Contrails and Conspiracies

"Contrails" (short for "condensation trails") are thin, white streaks left in the sky by aircraft. They form when hot exhaust gases from a jet engine meet the cold air at high altitudes. This temperature difference causes water vapor in the exhaust to condense and freeze, creating tiny ice crystals that form the visible trail.

There are generally two types of contrails:
Short-lived Contrails: These appear briefly and then disappear quickly. They form when the surrounding air is relatively dry, so the ice crystals evaporate back into water vapor almost as soon as they are created.

Persistent Contrails: These last much longer and sometimes spread out to form cirrus-like clouds. They form in more humid conditions, where the air has enough moisture to sustain the ice crystals for longer.

Contrails can impact climate because they reflect some sunlight back into space and trap some heat in the atmosphere, similar to natural clouds. This effect is complex, and scientists continue to study how much contrails contribute to warming or cooling.

It all sounds logically explainable. So why are there conspiracy theories about them?

The theories are centered around the belief that contrails (sometimes referred to as "chemtrails" in conspiracy theories) are part of secret government or corporate projects. 

Here are some common ones:
Weather Control: Some believe contrails are used for large-scale weather modification. This theory suggests that chemicals are sprayed into the atmosphere to manipulate weather patterns, such as causing droughts, controlling rainfall, or even creating natural disasters.

Population Control: Another theory claims that contrails contain harmful substances like heavy metals or biological agents intended to reduce population, weaken immune systems, or spread diseases.

Mind Control: This theory holds that substances in contrails are designed to influence human thought or behavior. The idea here is that specific chemicals or nanotechnology could be dispersed to affect people psychologically or even control their actions.

Geoengineering to Block Sunlight: Some conspiracy theorists believe contrails are part of a global plan to block sunlight and cool the Earth (or warm it) as part of climate manipulation. While scientists are researching geoengineering methods to address climate change, including increasing cloud cover, there’s no evidence that contrails are intentionally created for this purpose.

Corporate Interests and Experimentation: This theory suggests that contrails are a side effect of experiments by corporations or government entities, allegedly aimed at testing out various atmospheric interventions for profit or control.

Officials are solidly behind saying that there’s no credible evidence to support the idea that contrails are anything more than ordinary water vapor and exhaust. The scientific consensus is that contrails result from normal aircraft activity, and the persistent ones are just ice crystals in humid air.

The Mantra: nam myoho renge kyo

I have written about the Lotus Sutra (also known as the Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra) before. It is one of the most influential and revered sutras in Mahayana Buddhism. It is considered a central scripture in various Mahayana traditions, including Tiantai, Nichiren, and Pure Land Buddhism.

The Lotus Sutra contains a variety of teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha, presented in the form of dialogues and parables. 

One of the key mantras associated with the Lotus Sutra is the phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." I learned it as a naive college freshman when I attended an "Introduction to Buddhism" meeting at Rutgers University's Douglass College. Admittedly, I attended more because I had been invited by an attractive woman who I wanted to get to know better.

We learned to chant the mantra "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" as a form of meditation and devotion. One guy there said chanting it could bring to anything you wanted. That sounded incredibly far-fetched. It is believed to invoke the power and blessings of the Lotus Sutra and is a way of tapping into the inherent Buddhahood within oneself and manifesting one's highest potential for wisdom, compassion, and enlightenment.

That phase of my Buddhist study lasted about a semester. Chanting did not get me that woman or anything else that I wanted. I would study Buddhism more seriously and with better teachers several times over the course of my life, but I can't say that I ever became a Buddhist. (Desire gets in the way.)

You can chant"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" silently or aloud, with the focus on the rhythm and vibration of the mantra. Since the repetition of the mantra is believed to quiet the mind, I have been using it as a way to cultivate some  inner peace before I go to sleep. Yes, I use it as a sleep aid. 

Though I know the meaning of the words which translates to "I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law," I find it works better to forget the translation. Thinking about it in English leads my mind to wander to meanings. I use the words with my breathing. I start with a breath in on Nam and a breath out on myoho, in on renge and out on kyo. After several repetitions, I increase the intake to Nam-myoho and breathe out to renge-kyo. All of this is silent. Eventually, I am taking deep breaths to the full Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and long exhales to it.

Sleep has often eluded me in my life and I have tried many thing from meditation, to exercises, reading and just about every herbal remedy and prescription sleep aid on the market. All of them work to a degree but none work long-term or without side effects. Even reading has side effects, as it causes my brain to connect to all kinds of related things.

I know that I am not using the chant in the "proper" Buddhist way. Or am I?

The mantra is believed to embody the universe's all-pervading nature, and since the closest I come to prayer these days is addressing the universe, the mantra seems like a good path.

mantra tattoo via Ryven

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers on Saint Crispin’s Day

The stories of the lives of some of the Christian saints are very unusual Even the things thst they have become associated with as "patrons" often take some explanation. 

October 26 is St. Crispin's Day, dedicated to the patron saint of shoemakers.

Martyrdom of Crispin and Crispinian (detail) by Aert van den Bossche 

He was martyred by the Roman Emperor Maximian on this date in 287 A.D. St. Crispin and his brother, St. Crispinian, lived at Soisson in France, where they preached during the day and supported themselves by making shoes at night. 

I don't know why, but the feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian was removed from the Roman Catholic Church's universal liturgical calendar following the Second Vatican Council. Still, the two saints are still commemorated by some on that day.

It was on St. Crispin's Day in 1415 that English troops, commanded by King Henry V, engaged the French army near the village of Agincourt in France. Despite being outnumbered nearly six to one, the English pulled off one of the most brilliant victories in English military history. 

I only know of Crispin because I studied Shakespeare's Henry V in college. It is his most famous “war play.” Though some of it glorifies war, especially the choruses and Henry’s speeches urging his troops into battle, it also shows corruption and the human cost of war. Bishops conspire to use war to postpone a bill that would tax the church. Soldiers expect to reap profits from the conflict. 

King Henry addresses his troops on the eve of battle with a memorable speech that contains one phrase that Shakespeare came up with that has been reused frequently.

"This story shall the good man tell his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered —
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.."

Thalassophiles and Oceans

What is a thalassophile? A person who loves and is magnetically attracted to the ocean and the sea. Many people say they enjoy spending time at the beach, especially during summertime, this is more like being one who needs to be near the ocean all the time. Some pro surfers may qualify as a thalassophile.

This addiction can be so intense that a person doesn't just appreciate being close to the shoreline but needs to live in coastal areas like they need air - perhaps sea air - to breathe.

The word "thalassophile" derives from the Greek terms thalassa, meaning sea, and phile or philos, a person or thing having a fondness for a specified thing. In Greek mythology, Thalassa was the primeval goddess and spirit of the sea.

It may sound a bit unhealthy to have this addiction or attraction. Just looking at the ocean activates opiate receptors in the brain, releasing dopamine and its rush of reward. 

Do you sometimes feel the need to get to the sea? That's where Herman Melville places Ishmael at the start of Moby Dick.

“Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.”    ― Herman Melville, Moby Dick