As the summer slowly draws to an end, the leaves on the trees are still a bright green but with traces of the autumn slowly seeping in to them. The reds, yellows and browns that are synonymous with the later months start to push through and soon all those bright flowers, the fruits and shoots, will perish and die away for another year. The end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. Transcending through the ages this process of life on Earth has existed for millennia and will do so for thousands of years to come. But the greater mystery is for how long?
During my quest for knowledge, my seeking of meaning, I have studied many aspects that our civilizations have indulged into and thought of. These ideas, pontifications, theories and stories, all offer a perspective, an insight into the mind of the writer, the creator and the imaginative aspects of a persons psyche. Whether these reference materials are written in a matter of fact way or in a more jovial tone, they are nothing more than the collection or collections of peoples ideas and thoughts often spanning centuries but culminating in an end product that can be perceived however the recipient chooses. Hence forth why there are still so many discrepancies in not only religion but in more substantiated fields such as science and mathematics. Unlike Religion, which no matter what faith you believe in, it rests solely on your willingness to believe, Science and mathematics offer a more grounded evidence of foundation (this of course is more a personal perspective). Throughout centuries, many scientists, explorers and philosophers have strived to prove facts, to explain the unknown and to bring rational understanding to even the most complex of factors and to enlighten the rest of the world in their discovery. Don’t get me wrong, I know too that Religion, whatever the faith, has also brought a lot to the forefront of the world, it has shown great power and has had a valid part to play in the history of society and earth as a human residence for thousands of years.
Yet with all of this considered, how can we, as beings of this universe even attempt to convey the message that we understand 1 percent of the darkness that surrounds us. I speak not of some dark and gloomy social nightmare or the inner workings of a depressed mind, I mean it in the literal sense, as in the void of nothingness between our celestial body and the next. All of our beliefs, all of our sciences, all of society is based purely on what occurs here on this planet and solar system, what rules of physics, chemistry and biology work best on our terrains, what people of years past have thought was a good idea to worship as a deity or God. But how can we truly know that our systems, our processes that work inefficiently at best here would even begin to work to elsewhere in the vast expanse of the universe.
I understand that our sciences range far beyond my understanding, my knowledge of all 3 core subjects is basic to say the least. Not since my days at school have I really studied them any further. I have recently been enjoying a book written by Bill Bryson called ‘A Short History of Nearly Everything’. In this book, the author gives a detailed but basic explanation of sciences that stand today. He explains their origin, their progression and resolution into the journals of history and science as they stand now. But throughout this book, one question that hung in my mind as it has for many years, how can scientists firmly say that the rules that govern our planet and immediate neighbours, are the same that govern all other planets in the universe? For is it not that as history shows, we are constantly learning and changing our perception of what we originally thought was right and true.
Our understanding of this world and its elements are still inclined to surprise us, to break the rules that we have set in place from our research and quests through time and evolution. Hence my question, how can we say that our rules apply throughout the known universe?
Interestingly the same thought process can be applied to many factors and questions of the search that I am on. I can read the texts and books, watch the videos and films, listen to seminars and lectures on all varying topics of spirituality and metaphysics, yet would the element of change, the different circumstances surrounding each person that investigate such avenues, not result in a different outcome and route to finality then those that have passed before. Is their knowledge not guidance rather than gospel! In all fairness, none of the books relating to these subjects have ever stated that they ‘are’ the way to become enlightened or find the higher ethereal plain, they are more so a guide.
This year has offered me plenty of opportunities to broaden my horizons and expand my somewhat curtailed mind. I have lost things very dear to me, moving me further in to a deep unknowing state of uncertainty. Yet I have gained so much from my experiences that to dwell on the points of unhappiness is fraught with self defeat and misery. I have taken the good from these moments, the anguish that was forced upon me and turned it to a greater good. I have opened my eyes and mind to more aspects, to more angles of perception, to see everything is not in black and white, but to allow colour to filter through me, an openness of expression and thought.
Strangely, I have been told that a fair few people have started to read my blog and that people find it interesting and insightful and for those of you that have shared your opinions and thoughts on this, I thank you immensely. I find it warming to know that my musings and rantings are not just the utterings of a mad man but are subjects that others of you can relate to, can understand and can give compassion too. I write not to lecture or to instruct, but to offer a perspective, to show others that think along these lines that they are not alone.
I have heard people comment on ideas such as mine as too deep, taking life too seriously and to a certain extent, I must agree. For the turmoil I sometimes impose on myself is arduous and wearing, my constant state on unknowingness and my plight to seek out all that I can about mysteries that will evade me for the rest of my days, can sometimes seem futile, an effort that exhausts me, that takes pleasure from the usual places and transforms it into upset, questions and often loneliness.
I often sit and people watch as I have heard it called. Seeing individuals passing in front of me, I sit there and try to imagine what they are thinking, where their travels are taking them and what they can expect when they eventually arrive at their destination. I find this an interesting past time, trying to understand humans merely from observations obtained through conscious effort to see them as a single entity and not part of a social collective. To know what they are thinking, to understand their plights, their dreams and to see how deep the average Joe allows his or her mind to delve. For I find the average person more insightful, more interesting and delightful to understand then most popular celebrities or famous icons that we see in the papers or on the television of today. Yet our modern science that has brought all these faces and names to our homes, our residences and our lives, they cannot capture the thinker inside of these people, they cannot show how their minds perceive the world and what they think is outside of this bubble of social existence.
In conclusion, I am still mystified by all that this world has to offer and to show us. Despite years of study and research, the authorities on such issues can only give us a guide to explain many of these ideas but in essence I believe we are still as blind as we started out as, yet now we have named and categorised elements of the unknown into a more understandable and comprehensible format. In application to my search for answers, I thank those people who have worked hard on one or many subjects, often giving their lives in pursuit of answers. I only hope that my quest to find an understanding of that which I do not know can help those in years to come to further their studies and aid in the awaken of the closed minds that so many choose to keep. I find this exciting, adventurous and invigorating. What new theories, revelations and ideas will open themselves to me, what new steps, how many new people am I to meet and concepts am I yet to experience? For now, I wait with baited breath and an open mind.
