[Event "Standard Chess League - Season Twelve"]
[Site "SchemingMind.com"]
[Date "2020.11.19"]
[Round "-"]
[White "Alan Whitham"]
[Black "lisabattye"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D01j"]
[WhiteCountry "ENG"]
[BlackCountry "ENG"]
[WhiteElo "1581"]
[WhiteRD "67"]
[BlackElo "1720"]
[BlackRD "108"]
[GameID "462032"]

1. d4
{
Alan Whitham: I always draw you , it's fixed .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Hello Lisa , just kidding .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Don't worry  , I won't be picking a fight .
}
1... Nf6
{
lisabattye: Hi there.  I did a double-take myself when I saw your name! We can have the odd fight if you like (what else is chess!) but let's try not to go too deep into anything, please. I'm in a grieving phase, don't have much mental energy.  Which probably means you'll win the game....
}
{
Alan Whitham: I'm sorry to hear you're grieving . I've had a bad few months since June , a mystery illness , coughing short of breath ,lasted several months , not covid though , not according to the A & E doctor who did a blood test which was all good .
}
2. Nc3 d5
{
lisabattye: Reassuring. Thanks for telling me.
}
{
Alan Whitham: It wasn't reassuring , I thought I was a gonner , Covid or not .
}
3. Nf3 Bf5
{
lisabattye: Then my being reassured was rubbish - I've experienced the fear of dying, my deepest sympathy. 

}
{
Alan Whitham: I thought you meant reassuring for me that it wasn't Covid . The fear of death is ever with us when we get past 50 , we live with it . I don't think I am any more fearful than everyone else . In fact living is pretty scary .
}
4. Bg5 Nc6
{
lisabattye: Agreed
}
{
Alan Whitham: But surely your faith is a comfort .
}
5. e3 Nb4
{
lisabattye: Yes, for sure. It's comforting that there is so much suffering in the Bible (Psalm 41 for e.g. - and Jesus). But living is still scary. It's the dying bit that's easy. 
}
6. Bd3
{
Alan Whitham: I hope God will rescue us from those who are deceitful and wicked , at least in a spiritual sense .
}
6... Qd7
{
lisabattye: That is a hope we definitely share. For me it includes rescue from the deceit and wickedness that is in basically good people, too, and for me I see it as a kind of healing of those whose lives became damaged because they succumbed to the temptations to deceit and wickedness in this life, as well as the rescue of those who suffered because others were deceitful and wicked.  All very abstract stuff written down, but hellish in experience unless the big 'R's kick in - you know, Redemption, Reconciliation, Renewal. Incidentally, Alan, I've just been through one of the worst periods of mental illness in my life, so I'm not 'preaching' this from a pedestal.
}
{
Alan Whitham: I too have been in a very bad state mentally since I had a respiratory illness in June , which lasted several months .I could have been grateful for my recovery but instead I became very depressed , maybe it reminded me that my time here is limited . I agree with your three r's completely . I'm not particularly religious but we need to be much kinder to each other and ourselves , We are not well taught about how to deal with ourselves or others . We do and say wicked things sometimes , I think that is more to do with being lost in our own world , rather that true wickedness , which is rare in my opinion . 
}
7. Bxf5 Qxf5
{
lisabattye: I agree with you. I've met it a few times, but, again, only in very damaged people, who have appeared to be irredeemable, but, who knows?  Maybe God's big enough for anything?? I think I'm on the 'mend' from my mental illness problem just at the moment, but it has shaken me and I don't really feel 'stronger' for having gone through it (the things people sometimes say!). I feel more fragile. I hope your pain is easing off. 
}
{
Alan Whitham: Last time we played we had a discussion about the C of E's business dealings .I hope that didn't upset you . Sometime we are completely taken over by our own thoughts . I'm glad you're feeling better , and I hope your illness had nothing to do with our conversation .
}
8. O-O
{
Alan Whitham: I was 65 yesterday Lisa , and I am only just beginning to acquire at little bit of wisdom , in the way that I deal with myself and others . But if I did upset you , that wasn't intended .
}
8... e6
{
lisabattye: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Join the club.  I'm 65, too. Turned it in July. It's a good age for getting a bit of wisdom for all of us.
No, our discussion about the CofE a long time ago didn't upset me.  I do remember it as that - a discussion. 
}
9. Rc1
{
Alan Whitham: I'm glad it was nothing to do with that . I've started doing meditation and it's certainly helped me to see the error of my ways .
}
9... Bd6
{
lisabattye: I like contemplative prayer, which is similar to meditation, and I especially like doing it with clay - reflecting on a phrase (mantra, if you like), or verse from scripture. I don't do it a lot but when I do I end up with some amusing 'creations'!  The last one was supposed to be a mother sheep but looks more like a pregnant cow. What method are you using?
}
{
Alan Whitham: I found a book called Buddhism without beliefs which explains the four ennobling truths and the Wheel of the Dharma .Which is basically about observing your thoughts and state of mind , most importantly learning not to let your mind  control you . Also a Buddhist monk called Gelong Thubten , who has had quite a journey , he has videos on you tube and  his writings have helped me a lot .As he points out , you have to be ready , suffering and the desire to end it , makes you ready . From where I was a couple of months ago , to where I am now is pretty amazing. Dharma practice is now a lifestyle choice for me . It's all about peace in the end .
}
10. Bxf6 gxf6
{
lisabattye: Sounds lovely.
}
11. a3
{
Alan Whitham: It is .
}
{
Alan Whitham: And it doesn't matter whether you are agnostic  , Christian atheist or whatever . It's really simple psychology , a bit like cognitive therapy , or so I'm told . It just changes your relationship with your mind . It puts you back in control . You are the clear blue sky , your thoughts are the clouds . Works with the ocean and waves too .Ego has taken over the world , that's why it's a mad world . We need to change that , individually and collectively . It's not so different to Christianity . 
}
11... Nc6
{
lisabattye: Sure, it's not very different in practice, or in outcome, especially when it brings inner peace and reduces the ego, but in regards to relationship with God it is pretty different - in Christianity God is personal, and we are not glad to be put back in control but are seeking to cede that role to God. 
}
{
Alan Whitham: I would never want to turn into a Richard Dawkins but Christianity and God offer far more questions than answers for me .That could change but I believe Christianity is just one road home , there are many . 
}
12. h3 Rg8
{
lisabattye: Do you mean 'home to God?'
}
{
Alan Whitham: Yes ,although the word God means many things to many people . To some , God , Being and consciousness are the same thing . As you said , God is in the knowing , what is knowing ? consciousness , the light of the world . I am .
}
13. Kh1
{
Alan Whitham: youtube.com/watch?v=b0wg1Pv0pfM 
}
{
Alan Whitham: Choose Happiness , Gelong Thubten , Talks at Google is the title .. My links never work . He explains meditation far better than I can . In this context it's just about ending our own suffering , no reincarnation or anything like that .
}
{
lisabattye: Dear Alan, I'm so sorry, but with Christmas plus other stresses I can't focus on playing just at the moment so am taking Scheming Mind holiday leave until after the big day. I've blocked out holiday time until 27th.  If I can find time before then to make a move I promise I will!   I hope that you have some friendlies on the go to keep you going.  God bless you - and Happy Christmas! 
}
{
Alan Whitham: Thanks Lisa , hope you have a peaceful one .
}
13... O-O-O 14. Ne2 Na5
{
lisabattye: Have you stayed Covid-free?
}
{
Alan Whitham: I  think so .`I'm not hiding under the bed , if it wants me it's knows where I am . just kidding .
}
15. Ng3
{
Alan Whitham: It's possible I've already had it .
}
15... Qg6 16. Rg1
{
Alan Whitham: It's a terrible thing that's happening . I suspect more people are dying from fear , stress , and loneliness than are dying from covid . Insanity is a good word for it .
}
16... Nc4
{
lisabattye: My brother's mother-in-law is fighting for her life in hospital at the moment.  We are getting our heads round the likelihood of her dying. My brother was extremely ill for 11 says and my sister-in-law is still very ill with it, but managing at home.
}
{
Alan Whitham: I hope she recovers . We all die in the end ,people die of all sorts of things ,  There's something odd about all this . People die of influenza every winter in their hundreds of thousands worldwide but never a lockdown anywhere . I think it's bye bye freedom , for good , we'll see .
}
17. Rb1 Bxg3
{
lisabattye: Yes, and  I welcome lots of discussion about dying, theoretically it ought to make it easier to talk about God, though it doesn't seem to. Living with dying as a normal part of things is integral to being a believer in a God Who exists outside this creation as well as within it. I sometimes wonder if we'd have been better just letting the virus rip through the community, taking the ones that succumbed to it, including me, if necessary, and letting the population thin down and regroup around those who had developed immunity naturally. Is that a stupid idea?
}
18. fxg3
{
Alan Whitham: I don't believe the government's  claims that it is protecting the vulverable .We are , the old , the sick and the disabled are  useless eaters to them .. Austerity , neoliberal policies , reducing our incomes taking away our public services , they do not care . All this common good we are making so many sacrifices for , is all smoke and mirrors . I agree people are sick , but a pandemic , not in any sense I understand the word . But then I have serious doubts about the efficacy of the germ theory approach . It's profitable , but not particularly effective , according to many with much greater scientific knowledge than I possess . There are better ways to prevent and treat disease than vaccines and drugs . Death , I don't know what it is , is it the end or a new  beginning , do we know what the beginning is ? And I don't agree  the world is over populated , badly managed , yes . Too much in the hands of too few . We are equal and we are one . 
}
{
Alan Whitham: I believe we were created perfect with natural immunity . After all life on earth survived for millions of years without vaccines or drugs . Pharmaceuticals are endangering all life , antibiotic means anti life . To survive we need to clean up the environment outside and inside , physical and spiritual .
}
18... Nxe3
{
lisabattye: Interesting thoughts, Alan. I agree we began and begin with 'original blessing' rather than 'original sin', (which is a concept that isn't, actually, biblical).  Survival of the fittest has been working for  a long time at producing all kinds of immunity in us to all kinds of things. I agree that iatrogenic diseases are on the rise, and drugs always have side-effects, so one uses them only if the alternative appears worse.  Our problem is that humans have so much power, and haven't learnt yet how to channel it. Of course I could also start talking about the reality of sin and we'd come up with different definitions of it, but I think we'd agree on one thing - that it is bad for us and for creation! I agree that 'the government' doesn't care about individuals, but I've never thought of the government as being anything other than a collection of individuals who are doing their best to organise an impossible situation and, unfortunately, have so often been drawn from the chattering classes rather than the ranks of loving, selfless people who are less inherently privileged. Re. better ways of preventing/treating people who have contracted Covid, can you suggest any?  My brother's monther-in-law is slowly dying from it as I write this. 
}
{
Alan Whitham:  Air water and food  are contimated with a plethory of toxic  chemicals . We are stressed to breaking point . Physical , chemical and emotionally stress are the primary causes of disease , not viruses and bacteria that we live in symbiosis with . Who knows what emf is doing to us at a cellular level ?, I suspect it's not good . Science is controlled by corporate money that's why so many dangerous chemicals including many pharmaceuticals are allowed to contaminate the environment , and our bodies . The problem is that the egoic mind rules the world . This is sin , for the want of a better word . Governments and corporations are just collective egos , they know not what they do , and Jesus had plenty to say about the egoic mind , as did the Buddha , Siddhartha Gautama. Greed and power are what motivates the ego , not compassion . Individuals too are driven by desires ,the is how the dog eat dog system perpetuates itself , through the illusion of ego . But it will not continue indefinitely , it's completely unsustainable . Either we'll blow ourselves or poison ourselves out of existence , well at least this physical existence . If you trust governments and the medical establishment , your trust is misguided , neither have served us well because both serve the profit motive . There is no better example of how human enegy and intelligence is wasted , plundered , and exploited ,than the international corporation . And this is ultimately of no benefit to anyone , even the multi-billionaires . As for disease , prevention is better than cure , but preventing disease , with clean healthy food ,in moderation ,  fresh air and excercise is not profitable and is therefore not encouraged . Disease is big business , like it or not , that's the truth of it . Btw whatever I had back in June , severe shortness of breath cough ,tachycardia , which one doctor said was pneomonia , and an old Covid infection , and a suspected blood clot in my leg .I survived without drugs , although I did have an anti d.v.t. injection . He wanted to admit me to hospital and give me intravenous antibiotics , yes antibiotics . I believe I survived by fasting for 7 days , but I can't prove that . Nor can anyone prove that giving me antibiotics for a viral infection would have helped .Please don't get me wrong , I don't claim to know anything , I just don't trust those who claim to know but obviously do not .I'm sorry to hear your brother's mother-in-law is dying , she may surprise you , hope so .

}
19. Qd3 Nxc2
{
lisabattye: Thanks for the encouragement - we are praying she will survive. I think your analyses, as always, are correct, and sometimes reading what you write I think you should write a book with it in because other peoples' thoughts can coalesce around a well-presented argument, Alan, and you write well.  I have a friend who is a Quaker publisher, btw, and published my mother's book for no more than the cost of the printing and I think she'd tackle it for you/us. It's not true that you don't know anything, you know a great deal, and you could write it perfectly legitimately from the perspective of your experience and accumulated worldview rather than from the perspective of someone academic.  That's called 'practical theology' where I come from. Fasting is an under-practised art, you're giving me ideas... And meanwhile I'm beating you at chess.
}
20. Qxg6
{
Alan Whitham: You're too kind , Eckharte Tolle wrote probably the greatest book of our time on our spiritual being and how to access it , but even he is far from original . People will gravitate towards such teachings when they've had enough of dog eat dog . I've always thought the Vicar of Dibley would be a very beautiful woman , if she just cut down a bit on the chocolate , she is anyway . And yes , you're beating me at chess , despite my attempts to bore you into submission .
}
{
Alan Whitham: And I don't give up too easily .
}
20... Rxg6 21. g4 Re8
{
lisabattye: I believe you - I've seen you play chess before!
}
22. Rgc1
{
Alan Whitham: I think I did beat you once . You'd probably been on the communion wine .
}
22... Ne3 23. b4 h5 24. Nh4 Rg5
{
lisabattye: How are you today? Big news....our snowman has finally melted away after about ten days. 
}
25. Nf3
{
Alan Whitham: That's the trouble with snowmen , unreliable . There wasn't much snow here , fair bit of ice though . Got a cold weather payment , didn't think it had been that cold . 
}
{
Alan Whitham: I'm pretty good thanks , you ?
}
25... Rg7
{
lisabattye: We ate our Snowman's nose today and put his hat back in the garage.  Ah well.... Glad you're OK.
}
26. Rc3
{
Alan Whitham: I'm sure he'd have appreciated that .
}
26... hxg4 27. hxg4 Nxg4 28. Rbc1
{
Alan Whitham: No services ?
}
28... Re7
{
lisabattye: We've only got a 9am traditional Communion plus a Broadcast service at the moment to keep people safe
}
29. Kg1
{
Alan Whitham: I see .
}
29... e5 30. dxe5 fxe5
{
lisabattye: Have you been given your vaccine yet?  My husband received his on Friday. It's relief that he's safer now. 
}
{
Alan Whitham: No I'll not be having one .
}
31. b5
{
lisabattye: Alan, if you receive carers' visits you are at risk.  My aunt contracted the disease from one of her carers. I hope you are making your decision based on science rather than, perhaps, on principle, in this instance, because I care about you. It would be a shame for there to be one less chess playing person in Scheming Mind ....
}
{
Alan Whitham: I don't , and I am . Are you ?. Or are you simply re-stating what corporate funded puppet scientists have told you on the BBC ? I have had many vaccines in my life , I also have many allergies which indicate a high toxic load . It's only a few weeks ago that your " scientists " were saying people with allergies should NOT have the vaccine . I believe toxic chemicals can only shorten life by increasing our toxic load . And I've had half a lifetime of toxic pharmaceutical drugs . I'm not scared of Covid 19 , I may have had it . Either way I'm going to die sometime , well this body is . Until then I will take responsibility for it's health . I care about you too , and all the people who have been terrified and coerced into polluting their bodies  with this untested plethora of chemicals which purports to be medicine . Look at both sides of the debate , and there is a debate , one side of which is heavily suppressed . Plenty of scientists have written peer-reviewed papers on the dangers of vaccines . If they're safe , as you claim , why has the U.S. vaccine injuries compensation board paid out billions of dollars to victims ? hearsay ? anecdotal evidence ? benevolence ? I don't think so . The government takes responsibility for compensating victims , not the pharmaceutical companies who manufacturer the vaccines .
, I call that  corruption , others can call it what they like . And finally , until I was 23 I was perfectly healthy . I had an anti-tetanus jab . Soon after I began to have low back pain . A year later I was diagnosed with A.S. Coincidence ? I can't prove it wasn't , but I have read papers recently that claim there's a link between tetanus vaccine and A.S. I'll take my chances , I'll obey the rules , I'll wear a mask if and when I have to , and keep my distance . If I get it , I'll deal with it in the same way I dealt with whatever I had last summer . And I'll trust in God . I'm sure they play chess in heaven , football maybe , I don't think anyone has A.S. in heaven . Or maybe just my next incarnation , whichever it is . So , not for me thanks . I'm a surprised you asked me about this , I'm an anarchist , in the true sense . That's what attracts me to the Tao , and Buddhism .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Have you ever heard of Bechamp's Terrain Theory ? or Koch's postulates ? which for me and many others prove that Pasteur was wrong and germ theory is at best seriously flawed science , I'm being kind . Listen to Dr Vernon Coleman on brandnewtube . He's not anti-vax , he's just pro common sense .
}
{
Alan Whitham: A very appropriate video for this conversation is called , " Follow the Science , Don't Make Me Laugh ". Dr Vernon Coleman brandnewtube .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Bet you're glad you asked :-)
}
31... b6
{
lisabattye: Yes, I am glad I asked, because you've given me very good reasons for not having the vaccine, and in the process shown up my lack of knowledge about a whole load of things. Sorry if my question annoyed you.  I shall desist. I'm very glad you think there will be chess in heaven.  Something to look forward to. :-)
}
{
Alan Whitham: I haven't given you any reason not to have a covid vaccine . That would be too big a responsibility . I think you have probably more faith in the integrity of certain institutions than I have . You actually played the BBC card and threatened me with dire consequences if I didn't do the " right " thing . Surely if you advise people to take the vaccine whilst admitting your lack of knowledge , well maybe you should look at both sides with an open mind . I wouldn't have your responsibility for all the tea in China and all the coffee in Brazil . Sorry .
}
{
Alan Whitham: And there's an awful lot of it .
}
32. a4
{
Alan Whitham: That sounds harsh , I know you mean well .
}
{
Alan Whitham: If you are interested there's a free resource on line called 1200 Studies -Truth Will Prevail . All the real science you could possibly want . Not that I've read it all , but enough . But beware , it could get you in big trouble . I appreciate that it would be very difficult for you to have the wrong opinion , especially on this subject . I mean that sincerely , we're not dealing with the boy scouts here . More like the mafia , the medical mafia . You might end up finding out just how free we really are . Free to do as we're told as my mum used to say .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Just had a look , it's not free anymore , $ 6 , but an awful lot of info . 
}
32... Rg6
{
lisabattye: Thank you for making me chuckle - it was the thought of all that tea and coffee! Also for realising that I haven't got as much leeway as you for straying from common consensus on things. I'm afraid I'm probably a 'lost cause' in your eyes... I studied physiology at Uni, with chemistry and psychology subsids, then did a nursing degree, so I totally get the concept of iatrogenic diseases, and I wouldn't dispute something you've learned from 1200 Studies without doing some research of my own. Thanks for the steer as to where to look - I might browse there sometime.
}
{
Alan Whitham: I can understand why Buddhists take a vow of silence .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Your not a lost cause at all , I find you to be remarkably open minded . It takes real  courage to accept a challenge to your opinion , and your education , especially if you have a lot invested in it . I would say iatrogenic diseases are far more prevalent than natural ones . I know that directly from my own experience . I have read widely on the case against vaccines in particular and pharmaceuticals in general .not just 1200 studies . You could read What Really Makes You Ill . No offence but who funded and controlled your education in nursing and physiology ? What if medicine , what we call medicine , is based on seriously flawed perhaps even fraudulent science ? Wouldn't that explain the epidemic of iatrogenic diseases ? Wouldn't that explain why so many diseases are managed rather than cured . Ok we are living longer , although I think that trend will be reversed in the next few generations , starting with ours . And this longevity in my opinion has far more to do with better  housing , less overcrowding , better sanitation , clean water ,and  less malnutrition . Did you know that pharmaceutical residues pass through our bodies and into the environment , contaminating rivers and oceans , our drinking water ? Fish are changing sex . We have no idea of the long-term effects we are causing . The extinction of our species and all life on earth may  not be far off . Listen to  Zach Bush on you tube , he has a perfect understanding of where our misguided war with the microscopic world , bacteria etc , is leading . We must work with nature not against her or face truly dire consequences . It's not about CO2 , the real dangers are  never discussed in the mainstream , because  all mainstream media and governments are controlled by corporate money It's like the chief of police investigating a series of crimes when the chief of police is actually responsible for the crimes . Some have called our " medical " system a perfect business model , put another way , disease management and creation for profit . 
}
33. Nxe5
{
Alan Whitham: Dr Zach Bush M.D. 
}
33... Nxe5
{
lisabattye: Thank you for the compliment. We (my church) are behind you in understanding all this as a body, but we are getting there. It's small fry, too little too late, as ever, but this Spring our sermon theme is 'Creation Awaits' and is on climate change. We know that we have to help each other stop using convenience stuff, and I include pharmaceuticals in that, - to do the 'living simply so that others can simply live' - changes which no-one wants to do and we ought to be forcing ourselves to do. The 'medical model' of 'cure' is a concept that is itself a construct, and not 'natural', I know that, and I also know that the doctrine of Creation that informs my belief system is incredibly poorly articulated, even in our most contemporary theological thinking, so I can't argue from a position of either knowledge or stability for a Christian perspective on Gaia - suffice it to say that I don't think you're off beam, and am happy to bemoan the situation with you. And I do care that you stay well. And don't know why you just threw that knight away - I hope it was strategic, and not because of our conversation.
}
{
Alan Whitham: The careless loss of a knight , it's of no consequence , spoilt the game though . With regard to climate change I would say this , and I believe all things are connected . The agenda that the U.N and our government proposes cannot be done . The earth can't feed 7 billion without the use of fossil fuels . Nor can the U.K. get down to zero emissions any time so .  I think there is a case to be made that big oil in particular has deliberately suppressed our progress towards alternative technologies , for obvious reasons . Again stats can be used politically . I don't believe that Antarctic is melting or sea levels rising , not significantly anyway .If the computer models were correct , the Maldives would be under 20 feet of water by now . London and New York would be frequently inundated , and the Netherlands , East Anglia etc still exist . I think there is a political agenda at work here . Be afraid is the message I'm always getting from the media and the government .From nuclear when I was little to viruses now, fear is a powerful political tool .I'm sorry but I don't sea climate change as a threat , it always changed and always will . I think there are far bigger environmental threats that CO2 . A harmless gas that we all exhale 24/7 . Gardners use it in greenhouses to enhance crop yields . If you lived in Oymyakon you might think a little warming is a good thing .I don't believe we can be sure whether climate change is natural or man made . The real consensus among scientists is that CO2 may contribute to warming , but how much they don't know , and I can find you plenty of highly qualified scientist who don't believe it's significant . But on the other hand man made made chemical compounds too numerous to mention have been allowed to contaminate our planet on an alarming scale , not least chemical herbicides and insecticides that are destroying our food supply by  destroying the soil . Our governments don't seem to have a problem with this , probably because of corporate funding . It's only quite recently that big investors like the Rothschilds , the Crown and the C of E pulled out of fossil fuels , so I'm just a bit sceptical . These are the people running the show not BoJo and co . It is unfettered corporate greed that is responsible for the mess we are undoubtedly in . Common humanity never asked for any of it . The African who has to  choose whether he has lighting or refrigeration today because of his governments energy policy is not to blame . Nor is the old lady somewhere in the U'K dying of hypothermia because she can't pay her extortionate heating bill . I just look a little beyond what the BBC tells me to think and I refuse to be scared .
}
34. Re3
{
Alan Whitham: BBC Big Brother Corporation , he he .
}
34... d4
{
lisabattye: Well, not being scared helps with chess, which must surely be one of life's great pleasures...  
I will tell my husband, who worked for the BBC for 30 years, your explanation of the acronym. :-)
God bless you, Alan.
}
35. Rh3
{
Alan Whitham: Well he'll already knows then . It does surprise me that you're fearful . Fear is an illusion . I think we have to have these times of trial . We need to suffer to awaken , when we awaken there is no fear . In fact it's all quite amusing . Buddhism , especially Zen is full of humour , not that I'm trying to convert you .
}
{
Alan Whitham: I mean you think God is one heavy dude . Don't think I ever saw an image of him smiling . Buddhists have no image for God . You said God is in the knowing . A 
Buddhist would call that presence or  consciousness , or even Zen if you feel that presence , and I do now . I feel it really strongly as I talk to you about it  ,  you fear nothing . You must have felt it . Meditation taught me how to knock and the door opened . Didn't Jesus say , " be like the lilies of the field " , and "give no thought for the morrow " . Jesus taught the same as the Buddha as I understand it . How to end suffering by the two becoming one .
}
35... Rg8
{
lisabattye: Can't accept that I'm fearful - I just don't want to catch the virus! And I know enough immunology to be (predictably) convinced that vaccines 'work' and do prevent infections, whatever else that they do which is supicious - I will gladly accept they do have other consequences in the body, and probably the world and definitely the pockets of the vaccine producers and complicit governments..... I suppose in the balance of things I'm just selfish enough to prefer to have the virus and not have the disease than pass up a chance to prevent the disease. I don't think that's fear of it, because I don't, actually fear death, or even pain. I just want to live without them while it's possible to. I admire your ability to believe that things are an illusion - your brain must be wired up to live on another plane than mine. I'm smiling as I write this because I like humour, and am glad you have it. Wouldn't want to swop following Jesus for anything, though.  He's quite amusing, too, at times!
}
{
Alan Whitham: I'm not convinced they do work . Everything about Covid is suspicious . Well me too , who wants to live with pain and fear . I see no serious conflict between Buddhism and Christianity . Religions should focus on what they have in common , better for everyone . I'm glad you're not afraid .I don't want to catch Covid either , whatever it is . I won't take the vaccine because I believe it may well kill me , I don't believe Covid will , that I can fight . I'm certain Jesus had a great sense of humour .
}
36. Ra3
{
Alan Whitham: Of course Buddhism is a philosophy not a religion , but salvation is it's goal .
}
{
Alan Whitham: If you're right all the people who are vaccinated will be protected and things will return to normal . I hope you are , we'll see .
}
{
Alan Whitham: https:www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TK8JUEQnuk Something to think about . Either what these people are saying is true or it isn't . So far I have seen no evidence that they are wrong .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Of course you can dismiss it , or you can challenge it .
}
{
Alan Whitham: I'm not trying to upset you . I know you've invested a lot of time and energy in acquiring your knowledge . You don't have to watch it obviously but I think you should , especially as you choose to advise people to get vaccinated .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Btw I would never take it upon myself to advise you or anyone else not to have a vaccine or any other medication . 
}
{
Alan Whitham: Should I just shut up ? Probably , it was certainly be better for me .
}
{
Alan Whitham: it would , rather .
}
{
Alan Whitham: I don't think vaccines have anything to do with God or nature . They are most likely the devil's work ., motivated by greed and power rather than science or  compassion .
}
{
lisabattye: Thanks, Alan.  You say right when you suggest that either what these people are saying is true or it isn't, (though actually I'd probably dispute that things are ever that clear cut), and it's fair of you to say that you think I should watch the video, because I have been advising people to get vaccinated.  I have actually started watching the video, hoping to have a discussion with you about the science in it. However, a work problem is, at the moment, so overwhelming, that I don't think I can cope with an hour of watching and thinking about an alternative model just at the moment, and that what I need to do in response just now is to stop advising people to get vaccinated, at least. in respect of your having alerted me to there being a different viewpoint on it, and my not being able (ready?) to consider it.  I've just too much going on here to address this right now, but hopefully you see from the above that I've not dismissed it, because your challenge has stopped me from advising people to accept the vaccine. 
}
36... Kb7
{
Alan Whitham: I've studied history , it's not that different to science , there is primary and secondary source evidence . There is no primary science to support germ theory or vaccination . There is tons of primary scientific evidence that vaccines , and hundreds of medical treatments are neither safe nor effective , perhaps because they are based on fraudulent science . That's just a fact . You only to read the statement on the What Really Makes You Ill website to get an overall idea of what the book is about . The book's 800 pages , about 200 pages are references , it is a serious academic work . I know quite a lot from my own experience as an auto-immune patient .I'm not particularly impressed by qualifications , not even mine . This is a time of great deceit , I'm pretty sure the bible has plenty to say about that . I think you will dismiss it . If I was in your position , I probably would too . It's far too big for most people to grasp .
}
37. Rb1
{
Alan Whitham: Just a thought but I'm pretty sure there is a battle between good and evil . This battle is going on everywhere . Perhaps it  is really a battle between the  ego , and true human nature . Armageddon .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Try watching Ask the Experts ( Covid 19 ) on brandnewtube . These are doctors speaking out . Btw it's RNA vaccine .
}
{
Alan Whitham: If you're going to stop advising people to have the vaccine , do so because of what these doctors say , not because of what I say . I'd put Dr Vernon Coleman up against any SAGE scientist any day of the week . He's offered , they won't take him on , no surprise there , he'd tear them to pieces .
}
{
Alan Whitham: In fact if you don't watch any of the other videos , please watch the brandnewtubeone one ,Ask The Experts ( Covid 19 )
}
37... a5 38. bxa6+ Kxa6
{
Alan Whitham: If the government comes out and admits there's an alien presence on earth , then I'll know it's definitely not true .
}
39. a5 bxa5
{
lisabattye: That's funny - I would agree with them, and then debate what kind of 'alien' presence they meant - I wonder if sin should be considered 'alien' or 'indigenous'. 
}
40. Rc1 Rb8
{
Alan Whitham: Extraterrestrials I would think . Sin I would say is an acquired part of our nature . A very deep subject obviously .  We all have our dark side , real or not , I think one of the reasons we're here is to learn to control it . I don't think sin is part of our true nature but part of the ego , so , I'd go with alien . Sin and consciousness are the same thing . As one Zen teacher says , who do you think the devil is ? and everyone laughs .
}
41. Rc5
{
Alan Whitham: I meant sin and unconsciousness , sorry . 
}
{
Alan Whitham: This quote I think is very relevant to the question of sin and the ego . " Blessed is the lion that a person will eat and the lion will become human . And an anathema is the person whom a lion will eat and the lion will become human " . from the Gospel of Thomas , which you probably don't approve of . I love it , I read parts of it everyday .
}
{
Alan Whitham: As you're an expert on immunology , can you tell me what vaccines contain ? Do you accept that they contain aluminium , a neurotoxin , aspartame , another neurotoxin ,formaldehyde a known  poison  various animal and human organic material including from aborted human foetal tissue . Do you accept that proteins are toxic when they have not undergone the digestive process ? Do you accept that as vegan I will be violated  if this is forced on me , and I suspect it will be one way or another . Eye of newt and  toe of dog does spring to mind unfortunately . How any medical practitioner who claims to live by the Hippocratic oath can go along with this abomination is a mystery . On top of all that there is no science that proves vaccines are safe or effective .I don't know what it's going to take to wake up humanity , maybe this covid scam is it .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Ask the medical establishment why chronic disease is so pandemic , they'll usually say it's idiopathic or genetic . Ask an alternative practitioner and they will cite just two causes of disease , toxicity , and deficiency . Mainstream medicine is creating both on a massive scale .
}
41... Rb5
{
lisabattye: I'm too ignorant to know about the ingredients in medicines first hand, not being a  vegan like you - my apologies for that, I didn't mean to offend.
Plus I find the gospel of Thomas fascinating - I did an essay during one of my degrees on Montanism, the Gnostic movement that was squashed out by Rome.  Fascinating stuff!
}
42. Rc1
{
Alan Whitham: My sympathies are with the children, they have no choice and no rights . The vegan thing is a side issue , it's the adjuvants that worry me . Glad you find the Gospel of Thomas fascinating . I don't claim to understand all of it . I'm not sure Jesus had much time for organised religion . Qualifications don't make you right , often they don't even mean you've understand  . They just mean you've remembered what you've been told and been able to regurgitate it on an exam paper . They don't half impress the uneducated though .
}
42... f5
{
lisabattye: You're right about the facade that qualifications give a person of being 'right', and Jesus not having time for organised religion. I'm only grateful for the latter inasmuch as it introduced me to him. 
}
{
Alan Whitham: Seek the Kingdom of Heaven within . It just seems no church is required for that . I might be wrong but what's taught in the Gospel of Thomas would appear  to be something very different to mainstream religion , something closer to Buddhism . Something much simpler .
}
43. Rf1 Rf7
{
lisabattye: Yes, I think you're right about that, and also that that's why the Gospel of Thomas never made it into the New Testament.  There were hundreds of Gnostic gospels circulating at the time when they settled on the four that we have now in the NT, many of which had become almost Kabbalistic, like G of T.  Gnosticism has returned to consideration as part of contemporary theology at the moment in the wake of the Pentecostal Movement - I think it's partly because the institutional Church was trying to manage without thinking about the Holy Spirit all through Modernism - in our Postmodern age the Spirit is still being re-discovered. She's lovely, and a great blessing to be with, and is like the wind - can't be tied down.
}
44. Rd1
{
Alan Whitham: There  you go complicating things . I don't know what the Holy Spirit is ,maybe it's like the Tao , if you think you understand it , you don't understand it . There are no words to describe it , it just is . I might have felt it .
}
{
Alan Whitham: Being , Brahman , there are different words in different religions that might point towards the same thing .
}
44... d3
{
lisabattye: Yes, I agree they might.
}
{
Alan Whitham: Being is a feeling , an awareness without thought , a feeling of peace and love . Some call it eternal presence because it   exists outside of time and is  our true nature . We feel it only when the mind is silent . Does that sound similar to your experience of the holy spirit ?
}
45. Rc3
{
Alan Whitham: You refer to the Holy Spirit as she . I'm sure I've also heard the opposite " He " . 
}
45... c5
{
lisabattye: It sounds like our 'contemplative' or 'silent' prayer practices, though our understanding of what it is to be human is more corporeal - we don't split the soul and spirit in two. Emotionally we speak of 'consolation' and 'desolation', with peace a feature of the former. Also, we don't try to 'empty' the mind, we simply 'still' it in something we call 'adoration'. Believers do it differently in different denominations, different churches and even at different times of their lives.  What you call 'eternal presence' sounds a bit like the 'transcendence' of the Christian God, Who exists outside time and space, and we feel in many things, but particularly strongly in silence. However, we would never speak of God as merely 'transcendent' - for us, God is also fully 'immanent'.  Trinitarian theology develops this further. 

}
{
lisabattye: I used 'she' for the Holy Spirit because in Hebrew the Spirit is Ruach Ha Kodesh, meaning 'wind (or breath) of the Holy (One)' and Ruach is a feminine noun. I think you probably have felt the Spirit - when you write about these things it always sounds to me like you must have.
}
46. Ra3
{
Alan Whitham: More complicated than I thought , spirit , body and soul . As I understand it the body is certainly of this world , it's ours for as long as we live then it returns to dust . Mine's going that way already . I don't know the difference between spirit and soul , unless the spirit is the ego , which Buddhists see as an acquired personality which is an illusion , I agree with that . And meditation is really not about stopping our thoughts but simply letting go of them , that way the mind becomes still ,  we are no longer energising destructive negative thoughts . As clouds are to the sky , storms come and go . It's not about destroying the ego , it's about not being controlled by it . We are  not our mind . You can't fight the egoic mind  , but you can make friends with it . Making the two , one .  The Gospel of Thomas is all about becoming one , the one being the true self , the eternal one not born of woman . A fascinating Logion is the one where Jesus asks his disciples what he is like . I think it's Thomas that is unable to answer . And Jesus says I am not your master , because Thomas has understood .Buddhists see Christ as a Buddha and we all have the capacity to become a Buddha  . That takes nothing away from Jesus as I see it , but it makes us infinitely greater than the sum of our parts . I don't claim to be a Christian anymore , I don't really claim to be anything . Who am I ? I don't know .
}
{
Alan Whitham: In the end , there are so many schisms , it comes down to our own intuition . I believe we have the innate ability to recognise the truth when we hear it .
}
{
Alan Whitham: According to gotquestions.org " There is absolutely no biblical basis for viewing the holy spirit as the " female " , member of the Trinity ." It also says spirit is neither male nor female . This is just a tiny sample of the confusion . I can understand why you give the holy spirit a feminine character . Like we refer to mother nature and mother earth . For thousands of years of human history God was female . Maybe gender only exists in the material world . I don't know , does it matter ?
}
46... c4
{
lisabattye: Good question - does it matter?  No. 
}
47. Kf1
{
Alan Whitham: Ok .
}
47... f4 48. Ra2 f3 49. g3 f2 50. Rdd2 Ng4 51. Ra1 Ne3#
{
lisabattye: Thank you for the games, Alan.  I hope we meet again in another League, and wish you all the best.  
}
{
Alan Whitham: And to you Lisa . I'm sure we'll meet again , and I'll have my revenge .
}
0-1

