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Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Shen Kuo

Introduction
Shen Kuo was an even greater polymath than Su Song.  He was a scientist, mathematician, zoologist, politician, poet, musician, inventor, engineer, art critic, etc.  He improved the compass, wrote about Taoism and Confucianism,  etc.

History
He was born in a poor family.  His mother taught him about the military.  He was able to pass the state exams with flying colors!  Then he became a judge; after that, he became a government official.  He later became a finance commissioner and prior to that, he was an ambassador to 2 nations.  

Genius

He made 2 atlases.  They had 23 maps in them.  He knew the throat only had 2 valves.  A lot of people believed the throat had 3 valves.  He was skilled in using geometry and trigonometry.  He figured out how much space the military needed to make battle formations.  He was the first person to use a compass for navigation.  He collected ancient art; he wanted to use them for rituals.  He discovered how ancient Chinese people created crossbows and swords.  

He studied geology and had theories on how land formed.  He was the first Chinese person to describe a tornado and a rainbow.  His rainbow description agrees with modern science.  He knew the position of the pole star.  He knew celestial objects were round.  He also knew the moon didn't produce its own light. 


Beliefs

He had Taoist beliefs.  He believed some information is beyond human comparison.  He believed in destiny, freewill, and prophecy.  He had a great understanding that people were trapped in their own matrix (point of view, paradigm, belief system, etc)  and couldn't see out of it (most of the time).                  

Writin
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Dream Pool Essays were several books he wrote on different subjects.  He even writes about seeing a UFO!  He wrote a book about how he improved the calendar of the Song dynasty.  Another book he wrote was about living conditions in rural areas.  One of his books had his poems in it.  A lot of books/chapters were lost or destroyed.

Conclusion
He is a great inspiration!  He came from a poor family about 800 years ago.  Yet, he accomplished so much.  More than most people.  Even the ones well off.  If he could do all that back than, imagine what you can do.  Your only limit is your physical body, imagination, and intelligence.  You can always improve those things.  "If there's a will, there's a way."  If you strongly desire something; the universe can line up in a way for you to get.  The only thing that can hold you back is yourself.  You are your biggest asset or liability. Make your life great!  You are a wonderful person.  Your life should reflect it.      

References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Kuo
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Pool_Essays
http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Shen_Kua.html
http://www.thescienceforum.com/history/5700-shen-kuo-1031-1095-ad-chinas-greatest.html
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