by T-ONE
Ahhhh.. Humanity. What a gosh darn wonderful thing! From our speed induced generation of mental cripples to our Thigh Master 4000's. Around every corner is a new surprise - a new present waiting to be unwrapped. How about I unwrap one?
"..all matter is merely energy condensed into a slow vibration. That we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively. There is no such thing as death, life is only dream and we're the imagination of ourselves." - Bill Hicks
Hot damn!
Now shall we begin..
Matter as we perceive it to be in the moment in which we experience it is energy in is purest form. No one can deny that - not without a stomach full of high powered blotter acid anyway. Energy, as we all know or at least think to know, is the soul basis for this universe.
Righteo, that is all good and well. But now saying that means that I to consider this screen, keyboard and myself mere energy. Well not "mere" energy, as energy is the basis for all life in this universe and should not be passed off as something quite so insignificant as "mere". Nevertheless I accept that I am energy and nothing more or less.
Now who are you? Let's call you Joe as I like the name Joe - I have always had some sort of perverted fondness for the name Joe (especially with an un-necessary "e"). If you go downstairs to find something that a "Joe" shouldn't have you can call yourself Joyce or Bob - who was once a Joe.
Anyway now that we have given you a name. Let's give you a life. Presumably you are alive and reading this, therefore you are alive in the 21st century. A century not unlike the many others that have come before it. So you have a job.. No wait.. You have a career. Sorry. Maybe you study as well (the context of the magazine that I hope this gets published in pretty much guarantees that). So on what level do you experience life? I'll take a stab.. You consume, you reproduce, you aspire, you complain, you converse and you feel. Perhaps you occasionally connect - but I doubt it. I also doubt that you ever truly feel because true feeling only comes from true connection and, as I just said, I am sceptical of your connecting skills.
Right.. You go to work every now and then. Not a big deal how often. The point is that you are a part of this economic and social system. You reproduce it every single day of your life. Congrats! You are pure CAPITALISM! What's cool.. I'm not kicking your head in just yet. Let's dive deeper into the scum that inhabits that space between your ears. Also now would probably be a good time to tell you that in no way do I separate you from myself. I am simply making an observation of humanity and the conditioning we inflict on ourselves (perhaps some other stuff as well - I haven't decided yet).
OK, rock and roll, your a whore Joe/Joyce/Bob. In every meaning of the word. You exist to satisfy the needs and wants of other whores. Harsh? Take a look. You work for a dictated wage, you then spend what little money you have on aspiration. That want to be something better. It seems some of us never get over that fascination with little shiny things.. Gold trinkets, shiny cars, big houses, plastic women/men, status and funny enough.. RESPECT. You want.. No you CRAVE the respect of your fellow workers, family, friends, shopping attendants, poodles etc. You are trying to BUY respect. But ASPIRATION is suffocating you! No? Look deeper.. Your relationships, how many of them are based on abuse? Abuse of the intellect. You�re a user. Face it. Another junkie addicted to humanity and it's ability to be eaten up and spat out! You aspire to be those who oppress you every day. From your sexist, racist, homophobic, pervert of a boss (they aren't all bad) to your control freak, sadistic teacher (all of mine were decent people). But don't forget that these people suffer just as you do.
Alienation. We are categorised from birth. Class, race, sex, physical ability, self-expression etc. All these things eventually create the person we are today. They determine whether we are the bully or the bullied in school. They give us our need for aspiration. To better ourself, prove ourself and ultimately reject ourself. We are not humble, we do not accept ourselves for who we are. This is made sure by parents who just "want the best for you". So Joe/Joyce/Bob, you develop your social insecurities, you learn to fall back in line, not to question and to model yourself on another pawn. Over time you forget about identity and you will probably never question whether you ever had one in the first place. Sure you have an image within your personalised community. They know you as "that guy" or "that gal" - perhaps "that thing". But do any of them really know you? Unlikely when considering the many social barriers you have created to protect you from ever having to relate to anyone.
Now I could go on.. But I realise that unless I am preaching to the "converted" my ranting is going to be lost on you. But this isn't for you. This is for me. So I will continue on my own accord.
Maybe you should consider the truth. The contemplation of my perception of the truth anyway. Why bother considering anyone else's while reading my rant? Try and think about everyone in this world.. Just give it a shot. Maybe you could start with trying to remember every state/country in this world. Than go to the other extreme and try and remember every person on the street where you live. Difficult isn't it? Now don't dare hiding in self-absorption - escapism is for the birds. Face it.. There are a hell of a lot of people taking this trip. Now consider that every one of those people all give something to their personalised community. Not necessarily "original" thought but some of them manage to rehash old ideas and perhaps a few actually manage to come up with something that can almost be considered "new thought". Whatever "new thought" is anyway.. As thought is eternal and technically every thought is a new thought. Contradictions aside. All this mumbo jumbo. These billions of minds thinking simultaneously, the history of every individual that has ever lived, the fall and creation of the environment that constantly surrounds us, the constant contemplation of history. Reality as we perceive it in the moment. This is what I consider to be "one consciousness". Think about it. Not too much.. Just a little. After all I'm not here to give answers, just to pose questions. Constant, infinite thought flowing throughout this reality. Individual moments of action and contemplation. We are all a part of this reality. And yet this reality is just a perception of this moment. Your thoughts are what shape your reality. They give this situation and environment that you find yourself in meaning. Should I rant on about this or are you slowly opening your mind to the possibilities?
Sorry Joe/Joyce/Bob but - just like the rest of the pawns, I don't trust you.. So I'm going to continue.
The idea of subjectivity is one that I think we can all grasp and so I hope you are easily contemplating our existence in this seemingly false reality. An example of how false it is - this time it is one of your beloved facts and not just mumbo jumbo. There is no colour in the universe. Colour is a perception of universal light and energy. So what colour am I? In truth there is no such thing as colour. The term "colour" itself is just a social construct developed to help categorise objects. We just love classification don't we! None the less it is true. No colour. So you colour blind people can relax. You are not missing out on much. Nothing "real" anyway. I only said that to screw with your head a little. It has no bearing because the lie is much deeper. Colour is superficial considering everything else we have created. Now accept this. Everything is an idea. Nothing beyond emotional instinct can be considered anything but an idea. Cars, houses, pens, cups, computers, plates, roads, work, study, relationships, war, peace etc are all concepts of the human mind. They do not exist without human intervention and perception. These are our ideas and creations. Just because they are used and abused by billions of people throughout the world (those lucky enough to not live on a survival basis anyway) it does not make one of these ideas RIGHT. There is a difference between something simply existing and something coming to be out of necessity. There would be a good argument stating that all these things exist because of our evolution as a species and the requirements that come with that. As I don't consider what we are experiencing today to be evolution I disregard such simple-minded arguments. You however Joe/Joyce/Bobby old boy may wish to embrace such arguments and for that I commend you on your acceptance of the social norm. Ha.
I would like to accept something much different. That all we will ever truly know or be able to perceive is the state of consciousness and the emotion that is attached to it in the moment. We cannot perceive anything more or less. This is where I encounter a problem. Because I have come to this assumption based on past moments of existence and my experiences within these moments. But if all I ever truly know is the moment than I cannot trust these judgements and therefore why should I bother only embracing the moment. My own contemplation almost disproves any theory I have formed! But this is what has lead me to understand that we have some recollection of what has come before. Regardless of whether these events are true or not. They may have never existed for all we know right now. But my consciousness tells me that these events have taken place and that this is what forms these belief structures that I now present. A point? Accept where you are in life and where you apparently came from, but embrace consciousness in the moment to the full for it is all you will ever be certain of. So don't waste your bloody life away with insignificant problems and proposed solutions. Enjoy that which you know and have. Emotion in the moment. And make these emotions last goddamn it! They are after all what binds us all together.
Don't waste this moment.
LOVE your brothers and sisters of this earth.