My Thoughts are Quantum
My thoughts are quantum
Here,
There
And everywhere
All at once!
My dreams come and go
On
And
Off
At the same time.
My senses connect me
To
An
Unreality
That is life.
My brain is a machine
That
Barely
Operates
To connect two worlds.
My neurones are binary
Flashing
Crazy
Electrons
In two universes.
My reality is false
Rapidly
Changing
Patterns
Drawn electronically in a mesh.
I have a sense of identity
That is
An
Illusion
Based on ephemera.
Opher 5.6.2023
I have grappled with the concepts of infinity and consciousness ever since I was a child. The infinite nature of the universe astounds me. The equally wondrous nature of consciousness, thought and identity also blows my tiny mind.
I grapple with the whole incredible concept that all we are is waves of polarisation along a web of neurones. Nothing more. The reality we hold on to is ephemeral, unreal, partial at best.
We interpret the universe with senses. We see a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. We feel the vibration of molecules as heat. We can detect various chemicals as taste and smell. We can touch solid objects. That is it. We think we can see and understand the ‘real’ world. We can’t. We don’t. Our view is distorted and partial. Our senses and brain power limited. Nothing is real. Reality is too strange for our limited intellect.
Our identity is a construct based on experience. ‘I’ do not really exist.
Everything is a mystery.
Our instruments merely extend our limited senses. They build a bigger picture but it is really still partial.
Our brains grapple with concepts and ideas as we try to understand the secrets of infinity, creation and death and fail miserably. We build computers to extend our brain power. They too are hugely limited. Answers are vague.
We make theories.
We scatter religions in our wake.
We formulate science and mathematics to explain our lives, our world, our universe and answer the enormous questions we have wrestled with since our brains evolved. The more we discover the weirder it all becomes. Black and white answers do not exist. We find ourselves wading through quantum physics, neural science, string theory, black holes and quasars, big bangs, steady states, creation of life from inorganic material and energy and evolution. Sometimes I think it must be nice to be religious, discount the whole world of science and dumbly accept that ‘god’ done it. It must be a lot easier to be stupid and believe without question.
Yet I cannot do that. Every time I see some greedy politician, warmongering general, tyrant, despot, torturer and rapist I would love Karma to be real.
Religion is so reassuring. It’s alright, everything is as it should be, the evil will be punished, the good rewarded, we will all live happily ever after, together forever. God knows what he’s doing. Religion isn’t some medieval throw-back to the days of ignorance; it isn’t wishful thinking.
Yet the universe and life itself tells the lie to religion. There is no logical, rational explanation for god, the universe or life. We invent these concepts simply because we cannot understand, don’t want to understand and find reality too frightening.
We hang on to ‘I’ as if it is the most precious thing in the universe.
We believe in reality and believe in the unreality of an afterlife as if that is real.
We are capable of ‘double-thought’.
So what is this life and universe? Nobody knows. It’s far too strange; far too complex; far too unknown.
Anybody who tells you that they have a handle on it is either lying or fooling themselves.
It appears that we live in a quantum world. The universe exists and yet it doesn’t.
One aspect that I have constantly been preoccupied with is the idea that we live in two worlds: there is the physical world outside and the internal mental universe. I like to think that both are infinite though I think the internal world may well have more limitations than I care to admit.
We inhabit both at once.
All I know from my lengthy (brief) sojourn into consciousness is that life is best lived to the maximum enjoyment, understanding and compassion. Our lives impact on others. It’s best to make that impact pleasant. It’s best not to shit in our own nests.
We have one life, one planet and one opportunity to get it right.
So I travel, I write, I photograph, I think, I love, I care, I rail against injustice, I read, I walk, I eat and drink in moderation, I marvel at nature, the universe and consciousness and I try to make the world a better place. That brings me pleasure, happiness and fulfilment even if it doesn’t provide the answers. It asks the questions. It stirs the spirit.
When my waves of polarisation cease I will no longer care.
My life is quantum.