went to a presbyterian church for the first time and everyone was so friendly and warm. first baptist was so cold for some reason. made me look forward to coming back again, just to talk to the elderly here. i feel like i can learn a lot from them. what are some good questions to ask?

bought a dutch oven from amazon that was 40 bucks off to cook japanese curry beef and mille feuille nabe. excited to cook new meals. the past 3 months have been air fried costco salmon and chicken thighs.

listening to a podcast with Elizabeth Gilbert talking about self-love and purpose anxiety, while walking alone in SF in the cool weather. it's actually relaxing and calming. grateful for podcasts and airpods and sf weather and safeway being a 5 minute walk from home and plant protein bread and the 2 for 7 dollars oatmilk promotion.

I’m much, much, much more afraid of people not liking me than I am of dying. And that’s what I have to suffer with more, is to try to figure out how to disappoint people, and say no to people, and set boundaries with people that they can survive it, and I can survive. This is my work in this lifetime. But death, to me, it doesn’t keep me up at night.

– Elizabeth Gilbert

reverend talked about how intellectual curiosity should be encouraged in a church.

happend to read about Feynman's talk at the Caltech YMCA Lunch Forum: the relation of science and religion the day before.

my takeaways below

• scientists don't believe in God in a conventional sense
• it is imperative in science to doubt, for progress in science, uncertainty is a fundamental part of their nature
• scientific knowledge is based on degrees of certainty, every concept in science is on a scale somewhere between, but never absolute falsity or absolute truth
• this attitude of mind, the attitude of uncertainty becomes a habit of thought, once acquired, cannot be retreated any more
• scientific facts (i.e. vastness of universe, evolution, atomic theory) challenges traditional religious beliefs
• there are three aspects of religion that answers all kinds of questions
  • #1 Metaphysical: answers what things are, where they come from, what man is, what God is, the properties of God, etc.
  • #2 Ethical: how to behave in life in a moral way; answers to moral questions; a moral and ethical code.
  • #3 Inspirational: strength and comfort and the inspiration to follow the moral values. inspiration for the arts and all kinds of great thoughts and action
• science conflicts primarily with the metaphysical aspect, but moral values remain unchanged
• moral questions are outside of the scientific realm, any question of "should i do this?" lies outside of science.
• source of inspiration – for strength and comfort – is closely tied to metaphysical claims, the inspiration comes from obeying God's will, feeling one with God
• The two pillars of Western civilization stands by two great heritages:
  • #1 scientific spirit of adventure - the adventure into the unknown, an unknown which must be recognized as being unknown in order to be explored; the demand that the unanswerable mysteries of the universe remain unanswered; the attitude that all is uncertain; to summarize it – the humility of the intellect
  • #2 the christian ethics – the basis of action on love, the brotherhood of all men, the value of the individual – the humility of the spirit.
• the two heritages are logically, thoroughly consistent. but logic is not all; one needs one's heart to follow an idea.
• the central problem: "How can we draw inspiration to support so that they stand together in full vigor, mutually unafraid, drawing strength and comfort from the two, without attacking the values of one or the other?"
  • if people are going back to religion, what are they going back to?
  • is the modern church a place to give comfort to a man who doubts God‑more, one who disbelieves in God?
  • is the modern church a place to give comfort and encouragement to the value of such doubts?