What is this?
August 7th 2007 14:00
Before we can ask what will I be? It is fair to spend some time first adressing what am I?
Some people have cast this as a question of whether I am material or something else non-physical. But follow the tracks of those who thought I am purely material and you will find them now at a very interesting juncture. For they have followed their line long enough to find out more about what I isn't.
I am not the atoms which currently are within a given boundry (one we might call my body). We know that atoms whizz around from here to there, now in a raindrop, now in the ground, now in a flower, now in a bee, now as a fruit, now its in me, now it is gone, but I am still here. The cells then, its the cells. But we know this too now that cells live and die in a much shorter cycle than ourselves. So I am not my atoms, I am not my cells, I am not my memories or personality for they too are transient. I seem more to be the banks and not the river, the thing which determines the shapes and patterns the material things take as they pass through me. What is directing the shapes which these things will take? What is directing the shapes they take? These atoms, these cells, these thoughts, this thougt, what is directing them into the shape of this body, this person, this being? More interesting still watch it as it contemplates its own existence.
Consider the universe, a big hunk of nothing, littered by tiny specks of barely something here and there. In one of these tiny specks is a cluster of galaxies, one of which is our galaxy, in the backwaters of which is a pretty measly star, Near which a is a grain of sand. On this grain of sand, this little patch of that "barely something" which is sparingly littered around the universe, there are little peices of barely nothing buzzing around and taking tiny little shapes. These shapes persist over grand time scales, while the pieces of matter continue to buzz around, now here, now there, now part of this shape, not filling out that. These shapes then, how strange that one now sits and contemplates its existence. This anomoly, this curiosity, for there are much grander shapes being formed in the universe, on a scale this shape can never conceive, but surely this is one of the most curious shapes ever most curious indeed. Contrived out of so many loops built upon loops built upon loops, this shape is capable of some pretty curious behaviour. While binary stars perform their dance and and the pillars of creation play out their drama on an epic scale in comparison to which these shapes in question are not even visible, there seems to be something different about this case. These shapes think of themselves as seperate, they do not see themselves as simply part of the messy whole of matter scattered around the universe. They sit there contemplating their own nature as if this is a separate job from contemplating the nature of the universe.
So here we all sit, no matter what path we took to understand ourselves, our paths have diverged for some time, but now as our paths lead us back to the point of convergence, we are close enough to hear each others voices through the woods. I must admit that I have solidly been on the materialist path, but it has taught me the study of patterns which has proven useful to many people at many times, but now i can study the pattern of the path itself and I can now see where it is going. Those who have been on a more spiritual path, I believe our paths are close enough now that you can hear my voice, though you will recognise it comes from afar, from someone not on your path, you can hear now that we are soon to arrive at a point of convergence.
No I am not matter, but I don't believe that I am a non-material soul. There is no other type of substance which I can be made out of. I am the nothing between the somethings which appear to make me up. I am whatever invisible force that is directing them into the shapes that we call me. The laws of nature? ripples in space-time? Information? Nothing? I am nothing. When all the matter goes away, does the nothing still define a shape out of nothingness? Or is it simply part of the nothingness which was it all along?
Nonetheless, for those who are interested in the affairs of these curious little shapes, it seems some truly intruiging and novel things are about to happen to it. Come with me as I explore from the perspective of one of these shapes, watch as the shape tries to comprehend tidal wave of change which it now climbs up, listen as it chatters about what it thinks is ahead. Be amused by how he distorts and misunderstands the wave which he now climbs, but hopefully give him some credit for seeing what many others fail to even see, no matter how much he misinterprets what he thinks he sees at least he cares to open his eyes.
Some people have cast this as a question of whether I am material or something else non-physical. But follow the tracks of those who thought I am purely material and you will find them now at a very interesting juncture. For they have followed their line long enough to find out more about what I isn't.
I am not the atoms which currently are within a given boundry (one we might call my body). We know that atoms whizz around from here to there, now in a raindrop, now in the ground, now in a flower, now in a bee, now as a fruit, now its in me, now it is gone, but I am still here. The cells then, its the cells. But we know this too now that cells live and die in a much shorter cycle than ourselves. So I am not my atoms, I am not my cells, I am not my memories or personality for they too are transient. I seem more to be the banks and not the river, the thing which determines the shapes and patterns the material things take as they pass through me. What is directing the shapes which these things will take? What is directing the shapes they take? These atoms, these cells, these thoughts, this thougt, what is directing them into the shape of this body, this person, this being? More interesting still watch it as it contemplates its own existence.
Consider the universe, a big hunk of nothing, littered by tiny specks of barely something here and there. In one of these tiny specks is a cluster of galaxies, one of which is our galaxy, in the backwaters of which is a pretty measly star, Near which a is a grain of sand. On this grain of sand, this little patch of that "barely something" which is sparingly littered around the universe, there are little peices of barely nothing buzzing around and taking tiny little shapes. These shapes persist over grand time scales, while the pieces of matter continue to buzz around, now here, now there, now part of this shape, not filling out that. These shapes then, how strange that one now sits and contemplates its existence. This anomoly, this curiosity, for there are much grander shapes being formed in the universe, on a scale this shape can never conceive, but surely this is one of the most curious shapes ever most curious indeed. Contrived out of so many loops built upon loops built upon loops, this shape is capable of some pretty curious behaviour. While binary stars perform their dance and and the pillars of creation play out their drama on an epic scale in comparison to which these shapes in question are not even visible, there seems to be something different about this case. These shapes think of themselves as seperate, they do not see themselves as simply part of the messy whole of matter scattered around the universe. They sit there contemplating their own nature as if this is a separate job from contemplating the nature of the universe.
So here we all sit, no matter what path we took to understand ourselves, our paths have diverged for some time, but now as our paths lead us back to the point of convergence, we are close enough to hear each others voices through the woods. I must admit that I have solidly been on the materialist path, but it has taught me the study of patterns which has proven useful to many people at many times, but now i can study the pattern of the path itself and I can now see where it is going. Those who have been on a more spiritual path, I believe our paths are close enough now that you can hear my voice, though you will recognise it comes from afar, from someone not on your path, you can hear now that we are soon to arrive at a point of convergence.
No I am not matter, but I don't believe that I am a non-material soul. There is no other type of substance which I can be made out of. I am the nothing between the somethings which appear to make me up. I am whatever invisible force that is directing them into the shapes that we call me. The laws of nature? ripples in space-time? Information? Nothing? I am nothing. When all the matter goes away, does the nothing still define a shape out of nothingness? Or is it simply part of the nothingness which was it all along?
Nonetheless, for those who are interested in the affairs of these curious little shapes, it seems some truly intruiging and novel things are about to happen to it. Come with me as I explore from the perspective of one of these shapes, watch as the shape tries to comprehend tidal wave of change which it now climbs up, listen as it chatters about what it thinks is ahead. Be amused by how he distorts and misunderstands the wave which he now climbs, but hopefully give him some credit for seeing what many others fail to even see, no matter how much he misinterprets what he thinks he sees at least he cares to open his eyes.
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