Perhaps this will be a very strange blogpost, but I am trying to figure something out in my head these few days. Something is frustrating me, and I canât put my fingers to what it is. We are all placed into this 4-dimensional world: we relate to people, objects, events through the constraints of the 3-dimensional space, and 1-dimensional time. Without these entities, memories would be meaningless, life might become blurry. I often sit and ponder about the amazing fact of my existence. Irregardless of any religious inclination, shouldnât we puzzle as to why we are in this world? Most people consider me an idealist, some complain I am not practical in the way I think. Perhaps. However, we have a choice between accepting the way in which the world function or live our lives according to how we want to live it. Recently I got a cup which has this Edward Monktonâs print on it:
The quote at the back is: âBeware of the deadly donkey falling slowly from the sky. You can CHOOSE the way you LIVE, my friend but not the way you DIE.â Here we are, living our lives as we do without much seeming purpose. Most people say we are so small - if you look at our universe, the earth is so minute, and we are just 1 of <population of earth> people living amongst the billions and trillions of other orgnaisms who share this planet who coexist in a you give I take relationship. For example, a whale shark eating planktons:
Such a giant animal living on such small creatures. So - what is our purpose? I am not satisfied knowing that there is no reason or explanation for my existence. Therefore, I have decided to be âgoodâ. Yet, concepts such as good and bad are such difficult concept to grasp. I was asked a question today on google chat, âDo you think its possible for us to make decisions to do good without God.â -> The question is, what is good? Ok, some would argue that if your action benefits many people, a utilitarianistic ideology, you are doing good. However, then we have to define what is beneficial. Take for example, China, a generation of people are lifted from poverty because of economic reform by the government. That is beneficial right? However, does being lifted from poverty entails goodness? Perhaps on an economical point view, yes. But how have they really benefited in terms of their purpose in life? Surely, in a capitalistic society, our worth as human beings is defined by our monetary value, as Antoine de Saint-ExupĂ©ry said in the little prince. Ok here is the little prince so you can imagine him speaking to you:
When you tell them that you have made a new friend, they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you, âWhat does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies?â Instead, they demand: âHow old is he? How many brothers has he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?â Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.
If you were to say to the grown-ups: âI saw a beautiful house made of rosy brick, with geraniums in the windows and doves on the roof,â they would not be able to get any idea of that house at all. You would have to say to them: âI saw a house that cost $20,000.â Then they would exclaim: âOh, what a pretty house that is!â
When you tell people, âI got a payriseâ, people will say, âOh thats good!â but if you tell people âI lost my jobâ, people would automatically assume it to be a bad thing. Iâm not talking merely other people, even yourself might consider that âbadâor âgoodâ - such labels are very deceptive. It seems to me how good something is depends largely on how the society sees your existence. The thing with human beings is we are social animal. Even if you are INTJ -> the introvert, thinking type who doesnât want people to disturb you, eventually you have to allow other people into your life. Ultimately, the way they see you affects the way you see yourself, and in turns you judge the world accordingly. Its said in the Quran (2:216) âFighting has been made obligatory for you, much to your dislike. It is quite possible that something which you donât like is good for you and that something which you love is bad for you. Allah knows, and you do not.â Donât adopt a Wilder-ist mentality when reading this quote - fighting can mean an internal struggle -> for instance fighting an addiction of smoking or drinking. Either way, what if you are unable to tell if the thing you love/hate is good or bad?
Back to the title of this blog. The linearity of life. We live life in a rather linear way because that is the way we see it. We are born then we grow slightly, then grow a lot, then grow in places you donât want to grow, then we get old, then we get older, then we think back to the days when we were still growing. The point I am making is, we are confined by the linearity of time. We canât decide to live an old age tomorrow with your kids looking after you, or you canât live the free and carefree life of a bachelor after you are married and at the age of 80. The fact that we donât know what will happen is so mind-boggling. However, imagine a world where time does not exist, that there was no linearity, and that the reason for doing something is not related to some particular event. This is when the causal effect breaks down, and the way in which define good and bad would become irrelevant. We are dead already. I know I have to be more patient, because we are placed in a linear time scale, and we are placed in a constraint in which our happiness depend on the events which take place in this 4 dimensional space-time. Perhaps if we could free our minds, and accept that our purpose will be fulfilled we might be much happier.