The Deceptive Complexity of Human Illusion
Illusion, a distinctly human trait, sets us apart from the other creatures inhabiting our world. This inclination to envision altering our nature, shaping our destiny, and embracing an alternate reality is the very engine of our distinctiveness. We nurture the illusion of transcending the boundaries imposed by reality, seeking to fathom the true essence of the cosmos.
Nevertheless, eyes, despite their significance, are instruments inherently limited in their scope. Yet, in our fervent quest for knowledge, we convince ourselves that through these two small apertures, we can scrutinize reality without distortion. We even come to believe that the reality perceived through our eyes is the key to understanding the intricate, yet somehow simple, fabric of existence surrounding us. This network of illusions forms the core of our perception, leading us to believe in a reality that we consider the sole truth.
Reality, in fact, remains impervious to the manipulations of illusion, to those artifices we seek to apply to make things comprehensible to our narrow vision. Illusion, from this perspective, cannot be reproached, as it is our means of soothing the anxiety of the unknown. Ignorance, in turn, unleashes our prey nature, deeply rooted within us. We are not hunters but the hunted, yet this reality has been distorted by our desire to overturn it.
Human beings, in an attempt to escape their prey condition, have woven a tapestry of illusions. These illusions have driven us to resist the destiny that awaits us, to arm ourselves with concepts and technologies that replace what we lack: claws, fangs, strength, and speed. The illusion has reached a point where we believe we can transform into highly adept predators, even the best. We have hoped to alter the course of our weakness, not only repelling those who pursue us but even prevailing over them.
However, the true predator, in its hunting actions, is driven by the need to survive, not by the complex psychological dynamics of the human being. Its hunger guides it, nourishing its strength and determination. The human, on the other hand, finds nourishment in ambition, the need for control, and the continuous construction of illusions. This distortion has made us prey to ourselves, trapped in an endless cycle of unrealistic expectations.
Our universe, defined by the perception of the five senses, is a limited and distorted representation of reality. The dimensions of space and time in which we operate are just a fragment of what exists. Yet, we have fallen into the illusion of believing that these dimensions are all that matters. We have turned these limitations into conceptual tools, attempting to force reality to bend to our limited perception abilities.
But reality does not bend. The sky does not curve its vastness to accommodate our limited gazes. Colors exist independently of our perception. What is, will not change to meet us halfway. This anxiety that drives us to seek control, to escape the unknown, to try to shape the world according to our desires, is actually just a reflection of our illusions.
In the end, illusion has shaped our experience and our perception of reality. We are prey that deluded themselves into becoming predators, yet this illusion has trapped us in a labyrinth of unmet expectations. To embark on an authentic quest for knowledge and understanding, we must first embrace the humility to recognize the limitations of our senses and dismantle the barriers of illusion. Only then can we attempt to see beyond the surface and embark on a journey towards a deeper and more genuine understanding of the world around us.
Exploring the Essence of Life and Confronting the Mystery of Fire
One of the most captivating challenges we have faced in our quest to understand the world around us concerns the concept of life. Life transcends our everyday perception of reality, for it not only serves as a fundamental component of the concept of existence but also lends solidity and credibility to our understanding of the world. Life encompasses numerous aspects, such as spatial dimensions, forms, locations, physical substance, and temporal changes. It adapts to a vision of reality that considers time as a straight, one-dimensional, and unidirectional line.
We possess the ability to discern what constitutes life and what does not, yet we encounter a captivating enigma when we examine fire. Fire, with its ability to be born, grow, move, nourish, breathe, emit, reproduce, and ultimately extinguish, eludes traditional categories of life. Despite presenting resemblances to living beings in certain aspects, fire challenges our conventional understanding of life.
This gap calls us back to the essence of humanity, urging us constantly to seek comprehensive explanations. Our nature compels us to label things as "living" or "non-living," but any definition we offer fails to capture entirely the true nature of fire. This primordial element, deeply rooted in our history, continues to elude complete comprehension.
This incongruity teaches us that reality is inherently intricate and mysterious. Life, with its diversity and richness, continually propels us to explore new frontiers of knowledge. Perhaps it is precisely in the shade of uncertainty surrounding fire that a valuable lesson resides: reality is multidimensional and multifaceted, and our understanding represents only a part of a larger picture.
The journey to fathom the meaning of life leads us to explore the very boundaries of reality. While life constitutes a crucial pillar of our concept of existence, fire challenges us to reflect on the limitations of our knowledge. Our ceaseless quest for explanations and definitions reflects our intrinsic thirst for knowledge. Although we may not fully decipher the enigma of fire, this very enigma continually propels us to delve into the depths of reality, to embrace the unknown, and to welcome the ambiguity that characterizes our journey toward understanding.
Owning the world
On the shores of the North Sea, humanity's unyielding desire to possess the world found fertile ground, evolving into an ambitious project. Throughout history, this longing to shape destinies beyond the confines of nature had flickered sporadically, seldom consolidating into a unified endeavor. It remained as scattered instances, where individuals briefly asserted dominance within specific domains under fortunate circumstances.
Consider the Mesopotamian canal systems, for instance. They reshaped the land to nurture agricultural and economic aspirations. Yet, this triumph was facilitated by a geography inherently accommodating—vast plains crossed by mighty rivers, soil eager for cultivation, and a climate that optimized canal effectiveness. However, this success didn't metamorphose into a comprehensive societal transformation aiming to dominate all aspects of Mesopotamian life. It didn't transcend into philosophy, politics, science, or social relations. It wasn't an absolute truth, merely an adaptation. While they could temporarily manipulate canals, they couldn't reshape the sky, the sea, the mountains, life, or death.
Yet, along the North Sea, humanity came to perceive itself as divine, or at the very least, blessed by divine entities with the tools to command the world. Some trace the roots of capitalism to the Protestant work ethic, where economic prosperity was seen as a revelation of divine love. It suggested that amassing wealth through harnessing nature wasn't just divinely sanctioned but actively encouraged. Economic fortune, it argued, was a manifestation of divine favor.
But perhaps, these ideologies had deeper, older origins—perhaps Viking in nature. An inherent drive to plunder, an insatiable greed, dictated that possession equated to power. Often, it was more practical to seize existing riches than create them. This was a cult of war, a pursuit of Valhalla, where plunder was considered a divine act, leading either to wealth or a glorious, and thus blessed, death.
In the Low Countries, the urge to reshape nature wasn't merely an economic ambition but a survival imperative. The land, unhealthy and marshy, was less hospitable compared to southern European regions. Roman rule had not left grand structures but the revelation that creating navigable canals to transport legions could render the environment more habitable. Unlike Mesopotamian canals, the canals of the Low Countries weren't a mere enhancement of existing conditions; they were the distinction between existence and oblivion.
The realization of possessing the capability and tools to modify nature, transforming non-being into being, marked an extraordinary gateway from which the region's inhabitants embarked on a transformative journey. Rooted in reason—the power of thought—the journey enabled control. When armed with a divine mandate and the awareness of their potential, reason became the catalyst for perpetual enhancement. Their arsenal of tools grew exponentially, amplifying their power and divine favor.
As reason flourished, technology advanced, and power grew, humanity preached and enforced its philosophy across the world. It was a philosophy built on the illusion that divine mandate sanctioned or mandated the pursuit of individual interests above all. To accumulate capital efficiently, individuals centered their universe around themselves and their interests. This self-centered focus was the key to securing divine favor.
Wealth wasn't amassed through sharing. Business deals didn't consider others. Compassion and empathy hindered, not helped, in reaching goals. They slowed progress and obstructed world domination. Compassion didn't align with world dominance. Individualism stemmed from survival in a hostile environment, where others were perceived as threats. It culminated in rationality—a means to justify actions for success. Thinking of others was a hindrance because others didn't need help if they were divinely favored. Assisting others went against one's interest. If that was God's plan, no scruples were needed in exploiting others, for if God didn't intend it, He wouldn't have placed them in that position. This web of certainties was robust, exportable as Truth. The assurance of being right concealed the insecurity of being wrong.
Questioning one's certainties, in the face of material gain, was a formidable challenge, fiercely resisted as it laid bare the trauma of insecurity, fragility, mortality, and the insignificance of existence.