on existence...
the free understand that alone i am nothing. this is more than to say that "no man is an island" or "noone can survive in a vacuum" though they come close to this truth. to be alone, in this sense, is to be separated from space and all of its features. in other words, though i can only be absolutely sure of my own existence, my own existence is contingent on its being a part of a space. this is so true that an existence, in the absence of evidence of an external space, will at least attempt to create one.
in modern geometries, a point in a space can contain its own space. consider a flat sheet of paper. it has two dimensions and a third that we can barely perceive because of its great thinness. roll it up so that it is now a straight line. that line has only one dimension and a second that, depending on how tightly you rolled the paper, will be difficult to perceive. roll that line up as well until it is a ball. it now has zero dimensions though it has residual other dimensions because at this point it is becoming very difficult to roll it up due to its thickness.
but imagine space as a much more flexible, much thinner material. not just the space of the stars and galaxies, but the inner space of your mind and its memories, or the space of a factory floor with its flow of production, or the space of a social network on the internet. all of these spaces have multiple layers of dimensions and each has its relative perceptibilities depending on the sensitivity of the perceiver. to a person wearing gloves, the piece of paper is very much two-dimensional. but to a person peering at the edge of the paper through a microscope, that third dimension of thickness is very real indeed - so much so that the other two are completely outside their direct perception.
so to be truly alone seems impossible. wherever one goes, they can find a space. so then, to be truly alone is to no longer exist. alone i am nothing.
it also follows that there is a degree of surreality to all that we find adjacent to us in this space. it is the paradox of existence that we can only be sure of our own existence, but our existence is assured by our position in a space consisting of others. it is this original tension that moves all things, creates new things, and dissolves things, but is no thing.
that paradox leads to tension. that tension is a stressed foundation on which all of our knowledge of the world is built and so the flaw has propagated through time and is manifest in all aspects of our lives. the tension is greatest when a force is applied - the cracks can widen. at some point, the tension can be partially released in great violence. we call that time "the moment of acquaintance" or "meeting the other". the violence that results only creates more tensions. and so the free, wishing to avoid violence and not desiring power put down their arms and stay their feet. these hands will not strike, these legs will not flee. let us sit together a while and commence something great that neither of us will regret. for we, the free, live life with no regrets.
if i can only be sure of my own existence, it would be false to confuse my existence with that of another. their is no particularity to the need for my existence to inhabit a space. that need is general. to particularize it is to claim ownership - that i must have this bit of space in order to exist. obviously this is silly - any space will do - the space you are already in will do. but to particularize a need and its satisfaction is to invite conflict - to give the tension of existence a direction. an egg pressed on all sides will not easily break. pressure applied particularly to an egg - specifically on one location, will break it easily. and so we become fragmented. estrangement from one's space, from one's self is the result. it is a paradox that, having been particularized, now warps an existence's very perceptions - it tears the very fabric of space. two sisters fighting over a dress tear it in half. now each must wear what is left and come to dwell in that poverty, in that estrangement. private property is the manifestation of an unbalanced existence - a fragmented existence.
though our common space is material, we superimpose on material reality, our own surreality of the mind. the mind is little more than an estrangement from the material. consciousness is private property - we associate it with "privacy". we accumulate spatial features in that private space of the mind and glory over our private experiences. because i have this memory, this experience, and you do not, i feel rich. it is fictitious capital. it becomes real through art. but then that art is also private property. such is the accumulation of capital. capital transcends the mental and physical for it is the state of estrangement in any space. but capital of the mind - privacy, is most jealously guarded - the crown jewels of my personal kingdom. but in hoarding that wealth, we forget where it comes from. the mind is not a window onto a hyper-real plane. it is merely surreal. one cannot somehow privately access g-d or enlightenment - it is all fictitious capital. those who exploit such capital are called prophets, priests, poets and politicians - all liars. it is not a simple question of evil-doing. they are capitalists. they forget that what they see as divine is still material - only surreal - reality derived and also real. surreality is relative. in other words: alone i am nothing. your riches avail you not after death; the wealthiest man on earth is no better than a beggar if he is the last man on earth.
the original commandment is a rejection of privacy and private property. it is a rejection of identity and selfishness. it is an embrace of the other and the abolition of the other. it is the beginning of freedom and wisdom. it is the first step of a journey that never has to end. alone i am nothing. with you, i am something. we are everything.
[special copyright applies to this entry. see bansuki's user info for details.]
in modern geometries, a point in a space can contain its own space. consider a flat sheet of paper. it has two dimensions and a third that we can barely perceive because of its great thinness. roll it up so that it is now a straight line. that line has only one dimension and a second that, depending on how tightly you rolled the paper, will be difficult to perceive. roll that line up as well until it is a ball. it now has zero dimensions though it has residual other dimensions because at this point it is becoming very difficult to roll it up due to its thickness.
but imagine space as a much more flexible, much thinner material. not just the space of the stars and galaxies, but the inner space of your mind and its memories, or the space of a factory floor with its flow of production, or the space of a social network on the internet. all of these spaces have multiple layers of dimensions and each has its relative perceptibilities depending on the sensitivity of the perceiver. to a person wearing gloves, the piece of paper is very much two-dimensional. but to a person peering at the edge of the paper through a microscope, that third dimension of thickness is very real indeed - so much so that the other two are completely outside their direct perception.
so to be truly alone seems impossible. wherever one goes, they can find a space. so then, to be truly alone is to no longer exist. alone i am nothing.
it also follows that there is a degree of surreality to all that we find adjacent to us in this space. it is the paradox of existence that we can only be sure of our own existence, but our existence is assured by our position in a space consisting of others. it is this original tension that moves all things, creates new things, and dissolves things, but is no thing.
that paradox leads to tension. that tension is a stressed foundation on which all of our knowledge of the world is built and so the flaw has propagated through time and is manifest in all aspects of our lives. the tension is greatest when a force is applied - the cracks can widen. at some point, the tension can be partially released in great violence. we call that time "the moment of acquaintance" or "meeting the other". the violence that results only creates more tensions. and so the free, wishing to avoid violence and not desiring power put down their arms and stay their feet. these hands will not strike, these legs will not flee. let us sit together a while and commence something great that neither of us will regret. for we, the free, live life with no regrets.
if i can only be sure of my own existence, it would be false to confuse my existence with that of another. their is no particularity to the need for my existence to inhabit a space. that need is general. to particularize it is to claim ownership - that i must have this bit of space in order to exist. obviously this is silly - any space will do - the space you are already in will do. but to particularize a need and its satisfaction is to invite conflict - to give the tension of existence a direction. an egg pressed on all sides will not easily break. pressure applied particularly to an egg - specifically on one location, will break it easily. and so we become fragmented. estrangement from one's space, from one's self is the result. it is a paradox that, having been particularized, now warps an existence's very perceptions - it tears the very fabric of space. two sisters fighting over a dress tear it in half. now each must wear what is left and come to dwell in that poverty, in that estrangement. private property is the manifestation of an unbalanced existence - a fragmented existence.
though our common space is material, we superimpose on material reality, our own surreality of the mind. the mind is little more than an estrangement from the material. consciousness is private property - we associate it with "privacy". we accumulate spatial features in that private space of the mind and glory over our private experiences. because i have this memory, this experience, and you do not, i feel rich. it is fictitious capital. it becomes real through art. but then that art is also private property. such is the accumulation of capital. capital transcends the mental and physical for it is the state of estrangement in any space. but capital of the mind - privacy, is most jealously guarded - the crown jewels of my personal kingdom. but in hoarding that wealth, we forget where it comes from. the mind is not a window onto a hyper-real plane. it is merely surreal. one cannot somehow privately access g-d or enlightenment - it is all fictitious capital. those who exploit such capital are called prophets, priests, poets and politicians - all liars. it is not a simple question of evil-doing. they are capitalists. they forget that what they see as divine is still material - only surreal - reality derived and also real. surreality is relative. in other words: alone i am nothing. your riches avail you not after death; the wealthiest man on earth is no better than a beggar if he is the last man on earth.
the original commandment is a rejection of privacy and private property. it is a rejection of identity and selfishness. it is an embrace of the other and the abolition of the other. it is the beginning of freedom and wisdom. it is the first step of a journey that never has to end. alone i am nothing. with you, i am something. we are everything.
[special copyright applies to this entry. see bansuki's user info for details.]