Parallel lives?
Posted: November 2nd, 2008, 9:10 pm
A few days ago, ihavesayso wrote me an email message which seems to me to be generating an interesting discussion. Unfortunately, I have lost the original message, and possibly another one, but here are a couple of others which followed them.
He wrote, Physical sleep is an escape from the ‘awake time’ illusion. It may not actually disappear, as our night time dreams do upon our awakening, but as we are not aware of it while asleep, it might as well be so. When a bodily function, such as hunger, or a need to urinate wakes us from the sleep state, we find ourselves right back in the awake time illusion, at the point where we left it. This is the factor that keeps most from not realizing we are now experiencing ourselves as ‘entities’ is God's dream.
To which I wrote, Here's the question which I wonder about from time to time:
Is it possible (well, of course, in an infinite universe, anything is possible, even likely, especially if I am able to think of it) that Stefan's awakening from sleep this morning is actually the very first event he has ever experienced, and that his "memory" of last night, of yesterday, and of decades of life, friends and family, schools and jobs, and so on, even of his e-friend, Arlo, was manufactured upon his "awakening" this morning.
I understand that, under hypnosis, subjects can be successfully told not to remember events that occur while they are hypnotized, and probably vice-versa, to "remember" things that have not occurred. If that is so, surely it would be an easy task for an omnipotent God (Creative Consciousness) to create "Stefan-with-a-memory".
Which question leads to this question: Is there any way of answering that question?
Now, there's a riddle for a rainy day.
To which ihavesayso replied, The word "illusion," is inadequate to describe the actuality we (should) enjoy when awake. For me, "illusion" translates to "wispy." "flimsy," "without substance," and finally, "impermanent," which is the meaning I wish to convey when I use the word. As Art would be quick to say, it is far from being wispy, or flimsy, as one who has ever bruised himself by bumping into an item of furniture in a dark room knows. Nothing that we are aware of in the waking state, is permanent. All is temporary, although temporary can be light years long for some things, because actuality itself is in a constant state of flux.
As to your question, you answered it before you asked it with your "Is it possible (well, of course, in an infinite universe, anything is possible, even likely, especially if I am able to think of it)" statement. For me, the clue is in your use of the word "likely." I think you need to ask, "Is it likely?" of your inner self, rather than, "Is it possible?" When I did this, my gut level reply was "No, it is not likely, because it would not serve a foreseeable purpose." Perhaps, in a parallel universe? Hmmm.
To which I now reply, “foreseeable purpose.” As you say, hmmm. Purpose as defined by whom? For that matter, foreseeable as seen by whom?
Goodness knows, tomes have been written about the “purpose” of life, I have even written a few words about it myself, and I expect so have you. But it is increasingly apparent to me that as long as I perceive myself as “I am Stefan, and you are not”, I wonder if I am able to have any clear idea what the purpose of life might be. Isn’t it unavoidable that any “purpose” I might devise is going to be in the context described by “Stefan is a person, and you are another person”.
What’s more, are we even sure that life has a purpose? Of course, “Stefan” sees his life as having a purpose, and from “Stefan’s” point of view, it probably must have a purpose (although increasingly I hear myself wondering about that). But if “Stefan” does see a purpose to my life, then surely it is one that I devise, even if I couch it in metaphysical symbolism and wordage. In a word, here we really are asking the fox to define the purpose of the hen house, and we know what that’s going to sound like: Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Now, to my observation that “well, of course, in an infinite universe, anything is possible, even likely, especially if I am able to think of it” you responded “Perhaps, in a parallel universe”. Yes, perhaps. I have read of a physicist who posits the possibility (if I understand him correctly) that our thoughts routinely generate a parallel universe in which the implications of those thoughts manifest and are played out. This concept has always made a lot of sense to me. That is, let’s say Stefan entertains a thought to go sky diving, but then changes his mind, and stays home. I suspect, and perhaps this physicist is suggesting, that the thought “I think I’ll go sky diving today” generates an alternate reality in which Stefan goes sky diving. If there is anything to that nonsense, the ultimate effect of it is that by the time we are, let’s say, elderly, we are actually living a multitude, perhaps even an infinitude, of simultaneously unfolding lives.
The question which arises there might be, In that case, why aren’t we aware of these parallel lives, why don’t we have memory of them? To that, I suppose the answer is, Who’s asking? The Teachers tells us that when we are fully Self-Realized, we are able to see the Universe in its entirety, all the aspects, layers, implications, etc. etc. etc., from the beginning. Maybe then we would see all the lives, including all the parallel lives, we have ever lived.
For now, I suppose it is enough of an achievement to live a full life, and remain sane.
He wrote, Physical sleep is an escape from the ‘awake time’ illusion. It may not actually disappear, as our night time dreams do upon our awakening, but as we are not aware of it while asleep, it might as well be so. When a bodily function, such as hunger, or a need to urinate wakes us from the sleep state, we find ourselves right back in the awake time illusion, at the point where we left it. This is the factor that keeps most from not realizing we are now experiencing ourselves as ‘entities’ is God's dream.
To which I wrote, Here's the question which I wonder about from time to time:
Is it possible (well, of course, in an infinite universe, anything is possible, even likely, especially if I am able to think of it) that Stefan's awakening from sleep this morning is actually the very first event he has ever experienced, and that his "memory" of last night, of yesterday, and of decades of life, friends and family, schools and jobs, and so on, even of his e-friend, Arlo, was manufactured upon his "awakening" this morning.
I understand that, under hypnosis, subjects can be successfully told not to remember events that occur while they are hypnotized, and probably vice-versa, to "remember" things that have not occurred. If that is so, surely it would be an easy task for an omnipotent God (Creative Consciousness) to create "Stefan-with-a-memory".
Which question leads to this question: Is there any way of answering that question?
Now, there's a riddle for a rainy day.
To which ihavesayso replied, The word "illusion," is inadequate to describe the actuality we (should) enjoy when awake. For me, "illusion" translates to "wispy." "flimsy," "without substance," and finally, "impermanent," which is the meaning I wish to convey when I use the word. As Art would be quick to say, it is far from being wispy, or flimsy, as one who has ever bruised himself by bumping into an item of furniture in a dark room knows. Nothing that we are aware of in the waking state, is permanent. All is temporary, although temporary can be light years long for some things, because actuality itself is in a constant state of flux.
As to your question, you answered it before you asked it with your "Is it possible (well, of course, in an infinite universe, anything is possible, even likely, especially if I am able to think of it)" statement. For me, the clue is in your use of the word "likely." I think you need to ask, "Is it likely?" of your inner self, rather than, "Is it possible?" When I did this, my gut level reply was "No, it is not likely, because it would not serve a foreseeable purpose." Perhaps, in a parallel universe? Hmmm.
To which I now reply, “foreseeable purpose.” As you say, hmmm. Purpose as defined by whom? For that matter, foreseeable as seen by whom?
Goodness knows, tomes have been written about the “purpose” of life, I have even written a few words about it myself, and I expect so have you. But it is increasingly apparent to me that as long as I perceive myself as “I am Stefan, and you are not”, I wonder if I am able to have any clear idea what the purpose of life might be. Isn’t it unavoidable that any “purpose” I might devise is going to be in the context described by “Stefan is a person, and you are another person”.
What’s more, are we even sure that life has a purpose? Of course, “Stefan” sees his life as having a purpose, and from “Stefan’s” point of view, it probably must have a purpose (although increasingly I hear myself wondering about that). But if “Stefan” does see a purpose to my life, then surely it is one that I devise, even if I couch it in metaphysical symbolism and wordage. In a word, here we really are asking the fox to define the purpose of the hen house, and we know what that’s going to sound like: Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Now, to my observation that “well, of course, in an infinite universe, anything is possible, even likely, especially if I am able to think of it” you responded “Perhaps, in a parallel universe”. Yes, perhaps. I have read of a physicist who posits the possibility (if I understand him correctly) that our thoughts routinely generate a parallel universe in which the implications of those thoughts manifest and are played out. This concept has always made a lot of sense to me. That is, let’s say Stefan entertains a thought to go sky diving, but then changes his mind, and stays home. I suspect, and perhaps this physicist is suggesting, that the thought “I think I’ll go sky diving today” generates an alternate reality in which Stefan goes sky diving. If there is anything to that nonsense, the ultimate effect of it is that by the time we are, let’s say, elderly, we are actually living a multitude, perhaps even an infinitude, of simultaneously unfolding lives.
The question which arises there might be, In that case, why aren’t we aware of these parallel lives, why don’t we have memory of them? To that, I suppose the answer is, Who’s asking? The Teachers tells us that when we are fully Self-Realized, we are able to see the Universe in its entirety, all the aspects, layers, implications, etc. etc. etc., from the beginning. Maybe then we would see all the lives, including all the parallel lives, we have ever lived.
For now, I suppose it is enough of an achievement to live a full life, and remain sane.