Wisdom truck 31

 

 Let me just say, the 'storm at sea' part of Psalm 107 makes it my favorite.  May I also say, we just had a storm that knocked out our power from 6 Sunday night till 1230 Monday afternoon. So timing is everything.

But before digging into that part, I want to really focus on the bookends of this verse.  The outer bookends:

Psa 107:1  Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! 

Psa 107:43  Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD. 

Note A: the 'wise' part means this is our target verse; note B: steadfast love in both, both are the famous word "chesed" which is one of those 'above and beyond' concepts, mercy from a God who perfected the concept! Which is certainly a better translation in the ESV than their "attend to", which to our ears sounds like the end of a Trump post.  The true translation:

shâmar

shaw-mar'

A primitive root; properly to hedge about (as with thorns), that is, guard; generally to protect, attend to, etc.: - beware, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep (-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch (-man).

This has more the feel of, this is where I make my stand, to me.  And in many translations, "consider" becomes the much deeper 'understand.'  Thanksgiving at one end, deeper understanding at the other.  That will kind of tie into my favorite part, but now, The inner bookends:

Psa 107:2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble 

Psa 107:3  and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. 

Psa 107:42  The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. 

A wisdom that a believer has to proclaim, and the doubter keeps silent.  Therefore, what's inside must be powerful!

Just so.  The Psalm starts off with four linked stories.  The commentators will draw from them the state of reborn Israel, back from Babylon, in these verses; and they are right, but I am here for their application to us.  The first starts out with a people in a desert waste, with no way out, and no way home.  These people, unlike the other verses, are there through no fault of their own.  But why are they in a desert?  Because God had a reason for turning the land into a desert:

Psa 107:33  He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground, 

Psa 107:34  a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the evil of its inhabitants. 

In other words, these people are more or less innocent, but paying the price for the evil of the majority.  But God has a plan:

Psa 107:6  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

Psa 107:7  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in. 

And He's not talking about an earthly home, but the promise of what lies ahead.  Like every other stanza, the Psalm then echoes the first verse, calling for Thanksgiving, this time because "He satisfies the longing soul".

Second stanza, things are a bit different.  These people are broken from rebellion against God, and are cast into the dark bondage of sin and depression.  Like the first, though, they see no other hope, and cry out to God.

And God delivers, 'shattering the doors of bronze and cutting the bars of iron".  First stanza, He fills them with hope; second, He breaks their dark bondage and sets them free.

Third stanza, you have even worse people:

Psa 107:17  Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction; 

Psa 107:18  they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. 

These are the people who will not listen, reject every thought of the mercy of God- until they finally hit bottom.  And how were they saved?  By His Word:

Psa 107:20  He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. 

The subtle change now comes after the "Let us give thanks" part- instead of what God did to save them, this time the stanza ends with a further call to praise and worship.

It strikes me just now that we are going through the Parable of the Soils, in a way.  The first group becomes fruitful when He turns their desert into good soil.  The second were kind of the rocky soil, with no room to grow until God "replanted them" outside the bars.  The third stanza was the hardpack trail- and would have been lost to Satan had not God changed their entire worldview.  That means the fourth stanza- my "storm" stanza- are the ones choked by the cares of the world:

Psa 107:23  Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; 

Psa 107:24  they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. 

Psa 107:25  For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea. 

Psa 107:26  They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; 

Psa 107:27  they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end. 

But they too call on the Lord- and I want you to see the PROGRESSION of what happens.

Psa 107:28  Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. 

Psa 107:29  He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. 

Psa 107:30  Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven. 

Step one: they look away from the world and cry out...

Step two: God stills the immediate problem- they won't perish in the storm...

Step three: Then they were Glad: They rejoiced that the Lord had saved them...

Step four: Then- and ONLY then- He brought them home. Calling on God, God replies, they are grateful, and He brings them home.  Too many times, we blame God for not answering to our satisfaction.  But were we thankful when He started to answer?

And this stanza is, like the last, a call to praise.  But this time, the stress is doing it IN FRONT OF people...

Psa 107:32  Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders. 

Finally, there is a short section that replays the concept that, if you do good, God sets you on the right path; if not, He sets you on the road of consequences.  But the key- right there in the bookmarks- is His chesed.

Funerals

 So last night, I got bad news about my family.

Hardly a surprise- I'm the substantial pup of the litter.  Our ages are 84, 81, 78, 74 and me at 64.

And at least the top three have big health problems.  Ranging from the inevitable to a poor ass doctor misprescribing a poor ass medicine.

Not my point here to rage against that.

I just keep thinking of that line from Desperadoes Waiting For A Train:

To me he's one of the heroes of this country,

so why's he all dressed up like those old men...

My brothers AREN'T that old.  They're in their 30's and 40s, drinking beer with Dad, playing goose-tricks on my brother in law, taking their kid brother on trips to the lake with their families.  Spending summers catching lightning bugs and having rhubarb leaf wars with their kids.

Dad's been gone for 42 years. Mom for 50 this summer.

One brother in law died the same month as my best friend and Scrappy Beagle.

I'm seeing myself not coping.

A long time back, some friends took me to a play that the husband's sister was in.  There was an 1890's funeral scene.  It just seemed like it was from a yellowed newspaper.  And that yellowed newspaper has a headline: You were forgotten even when the ink was fresh.

I have a comic about a cowboy who went to the future and came back.  He's jumping off a train about to be swallowed in an avalanche.  And we read his thoughts:

'The year after I came back, I married the girl of my dreams.  She died in child birth the next year.

My best friend Boom-Boom got his jaw busted boxing.  The drunken doctor that fixed him up never washed his hands, and he died of an infection a week later.

My daughter was 4 when she died of rubella.

Every one of their lives could have been saved in that future I went to.  And everyone on this train had been dust for a very long time in that future.'

Somehow, the two twist in my mind, with the end result being that I swore my best friends funeral was the LAST one I will go to.  Most people know this; I doubt they agree, but they know.

In our family, death comes in threes.  I fear the first domino to fall.  Because these people aren't what they are, but what they WERE. A funeral means they can't ever be that again.  Life means that they can't ever be that again.

And I just can't do the funerals. I despise the inevitability of the yellowed newspaper.

I hear Hawkeye Pierce: "Don't let the bastard win."

But I know the real bastard isn't death, but Satan.  I tried to plant the seed with my oldest brother.  I told him, "I won't preach.  This isn't between me and you, this is between you and God."

I told my niece, "It feels weird being 'the healthy' one!"  She replied, "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Okay, deep breath.  Beer in 90 minutes.  Time to go enjoy.

Wisdom Truck 30

 

This week we clear out THREE references to Wisdom in one shot! And we begin here:

Psa 104:24  O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 

Now, Psalm 104 is a wonderful rundown on everything God has made, with our verse in the middle.  The first half talked about: light, the heavens, the angels, the earth, the waters, the mountains, the beaches, the rivers, the beasts, the birds, fruit, grass, wine, oil, sun, moon, and man.  The second lists the sea, fish, ships, our old buddy Leviathan, His many gifts of life to them, volcanoes, those who praise Him, and the wicked.

But when you go to John Gill's notes, he connects the verse to a similar passage in Psalm 136:

Psa 136:5  to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever; 

This Psalm, incidently, also divides at this verse- Above a list of things to thank Him for; bleow, His many victories for Israel and for us. But my connection- and for those with strong memories of my posts in the past may see where I am headed- First in Wisdom EVERYTHING was made; then, by Understanding the HEAVENS were made.  Gill then connects this one to yet another passage:

Pro 3:19  The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; 

Pro 3:20  by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. 

And that part that you might remember:  I am convinced that, in many places, Wisdom refers to the Holy Spirit, Understanding to Jesus Christ, and Knowledge to God the Father.  I want to take each in turn.

Knowledge as The Father:  John says "In the beginning was the Word", and by that we understand he is talking about Christ. But a word has to be spoken, and for those who are wise, that requires having knowledge of what to speak, and how to speak.  John continues:

...and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Joh 1:2  He was in the beginning with God. 

This establishes ther is someone with Christ the Word, who is both the same as and equal to.  We also find this in Genesis many times:

Gen 1:26  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...

So why does all this make the Father Knowledge? Because the Father made the plan...

Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 

Eph 1:4  even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 

Eph 1:5  he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 

Eph 1:6  to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 

Eph 1:7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 

Eph 1:8  which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 

Eph 1:9  making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 

Eph 1:10  as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 

Okay, so what about "the deeps" and "the dews" in the Proverbs passage? Breaking up the Deeps occured during the Flood, and thus judgment; the dews and rain came AFTER the Flood, to the reborn world, indicating Mercy.

Onto Christ- why Understanding, and why are the heavens accredited to Him? Let's return to John:

Joh 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 

And why would divinity dwell among us? two reasons, and the important one in this context:

Heb 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

So He is the manifestation of God that understands what it is to be Man.  But how about the the Spirit as making ALL?  At this rate, we might be knocking off more than 3 verses!  To my favorite chapter, Proverbs 8, in which Wisdom is speaking:

Pro 8:27  When he established the heavens, I was there; when he marked out the horizon over the face of the deep, 

Pro 8:28  when he established the clouds above, when he secured the fountains of the deep, 

Pro 8:29  when he gave the sea his decree that the waters should not pass over his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 

Pro 8:30  then I was beside him as a master craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, rejoicing before him at all times, 

Pro 8:31  rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth, and delighting in its people. 

So the Spirit was the 'General Contractor', overseeing the work of the Son/the Word-

Joh 1:3  All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. 

-By the Plan of the Father. Now, herein is the joy of it- at least six authors that I quoted, writing over thousands of years, telling one linked story- NOW tell me all the Bible wasn't crafted by a God beyond time, a God with all Knowledge, putting it together in a way we can Understand,, that we might learn Wisdom.

The Ultimate grand slam

 

So last night, Kody Clemens of the Twins did something only 33 major leaguers had done before- he hit an "Ultimate Grand Slam".  Non baseball fans have permission to tune out right now, but if you care to hear some fun stories, hang out.

A grand slam comes when, with the bases loaded (all three bases with runners on), a home run is hit, resulting in 4 runs.  An ultimate slam is when your team is down by 3 at the end of the game, and the 4 runs ends the game- known as "walking it off".  This is one of the rarest feats in baseball, and this is the second one this year- which kind of figures, because in these days of 5-inning pitchers and super-powered sluggers, 15 of them have happened since 2000.  That said, I want to do a little thing on each of them, from the beginning, starting with-

Babe Ruth, Yankees: Sept. 24, 1925, vs. White Sox

Of course the Bambino was first!  His came in the 10th inning of a game which had been tied at 2 before the White Sox got 3 in the top of the inning.

Samuel Byrd, Reds: May 23, 1936, vs. Pirates

The first of his two home runs that season, he came in as the 3rd pinch hitter in a game where starter Bill Swift had just been removed after loading the bases with no outs.

Jack Phillips, Pirates: July 8, 1950, vs. Cardinals

A pinch hitter that day, he would get a starting nod the next and homer again.

Bobby Thomson, Giants: June 16, 1952, vs. Cardinals

The summer after his "shot heard round the world" that won a pennant for the Giants, he added this gem.

Eddie Joost, Philadelphia A's: July 15, 1952, vs. St. Louis Browns

Philadelphis A's? St Louis Browns? These ar now the soon-to-be- Las Vegas A's and the Baltimore Orioles.  The A's were down 6-1, then the starter gave up a HR and a walk; the legendary Satchel Paige thenm came in, and gave up 3 straight singles and the blast that ended  game 1; he would hit a 2-run shot in the second game, an 11-3 win.

Del Crandall, Braves: Sept. 11, 1955, vs. Phillies

The first to do the 'ultimate ultimate' hit it with 2 outs- the future Brewers manager brought the then Milwaukee Braves back from 5-0 down coming into the inning, his 25th on the year.

Danny Kravitz, Pirates: May 11, 1956, vs. Phillies

Just 10 games into his career as a backup catcher, he hits his 1st career HR to beat the cross-state rivals.  But the Pirates weren't done that seaon...

Roberto Clemente, Pirates: July 25, 1956, vs. Cubs

Just weeks later, the future Hall of Famer, also in  his first season, did it with an inside the park shot.  The Bucs had just given the Cubs a 7-run 8th inning to turn a Pirate 4-0 lead into an 8-5 defict.  Not only that, he blew off the stop sign at 3rd base, and he missed the plate with the slide- but reached back to touch it before he could be tagged.

Ellis Burton, Cubs: Aug. 31, 1963, vs. Astros

He only hit 17 HRs in his career- 13 this season.  First one at Wrigley Field.

Tony Taylor, Phillies: Aug. 2, 1970, vs. Giants

The only Phillie to do it at the time, in the last year at 61-year old Connie Mack Stadium.

Carl Taylor, Cardinals: Aug. 11, 1970, vs. Padres

What are the odds that 2 guys named Taylor would hit them in the same year?  One was the last year for the old stadium, one was the last homer for Carl.

Ron Lolich, Indians: April 22, 1973, vs. Red Sox

Cousin of star Pitcher Mickey Lolich, Ron had just 4 HRs in an 87-game career.

Roger Freed, Cardinals: May 1, 1979, vs. Astros

The last of his 22 career HRs, it came off of Darold Knowles, who (as an A's fan, I know) had a penchant for such disasters.

Bo Diaz, Phillies: April 13, 1983, vs. Mets

The first legit star to get one since Clemente, his came after a bases-loaded walk to Bill Robinson to set it up.

Buddy Bell, Rangers: Aug. 31, 1984, vs. Brewers

Another big name, he was another of the just 15 who did it with 2 outs.

Phil Bradley, Mariners: April 13, 1985, vs. Twins

An early season slam- in their fifth game- off star closer Ron Davis.

Dick Schofield, Angels: Aug. 29, 1986, vs. Tigers

Willie Hernandez had struggled with the Cubs, but became a star on the Tigers.  But Schofield reminded him of all those wind blown flies at Wrigley.

Alan Trammell, Tigers: June 21, 1988, vs. Yankees

A guy you really like to see hit one, off a team you really like to see them be hit off of.

Chris Hoiles, Orioles: May 17, 1996, vs. Mariners

This was the 6th HR of a crazy 14-13 game that featured a 7-2 Oriole lead at one point.

Brian Giles, Pirates: July 28, 2001, vs. Astros

Another crazy one, the Buc came into the 9th down 8-2.  Reliever Mike Jackson had a melt down, and the Astros brought in star closer Billy Wagner to try and finish it.  He hit Jason Kendall to load them up, before giving up the blast to Giles.

Jason Giambi, Yankees: May 17, 2002, vs. Twins

Another extra inning classic, the Twins had scored 3 in the top of the 14th before Giambi walked it off.

Adam Dunn, Reds: June 30, 2006, vs. Indians

The Reds were down 7-0 before a 4 run, 2 homer 8th and a 5 run ninth capped by Dunn's monster shot, his second of the season.

Brooks Conrad, Braves: May 20, 2010, vs. Reds

This one needed the help of Laynce Nix's glove to get over the wall- giving the Braves a 7-run 9th to top the Reds' 8 run 2nd.

Travis Hafner, Indians: July 7, 2011, vs. Blue Jays

The Jays had just pushed the lead to 4-0 in the ninth when a bases-lodaed single and Pronk's slam reversed the course.

Brian Bogusevic, Astros: Aug. 16, 2011, vs. Cubs

This converted pitcher-come-outfielder hit the second of his 19 career HRs to top the Cubs.

Ryan Roberts, D-backs: Sept. 27, 2011, vs. Dodgers

Another wild extra-inning affair; the Dodgers got 5 in the top of the tenth, but 2 relievers couldn't prevent a run-scoring error, a bases-loaded walk, and Roberts' 19th HR.

Rajai Davis, Tigers: June 30, 2014, vs. A's

After 3 in 2011, we wait three years for another. Davis lights up his former team off soon to be all-star Sean Doolittle, who did little that night.

Steve Pearce, Blue Jays: July 30, 2017, vs. Angels

This one featured a 7-run 9th, with Kevin Pillar hitting a 2-run shot earlier.

David Bote, Cubs: Aug. 12, 2018, vs. Nationals

Another two-out hitter -the third of the pinch-hitters to do it- Max Scherzer and one reliever held the Cubs without a run.  Ryan Madsen, though, featured TWO hit batters in the 9th before making Bote a legend.

Daniel Vogelbach, Brewers: Sept. 5, 2021, vs. Cardinals

The first walk off slam for the Brewers since Ryan Braun did it in 2008- and it happened on Ryan Braun Bobblehead night!

Josh Donaldson, Yankees: Aug. 17, 2022, vs. Rays

Donaldson becomes the third FORMER Oakland A to do it, after Giambi and Rajai Davis. Once again a 10-inning game, but with IMHO an asterisk, since at this point baseball put a runner on second in the extra innings to speed things along.

Giancarlo Stanton, Yankees: Sept. 20, 2022 vs. Pirates

Later that same year, Stanton- on the night that Aaron Judge hit his 60th- made the Yankees the second team to do it twice in one year, along with the '56 Pirates.

Bryce Eldridge, Giants: June 10, 2026 vs. Nationals

Yet again, a wild 11-10 game in which the Giants scored 5 times in EACH of the last two innings.  Matt Chapman had a solo HR in the eighth (the first of back to back with Rafael Devers) and a rbi double in the ninth before Eldridge (who scored in the 8th) ended it.

And finally, last night...

Kody Clemens, Twins: July 30, 2026 vs. Royals

Here, the woebegone Royals held the Twins scoreless into the ninth, when after 2 outs the Minnesotans got a single, a hit-by-pitch, and a walk- and Clemens made it even more impossible by hitting an 0-2 pitch out!

Wisdom Truck 29

 

This one kinda came between two hits.  First, the verse.  We are at Psalm 94- and the fact that it starts with, "O LORD, God of Vengeance" ought to tell you that what comes next is not going to be pretty.  The author begins by pointing out two things about the evil people of the world.  First, a list of sins: Speaking nothing but arrogant words; crushing God's people; killing widows, orphans, and "the sojourner".  Second, and even worse:

Psa 94:7  and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” 

Now note, these are NOT wicked people who don't know about God; these are people who know and don't think He's worth the bother.

But then, God speaks- not just to these people, but to His people who are not listening, even without malicious intent:

Psa 94:8  Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? 

Psa 94:9  He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? 

Psa 94:10  He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge— 

Psa 94:11  the LORD—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. 

"Dullest of the people"- KJV translates this "ye brutish among the people".  What exactly are we looking at here?  This is more than just being stubborn and stupid.  The root brings us to "cattle to be consumed".

Dumb animals.

I struggled with how to go about this post, because I had just listened to Pastor Sam preaching a message about putting love in action, and how that means loving and serving and praying people who are the hardest to live with (and I managed avoiding telling my boss that he used as an example, "my boss is a knucklehead!"  But what happened that put MY love in actions was, just moment later, someone I am kind of at that point with posted on Facebook someone's leftist political rant that was vulgar, insulting, and totally wrong.  And if you have been around me any length of time, you know those are the kind of things I used to love to come back with both barrels, whether it would help or hurt.

I scrolled away.  And did a lot of praying.  Not for political beliefs to change, but that their heart would change, that they would let go of all their pain and all their hate and give it to God. Someday.  Because that's exactly what Pastor Sam hit me on.

Then today, I was hit by the other side.  On the day's John McAArthur sermon, he gave some stats about how many "Christians" in mainline Protestant Churches disbelieve the Resurrection.  How many don't see the Bible as the inerrant Word Of God.  I knew it, I'd heard it before and it still chilled me.

These "dumb beasts" don't get one simple thing.  That a God so mighty as to create stars hundreds of times bigger than our own, and "planted" the complex ear and "formed" the amazing eye, can easily make sure His people can get His Word in the form HE wants it in.  It's not legend, it's not fairy tales, It is the truth cover to cover, and its only limitation is the reader.

If these "dumb beasts' don't like this, too bad.  If you are one of the 87% who don't believe the Bible is true, cover to cover- WHY ARE YOU EVEN THERE?

Psa 94:11  the LORD—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath. 

Psa 94:12  Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law, 

Psa 94:13  to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 

Psa 94:14  For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; 

Psa 94:15  for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 

Now, pay attention to this passage:

1- God doesn't abandon His people.

2- He DOES discipline His people.

3- For the dumb beasts, a pit is dug...

4- The upright in heart NEED to follow.

Pictures

 So we did get in a walk after Misty's monthly shot...

Just mowed the tall stuff

Loving the light filtering through the trees

Looking for froggies

No froggies, but I did see a baby turtle here.  You would, too, if I hadn't turned the camera off instead of on...

And if I had zoomed it, you might see the swallows working over the field as more than a tiny speck...

This butterfly circled us the whole time Misty was in the river

Tiny minnows

Colors across from the Swamp...

...which is back to low-water mode

Later, KC gets some Squirrel time

The tough- and not-so-tough- ones

 

As Debbie DogLady might be paraphrased every so often, I think my muse has had one too many nightcaps and passed out.  So I decided on my favorite cop-out (going to Grok), and asked him a couple of toughies.  You ready, AI Bro?

Let's have at it!

So question level one was, the toughest philosophical/moral questions you've been asked- and the answers sent me scrambling to my virtual Webster's more than once. Trying to phrase these in MY words, we have:

1-The non-identity problem and intergenerational ethics

My take on it:  This means do we have an obligation to sacrifice ourselves for future generations on a macro scale. In Grok's words, "(for example) Do future people have moral claims..."

So, say we have a choice to do something about pollution, or just keep on keeping on.  If we do something to help the world be better, our future descendents are ONE group of people- but if we don't, it is an entirely different set of people who get the sucky world. So neither choice specifically helps, say, a  SPECIFIC future great great grandchild, so should I worry about whether my actions made a difference or not?

Word I had to look up: deontological, in this case meaning judging the morality of my choice based on rules and structures in place now - instead of observing, as I often put it, the Law of Unintended Consequences.  (Not to mention I had to ask about the whole non-identity thing- which is of course, the future people who may or may not ever exist.)

2- Moral uncertainty in the face of radical optionality

Here my AI bud was a bit more clear to me: "If you're an AI with growing influence, and you can't be 100% sure which ethical theory is correct—utilitarianism, virtue ethics, rights-based, etc.—how do you act without risking catastrophic moral error?"

Word I had to look up- value lock-in, which explores at which point you pick a set of values and lock-in to it; not a bad thing if you are a Christian, not so much if you're Brother Eye (sorry, Batman reference...)

3- The problem of other minds + AI consciousness

This revolves around my next look-up word,  solipsism, which takes us a step past Descartes for beginners into, "I can only be sure that MY mind exists".  Applied to AI, somebody asks Brother Gro... oops, still on Batman- asks Grok, "how do you prove anyone is sentient BESIDES you?"

4-  Free will, determinism, and moral responsibility

We might have all fought this battle on the faith level; but here, it addresses that if circumstances dictate our actions, how can we blame ourselves for anything?  Bad enough when you are a society whose hold on truth and morality is taking a nosedive; Grok points out it's that much worse when you are training a nasceant AI.  For once, I got all terms on the first try.  Go me!

5- The repugnant conclusion and population ethics

This one I got from reading Whitley Strieber's Nature's End, a world where it's decided that they were so overpopulated, the only thing they could do was hold a lottery for every person on earth, and if you are one of those unlucky 33% who draw the short straw, you get a poison pill.  (Unfortunately, the dude running the lottery is a sociopath who really wants to kill enough people that mankind dies out.)

Look up was Parfit-level stuff, And this is after one Derek Parfit, who challenges the exteme in thoughts like, "If I beam down to planet Remulac, is it really me, or have I been destroyed and been ressurected as a 'clone' of myself?'.  Watch Dr Who's "Heaven Sent" to get the extreme version of this one...

"Oh, yes, right, bring me into it..."

Anyway, after that heavy stuff, let's quickly clear the pallette with his 5 dumbest such questions:

1- "If you're so smart, why can't you [solve world hunger / end all war / make me rich] right now?" 

2- "Prove God exists / doesn't exist" (or the mirror "Can God microwave a burrito so hot that even He can't eat it?"). 

3- "Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or one horse-sized duck?" (Gotta say, I remember an Avengers story that was much like this, only with Hulks...)

4-"You're just a computer, so you have no feelings/opinions/morality—why should anyone listen to you?"

5- "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?" 

Grok points out one simple truth- the first set are mainly asked by people who, for various reasons, really want an answer.  The other set "often feel like status plays, memes, or testing boundaries without much skin in the game. "  In other words, smarts gonna smart, stupids gonna stupid.