What would I do without a mind?
What would I do without a society to shape that mind?
To influence it?
To taint it?
To glorify it?
What would I do without the memories of such glory and such tache?
An orphan on a deserted island, with nothing from the outside world, save the produce of Nature which surrounds me.
I suppose I would be free....
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Singularity
One is so interesting; it can take me from nothing to everything and back...
Dear A, Any Indian shouting Eureka is funny, especially if some Greek walks past and responds "και τι μ' αυτό" !!
Encountered my "self"? Umm...uh... I am not sure what you mean? :-(
If I remember right I was in the upper berth of a train to Bombay last year watching a mom try to give her son some fruit and he said, "I don't want even ONE of it". He was eyeing my Pure Magic biscuits!! Yeah, yeah, I gave him one but only after noting down this statement in my spiral notebook. I am sorry that the sequence of events was so unromantic... :-( Maybe I should have cooked a story!
Yeah. That incident made me write down the exact statement that made this post, into my spiral notebook. A few days ago while I was flipping through it, I found this and decided to post it.
Hi A, I am doing good, thank you. The feather keeps changing once in a while. Glad you like it. Like they say, the male always tries to show-off his best feathers!!! :-)
Mystery? About the post?
Actually there is no mystery. Let's go together in this. I was in conversation with Nurhan on this same matter and she helped me to see things clearly, for in conversation, sometimes, arrives clarity of worth.
Mathematically, it is 1 that takes us from 0 to nothing and back. Clever operations of addition and subtraction let this happen. I haven't been a fan of negative and complex numbers (you know, the x+iy form of numbers) as they mean little (to me) beyond erudite conversation and equations. So, sharp as you are, you might say "But E, even 2 can take me from 0 to everything and back". Now there are 2 things about it (see, you try to use 2 and I get 2 things about it. Nice, no? :-): 1. 2 can't take me to one 2. 2 can only take me in steps of 2 actually there are 3 things about it, know that I think of it. 3. 2 is actually 1 and 1. We think we know 2 because we know 1. I read it somewhere that some philosopher said something really cool (I think it was Kahlil Gibran or some non-European philosopher): We say we know 2 because we think we know 1 and 1 and 1 is 2, but do we know "and" (which was used to combine two 1s to form a 2)? Hmm, something nice to think about. So, mathematically, it is 1 that takes from nothing to everything and back. Fractions too are __one__ of a kind! ;-)
Philosophically, it is the one understanding that takes us from a state of nothingness to eternal bliss, which is, to the recipient, everything and when one loses that one singular understanding of the world and that spark of wisdom we are left with nothing. In Taoism, nothingness is a flawless state (as per my understanding). When we add that one element (call it ego, individualism, self, etc.) it takes us away from that nothingness into a world of everything (every form of confusion and conflict) and in losing that one thing there is a return to Tao.
If you are religious (and to quote JK: "... those who are religious, if there are any truly religious people in this world,..." You could hate him for sounding so arrogant, but...) then let me copy what I had sent to Nurhan earlier. Feel free to replace Allah with your choicest God.
When a soul is without the One Allah, there is nothing, and the instant she finds that One Allah, (who is but one of the many that a human mind can grasp, but still the One and Only) she finds everything. If in that state of everything, she loses hold over the bliss of that One, she would be back to nothing. Is it not?
I hope the mystery is unravelled... Yeah, I know. How could fruits and a mom-son conversation make me think of this? :-( I have no clue...
@Eroteme: What you wrote to Nurhan is actually a perfect explanation, but your post is even better, because it is cryptic, esoteric and very mystical indeed. Fruits or no fruits, Pure Magic Biscuits (!!)or no biscuits, it is quite spiritual.
that was way above my head
ReplyDeletei didnt get it
very profound
but beyond me
okay i get it now
ReplyDeletewooooow
it is like a miracle
ur very smart and profound
Thanks. And you are pretty quick in going from "beyond me" to a "okay i get it now" :-)
ReplyDeletehaha not really it took 2 hours!!!
ReplyDeleteUmm.. Umm.. My dear Eroteme, pray explain... :-)
ReplyDeleteDear Meera, I am sure you could contemplate long enough to arrive at something more resounding than what I could possibly provide...
ReplyDelete;-)
I do not want to sound as the genius screaming 'Eureka' here (Infact I am far from it), is it one of those moments when you encountered your 'self'?
ReplyDeleteDear A,
ReplyDeleteAny Indian shouting Eureka is funny, especially if some Greek walks past and responds "και τι μ' αυτό" !!
Encountered my "self"? Umm...uh... I am not sure what you mean? :-(
If I remember right I was in the upper berth of a train to Bombay last year watching a mom try to give her son some fruit and he said, "I don't want even ONE of it". He was eyeing my Pure Magic biscuits!! Yeah, yeah, I gave him one but only after noting down this statement in my spiral notebook. I am sorry that the sequence of events was so unromantic... :-( Maybe I should have cooked a story!
Hmm, so that incident influenced this post some way or what?
ReplyDeleteYeah. That incident made me write down the exact statement that made this post, into my spiral notebook. A few days ago while I was flipping through it, I found this and decided to post it.
ReplyDeleteHi Eroteme, how are you, I see you changed the picture of the feather. Nice one. So unravel the mystery what exactly did you mean?
ReplyDeleteHi A,
ReplyDeleteI am doing good, thank you. The feather keeps changing once in a while. Glad you like it. Like they say, the male always tries to show-off his best feathers!!! :-)
Mystery? About the post?
Actually there is no mystery. Let's go together in this. I was in conversation with Nurhan on this same matter and she helped me to see things clearly, for in conversation, sometimes, arrives clarity of worth.
Mathematically, it is 1 that takes us from 0 to nothing and back. Clever operations of addition and subtraction let this happen. I haven't been a fan of negative and complex numbers (you know, the x+iy form of numbers) as they mean little (to me) beyond erudite conversation and equations. So, sharp as you are, you might say "But E, even 2 can take me from 0 to everything and back". Now there are 2 things about it (see, you try to use 2 and I get 2 things about it. Nice, no? :-):
1. 2 can't take me to one
2. 2 can only take me in steps of 2
actually there are 3 things about it, know that I think of it.
3. 2 is actually 1 and 1. We think we know 2 because we know 1. I read it somewhere that some philosopher said something really cool (I think it was Kahlil Gibran or some non-European philosopher): We say we know 2 because we think we know 1 and 1 and 1 is 2, but do we know "and" (which was used to combine two 1s to form a 2)? Hmm, something nice to think about. So, mathematically, it is 1 that takes from nothing to everything and back. Fractions too are __one__ of a kind! ;-)
Philosophically, it is the one understanding that takes us from a state of nothingness to eternal bliss, which is, to the recipient, everything and when one loses that one singular understanding of the world and that spark of wisdom we are left with nothing. In Taoism, nothingness is a flawless state (as per my understanding). When we add that one element (call it ego, individualism, self, etc.) it takes us away from that nothingness into a world of everything (every form of confusion and conflict) and in losing that one thing there is a return to Tao.
If you are religious (and to quote JK: "... those who are religious, if there are any truly religious people in this world,..." You could hate him for sounding so arrogant, but...) then let me copy what I had sent to Nurhan earlier. Feel free to replace Allah with your choicest God.
When a soul is without the One Allah, there is nothing, and the instant she finds that One Allah, (who is but one of the many that a human mind can grasp, but still the One and Only) she finds everything. If in that state of everything, she loses hold over the bliss of that One, she would be back to nothing. Is it not?
I hope the mystery is unravelled...
Yeah, I know. How could fruits and a mom-son conversation make me think of this? :-( I have no clue...
@Eroteme: What you wrote to Nurhan is actually a perfect explanation, but your post is even better, because it is cryptic, esoteric and very mystical indeed. Fruits or no fruits, Pure Magic Biscuits (!!)or no biscuits, it is quite spiritual.
ReplyDelete