Howdy folks.
The Universe is All That Is. Remember that.
It's roundabout 2 PM on the 27th of July, 2021; a Tuesday. This is some time or-so after I published the introduction to this blog and really started it movin,' and I had an idea for something I need to write.
What I hope to achieve with this blog, more than anything else, is hope. Spreading hope. Portraying how hope is viable and necessary in a seemingly hopeless world. Often I sit and think, or I get into mighty existential conversations with friends and I talk, about just how terrifying the world is right now. By golly, there's always been a lot going on that's not so great, but right now the sky here in Maine is hazy with smoke from Oregon and goddamnit, it's hard for me to see what future I could possibly have. What future my friends could have. It'll most certainly be bad enough for my generation: what about the next, and any afterwards? And it's more than just Us; this applies to all species on Earth. All Life that we know to exist in the Universe is on the brink of annihilation because of human behavior. Björk was onto something.
But there's an important distinction I need to clarify. It's not US who've caused this. It's not You. It's not Your family. It's not that Person down the road. It's not me. The degradation of Life and the precious balance of Planet Earth is a direct result of the processes that have overtaken Us in the guise of authority. The capitalist expansionist status quo, and the fun and 'inspirational' galavanting of those with wealth and power. Within this system of systems, we are coerced into playing a role by our very existence, but it does not need to be this way.
And there's the great factor. Power. It's true when it's said power corrupts. I don't buy into the bullshit that human nature makes every individual a tyrant just waiting for the moment to strike. However, it is part of our nature that we are all fallible, and susceptible to corruption. Anyone exposed to such hierarchical power for any extended period of time is bound to lose sight of what matters in the world. And still, the goal pushed into the minds of all of Us, at least as I see growing-up as I have here in the United States, is to try and elevate Oneself into that power, and to respect and obey those who've achieved it.
And We're all suffering for it.
And that's where light comes in.
I will delve further into the specific politics in a later post or many, but for now, I'll carry on here.
I have many concepts and ideas for my fiction writing and storytelling, from sci-fi plots to sociopolitical commentary, and most of all, mythological exploration. My broadest concept of-all is one of a literary universe of-sorts, revolving around a mystical plane of light known as the Pleroma; a plane which permeates throughout All That Is, inhabited by beings of light with many ramifications across time, space, and the history of the Earth.
The great struggle within the Pleroma is one of hierarchy, against hierarchy. The natural force of power has been captured by a being called Yaldabaoth, to assimilate All That Is into its twisted vision of the way things should be. And the smaller, weaker beings must come together to put an end to that corruption. It is a Cosmic Anarchism.
Such is our own struggle today, on Earth, just with different settings and characters. In my stories, the source of capitalism and authoritarianism among our own species is the influence of the forces of Yaldabaoth. And while that's make believe, We, too, must fight the forces of authority and power. All of Us. Hand in hand. Together.
Fight Yaldabaoth. Fight the Money. Fight for All That Is.
There's a reason my fictional universe is one of light. There is light within us all. More than metaphorically true, it is literal.
I recommend reading the book "The Doors of Perception" by Aldous Huxley. Aside from being the namesake of the band 'The Doors,' it's a very fascinating read. One thing mentioned in the book is a concept Huxley calls the 'preternatural light.' I'm paraphrasing my memory here, so what I'm saying may not be exactly true, but if I recall correctly, that concept was one describing the light that exists within each and every one of our minds, against the dark canvas of the human brain that we all see when we close our eyes and think.
The human brain is the most incredible and fascinating piece of machinery that is known to exist, and it wasn't even designed. By the glorious workings of nature, a device was created in-and-of nature that is able to create and project light into the conscience of the beings it belongs-to. (For most people, anyway. There is a condition known as 'aphantasia' that renders the person with-it unable to visualize within their mind).
If you may, I'd like you to try something real quick. Close your eyes; preferably in a dark space, but anywhere works. What do you see? Likely, you see something akin to a brownish-black canvas with swirls of purples and blues. Now think about something. Anything at all. A character from a show, an image, a memory of yours. Think of a sound to go with it, if you can. Now THINK about the THINKING. It is clear to you that you are seeing something, and hearing something. But I'd be willing to bet, try as you may, you will never be able to precisely pinpoint where or how that image and sound is being produced. It's not against anything, it's not reaaaally there. But it is, because you're seeing and hearing it.
At least in my opinion and understanding, that is what the preternatural light is. Somehow, these lumps of grey-pink flesh are able to generate sound and images within themselves, unlike anything else we know to exist. And all created solely by the forces of nature. It's incredible; awesome, in a literal sense. Who knows how it works? Maybe, we never will. It could be an eternal source of wonder, and that's spectacular.
Further beyond that, light is what enables us to see in the first place. Vision, after all, is a reflection of light off-of surfaces as it is processed by the brain. All sense is our own perspective. It's important to remember the way we experience the Universe through our senses is not the base, genuine reality. It is just how we ourselves experience it in the way we've happened to evolve over-time.
And that's what's most important. Our sensory experience is unique. Such is the case with everything that we consider 'alive.' Thus, we should not consider ourselves to be superior to or 'above' any other species. Every experience is unique, and just as important.
In the words of the bright Carl Sagan, "We are a way for the Universe to know itself." We are PART of the Universe. We are pieces of material that have come together in a certain way to be considered conscious, and we live-out our lives and experiences with others, learning and hearing and seeing and saying more and more, with every life unique. We are, quite literally, the sensory organs OF the Universe, and STARS. ARE. EGGS.
To quote Sagan once more- "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff."
From the nebulaic spawn of Mother Matter and Father Force, the spectacular detonations of those eggs of gas and light ages past created everyone and everything you've ever seen and experienced. We are born of light. Our experience is OF light. We must do all we can to preserve the lives of every living being because if we all go extinct as we are on track to, for all we know, the Universe may never experience itself again. All will go dark, never recognized and never known.
Thus-
The basis of egalitarianism is All That Is. We must do all we can to preserve Life, for the sake of the Universe itself. For the sake of Ourselves.
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