Philosophical Phinking: The Truth of Truths

Recently, I've been considering a lot for stuff about my views of the world. Stuff like: why/how do we exist? Is there a god? How do we know that science is true? Yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah. And so on, and so forth until my brain hurts. But it's weird, thinking stuff like this. It fills you up with this strange sensation of nausea and excitement; the wonder at whether what you're pondering is either fascinatingly genius, or dangerously psychotic. In the end, it leaves you with both a worrying paranoia about the "point" of it all, and a satisfying shot of intelligence. The problem comes with distinguishing one from the other, much like the ol' "red wire or blue wire" debate in that arduous task of defusing a bomb (I'm sure you've all been there).

   What I'm struggling with though, is trying to define what exactly it is I think. But then it is hard to pin down the exact thoughts I have. I don't reject God, yet I don't accept him. Surely that makes me Agnostic, right? But then I think of how I'm mostly on the side of rejection than faith, and how it's not God per se, but maybe just some "Higher Being(s)". However, upon deeper thought, I don't think we'll ever know what makes the pure idea of living, as humans, which points toward something called Absurdism: to believe that it is humanly impossible for us to ever understand the meaning of life, as such. Perhaps life is humans, is what my mind now leans to, promoting a Humanist philosophy within me. Are we responsible for giving our own lives meaning? Because that question leads down a very long, very confusing road known as Existentialism.

 And from there, well then anything is possible, as long as you give it the thought. I could be the only real person, with everyone else just created to service the path I've been given within this sole, central universe. We could all be figments of each other's imaginations, we could all be living inside a tiny hologram of the universe, we could all be dead, passing onto the next stage. One radical idea a friend suggested to me, was that we are all one person, who - despite the billions of paradoxes it would create - is just going back in time after each life to live within another person, with no memory of the life before. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, completely insane, and utterly bat-crap crazy, I understand that. But how do you know? Surely everything we currently believe is just based on a single idea, no matter how ludicrous, and has slowly expanded over time to the point of almost pure international truth.

    Take our current views on chemistry and physics. We're not certain of these, they aren't the absolute truth of why the universe is like that. They are, instead, just the human truth of it, until something else comes along to change that. Take religion, any kind you like. Now think about 1000 years ago, where literally everyone believed in a deity of some kind, and imagine trying to explain science. You'd be laughed at, for sure. And in 1000 years from now, when science has advanced or something entirely new has come along, they may laugh at every single fact we think we have procured today. What I'm saying is that, despite whatever, there is no truth: everything is just Human understanding and the evolution of that.

  Numbers are another great example. The way people believe that the 21/12/12 will be the end of the world, just because the Mayans wrote it down. But the Universe does not submit to numbers, because ultimately that's all they are. But it is not the opposite either, because it is only Humans that numbers submit to; no more, no less. There could be alien races that have entirely different number systems, countless variations of counting, infinite possibilities of infinity. The world still works and moves forward (as we currently believe), no matter if we have clocks or not.

The exit is to your mind...

       In the end, you just need to ask yourself what your truth is, what you want to keep as personal truth, just so we don't all kill ourselves from curiosity and the prospect that death equals answers. It's confusing and vast and mad and, often, too much, but the real truth is your own, regardless. After all, belief is just what we give as an answer to life, to tide us over for our time in this universe. It keeps us sane, it keeps us right and above all it keeps us Human. No one can take away truth, meaning or reality from anyone else, because it is true to them, so what's the point wasting life away attempting to disprove something that's only created to get through life. Everything is true, nothing can totally, honestly, really be disproved, as long as it lives inside someone's belief.

So, technically, my Philosophy is what I want. I don't need to put a label on it like it's some kind of cheesy, High School drama. Facebook may ask for just one "Philosophy or Belief" on my profile, but I know there is  so much more to that. So I guess, when the Sun finally sets on our short times upon this world, we will go out with the truth that is our own personalised truth. Be it what it is, at least it was your Human truth.

And that my friends, is my Philosophy.

ATR

The Sunday Supdate: 03/04/11

Happy Mothers Day everyone!

Hope you're all well and coping with your everyday lives. This week's been... somewhat fast, I'd like to say. That of course is in no way a bad thing, I guess. Just felt like it was only yesterday I was typing on about 1000 hits (which has now nearly grown to 1300).  Maybe it's just me. Life seems to be whizzing me by lately, things changing and evolving. And even the hours pass without me knowing. I just looked at my watch and realised it was already half nine. No time for reading tonight I guess...

  So, what's been Sup this week? There were two new posts, if you read them. The usual trailer Tuesday and a slightly different post focusing on seats and the like. If my quote hadn't given it away already, I watched the Scrubs season 8 finale for the 4th time this week. Man, those final scenes never fail to well my eyes up. Yeah, I know I'm such a wuss. Anyway, some of the stuff in it really related to me this time around - about things ending and how they never match what you'd hoped in your head. 

    However, I have get some awesome (and very geeky) news to share. Next Sunday, I shall be going to Comic-Con! Well, Kapow! Comic-Con, which is the UK's equivalent to the mighty San-Diego convention. Expect some awesome photos dropping next Supdate or after, of all the geeky goodness. Comics, movies, TV, games, and of course Cosplay are abound. Don't worry though, you won't catch me in a dodgy costume...

 Coming up... Well, I I recently obtained the book Plague (which you can buy through the link at the bottom), which is the 4th in a series of novels known as the Gone series. I am a massive fan of this series, so it's likely there'll be some sort of RE:View inbound. Also, I'll probably see Sucker Punch soon, because it does look rather awesome. Some negative reviews have turned me off slightly, but I'll be sure to try and get my thoughts across in another RE:View if and when I see it.  And stick around for tomorrow, because I've got something scary up my sleeve. Plus I really should post some more doodles soon...

   Alright, that'll be about it. See you next week (which at this rate will feel like tomorrow) for another Supdate of possible Comic-Con-ness and take care. And remember the polls to your right, people!

ATR

Oh, and I thought it'd be cool to leave my initials at the end of Supdates, all professional like.

Plague (Gone)

Family Feuds: An Editorial Piece

Family arguments; we've all had them. Whether it's over money or relationships, I think it's safe to say that everyone has had some sort of experience with a kindred dispute. But what are they good for? Who do they help? Why do they need to affect all of our lives?

  Of course, if the issue is over something very serious like murder, rape or assault, then such grudges can be understood. But what I'm talking about is those stupid little arguments, the kind that can easily escalate from something as simple as a misplaced comment.

 In these cases, I frankly find these minor squabbles rather pathetic, especially when it ends with a loss of contact between family members. If someone is angry over something that's been said or done, the answer is to see it from their point of view, not erase them from your life. You may not agree with their reasoning, and you certainly won't like it, but you must have some sort of understanding of how human emotion works, and that we all do stupid things at some point in our insignificant lives.

  Typically, the instigators of such spats are usually those who are most proud and stubborn. Those who refuse to back down on something, just for the sake of being "right". Well, newsflash for you uptight ninnies: Get down from your goddamn high-horse and show some compassion for Christ's sake. Because what you don't realise is you're making all those around you suffer, because of your ridiculous obdurateness.

  More than once in my time have I had some sort of restriction put on my activities (especially recently) down to these frustrating feuds. It's not my fault, it's not my doing and it's definitely not my problem. So why do I, and those also uninvolved, need to be punished? Can't people see the bigger picture; that for their stubbornness is ultimately sacrificing other's happiness.

What it really boils down to is plain old selfishness. Putting yourself and your feelings before others, that ends in harsh times for all. It'll be hard, and I respect that, but sometimes we need to compromise in order to protect the ones we love most. If we never forgive and forget, then how can you expect to move along, because the way forward is the only way to happiness.

 In the end, you only live once, and that once is never that long. So you've got to ask yourself, is it all really worth it? These objects of debate may be infuriating in the short term, but it's the long term that matters, so make it count. Let us not waste time bickering among ourselves and enjoy our time on this Earth. After all, life's too short, isn't it?