Noticing Things

I've been starting to see things differently these days. First I want to make several observations that I hope will stir up some good conversation:
1) Everything is connected.
2) Very few people see how everything is connected
3) There still remains an unconscious feeling that everything is connected (Re: Jung)
4) Because everyone knows that everything is connected, and because they fail to see that connection, people do as much as they can to create separateness in a world where in the end they are really small and insignificant.
5) When a person can realize that all their attempts at separateness and egotism will fail, they can start to see how everything is connected, and they will then be able to understand that they are not small or insignificant because they are connected to everything.

What does this all mean? Well, of course I don't know. I can only attempt to understand.

Everything is connected: At one time we all came from some infinite origin, something that we really cannot understand because before it there may have been nothing. Thinking about this is troublesome, first there is nothing, then there is something. Regardless of what we call this great creation we can derrive two points from it: one that whatever was before is beyond our comprehension, ie: we will likely never know; two that at one point we were all part of the source of everything. As I've heard many smart people say "we are all made of starstuff." So if everything was once connected the only way we could say that things are now disconnected would be to say that the process of original creation is over. Of course, it is not. Everything that is happening now is an echo of the origin. It's possible that this entire ball of wax is just getting warmed up. On an infinite time line anything is possible. Just because the world makes sense for the most part, doesn't mean it always will. So I would have to say that everything is connected because of these points.

Very people can see how everything is connected. It's good enough to understand what I just said, but it's very hard to see. We go through our daily lives on our cellphones, text messaging, talking, breathing, eating, and the whole time we don't stop to think that everything has a history that brought it to the point in time we are currently in. Even points of data have a history, an origin, and a future. It's not because this is impossible to see, but it is because there is so much in existence that has absolutely nothing to do with us that we are still a part of. It creates a very interesting paradox, how can something have absolutely nothing to do with me yet I am still part of it? When two people in Russia have a conversation about the recent snowfall it has nothing to do with me, at least in their minds they aren't thinking about me when they have this conversation. And that is the important part, we are not consciously aware of everything so we think that we can't be connected to everything. Of course, we are.

Just a timeout here: I know people write entire books about any one of these topics, but I am ranting here so bear with me.

The collective unconscious. I'm just going to explain this on my own terms. Every once and a while we are hit with a moment of serendipity that takes us by no surprise at all. Maybe you run into that person you were thinking of all day, maybe you just do perfect on a videogame you are playing. The point is, on some level we take these things for granted. What are the chances of running into that person? Who can really tell. In the grand scheme of things, over the millions of years of the past, the chances are an infinity to none. let me try and explain, since our atoms came from the same origin, the chances of them bumping into each other again given an infinite amount of time and (possibly) and infinite amount of space, the chances of that same bunch of atoms bumping into each other again is zero. Yet it happens all the time, and does not surprise us. If you are following what I am saying, then you should understand that we should be thankful for each other, and quite honestly thankful and spellbound by every second we have. But we're not, because to be spellbound by our own existence would not be very productive.

People create a separateness. Of course we do, if we didn't would there be any individuality available? This may be the one thing that separates us from the animals: we seek an individuality, where they frankly have no concept (except in some cases in the great apes) of an individuality. Our individuality then becomes a self-feeding fire that could very well be our undoing. I may talk about this more later. To my last point...

Failure: Total separateness would mean death. You can't remove yourself from this world, yet people are always trying to be individuals and let their egos take control. Of course we do. Being an individual is great. But you gotta know when to draw the line. I may talk about this more later too. For now, I have to get to class. Let me know what you all think.

This Site Needs Something

I really want to change the graphical components of this page, of course since I know like nothing about HTML and Web Design it is going to take a long time to get to a point where I can design graphics and post them on this page. So far every attempt I have made has created not a change of scenery, but rather no scenery at all. I must say this is vexing, and I don't mind being vexed about something so trivial. So I have been surfing the web and talking to friends trying to figure out this HTML stuff. I've been referred to webmonkey.com but as classes have just started I haven't been able to get anything done on this front.

On a separate note, my class about Lying seems to be interesting. When I came to Berkeley I never expected to be taking a class titled "Towards an Interpretation of Lies and Liars." One of the thoughts I had about it today is that if one can never know anything (as Aristotle says) than is there ever truth? And if there is never truth, than is it possible to lie when you never know the truth? So thinking about this just makes me want to read the book our professor was talking about titled On Bullshit. The discussion today was an introduction to Hippias Minor. In this text Socrates shows Hippias to be a liar when he claims to know Achilles. I haven't read the text, but the premise is that all pretense to knowledge is a lie. So I assume that Socrates succeeds in proving that it is impossible to truly know anything, as the Socratic Maxim is "I know that I do not know." Of course even in this lies a dillema, and an paradox. How can one know anything given that statement, even if the knowledge is that you know nothing? And how can Aristotle claim that his life's work is the pursuit of knowledge when he acknowleges that there is no such thing possible? Of course, he says it is the pursuit that is important.

But something that came up that I enjoyed was one of the questions that a student asked. She asked if Hippias was responsible for his ignorance. The answer was more of a question, as the professor explained that Hippias's entire education was a matter of memorization, and that the idea of critical thought was not part of the system.

Which leads me to this question: can one question a system if the system does not provide the ability to question? Can one question any part of reality if it is so ingrained that that not only is it impossible to question, but that questioning isn't even an option?

Privacy

A friend of mine recently posted in her Facebook blog "I have no secrets, really. No secrets because nothing embarrasses me. Nothing embarrasses me because…I don’t know. Because my life is currently a result of adult choices?" I thought about this for a while, because as a part of me desires to have a "online diary" a much more conservative part of me wants to reserve a piece of a private life. Everything I am reading these days points to the fact that at some point everything we say do and possibly even think will be digitized, blogcasted and browseable. Hopefully all intellectual rights laws will be deleted, because I am afraid of my memories being charged for the copyright infringements.

Ok, so my rant just went in an odd direction right there. But I don't like the idea of all of my experiences being data ready for download, all of my stories being available without my consent. It's bad enough that every picture taken of me can be posted and anyone with the right friend access (which doesn't mean friends with me) can see pictures of me at my best and at my worst best. Is everyone else comfortable with this? One of my cousins used to say that she didn't want her picture taken because she believed it stole her soul. How far from the truth is this?

You say, "So DJ, why do you have a blog then?" I've been thinking about that for a while. Part of the answer is that I honestly believe that sharing some of your thoughts leads to the benefit of humanity. In fact, people's thoughts interact in such a strange way there is no way to predict who will be affected and how. That is an exciting thing. Another part of the answer is that I believe that we should share our opinions on what is happening in our world. If people see other people thinking the same way about something they may gain the courage to voice opinions previously held captive by fear.

But at the same time will I ever post my private things? Well, how private is this post right now? Honestly, you can probably figure out a few things about me from this post, but I don't know exactly what. I like my secrets, and I want to keep them that way.

Everything that gets put forth into the world is a calculated effort whether you know it or not.

This just in: "ending an unpopular war is the political kiss of death"

Listening to: Arctic Monkeys "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not"

Reading: Wilde, "Soul of Man Under Socialism" - Marx, "Fetishism of Commodities and the Secret Thereof"

New Semester

Well, it's a new semester for me at UC Berkeley. Here are some of the things I am excited about:

• Getting Straight A's (AT BERKELEY!)
• Trying out for Club Boxing
• Spring Break in Las Vegas
  
• Red Carnation Ball
• Berkeley's Calendar Page
• Lots of Good Reading

I still haven't decided what I want this blog to be about. But I'm sure I will figure it out as things go on. I'm all for the organic development of a creative project (which is what I believe this to be).

What I am reading right now: 48 Laws of Power

I'm on Law 17, which means I am not even half way done. My impression of this book so far is that there is some good stuff, and some stuff that really only applies to the most paranoid of would-be despots. If you are interested in taking over the world, read this book first.

Classes start on Tuesday, I'm enthusiastic about this.