer is now dependent on the "cloud" and it is nowhere close to heaven!

Jan 16, 202103:49
#89, A Capitol and a Book

#89, A Capitol and a Book

Create or destroy?

Jan 10, 202103:57
#88, Goodness sakes!

#88, Goodness sakes!

Why are dogs man's best friend?

Jan 02, 202103:35
#87, Within and Between

#87, Within and Between

What a year 2020 has been!

Dec 28, 202004:57
#86, Christmas in Faster, reprise

#86, Christmas in Faster, reprise

Can you separate past from present?

Dec 20, 202006:24
#85, Christmas in Faster

#85, Christmas in Faster

A Danish experience.

Dec 10, 202002:15
#84, Quandary

#84, Quandary

Diversity and Intersections are inescapable and desirable.

Dec 07, 202003:23
#83, What Does In Between Mean?

#83, What Does In Between Mean?

Check out: In the Eye of and Eagle, a free movie, https://www.amazon.com/dp/1733029133

Nov 29, 202003:48
#82, An Empty Page to Write On

#82, An Empty Page to Write On

A fluke becomes a podcast!

Nov 21, 202003:43
#81, All or Nothing

#81, All or Nothing

No half and half romance will do?

Nov 14, 202003:35
#80, Sacred Duty

#80, Sacred Duty

How can we measure our divisions?

Nov 09, 202003:34
#79, Trust

#79, Trust

A lifetime to create, an instant to lose!

Oct 31, 202001:54
#78, Try, Try, Try Again

#78, Try, Try, Try Again

Pease VOTE on Tuesday if you haven't already!

Oct 25, 202003:45
#77, Courage

#77, Courage

The courage of non-violence.

Oct 18, 202002:20
#76, What Is Your Limit?

#76, What Is Your Limit?

Life is a BIG puzzle, but we, like our ancestors, can take small pieces and add a bit to the picture.

Oct 11, 202003:51
#75, Stay-at-Home/Home-stay

#75, Stay-at-Home/Home-stay

Grateful to Zoom for taking me into so many homes!

Oct 03, 202003:52
#74, Transubstantiation

#74, Transubstantiation

What is the connection between matter and mind? Does it matter?

Sep 27, 202002:34
#73, It's Your Choice!

#73, It's Your Choice!

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.

Sep 19, 202003:21
#72, Marvelous Arguments

#72, Marvelous Arguments

Do you lean toward philosophers or scientists in the way you look at life? Can you have a leg in each? Ae you really able to do the "splits?"

Sep 12, 202004:29
#71, Comparing Two Books

#71, Comparing Two Books

O'Leary gains important insights from his four children!

Sep 07, 202005:27
#70, Are We Paarasites?

#70, Are We Paarasites?

Ideas are difficult to put into words because they don't like to be put into straight-jackets!.

Aug 30, 202005:04
#69, Is Virtual Actually Real?

#69, Is Virtual Actually Real?

Step up and put the past underfoot to see further into the future!

Aug 23, 202003:25
#68, Are We Bipolar?

#68, Are We Bipolar?

What about life between the poles?

Aug 15, 202003:41
#67, Loaves and Fishes
Aug 08, 202003:27
#66, Science and Religion
Aug 03, 202004:24
#65 Truth Is Colorful!

#65 Truth Is Colorful!

Just four colors can be used to create an infinite number of colors!  Colors illustrate what it means to live between finite four and infinity.

Jul 28, 202003:02
#64 On This Spot

#64 On This Spot

A poem written by John Martin Ramsay after a year in Denmark, 1981-1982.

Jul 19, 202003:35
#63 We Are In This Together!

#63 We Are In This Together!

Is this coronal virus like a crown of thorns?

Jul 12, 202008:42
#62 Hmm!

#62 Hmm!

Go to my Amazon author's page for my books, some are humorous!

Jul 05, 202002:18
# 61. Why? Because. Why? Because.

# 61. Why? Because. Why? Because.

Two tales with no ending and then a surprise ending!

Jun 25, 202003:21
#60 Our Image of God
Jun 18, 202004:02
#59 Dilemma in Eden

#59 Dilemma in Eden

A Fathers Day message in honor of my father!

Jun 13, 202007:51
#58 Has Human Nature Changed?

#58 Has Human Nature Changed?

What will the world be like in 2050?  I hope it will be up to today's youth!

Jun 09, 202005:09
#57 Orchestra Intraplay

#57 Orchestra Intraplay

What will the new normal be like???

May 31, 202003:29
#56 Stubborn

#56 Stubborn

Language is like a squirrelly game!

May 24, 202004:21
#55 Pilgrim Thinking

#55 Pilgrim Thinking

My friend Roscoe Hill summarizes the insights of the most influential sages from BCE!

May 15, 202005:09
# 54 Stir Crazy

# 54 Stir Crazy

Can we employ the brightest unemployed minds to design a new normal?

May 10, 202005:25
#53 Escape from the Morgue

#53 Escape from the Morgue

Words allow us to communicate, but only when the communication is lively!

May 03, 202004:59
#52 Day to Day

#52 Day to Day

There is ample room for each to find pleasant spots in which to feel at home, and also unlimited space in which to expend our curiosity.

Apr 26, 202005:11
#51 From Theist to Atheist and Vice Versa

#51 From Theist to Atheist and Vice Versa

After yesterday's draft of this podcast Rev Allen Grothe, in his online sermon, supplied me with a couple of choice sentences which just had to be added to the points I tried to make.  Click on this link to see Allen's entire service on youtube; the quotes start at 28:00 

https://www.youtube.com/watchv=N7HvBHNynq8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1X428gEs4OlVMregPp40gvuea5AsSKUAG02ip6ohiLm4HME4zXOXiQGRY

You can order my own book Answers Become Questions.  You can also link to a book review I quoted from The Catholic World Report which claims that what “Nick Ripatrazone portrays in Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction is sorely needed in these days of social distancing filled with concern that physical closeness could breed infection. The Catholic literary tradition, like its religious traditions, is deeply tactile…Its practices, both inside churches and in the daily lives of the faithful, surround us in the conviction that God is among us—here, now.” 

But first, listen to the podcast!

Apr 26, 202006:41
#50 A Virtual Party
Apr 12, 202003:57
#49 The Price of Death

#49 The Price of Death

Covid 19 is a wakeup call!

Apr 05, 202006:01
#48, Nonagenarian

#48, Nonagenarian

My life has spanned the Industrial Revolution, the Electronic Revolution, and now ?  Covid 19!

Mar 29, 202006:45
#47 Words Are The Clothing In Which We Dress Our Thoughts

#47 Words Are The Clothing In Which We Dress Our Thoughts

You, I and squirrels live somewhat above the finite world of computers but somewhat below the realm of the infinite!

Mar 17, 202003:29
#46. Making Sense Of It All!

#46. Making Sense Of It All!

How do we humans convert what our ears hear into thoughts? Can humans create machines which will be able to think? The answers we have found thus far at the edge of what we know leave us with more questions!

Mar 08, 202004:02
#45 Common Sense

#45 Common Sense

What is common sense?

Mar 01, 202007:02
#44 You Want Answers?

#44 You Want Answers?

Here, in this podcast, is the crux of the matter which my book Answers Become Questions examines in much more detail. The book itself (ISBN 9781733029162) can now be printed on demand from major booksellers or downloaded as an ebook (ISBN 9781733029179).

Feb 22, 202001:07
#43 Cool!

#43 Cool!

Hot and cold, polar opposites, David Brooks and Donald J. Trump dealt with in a 3 minute podcast between the poles of finite and infinite!

Feb 17, 202003:26
#42 Hot Air

#42 Hot Air

My book, Answers Become Questions, is getting closer to publication!

Feb 10, 202002:45
#41 Love of Money

#41 Love of Money

The Impeachment trial has dominated our attention this past week. What else has been going on in the world?

Feb 02, 202003:24
#40 Lady With a Drum

#40 Lady With a Drum

What is infinity? What does a googol have to do with Google?

Jan 25, 202003:49
#39 What's Going On Backstage?

#39 What's Going On Backstage?

Flying between the finite and the infinite is an adventure; it can be invigorating or debilitating, filled with potential or constrained. This podcast urges the reader to fly!

Jan 19, 202002:54
#38 Letting Go of the Rope!

#38 Letting Go of the Rope!

Letting go of the rope requires great faith but allows one to fly.

Jan 13, 202004:57
#37 Chagrin!

#37 Chagrin!

Did you know that methane is 28 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide?

Jan 10, 202002:19
#35 Your Input solicited

#35 Your Input solicited

Help me with a green anthem for the youth of the world!  Their movement needs an anthem as a call to action!

Dec 30, 201902:20
#34 Action Needed!

#34 Action Needed!

I am looking for a composer to write the music for my lyrics for "A Green Anthem for the Youth of the World!"

Dec 26, 201901:55
#33 A Letter to Teenagers

#33 A Letter to Teenagers

Advice from an old man.

Dec 16, 201903:40
#32 History and Mystery

#32 History and Mystery

Is there a good reason to study world history?  How about my-story? Spend a year living abroad, somewhere with a history different from your own!

Dec 09, 201902:19
#31 Attitude!

#31 Attitude!

Let's get down to practical illustrations of ways to live at the interface between the finite and the infinite!  Robert's Rules of Order?

Dec 01, 201910:46
#30 On the Fence

#30 On the Fence

Do we have something to crow about?

Nov 25, 201906:23
#29 Rummikub

#29 Rummikub

Have you got the game of life all figured out?  

Nov 17, 201906:02
#28 Make up my mind!

#28 Make up my mind!

When is it appropriate to keep an open mind and when is it appropriate to vacillate, procrastinate, or make up your mind and be decisive?

Nov 11, 201903:11
#27 Happiness

#27 Happiness

What is happiness?  Can it be measured?  What do you think of the United Nations' report which ranks the countries of the world by how happy they are?  Can you be happy when your situation is terrible?

Nov 04, 201908:16
#26 Questionable Theology?

#26 Questionable Theology?

An open mind applied to both science and religion.

Oct 27, 201906:26
#25 What would health mean if there were no sickness?

#25 What would health mean if there were no sickness?

Making a case for Questionable Theology.

Oct 20, 201904:23
#24 A. I. versus H. S.

#24 A. I. versus H. S.

We use humor as the antidote to being upset!

Oct 13, 201914:31
#23 Government

#23 Government

Living in the world at the interface between the finite and the infinite  is neither complete with a finite set of rules by which we can govern nor is the chaos of anarchy acceptable.  Where does that leave us?

Oct 07, 201904:49
#22 Which One Are You?

#22 Which One Are You?

We humans indeed hold a special place in the formation and development of the universe.  But there are serious warning signs that we need to urgently change our exploitation of our earthly position if we intend to continue our life on earth.  Think cosmically first and then adjust our earthly actions to match what is required of us to hold onto our position.

Sep 30, 201904:40
#21 Take a Yacht!

#21 Take a Yacht!

A solar powered yacht is one answer to airplanes.

Sep 23, 201903:54
#20 A Pot of Gold

#20 A Pot of Gold

Is a rainbow made up of different colors or are the colors just our perception of a rainbow?

Sep 15, 201906:58
#19 The Supreme Being

#19 The Supreme Being

Do you believe in God?

Sep 08, 201902:47
#18 LGBTQQIP2SAA+

#18 LGBTQQIP2SAA+

LGBTQQIP2SAA+...!!!  Perhaps it all boils down to an important understanding that each individual is an individual never to be repeated.  Perhaps, if we understand this, we humans will be more able to respect each other and work together in determining what the Almighty expects of us.

Sep 01, 201904:41
#17 It Makes a Huge Difference

#17 It Makes a Huge Difference

At the interface between the finite and the infinite, human societies seem to polarize whether it be dividing North Korea and South Korea, choosing communism or democracy, and joining the Republican or Democrat Party in the United States.  How does this polarization appear in the face of climate change?

Aug 25, 201905:25
#16 Oh Nuts!

#16 Oh Nuts!

Can a very simple concept be described in few words?  In this podcast I try but quickly find that the few words are so deep that it is difficult to plumb the bottom, especially since there is no bottom to the Infinite!  So, I chose to illustrate what it means to live at the interface between the finite and the infinite and used the question of gender to show how the concept of gender has changed over the years.  Is gender a matter of genes?  Is gender a choice?  Are we asking the right questions?  Can finite beings ever draw final conclusions?  Other podcasts will deal with the implications of your answer to that last question!!!

Aug 18, 201906:40
#15 ME and WE

#15 ME and WE

Hale Schroer, in his sermon yesterday at Samuel United Church of Christ in Clayton, Missouri, matched ME and WE with ID.  That got me to thinking about "love thy neighbor as thyself," although that scripture was not the text for the sermon, "Christians and Made not Born."  Living at the interface of the finite and the infinite begs for cultivated links and awareness between ME and WE.  I end this podcast with a childhood song!

Aug 13, 201904:52
#14 This Very Moment

#14 This Very Moment

Now is the interface link between the past and the future!

Aug 07, 201902:29
#13 A Guy Dance

#13 A Guy Dance

Listen to the entire podcast to decipher what is meant by "guy dance!"

Jul 28, 201903:32
#12 The Underbelly of Humans

#12 The Underbelly of Humans

#12 The Underbelly of Humans

Jul 21, 201904:50
#11 Do We Have a Choice?

#11 Do We Have a Choice?

This second podcast concerning climate change compares the situation faced by Harriet Tubman in her choice between liberty and death with the situation we face today between working together or death.

Jul 14, 201906:17
# 10 Jefferson and Climate Change

# 10 Jefferson and Climate Change

A message stimulated by considerations at the significance of Fourth of July.

Jul 07, 201907:02
#9 The Scientific Method

#9 The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method is a powerful tool.  But, like most other things living at the interface between the finite and the infinite, science can be misused.  What use we make of science matters!

Jun 30, 201903:05
#8 The Truckers' Joke

#8 The Truckers' Joke

People have bought into the revolution in electronic communication.  Dr. Ramsay takes a look at one electronic joke hanging in the air in central Kentucky as truckers pass it from one to the other as they roll by.  What are the implications for society?

Jun 23, 201904:35
#7 The Past is Gone?

#7 The Past is Gone?

Long hair started growing a long time ago, cell by cell, day by day.  What can this tell us about how the past acts as a coiffed frame around our smiles or furrowed brows?

Jun 15, 201910:19
#6 Life is a Jigsaw Puzzle

#6 Life is a Jigsaw Puzzle

#6 Life is a Jigsaw Puzzle.  A message of diversity for Pentecost Sunday!

Jun 10, 201904:25
#5 So what!

#5 So what!

Podcast #5 is about EDUCATION.  N.F.S. Grundtvig understood that preparation for living at the interface between the finite and the infinite requires a different form of education—one in which there are no exams!  The Scandinavian countries provide a case study of what a difference education can make in how we manage our lives.

Jun 02, 201908:08
#4 Bulging Biceps and Washboard Abs

#4 Bulging Biceps and Washboard Abs

In Episode #4, "Bulging Biceps and Washboard Abs," Dr. Ramsay states, "We need to use words and dictionaries as we fumble along through life. But, defining them is like pinning and mounting butterflies. Once mounted, life is gone and the butterfly no longer flies."  Words are useful in the same way a cadaver is useful to a surgeon in learning how to enhance life!

May 24, 201907:32
#3 Don't Define it, Just Dance!

#3 Don't Define it, Just Dance!

College students try to define what dance is and end up going beyond their assignment!

May 19, 201904:40
#2 Out of the Box!

#2 Out of the Box!

This is the second of a series of podcasts about living at the interface between the finite and the infinite,  This one tackles the problem of classifying people as either male or female.

May 15, 201908:25
#1 Between Black and White

#1 Between Black and White

Dr. Ramsay describes a 7th grade biology class considering what it means to classify people into black or white.  He liked teaching 7th graders because they are wonderfully open minded and intelligent because they have not yet been brain washed by their adult world.

May 07, 201912:07