October 11, 2020

What's up with this world?

A few years back, I sent a cartoon to a researcher at the University of Washington who was studying simulation theory — the idea that we may be living in some sort of artificial construct. He wrote back and told me he enjoyed the cartoon and that no one had ever sent him a "simulation cartoon" before. He then added that, all things considered, we probably ARE living in a simulation of sorts. The whole idea really got me thinking about the nature of free will and fate and how the two intercede and determine our visible reality. I once had a very thoughtful karate teacher who told me, "Karate training is the practice of always taking the higher path." I sort of liked that definition. It is the understanding that at any moment there is a choice and if you are astute you will feel the way to go — a type of spiritual zanshin (human frailty considered).

I love that back in the day of budo we had elements such as the dojo kun or spiritual reflections from great teachers the likes of Funakoshi, Ueshiba, and Kano that helped define the approach. That’s much different from the hyperbolic talk that is often used today to sell televised fights, etc.. As we proceed in thoughtful or unthoughtful step, we all contribute to the collective, and ultimately define the zeitgeist — the spirit of the times. If at any given moment we are inspired or not, the question is: what got us here? The passage of this moment and all of time is an endless array of choosing "yes" or "no" to ideas, events, behaviors, etc., a binary code of sorts that charts a trajectory toward the horizon. Often we fail to be aware of the power of our choice because it is subtle or at times manipulated beyond our conscious radar. It is, for example, easier on occasion to adopt a collective ideology (like selecting a bag of yes or no) and in the process surrender the sovereignty of our independent thought. There are many writers who warned us of such risk, like Huxley, Orwell, and Solzhenitsyn. Years back I remember reading a book called "Conversations with God" where the author made a conscious effort to close his eyes, get quiet and pay attention to his personal internal dialog, and by so doing, moved toward his higher self, a more transcendent self.

I wonder, in today’s social/political climate, have we lost that perception? Can we still independently reinvent ourselves every day like the phoenix rising up from ashes? Can we walk our own journey towards our higher self, or will our lack of ability to discern the independent choice, the binary "yes or no", cause the simulation/society to crash?

Maybe it's time to close my eyes, get quiet, and know.