The High Road and the North Star

I was asked by a friend today “What gives existence meaning?”

Existence?

Meaning?

In my experience, meaning is seen by the seer, measured by compass and square, eaten by the glutton, weaved by the weaver, drafted by the architect, stalked by the hunter, beheld in the light, bought by the owner, briefly grasped by the artist, drummed by the drummer, hatched by the mother, sculpted by the craftsman, thought by the thinker, constructed by the carpenter, needed by the missing, fought by the fighter, protected by the father, tuned by the mechanic, loved by the philosopher…the child whispers it in a smile, the lover embraces it with a kiss, and the state of mind reaches at association in fleeting attempts to title it. And, as if each of these hollow words could take that which hides it.

For me, it is found in walking the high road.

Life is a verb. It is alive. Never still, it is yours…and, it is mine. Only held motionless with the discipline of mind. Each moment that passes is the birth of opportunity for us.  And, when caught in the dire straight, the wealth in life passes by the you, and the I.

Walk to a point and stand where your sight is far, in a circle.  Now, pick a direction.  Someone might have told us that there is either left, or right.  Another may have taught that there is a North, West, South, and East.  Yet, the expanse of your circumference never ends.  PI shows, with its infinite hint, that no point is a true equidistant. Our directions to choose number infinity, though, even five choices are better than two.  It saddens me when each new mind sets out to reach – only to be told its arms are too short for that peach.

Some grasps at reality stick with us…..walking as ghosts along the sides of us – others, transformed by the shifting fractals of change. To know where others end and I begin is my North star.  Anything resembling meaning was first guided by this point, whether deemed as trivial when near or obfuscated by the complex and far.  Intrinsic value is the sole measure of what many call “soul.”  As, within, it is the gauge that lowers if small minded are allowed to pull you down.  The body can break.  It can fall.  It can weaken regardless of how you stand tall.  Yet, to feel words bead up and bounce off you finds the spirit unscathed extending from a self knowledge and a love known as ‘divine.’

Knowing yourself and the reach of your integrity is sourced from within and cannot be stained nor taken.  Believing in yourself and holding within – your sense of purpose, is a script of the self taught.

The pressure of the world has bound your reaction.

To some path we all slave – Let it be one we have purposefully named.

Make It Small

Do you ever want to change the world?  If so, your broken dreams are, and have been, crushed underfoot while you had been looking to the sky.  You change the world with every atom sent into the atmosphere through exhale.  Today I realized how one small act of kindness can prevent a universal upheaval.

Earlier today, I suggested in a political forum that spreading good acts is an alternative to counter the negativity we see around us in the world.  Sure – these small acts of humanism may seem small.  It may feel that these small candles  lit by us may only flicker against disillusioned hope.

Naturally, that is a perception perpetuated by how small the individual may feel when contrasted against the vast backdrop of an Earth populated by 7 billion people. The problems that the world faces may seem mountainous in scope.  Size is relative.

If it all seems too big – make it small.

How is this done?

While watching the evening news tonight, I discovered the perfect illustration to demonstrate the “make it small” philosophy…     I turned the channel to CNN, and the cast was discussing the clip below.  This was a “road rage” induced conflict.

Now – imagine how different this scenario could have turned out if the teenagers slowed down and kindly waved the man ahead of them…  No, don’t shrug this off.  If the victim brandishing the handgun would have been pushed further into his fear, into his confusion, into hate…etc…this may have ended in people unnecessarily dying over something that could have been prevented by a person with a different perspective. Beyond picking our fights, the most important fights may be the ones we evade.

The things we say, or don’t say to our boss – our clientele – our brother – our friend – our mate…

The things I say to you – or to me. What we say – what we do. Raw power rolls from our fingertips. Reason unites choice with action. Action unites the individual with raw reality. On the platform of this reality, the self is realized.  Here, you strum the harp of gods.

The things we do on a daily basis pioneer the future. Daily interactions. Inaction in action, and action in inaction. The things we do while operating on autopilot could change everything you thought you knew about reality. Here, we are either rumbled by the world’s reach, or the world shrinks in your shadow…

 

“Make It Small”

5 yr. old Clark Kent : “The world’s too big, mom.”

Martha Kent:  “Then make it small”

People are powerful beyond measure, but I’m afraid that mine is a voice in the wilderness.  When power becomes immeasurable, it gravitates into the boundary of responsibility…

If there were one, and only one, piece of all my rambling and rhetoric I could pass onto the people that have ever enjoyed my work – it would be this one.  This is a point I have made time and time again, through various method and means.  Take all this combined media and make it yours.  “Make it Small” is actually cut from Nietzsche’s philosophy.  I have only dissected the finest point.   “Size is Relative” – well, that’s Einstein.  All else tumbles through the fine tones and enhanced vision of my perception.

….and only we stand in our way.

The Architecture of Consciousness

The Architecture of Consciousness

The human mind is powerful beyond measure.  Much about it remains unknown.  One can only speculate on the potential that resides there – on the seat of human consciousness.  This is a very intriguing place.  Generally speaking, the mind is where the objective and the subjective meet.  There is no conceivable end to the imagination, thus this material can be explained and realized thousands of different ways. However, only one path is necessary.  There are not many certainties found through the study of psychology, but it offers an excellent apparatus of ideas, or, tools for understanding. The cerebral expanse is sort of software dependent upon material faculties. Nerves, eyes, ears, taste buds, and the nose serve as the corresponding hardware. Visual, spatial, auditory and other means of stimuli are gathered through these sensory faculties and transmitted to the brain as raw data for interpretation.  The information is then rapidly processed in a categorical format at first, then it is subjected to perceptual conception.  This is the brain’s direct link to phenomenal extrapolation; thus, providing a grounds for objectivity.  The mind experiences subjective degrees of separation upon its interpretation, that can be contributed to a number of extrinsic and intrinsic variables.

Five Sense Data Extrapolation and Perceptual Consistency:

The quality of information gathered through the senses varies by species as defined by its acclimation to circumstantial criteria.  Canines are able to hear noises for miles in all directions and display an equally keen capacity for smell.  Dolphins are extremely sensitive to complex networks of sonic vibrations.  Osprey have developed eyes equipped to monitor detail over vast expanses.  In comparison, the human species is hardly competitive aside from their cognitive abilities, of course. Sensory receptors convert sights, smells, sounds, skin sensitivity, etc. into neural impulses in order to conduct electrochemical reactions throughout the brain.  Like a factory, the signals travel to their respective areas of the brain in the its own unique form of communication.  Neurons pulse through neural pathways, delivering input and submitting for analysis.  Through a process known as sensory adaptation, the brain creates a balanced comprehension of its surrounding environment, establishing parameters and estimating variables – drafting a working map.

Gestalt psychologists hold that though sensory receptors conceive a surrounding environment in its entirety, it would be impossible for the brain to process every bit of information at once.  The data must be dissected and interpreted independently of the whole mass.  The stimuli is then sent to its respective area of the brain for analysis.  Then, the various areas of the brain cumulatively form a reality map to determine the body’s relative position in space and frequencies established through other sensory data.  According to Gestalt psychologists, the material is defined by certain principles known as figure-ground, similarity, proximity, continuity, and closure.  Extending from these same codes, perceptual consistencies gauge the changes in sensory scope of bodies in motion.  

Perceptual consistencies are likely to falter when sensory data introduces an unknown stimuli, and in effect, causes a perceptual distortion of sorts.  At times, perception calculates for illusions – or, a misrepresentation of physical reality.  Primarily, humans maintain similar perceptual consistencies on a global scale.  However, some studies have shown that there are cross-cultural variations, or – marked differences in perceptual assimilation.  At first, the deviations were thought to be biological.  Though, further testing revealed that cultural influence played the primary causal role.  [Pederson and Wheeler (1983)]

The results of the studies brought into question other deterministic factors concerning perceptual organization and cross cultural consistency (later discussed via Jung‘s archetype).  Studies, though still conducted, eventually led to the conclusion that perceptual identities are experienced differently by various cultures and individuals.  Some factors are biological, or genetic, but differences are more commonly environmental in origin.  From this point forward, perception grows increasingly complex for some…increasingly simple for others. The level of complexity is determined by individual capability and/or potential allied by particular factors. Naturally, knowledge affects perception.  For example, previous experiences may enhance stimuli, create false expectation, and/or evoke reflexive behaviors.  Perceptual sets are natural adaptations to reality – predetermining an experiential schema.  These sets are comprised of familiar environmental and cultural associations.  Perceptual sets may significantly effect behavioral patterns and situational outsets.  Social perception is largely based on the same concepts aside from the fact that our brains exhibit different operational patterns for social interaction.  Complicated facial features and social customs cause the brain to categorize stimuli differently.  The brain reacts from a designated core in order to interpret and reciprocate the multitude of subtleties and nonverbal codes involved with human interaction, molding the many pieces of a consciousness, or, a conscious awareness.

Human perception is a mere facet, or product, of consciousness.  Consciousness consists of every waking aspect of experience.  Sounds, vibration, temperature, thought, bodily health, mental health, equilibrium, the steady flow of information gathered by receptors, among other conscious processes all design the architecture of consciousness.  Waking consciousness is, by itself, a scientific marvel.  Yet, not much is known about what constitutes the primary production of consciousness. There are many ideas on the subject, and a myriad of fragile hypotheses shrouding any type of theory.The foundation of the mind is commonly referred to as the sub-conscious, or unconscious.  Early psychologists frequently discussed this concept – mainly in speculation.  However, there were some breakthroughs thanks to psych fathers; Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.  Long story short – Freud hypothesized that certain adult onset behavioral issues could be traced to childhood development.  Jung worked on a much more complex body of ideas concerning the subconscious mind.  Carl Jung originally developed the concept of the archetype – or, universal subconscious personalities and/or traits linked to cultural figures/characters outlining the human condition in its entirety. If perception is a cultivation of sensory consistencies, then Jung’s archetype would represent culturally consistent manifestations of personality throughout the span of human existence. That is, certain reoccurring personality types were theorized to be prevalent in every society, culture, and stage of human development. However, generalizations aside, there are as many different personalities as there are people in existence. Ultimately, it is often concluded that a person’s identity is the sum of his or her beliefs.

What is belief, exactly?

The Uncommon Sense

Common sense is not common. Every person develops their own unique framework of ideas that construct a working understanding of reality. This obstruction can be demonstrated by the diversity in human belief. Unseen deities stand at one end of this spectrum, whereas, pure empiricism is found at the other. Each end offers some form of absolutist posturing. This creates faulty foundations to base our perceptions on.

Are there absolutes? Of course, there are. The counterintuitive principle of an absolute; however, is the limitation of its scope. Absolutism does not provide all pervasive truths. Rather, they are relative to human understanding. Not many people consciously accept this because they need to comprehend their environment at some level. There is not much gained from accepting a realist view on a material level. However, Socrates considered this realization to be the height of his wisdom.

Accepting that we cannot be certain of anything is necessary for our personal and cumulative development. In contrast – A full grasp of reality has served as an evolutionary imperative in the past.Societies could be suspended in animation if the members patiently waited for complete bodies of knowledge before moving forward with daily activities. A humble moderation is needed to walk this fine line that borders restrictive conceits and stumbling foolishness.

The industrial revolution spawned from existing bodies of knowledge, adequate communication, and the development of a functional logic used for experimentation. Opposable thumbs were the original tool created by our species. The thumb enabled advanced tool usage. Logic seems to be the latest human technology. Abstract ideas are now the vehicle we move forward with. Accepting Socratic wisdom affords us unlimited potential. Logic is arguably the next thumb. Like the thumb, it is not something that exists outside ourselves. Silicon chips and quad core processors are simply machines developed through human understanding. Looking only outside of ourselves will continue to be the hindrance in our development. Only through a sincere progression can we move forward. Imagining deities was never detrimental until the hope became suffocated by a greed. Unlike property, we cannot own truth.

Truth remains forever beyond our reach, yet accepting this limitation is necessary for growth.  Through the unyielding results of scientific knowledge, the human species can find certitude to varying degrees.  This gives both hope and reason to keep stumbling forward into the unknown.  Ideas are being tested before they are accepted now.  It can be said that we are positively advancing scientifically.  Yet, technology will immobilize a society if it does not also develop its capacity for humanity in tandem.  For example, a nuclear weapon can destroy a third of the planet.  This is only an estimation.  Something is very wrong.  The existence of such a weapon clearly presses this fact.  What can we do?  We can use the tools available to us.  Political and economic systems are not perfected by any means.  As a species, we fail where we could succeed.  Again, this is due to our greed.  New ideas can be drawn from current bodies of knowledge in these areas.  People seem to be frozen in their conceits – as if current social, cultural, political, and economical paradigms cannot be leveled for progress.  To the contrary, the populace is often discouraged from reaching for any tangible and real change.

Felons are forbidden to vote after they have paid for victimless crimes, while those that are granted the right feel helpless to change anything.  The same economic models are preached by public figure heads.  Finite systems of governance are consistently presented as if they were as sound as scientific law.  Elitists feel that they are fit to rule due to an uneducated populace, yet never educate those they hold themselves over when it is well within their power to do so.  Distrust is bred like a noble horse.  An onlooker might begin to suspect that this is either a product of intention or that the elites continue to show incompetence.  Perhaps it is all the reasons I’ve suggested and more.  When alternative views are voiced, they are quickly funneled into existing themes such as socialism, communism, or measured by the actions of heartless warlords.  In our development of technology, we did not stop at the wheel.  No, and we will not stop when aerospace mechanics is mastered, either.  Progress is fueled by the very desire for it, yet in order for humanity to move in this direction – we must first discover a potential for movement.  Medieval times illustrate this kind of stagnation.  Royal lines ruled by divine right and the masses were then segregated by class.

These lines of class still exist in eerily familiar forms – ranking modern society.  It is nothing less than division of a people.  Unfortunately, due to a mixture of helplessness, fear, and apathy this separation is accepted.  It seems social roles are exacted as if they were engineered – as if lesser classes were left for dead in Plato’s Cave for eons untold.  Bound by chains, they watch representations of reality dance in shadow along the walls of their void.  Enlightenment is denied the more the reality is accepted – adopted, even.

Nonexistent gods were only the beginning of this blindness unfolding.  The gods that concern me are those that bind the progression of our species intentionally.  That is, unless I mistake their incompetence for intention.  I would not be so swift with false notions of certainty, like some.  As in Plato’s allegory, it was “the philosopher” who, after attaining his enlightenment, descended back into the cave to free his people.  However; the same question remains – would they not speak of his madness and refuse the knowledge of their chains?  If he tried to pull them up into the light, would they not feel attacked?

Advanced Mind Bending

In modal logic, tools for understanding epistemology have been traditionally known as conceptual models for reality – or – conceptual reality models.  This is a form of sub-structural, or, modal, logic.

Here are three pieces to one puzzle –

1) Absolutism

2) Relativism

3) Realism

Absolutism states that truth is absolute and can be fully known.

Relativism states that the truth is relative.

Realism holds that the truth cannot be known.

Traditionally, these have always been seen as contradicting ideas – aside from dualism, which combines absolutism and relativism.  If you ask me – this is simply a classic example of man making a stone so heavy that he cannot lift it.  These models have always been pieces to the same puzzle.

The challenge is :

Can you figure out how they all fit together?