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JOHN LAMBERT
7/22/01
ENGLISH COMPOSITION I

Set upon the path

    My parents were divorced when I was two years old. I don’t remember them being together, so it was not difficult for me when they broke up. For me it was just the way things were. I lived with my mom in a three level town house, comprised of an upstairs, a ground floor, and a basement. I had no brothers or sisters. It was always just my mom and I.
When I was about four years old my mom decided to help out her sister Jill by allowing her to stay at our house. There was a problem with that idea. My Godmother Jill had a drug and alcohol problem.
    One day when my mom, a four foot nine inch woman, decided not to give my Godmother Jill, an over five foot woman, her car keys because Jill was wasted on God knows what. Jill did not like this idea and she went into a drug rage from hell.
My mom and Jill were screaming at each other at the top of their lungs and I was crying for them to stop. Jill began to assault my mom physically with punches and kicks. Mom started to run in terror. She fled upstairs to grab her Bible.
On my mom’s side of the family they were all raised as Christians and I believe that my mom had hoped to read Jill some passages to help snap her out of her drug rage and make her think about how she was acting.
    However, there was no getting through to Jill. Jill was in a drug induced world of her own, filled with hate and anger, and she continued to rage. She beat on my mother mercilessly.
    They continued to rampage through the house. I followed crying and pleading for them to stop. Neither of them could hear me because they were both in their own world. My mother obviously fearing for her life and Jill seemed to be like a machine on kill mode. I, too, was in my own world, all alone and scared. All of us screamed to ourselves with nobody listening to each other. The chase and beatings continued throughout the house until Jill cornered my mom in the basement where there was no escape and no one would hear the screams.
    Here in the basement Jill had mom suspended off the ground by the hair with one hand, pressing her against the thick concrete wall, and was destroying her with blows from the other hand. Jill showed no sign of relinquishing. She did not seem human. Was it my Godmother or a demon? It all seemed to be happening in slow motion yet I knew it was as quick as lightning.
    I prayed to God for help, but just then, as my mom held up the Bible to quote from it, Jill slapped the book out of her hands and the pages went flying through the air like the leaves falling from a tree in autumn. It was then I realized if I did not do something that I would just stand there impotently screaming and watch my mom die. Instantly I noticed a thick glass Pepsi bottle on the ground in front of me as if an answer to my prayer. I picked it up. I ran and jumped up behind my Godmother Jill as if spiking a volleyball and smashed the bottle into the base of her skull. The bottle shattered. Jill dropped to the floor with a thud. She landed against the side of the washing machine, knocked out cold.
    I apologized to my mom in a panic. I knew, even at four years old, that you never talk back to an adult and you definitely never strike an adult. I thought that I was going to be in big trouble with my mom. “I’m sorry, mom!”
    “Oh, no honey! You saved my life!” With that she gave me a huge hug and a kiss. “You are my hero! I love you so much!”
    When Jill woke up, she looked around blinking for a moment until she realized what had happened to her and why she was sitting in a pile of broken glass. Jill must have realized how trashed she was because she started to laugh and then we all started to laugh. Jill apologized and then we all started crying and laughing together at the magnitude of what had just happened.
    Since that day, I knew that I had to be tough and had to be responsible enough to take action within the blink of an eye. I knew it was a tough world that we lived in. I knew that if we hesitate or wait for someone else to help us that it may be too late and that we would have to live with that the rest of our lives. I knew that I had to have the courage to take on whatever life would throw at me, no matter what the odds, nor how it may seem. I knew that sometimes words cannot solve the problems and sometimes you need to take action. It is when you choose to take action, to feel the fear and do it anyway, that you feel the power of God course through you. I felt Him. There is no way to describe it other than it felt as if I was watching what I was doing through my own eyes but someone else took over the controls of my body. Since then I have realized that it was preparation for the years to come. I have saved seven lives in my 27 years on this earth. I know now what my purpose in being born in this world is. My purpose is to help people, to spread love, and to do God’s work: The Great Work. I believe that this was my first step on the path and I realize that there are many more to follow.
 


 
 

Running head: Burn Your Bras
Women, Burn Your Bras!
John Steven Lambert
Life University
 
 

Women, Burn Your Bras!

    Cancer is a major problem for women, especially in America, which has one of the highest rates of breast cancer. According to Dr. Nicolas Leroy, a holistic women’s physician, currently one out of every eight women acquire breast cancer in the course of their lives. These rates of breast cancer seem to increase over time, especially in developed countries (2001). A quotation from Dr. Nick’s website, a site that he has devoted to breast cancer, names statistics that show how the problem of breast cancer has only been getting worse despite modern medicine’s efforts to stop it:
    Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 35 and 54. In 1960, a woman’s lifetime risk for getting breast cancer was 1 in 20, now it is approaching 1 in 7. In 1971 President Richard Nixon declared the “War on Cancer”, but despite the efforts of conventional medicine and research, this war is being miserably lost (2001, ll.2-6).
    A study cited from iVillage’s complementary medicine website, a site devoted to health, states that there are approximately 43,500 deaths a year from breast cancer (2001). This is a scary problem considering that we are more advanced in technology and medicine than ever before in history and the problem appears to be getting worse, not better. Modern medicine offers solutions that are almost as bad as the problem. These current treatments range from invasive and sometimes debilitating surgeries to radiation, which has been shown to increase risk of getting cancer, and chemotherapy, which causes great pain and discomfort along with a whole list of other less than desirable side effects. What is worse is that conventional medicine has little or no preventative methods for reducing the risk of developing breast cancer in the first place. The closest attempt they have at prevention is to advocate early detection, which merely discovers the cancer once a woman has already developed it. Do you call that prevention? To show how our American Cancer Society feels about possible causes for breast cancer and about prevention we can also look at Dr. Nick’s website:
    In its 1998 Cancer Facts for Women, the ACS continues to imply that there are no known avoidable causes of breast cancer, and goes even further stating “the biggest risk factor for breast cancer is being a woman”. Incredibly, the ACS recommends early detection as the “best defense” against breast cancer; giving women false confidence that mammography can somehow protect them against breast cancer… Mammograms rely on the focusing of x-rays… On the breast. X-ray radiation itself, however, is known to cause breast cancer. (2001, ll.15-23; 165)
    Calculating your risk factor may be helpful in planning preventative strategies. In order to calculate your risk it is necessary to be familiar with what those risks are, and to assist you we have included some current risk factors cited from iVillage’s complimentary medicine website, a site dedicated to women’s health:
· Women (comprise over 99 percent of cases)
· Increasing age
· History of cancer in one breast
· History of benign breast disease
· Never giving birth or first pregnancy after 30
· Family history (first-degree relative) of breast cancer (significant for pre-menopausal women)
· Early onset of menstruation and late menopause
· Possibly, long-term oral contraceptive use (although this is controversial)
· High doses of ionizing radiation before age 35
· History of cancer of the colon, thyroid, endometrium, or ovary
· Diet high in animal fat, excessive alcohol consumption, and, possibly, obesity
· Alterations in certain genes
· Breast implants. (2001, ll. 42-59)
    Perhaps, the worst risk factor of all is the lack of awareness of preventative measures that women can use to greatly reduce their risk factor for breast cancer. Educations in preventative measures, which reduce the risk, are the best way to prevent breast cancer. Two methods that greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer are trashing the bras, and getting regular and frequent breast massage.
Our modern medical leaders lack of concern with prevention only magnifies this problem and they only focus their attention on treatment once cancer is found. Dr. Nicolas Leroy’s website addresses this problem:
    Much of the blame for this trend can be placed with the misdirected efforts of the cancer establishment, the formidable lobby consisting of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the American Cancer Society (ACS), and the NCI- and ACS-funded cancer clinics in universities, hospitals, and cancer centers. Rather than identify ways to prevent breast cancer, the cancer establishment instead allocates the majority of its resources on drug therapies to treat cancer. The problem with this approach is evident. It is better to prevent cancer, if possible, rather than be forced to treat it once it develops (2001, ll.7-15)
    Medical studies have shown that bras are another major contributing risk factor to breast cancer. Some have begun to call breast cancer, bra cancer. Many of the reasons that bras increase risk of breast cancer also apply to women who have breast implants (augmentation) due to the fact that implants immobilize the breasts as well and cannot be easily removed like a bra. On Dr. Michael White’s website he lists some of the problems with brassieres, “Brassieres can restrict blood flow, increase heat, force shallow breathing, lower blood oxygen, increase breathing rates, [and] restrict lymphatic function” (2001, ll. 3-4). Also listed on Dr. White’s website are quotes from other experiments and clinical studies concerning bras and breast cancer risk: “[In] 1991 Researchers at Harvard University published a medical journal article on breast cancer risk. As a side issue of their paper, they mention that the women in their study that did not wear bras had a 60% lower rate of breast cancer than the women who wore bras” (2001, ll.110-112). Women concerned about the shape of their breast may argue that it is necessary to wear a bra in order to help keep their breasts’ shape and to prevent sagging, but studies named on Dr. White’s website prove otherwise, “Researchers in Japan published a study [in 1991] on bras and sagging, in which they proved that a bra can actually increase breast sagging, rather than the opposite. This effect was most noticeable in larger breasted women” (2001, ll.115-117). A great book linking bras to breast cancer mentioned on Dr. White’s website is Dressed to Kill written by Sydney Singer and Soma Grismaijer:
    Their study included almost 4600 women, half of [them] had breast cancer and half of [them] did not. They found that the more hours per day a bra is worn, the higher the rate of breast cancer and [the] women who did not wear bras [had] a dramatically reduced rate of breast cancer (2001, ll.121-124)
    Another major risk factor related to bras mentioned on Dr. White’s website concerns the increase in the heat of the breast tissue, which reduces the presence of cancer fighting hormones such as melatonin which “Has anti-cancer activities, [because] it is an antioxidant and can prevent DNA damage, and … is intimately involved in the immune system and can bind directly to T helper cells” (2001, ll.161-162). A study by Lee, Hyun, and Tokura also cited on Dr. White’s website shows the facts, “Wearing a girdle and/or bra lowers the levels of the hormone, melatonin by 60 percent” (2001, ll.156-157).
    Lymphatic function is also very important to help reduce the risk of breast cancer because the lymph nodes are part of the body’s immune system, helping eliminate toxins. Bras and implants drastically reduce lymphatic function by immobilizing the breasts, which increases risk for breast cancer by reducing the efficacy of the immune system. To draw attention to the effect of bras and implants on lymphatic function and its importance we can look at another quotation from Dr. White’s website where he notes a British study:
The scientists suspect bras suppressing the lymphatic system—the network of vessels that flushes toxic waste from the body, [causes problems]. They plan to further research into what happens if the lymphatic system is blocked, and whether this leads to an accumulation of toxins in the breast tissue…Prof. Mansell said the work is of particular concern because the garments appear to be compressing the body at the outer upper most part of the breast—the area where 80% of the lymph flows (2001, ll.267-271).
Dr. White’s website quotes Michael Schacter, M.D., on the negative effects of bras and implants on the lymphatic system:
    Any activity that will help to remove accumulated toxins in the breasts will help to reduce the chances of developing breast cancer…. It is the job of the lymphatic system …to help drain toxic substances from tissues and poor lymphatic drainage may play a role in breast cancer formation…. [Lymph flow] is very sensitive to constricting external pressure, which can impede its flow. Bras and other external tight clothing can impede flow (2001, ll.303-307).
    Some shocking statistics on a website titled Breast Massage for Health, a site dedicated to breast health, name the results of a recent study:
    Over 4700 women (2056 previously diagnosed with breast cancer, 2674 never diagnosed with breast cancer) indicated that there was a positive correlation between breast cancer and the length of time that women wore bras per day:
· Those who wore a bra all day long (defined in the study as any period more than 12 hours) had statistically 21 times greater risk of breast cancer than those who only wore a bra for only a part of the day (defined in the study as any period of up to 12 hours).
· Women who wore their bras all day and night (essentially 24 hours per day) had a five times greater chance of developing breast cancer than those who wore it all day long (1998, ll.12-19).
    Obviously one of the greatest ways to lower your risk for breast cancer is to try to keep them cool and moving, so burn your bras and try to do other things that will promote lymphatic fluid movement throughout the breast tissue, such as exercise and breast massage.
As a professionally certified and licensed Myomassologist and massage therapist as well as traditional Nuat Thai medical massage instructor and certified spa body treatment therapist, I know of specific massage methods and spa treatments which would greatly help to increase lymphatic flow and help detoxify the breast tissue. One modality of massage called Manual Lymphatic Drainage would help to promote healthy lymphatic function and increase lymph flow in the breasts. Also there are many detoxification treatments which help to eliminate toxins from the body, such as seaweed breast masks or seaweed body-wraps including the breasts, and Salt Glow body polishes and scrubs, as well as sea salt bath formulas and hydrotherapy with underwater water-jet massage including specialized aromatherapy. I recommend that all women have their breasts massaged daily or as often as possible to avoid toxic build-up and stagnation of lymphatic fluids and to promote the healthy function of breast tissue and glandular function. This can either be done by a professional or women can do self massage, though it may be necessary to find out how to do the techniques correctly by taking a class or having a professional demonstrate the proper procedures for accurate performance and adequate results. One downfall to self-massage is that it is difficult to perform due to the type of strokes necessary which are hard for one to duplicate with the arms attached slightly above and to the side of the breasts. It is easy for a trained therapist because they have a direct frontal approach that allows much more versatility in range of motion and more variety of techniques to draw from. Perhaps you should schedule an appointment today.
    When it comes to the health of your breasts, you should either try to get rid of bras or try alternatives such as loose fitting camisoles. Also it is important to lower your risk by having maintenance breast massages on a regular basis, preferably daily. These lifestyle changes are proven to be the best defense you have against breast cancer by dramatically lowering your risk factor. From looking at the facts we can see that women need to take an active role in the health of their breasts.

References

White, M.G. (2001). Brassieres, Breathing, and Breast Cancer. Optimal Breathing: For Living and Loving It! Retrieved August 18, 2001from the World Wide Web:
http://www.breathing.com/articles/brassieres.htm
Cancer, breast. (2001). Complimentary Medicine: iVillage Health. Retrieved August 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/library/onemed/content/0,7064,241012_245574,00.html
Leroy, N. (2001). Breast Cancer, Treatment and Prevention: Drnick. Retrieved August 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: Click on 'Breast Cancer (Treatment and Prevention)'.
http://www.drnick.net/Articles/Articles.html
 Breast Massage for Better Health-Can it help prevent Breast Cancer? (1998). Breast Massage for Better Health. Retrieved August 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.dnai.com/~cd/a/b/bm/breastmassage.html

For Anyone interested on more information on Breast Health you can click on the reference links above or check out my Breast Care services under Service Descriptions, for breast health information you can read my Breast Health page, and for anyone interested in taking classes professionally/personal tutoring/or couples classes you can go to my Classes page.

Running Head: Genetic Engineering

The Genetic Engineering Conflict
John Steven Lambert
Life University

The Genetic Engineering Conflict

    Genetic engineering is a science which demands careful consideration. I believe that this science is both a potential benefit and a potential hazard to humankind and the environment. The reason I say that genetic engineering is a potential benefit and a hazard is because it is not a perfected science at this time. This science has the potential of discovering an almost countless number of astounding breakthroughs which can answer a great number of the world’s problems; on the other hand, genetic engineering can also cause a great number of disasters if not used responsibly. I would like to contrast the two potentials of genetic engineering and illustrate ways to encourage the benefits yet minimize the hazards.
    First, it is important to understand what genetic engineering is. Genetic engineering is the science and process of taking genes out of the DNA of one organism and inserting it into the DNA of another organism. Genes are believed to carry information for specific traits or attributes, and can be thought of like code words. DNA is a string of genes (code words) intricately connected in a specific linguistic order, which govern the fundamental constitution of a living organism. The goal of genetic engineering is to improve organisms by changing their DNA. In other words, take out the bad genes and replace them with good genes, or just improve the DNA with some other favorable trait-genes.
    Second, I would like to explain the current understanding of the functionality of DNA. DNA relies upon the sequence of genes (code words) to determine how genes are expressed just like directions rely on the sequence of the words used to write them. The DNA is very dynamic and what determines whether a gene is expressed or not is governed by its sequence in relation to other genes and their corresponding ‘trigger’ genes, which tell them to turn on or off. In many ways DNA is very much like a language. The importance of understanding the proper placement becomes evident when observed in this way because if words, like genes, are inserted out of the proper sequence or context the meaning becomes jumbled or confused therefore the outcomes become uncertain.
    All of the insertion methods have something in common. It is impossible to control where the gene will be inserted. This randomness leads to an equally random outcome, which poses numerous hazards. These procedures can produce organisms with deformities, abnormalities, chemical imbalances, and weak or deficient immune systems. Furthermore, there is no reliable means of testing these organisms to detect dangerous substances. If genetic engineering is used to create organisms used as food, this can be extremely hazardous to the health of those eating them. The Union of Concerned Scientists’ website mentions that
    Most genetically engineered plant foods carry fully functioning antibiotic-resistance genes…. The presence of antibiotic-resistance genes in foods could have two harmful effects. First, eating these foods could reduce the effectiveness of antibiotics to fight disease…. Second, the resistance genes could be transferred to human or animal pathogens, making them impervious to antibiotics…. Many organisms have the ability to produce toxic substances…. In some cases, plants contain inactive pathways leading to toxic substances. Addition of new genetic material through genetic engineering could reactivate these inactive pathways or otherwise increase the levels of toxic substances within the plants (“Risks of Genetic Engineering”, 2001, ll. 60-69, 79, 81-84).
    Geneticists use some methods to help them penetrate species barriers in order to insert genetic material into host organisms. These methods may allow the host organism to randomly transfer its genetic material to other organisms and in turn spontaneously create unpredictable new and random species. Genetic engineering also can lead to other problems like insects or pests that have fed upon genetically engineered crops and since acquired immunity to pesticides. Some of the methods using an invading bacterium or virus to introduce the genetic material also pose a potential hazard because they are also inserting foreign genes from the bacterium or virus into the host organism’s DNA along with the trait-gene/genes. Genetic engineering can also lead to the following problems concerning bacteria and viruses: they can become immune to antibiotics, or recombine with the bacterium or virus used in the insertion process to create new strains of bacteria or completely new viruses and thereby new diseases. Looking at some of these problems with bacteria and viruses we can see that
    Recombination can occur between the plant-produced viral genes and closely related genes of incoming viruses. Such recombination may produce viruses that can infect a wider range of hosts or that may be more virulent than the parent viruses (2001, ll. 183-186).
These are very serious problems and, if not recognized early enough, may cause serious harm to the environment and the human race. Also, problems like this may be difficult, if not impossible, to reverse if unleashed into the environment. The International Forum for Genetic Engineering’s website says that, “Scrambling genomes will lead to total chaos in evolution…. The consequences could be devastating and irreversible” (Heaf, 2001, ll. 126, 160-161). There are many risks that we know of, but
    Genetic engineering may also pose risks that we simply do not know enough to identify. The recognition of this possibility does not by itself justify stopping the technology, but does put a substantial burden on those who wish to go forward to demonstrate [the] benefits (“Risks of Genetic Engineering”, 2001, ll. 26-29).
    However, “No popular technology is without risk” (Heaf, 2001, ll. 151-152). Genetic engineering also has many potential benefits. “This new technology will have more benefits for human existence than all the past technologies put together” (ll. 39-42). One of the benefits that can be gained by genetic engineering is
    Transgenic animals can be created so that their organs can be transplanted into human beings without being rejected by the normal immune processes (xenotransplantation). This is achieved by genetically modifying the cells in those organs to ‘look like’ human cells to the human immune system. Xenotransplantation is necessary because the demand for organs for transplant is far in excess of the supply from ‘donors’ (ll. 556-566).
    This would obviously be a great benefit to mankind and would warrant further study. Another benefit that would be obvious is how,
Genetic engineering could be used in combination with cloning to save species from extinction thus maintaining global biodiversity. This is already under consideration for the Giant Panda in China. The techniques could also be used to recreate extinct species by cloning the DNA and inserting in suitable host cells (ll. 623-631).
Yet another benefit is that
    Genetic engineering in the form of ‘gene therapy’ (somatic) could be used to repair damaged or replace missing genes in people who have genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, severe combined immunodeficiency, etc. The process need not necessarily use infective agents such as adenoviruses as DNA vectors—the genes can be incorporated into microscopic fatty droplets called liposomes (ll. 652-662).
    There is one problem with all the current potential benefits; they all are not yet achievable because the understandings of the sequential order, or languages, of the DNA are currently unknown. According to the International Forum for Genetic Engineering the “scientists are no closer to understanding what determines the form and function of a living organism than they were a century ago before the term gene was coined” (ll. 56-58). It is important for scientists to continue to perfect this science in order to make use of the potentials mentioned earlier, and scientists would need to test the effectiveness of each method in a controlled environment until all of the aspects are understood. I believe that regulations should be placed upon these sciences until they are perfected to ensure our safety. As the International Forum for Genetic Engineering has stated, “There should be a moratorium on experiments in the open until the safety of the genetically modified plant is fully tested under containment conditions” (2001, ll. 487-489).
    It should also be understood that there is much more that could be gained from the perfecting of the genetic engineering and cloning sciences: they  “could be so successful in the future that old age, illness and death [would] be historical curiosities” (2001, ll. 884-886). One of the important reasons for continued research in the genetic sciences is mentioned on the Genetic Engineering Organization’s website,
    Nobody doubts that before [the] year 2020 [the] computing power of computers will exceed many times [the] complexity and possibilities of [the] human brain. Computers evolve with rampant speed and nothing can stop this progress. We, i.e. [the] human race, have no choice: we have to evolve or to become extinct…. We can use genetic engineering to make our children… better, more developed organisms; we can clone ourselves and make some genetic improvements in [the] genetic code of these clones; or last, [but] not least, we can change our very own genetic structure ‘on the fly’, i.e. of our own biological body during [our] lifetime. If you are criticizing genetic engineering then you are cutting off the only humane way for… mankind [to evolve](Kinitz, 2000, ll.24-27).
Genetic engineering is probably the only way for humans to evolve. We seem to have reached a plateau in evolution and genetic engineering may be our only way to overcome this obstacle. We may notice
    Technology of [the] human race has been developing with huge speed but ideology not so fast. Knowledge, skills and consciousness of reality has been developing quickly but human physical construction (genetic design, human genome) has not changed meaningfully for [at least] over 50,000 years. While mankind digests over and over more or less the same ideas related to ethics, morality, and other ideologies, the technology develops itself with rampant speed. Human hardware (the physical body) is not changing at all and therefore also human software (mind) has significant development limitations (2000, ll. 90-96).
    It is quite possible that “genetic engineering is the ultimate answer to all illnesses we ever had, either inherited ones or environment dependent. Chief weapons to fight them back, and this time for good” (2000, ll. 134-136). I think it is important to understand also that the “maximally fast development of genetic technologies is for mankind a matter of sheer survival” (2000, ll. 237-239).
    When we compare all of these considerations I think it is obvious that the intelligent way to solve this very delicate and dynamic issue of genetic engineering is to allow the scientific community the means necessary to do the research and development needed in a controlled environment to ensure an optimal level of safety and security for ourselves and our environment as well as to perfect the potential benefits and avoid all the potential hazards. There is really no limit to what this science may bring because currently nobody knows what the future holds and the possibilities are endless. The perfection of the genetic sciences may have a snowball effect on the possible advances that may be awaiting the human species; in fact, we may change ourselves to such an extent that we may no longer be considered a human species. We may force our own evolution to the point that we no longer have much in common with the human species at all.
    All in all, the risks are great at this time and so are the potentials, which shows us that we must proceed, but with caution. We must advance, but carefully. Our future and the future of the world may very well rest upon the decisions of today concerning genetic engineering. This is why it is so very important that we look at this carefully and also why we must give it great thought and consideration before allowing the use of such unperfected sciences to roll the dice of chance with our futures. The future of the world has enough to worry about other than that which can be easily avoided by careful planning. This may be one of the most important choices mankind could ever be faced with and for sure the most challenging of our lifetimes.

References
Heaf, D. (2000). Pros and cons. International Forum for Genetic Engineering. Retrieved November 16, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.anth.org/ifgene/proscons.htm
Risks of genetic engineering. (2001). Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved November 16, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ucsusa.org/agriculture/gen.risks.html
Kinitz, E. (2001). Why genetic engineering is advantageous for humankind. Geenor. Retrieved November 16, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.geneticengineering.org/isgood/default.htm

JOHN LAMBERT
8/5/01
ENGLISH COMPOSITION I

Kabbalah (The Universal Key)

    Kabbalah is essentially the fundamental laws of relativity within the universe. This relates to both the internal or infinitesimal universe and the external or infinite universe. One other way to describe it would be both the laws of the microcosm and the macrocosm and how they relate to each other and how they reconcile or coincide with one another.
    The translation of Kabbalah is tradition and it is a tradition of Jewish mysticism. Mysticism is something shared amongst all religions and is a way for people to get in touch with God or their higher power directly without the aid or assistance of any religious leaders such as priests, monks, Popes, pastors, ministers, preachers, or the like. This may be the reason that many religions do not always promote mysticism and some discourage it. Underlying Judaism has always been the mystical nature that eventually became known as Kabbalah around the twelfth century A.D. One of the famous works that you may like to read to find out more about Kabbalah is known as the ‘Sefer Zohar’ or ‘Book of Splendor’ that is considered to comprise the entire essence of the Kabbalah. Kabbalah allows people to attain a more personal relationship with the divine than what can be achieved through the limited religious dogma of specific religious denominations.
    One of the main principles of Kabbalah concerns the emanations from God that culminated into the creation of the universe. These emanations are known as the ‘Sefiroth’. The Sefiroth are essentially the gap or bridge uniting the finite universe with the infinite God. The Sefiroth are also known as ‘Etz Chayim’, the Tree of Life and it has ten dynamic characteristics also referred to by some as ‘Adam Kadmon’, the primordial man. A common term and symbol used to refer to Kabbalah is the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life (like a family tree) is a very valuable tool that allows us to trace our individual souls back to the roots, the origin of creation, through the understanding of relationships and path working. Kabbalah is a mystical system that allows us to see ourselves as we truly are, helps us to see what path we are on, allows us to understand the relationships we have with those (ourselves and others) on different paths.  It gives us an understanding of all the paths, helps us to determine which path is best for us, and lets us know how to handle the path until we get to our destination.
     Here I will present some quotes from the Bible that help to highlight the Kabbalistic understandings behind the parables, show the influence that those understandings have had on the people of the time, the beliefs of the people, and how those hidden meanings have trickled into other religions. One of the passages that shows the importance of the tree is in Genesis 3:22-24: “Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’; Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So the Lord God drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the path to the tree of life.” Another parable that uses the tree symbol can be found in Matthew 10:10-32,34:   “Then his disciples draw near to him and said, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ he answered, saying to them, ‘Because to you it is granted to know the mystery of the kingdom of heaven, but it is not granted to them. For to him who has shall be given and it shall increase to him; but to him who has not, even that he has shall be taken away from him. This is the reason I speak to them in figures, because they see and yet cannot perceive; and they hear and yet do not listen, nor do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah who said, ‘Hearing you will hear, but you will not understand; and seeing you will see, but you will not know. For the heart of this people has become hardened, and they hear with difficulty, and their eyes are dull; so that they cannot see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts; let them return, and I will heal them. But as for you, blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For truly I say to you, a great many prophets and righteous men have longed to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. Now listen to the parable of the seed. Whoever hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away the word, which has been sown in his heart. This is that which is sown on the roadside. That which was sown upon the rock, this is he who hears the word, and immediately accepts with joy; but it has no root in him, except for a while; and when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately stumbles. That which was sown among thistles, this is he who hears the word, but worldly thoughts and the deception caused by riches choke the word, and it becomes fruitless. That which was sown upon good soil, this is he who hears my word and understands it, so he bears fruit and produces some one hundredfold and some sixty and some thirty. He related another parable to them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. And when men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and bore fruit, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Our lord, behold, did you not sow good seed in your field; whence did the tares come into it?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’ His servants then said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them out?’ But he said to them, ‘It might happen that while you were pulling out the tares, you might up root with them the wheat. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at the harvest season, I will say to the reapers, ‘Pick out first the tares, and bind them into bundles to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barns.’’ He related another parable to them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is larger than all of the herbs; and it becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” “Jesus spoke all these things to the people in parables; and without parables he did not speak to them.” In a quote from Revelations it becomes obvious that this tree symbolism is a key to hidden meanings within the text throughout the bible: Revelations 2:7; 22:2, 14: “He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches: ‘To him who overcomes, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of my God’”. “‘In the midst of the great street of the city, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve kinds of fruits, and each month it yielded one of its fruits; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the peoples’”. “‘Blessed are those who do his commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city’”. All the parables Jesus spoke or the symbolism used by the prophets and scribes was based in Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. This was like an ancient form of encryption code that allows a ruling figure to broadcast messages in open public places while only allowing his people trained in the knowledge of the mystical meanings of the Kabbalah to understand the true meaning hidden within his public parables. In this way he could communicate in public to his loyal servants, giving them detailed instructions on what he wanted them to do and what to expect in terms of things to come, and all in public and directly under the noses of his enemies and the enemies of his peoples, namely the Romans. One last quote that highlights one of the reasons for the mystery and hidden meanings facilitated by the parables was to protect the identity of Essene or Jewish leaders (especially a king) from the conquering Romans who would have much to gain of their identification and demise: Revelations 22:16: “‘I, Jesus, has sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright morning star’”. Here Jesus mentions the root and offspring (like root and seed or fruit) using the tree symbol to denote his royal heritage and right to the throne of David the King who’s blood he could only have received through his father Joseph. Would that mean Mary wasn’t a virgin?
    It is here that many different religions sprang forth. Some of the religions include Jewish religions, but also the Christian religions, the Islamic Sufi’s, and an even older Mesopotamian wisdom school called the Sarmoun Brotherhood amongst others. It even has some correlation with some principles such as Yin and Yang.
    To highlight the Kabbalah’s influence on religious traditions and symbolisms we can look at the example of the Christian Cross. The symbol of the Cross has Kabbalistic roots. In Ted Andrews’ ‘More Simplified Magic’ he gives an example of 'The [Kabbalistic] Cross', “This exercise incorporates the Biblical words found at the end of The Lord’s Prayer: ‘-for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen’ The Hebrew version of these words in conjunction with the physical action of forming a cross over the body is very powerful” (Andrews, 1998, p.366). The power of the Kabbalistic Cross is in the alignment of mind, spirit, energy, and body with the divine through the use of visualization and an exercise to help focus on these aspects simultaneously with the purpose of bringing that divine mind, spirit, and energy back to the body for practical use in daily life.
    Kabbalah is a useful tool because it can be used as a method of understanding principles of relationships and relativity. Like Einstein’s theory of relativity, everything is relative to something else. Understanding these relationships is fundamental to reconcile differences and solve problems. It can also show us how to accept things in new and exciting ways. It can even show us how to accept two seemingly opposing views as being correct in respect to their dynamic qualities and relationship with one another. This can make room for great healing in our lives. Is it not true, that if not for darkness, all would be light and the light would blind us? Is it not also true, that if not for light, we would be lost in the darkness? It is this contrast of light and dark that allows us to see and to distinguish. Both light and dark seem to be necessary. Is it true that the degree of darkness is determined relative to the lack of lightness? Is it true that the degree of lightness is determined relative to the lack of darkness? Kabbalah helps us to see this relationship in all things. With Kabbalah everything contains everything else in relative degrees or proportions. Can you see a similarity here with the black and white symbolism of Yin and Yang? Notice that in the Yin Yang symbol there is a little black in the white and a little white in the black. They cannot exist without each other. Remember without balance in the body, the body dies. These are the laws of nature and this is the nature of Kabbalah.
Notice how in the [Kabbalistic] Cross exercise Ted Andrews made use of the body parts touched in conjunction with the words spoken. That is because it also shows relationships within the human body and how they relate to the divine body. Kabbalah shows how everything has a purpose. Even good and evil, creation and destruction, can be reconciled through Kabbalah and given a purpose. Take for example again the human body, which has metabolic processes. One metabolic process is called Anabolism (building of body resources or growth) and another is Catabolism (using of body resources or atrophy). If it were not for both of those opposing processes being allowed to do their jobs when necessary, the body would eventually die. Kabbalah is these processes and the balance of these processes that allows the whole organism to remain in balance and continue its existence.
    Using the tree symbolism let me give you an idea how it works. Each of us is both the seed and the tree. We are continuing to grow throughout our life and at the same time we have the potential within us to create more trees through our seeds. These seeds grow up like a tree and they too have the ability to create trees through their seeds. We are always our parent’s seeds and yet we are the life giving tree of our children that are our seeds. All human beings are the seeds of God, who is the Great Cosmic Tree. To look at us humans as a tree, we can see that we are both of earth and of heaven, such as a tree is rooted in the earth and its top branches reach into the heavens and is nourished by the sun. Just like the tree we also look to the heavens and revel at the stars. My Nuat Thai instructor Dr. James has said that because we are of both earth and heaven our purpose as the resolution of heaven and earth is like this, “We are how the earth sees the stars, and we are how the stars feel wet grass on the bottoms of the feet” (James, 1996, video).
    I will end this with a thought provoking joke I heard and sorry to say I have no clue who first wrote this joke or invented it to give them credit, but let it be sufficient for me to say that it was not I. I merely repeat it for the sake of your understanding and amusement. “One day the body decided to figure out what part should be the boss. Of course, the first part to speak was the brain, the instigator of this idea and a wise guy, ‘I am the commander and chief. I tell all the parts of the body what to do and when to do it. I regulate everything that happens. If it were not for me, all of you would have no clue what to do next. I should be the boss.’ Then the heart decided to speak up and said, ‘Hey there, mister high and mighty, let me knock your ego back down to size a bit. If it were not for me pumping all this blood to you, you would not be able to do all of your big thinking stuff. I do all the real work around here and never get a break. I should be the boss!’ Lastly of all the parts the asshole decides to speak up, ‘Um, hey there, fellas. I think you forgot about me. I do all the shitty jobs around here. All the dirty work that has to be done, I do it. All the work nobody else wants to do, I do. I think I should be the boss!’ Then the whole body started laughing and making jokes of the asshole, and even picking on him saying, ‘Who are you anyways? You are just the asshole! Haha. Yeah, right, you should be the boss. Not! Haha’. Then, because of all the insults the asshole got very angry and decided not to work for them any more and went on strike and refused to do anything at all. The whole body was getting sick and the body was dying and finally all the other parts gave up and said, ‘Okay! Okay! You win!’ and ever since that day, the asshole has always been the boss.
    The key is that everything has a place, a purpose, and a reason for being. No matter how it may seem at the time, no matter how bad it may be, or what it may be, or who it may be, everything that exists has a reason. God works in mysterious ways and Kabbalah helps us to understand those ways. That is why Kabbalah is the universal key.

Running head: Devouring

Devouring Eyes
John Lambert
Life University

Devouring Eyes

    I have felt as Whitman all of my life. My eyes have always absorbed the world as if devouring it. I related to the sense of becoming what ever I saw, as if there was no difference between what I saw and myself. I always felt a paradox in being an individual because I consider everything a unified whole. In other words, the notion that we are all pieces of a greater whole and yet a whole of each piece at once. As I read Walt Whitman’s poem “There Was a Child Went Forth” I totally related to the child. To understand why I use the term devouring eyes we can look at the second line from this poem, “The first object he look’d upon, that object he became”(1819-1892, l.2). Just like what we eat becomes a part of us, what enters the eyes has become a part of the child in this poem. The two different aspects I would like to explore include the idea that the child has trouble distinguishing between reality and imagination, and the three stages he goes through in his life.
    The child in this poem apparently is unable to discern fact from fiction. The child ponders, “what is real” he considers the possibility it may “prove unreal” and is interested in “whether that which appears so is so, or is it all flashes and specks?”(ll.27, 29). For many children it is easy to go between reality and fantasy, but for this child it appeared difficult to separate the two. For me, I believe everything is real, even that which we only know in our imaginations. I think that seeing things in various ways and relating to those things can be invaluable if used in a practical way.
    I noticed that there are three stages he goes through. The stages seem to subtly flow along symbolic lines as they chronologically move from his childhood until the last of his days. Almost like evolution, he begins becoming parts of nature, and evolves later in the poem to humans, and finally inanimate objects. One other way to look at it could be the cycle of birth, life, and death.
    In the first stage he becomes nature in various aspects. As the “child went forth”(l.1) he became everything from “the early lilacs”(l.5) to “the commonest weeds by the road”(l.13). By looking at, “The early lilacs…/ the field sprouts…/ winter-grain sprouts…esculent roots of the garden…/ and… blossoms and the fruit afterwards”(ll.5,11-13) we can see how all of these could be used to represent beginnings or birth. I can remember some of my early memories as a child pretending to be the flora and the fauna.
    The second stage evolves from the flora and fauna into becoming people or humanity. Here the child becomes everyone from “the old drunkard staggering home”(l.14) to the “men and women crowding fast in the streets”(l.30). The child demonstrates he is participating in his life and with those around him by shifting the focus of his development to people. In other words, he is living his life. I view people as being the most important aspect of life and yet like to think of all things, whether living or not, to have some energetic conscience or memory. Somewhere in the past I have heard someone say that all energies have a memory and I believe it may be true.
    The third stage brings the child full circle from living to inanimate things. Here we can see how the child branches off from living things by becoming everything from “the streets themselves”(l.31) all the way to “salt marsh and shore mud”(l.38). I think that looking at the idea of becoming “shore mud” we can see a similarity to the notion of coming from the earth and the thought that we will return to the earth after we die. One other example from the poem that may act as a guide to showing the end of a cycle might be, “Seen from afar at sunset”(l.33). Sunset has always been a universal symbol of conclusion or the close of a cycle. I like this symbolism because I think it illustrates how the sunset, the close of the day, is also always followed by the sunrise, or beginning of a new day.
    I really enjoyed this poem and believe that the child’s view of being united with everything is a very valuable tool when approaching death because it allows for the idea that, even though this part of me is ending, the rest of me will always continue on. When I read all the things illustrated that the child became in this poem, I feel that I have also “became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day”(l.39).

Running Head: Over Nothing

All Worked Up Over Nothing
John Steven Lambert
Life University

All Worked Up Over Nothing

    I would like to explore the meaning of the title of Shakespeare’s famous play, Much Ado About Nothing. There are several times in this play that the characters get all worked up over nothing and I would like to examine a couple of the most notable of them.
The first case of getting all worked up over nothing belongs to Claudio when he believes that Don Pedro proposes to Hero for himself instead of proposing for Claudio as he had promised Claudio earlier. This happens because of the villain Don John who tries to fudge things up for his own amusement by telling this lie to Claudio and acting as if he thought Claudio were Benedick. Don John tells Claudio that he heard his brother, Don Pedro, swear affection for her and after convincing Claudio leaves, then as we look at Act II scene I from the play we can see Claudio’s response that,
    ‘Tis certain so. The prince wooes for himself. Friendship is constant in all other things save in the office and affairs of love. Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues; let every eye negotiate for itself and trust no agent; for beauty is a witch against whose charms faith melteth into blood. This is an accident of hourly proof, which I mistrusted not. Farewell therefore Hero! (ll. 181-189).
Claudio gets mad and in impudent rage storms off to pout. This is unfortunate because he has himself all worked up over nothing. Don Pedro had actually wooed Hero for Claudio as promised and arranged it with Hero’s father Leonato.
    The next big event that gets the characters worked up over nothing is when Don John and his two henchmen; Borachio, and Conrade plot to foil the wedding plans of Claudio and Hero by having Borachio and Margaret (one of Hero’s servants), who poses as Hero, act like they are having an affair at the window while Don John ushers Claudio and Don Pedro over to see for themselves the unfaithful lechery of Hero. Upon seeing this Claudio is overwhelmed with anger and plots to disgrace her in public at the altar, which he does. The prince Don Pedro confirms with honorable witness. When they leave the chapel Leonato, Antonio, Benedick, and the Friar conspire to make Hero seem as if she had died until they can get to the bottom of this accusation and find out who is behind it; at that time will they reveal her as being alive.  Again, Hero is innocent and everyone in the city with the exception of Don John and his henchmen are all worked up over nothing. This time not only has Claudio gotten all worked up, but also; Hero, Leonato, Antonio, Beatrice, and almost everyone else, of course with the exceptions mentioned previously. A couple good Quotations helpful in highlighting the emotions that were worked up in some of these characters we can look first at the words of the accusing Claudio at the altar as he says that,
She’s but the sign and semblance of her honour. Behold how like a maid she blushes here! O, what authority and show of truth can cunning sin cover itself withal! Comes not that blood as modest evidence to witness simple virtue? Would you not swear, all you that see her, that she were a maid by these exterior shows? But she is none: She knows the heat of a luxurious bed; Her blush is guiltiness, not modesty…. O Hero! What a Hero hadst thou been if half thy outward graces had been plac’d about thy thoughts and counsels of thy heart! But fare thee well, most foul, most fair! Farewell, Thou pure impiety and impious purity! For thee I’ll lock up all the gates of love, and on my eyelids shall conjecture hang, to turn all beauty into thoughts of harm, and never shall it more be gracious (Shakespeare, Act IV, I, ll. 34-43; 101-109).
    Another short, but sweet quotation which shows the feelings this misguided information brings is in the words of Hero’s father, Leonato, with broken heart he states, “Hath no man’s dagger here a point for me?” (ll. 110). Hero is rendered speechless with shock and grief and she faints, which we can deduce from the words of Don John when he says, “Come let us go. These things, come thus to light, smother her spirits up” (ll. 111-113).
    Later in the play everyone discovers the truth which is brought to light by a couple of humorous watchmen (the constable Dogberry, and headborough Verges) who capture Borachio and Conrade; self-confessed culprits. The first Claudio realizes his mistake is when he hears the very words of the accomplice Borachio in his confession in front of Claudio, Don Pedro, Leonato, and the watch. Claudio’s response to this news was “I have drunk poison whiles he utter’d it” (Act V, I, ll. 253), and his indecisiveness is shown in his statement shortly after that, “Sweet Hero, now thy image doth appear in the rare semblance that I lov’d it first” (ll. 259). Throughout the play he goes back and forth with loving Hero and then giving her up only to love her again, and again.
    In light of all this; all the ups and the terrible lows were all built up of nothing, and in the end all is yet well. Thus, when looking at the title Much Ado About Nothing we can conclude that it is a worthy title for the highly praised play written by William Shakespeare. Much Ado About Nothing is a masterful play built up with an emotional roller coaster and the causes are due to the misleading of the characters; leading them to go on the roller coasters of emotion all over nothing of real truth.
 
 

Running Head: Genius

Genius of Geniuses
John Steven Lambert
Life University

Genius of Geniuses

    I will start with a brief History of Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein is unequaled throughout all of history as the smartest man and heralded as a genius among geniuses. He was born in 1879 from his mother Pauline and father Hermann in Ulm, Germany. At age ten, Einstein begins his own self-study of science and endeavors to learn everything he can about the subject in 1889. In 1905 Einstein develops his Theory of Relativity, which many others called “Annus Mirabilis (Year of the Miracle)” and submits his paper “Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies” on June 30 to the leading German physics journal. When he is 26 years old he applies his mass and energy theory and formulates his famous equation (e=mc^2). In 1907 he starts to apply laws of gravity to his Relativity Theory. In 1913 he begins work on a new theory of his concerning the Theory of Gravity. In 1915 he completes his Theory of Relativity and publishes his first paper on cosmology in 1917. In 1919 Albert’s Theory of Relativity is proven by a solar eclipse and he is awarded a Nobel Prize for it in 1922. In 1927 he begins developing the Quantum Mechanics foundation with Bohr. He begins work on developing his idea of the Unified Field Theory. In 1939 World War II begins and Einstein writes his famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt to warn him that it is possible that Germany may be building an atomic bomb and urged him to further nuclear research. Eventually Einstein dies of heart failure on April 16, 1955. (Einstein Revealed, 2001).
    Many physics students play a game of wit: Who was the smartest genius ever? Though, there were many great minds throughout history and many worth noting, but few come close to the scope of Einstein and even fewer can make the claims that he can boast. The only other mind that has even come close belonged to Sir Isaac Newton, but even he comes in as a close second to Einstein in a photo finish race where the two of them are the only ones in the race.
    Newton has the obvious claim that he created modern physics and his system was used to describe the entire cosmos. Many other scientist had come up with a great number of different valuable schemes of various sorts, but Newton’s were the kind of testable mathematical predictions which could be confirmed in the real world and therefore many would call him lucky because there is only one universe and he discovered it.
    Where does Einstein fit into this? Well, after Einstein’s discoveries he felt obligated to write an apology letter to Newton asking for forgiveness that Newton found the only way which of his time was just about possible for a man of highest thought and creative power. He essentially replaced Newton’s system with his own—and like Newton, Einstein put his mark on virtually every branch of physics from then until the present day.
    It is nearly impossible to attempt to match let alone out do the genius among geniuses, Einstein. In 1905, he creates his Theory of Relativity, which shows that measurements of distance and time vary systematically as anything moves relative to anything else, which proves that Newton was wrong. Time and space are not absolute—and Newton’s universe is not the one that we inhabit, the relativistic universe.
    In March of the same year, Einstein creates the Theory of Quantum Light; the idea that light exists as tiny particles, or packets, that are now referred to as photons. This theory is the roots of the most startling idea in twentieth century physics: we live in a quantum universe that is built up of moving particles of energy.
    Next in April and May he publishes two papers. One of the papers describes methods to calculate the size of atoms and molecules in any given space and the other explains the Brownian Motion phenomenon, which result in the verification that atoms do exist and lays rest to a millennia-old debate on chemical elements’ fundamental nature.
    Then in June of the same year he finishes special relativity, which adds a little twist to the previous theory. Einstein’s paper in March regarded light as particles, but his theory of special relativity looked at light as a field of continuous waves. At age 26, he saw light as wave and particle, but wait, that is not all, later that year he expanded special relativity and proves that energy and matter are linked in what is probably the most famous equation of relationships known in physics: E=mc^2 (The energy content of a body is equal to the mass of the body times the speed of light squared). He also suggests that that the heat produced by radium may be marked by the conversion of tiny quantities of the radium mass into energy.
    This year of 1905 was in summery what most historians would call Annus Mirabilis; the miracle year, and it still evokes awe. Einstein is surely the greatest mind ever to date for special relativity has been embedded into all motion throughout the universe.
What he accomplishes after 1905 is almost more remarkable and no one since has been able to equal: a twenty-year track record at the cutting edge of physics. In 1907, he takes on the problem of gravitation, which is the same problem that Newton took on and almost solved. Einstein had one crucial insight, however, gravity and acceleration are equivalent, they are but to facets of the same phenomenon.
    Einstein recognizes the essential dualism in nature before anyone else. He discovers that at the level of quanta, both particles and waves co-exist. In 1911 he declares that the central problem to physics is to resolve the quantum issue.
Einstein completes his General Theory of Relativity in 1915, which is the product of eight years of study on the problem of gravity. General relativity shows that matter and energy actually are the mold to shape space and to govern the flow of time. The force that we feel as gravity, is nothing more than the sensation of following the path that is shortest through curved, four-dimensional space-time. Einstein proves that space is not just a container that the universe is packaged in, or floats in, but rather it is that everything: space, time, energy, and matter are locked together in the most intimate embrace.
    In 1917, Einstein publishes a paper, which makes use of general relativity to model the entire universe’s behavior. General relativity has given rise to some of the strangest and most important outcomes in modern astronomy; it was the starting point for the study of the behavior of the universe as a whole.
    Einstein returns his attention to the quantum in 1919, six years before quantum mechanics is invented and the principle of uncertainty. Einstein recognizes the problem that may lie with the classical notion of cause and effect. Because of the dual nature of quanta as both particles and waves, Einstein warns that it may be impossible to tie absolutely the effects to their causes.
Einstein’s distaste for modern quantum theory was famous largely due to its probabilistic nature, which forbids a complete description of cause and effect. He still, however, recognizes the fundamental implications of quantum ideas long before the rest of the physics community does.
    After the revolution of quantum mechanics of 1925-1927, Einstein spends the remaining bulk of his scientific career searching for a theory deep enough to subsume quantum mechanics and avoid its uncertainties and probabilities.
Einstein is still the unchallenged champion of the genius heavy weights of all time. “He transformed the world’s understanding of nature on every scale, from the smallest to that of the cosmos as a whole. Now, nearly a century after he made his mark, we are still exploring Einstein’s universe” (Einstein Revealed, 2001, ll. 233-238).

References
Einstein Revealed. (2001). Nova Online. Retrieved December 8, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/