yeah, so that whole, cartesian train of thought, "i think therefore i am" has been beating the poop out of me. how do we know that those around us, the things around us, the things we feel, are actually real? all we know is what our brains tell us. it seems entirely possible that we could be living in a very matrix-esque world... where we are controlled.
now, i'm not pushing conspiracy theory, i'm just saying it's possible. which is interesting, in my head. the kantian philosophies (also touched upon in this book that is unhealthy for me to be interested in), however, i find much more interesting. the thought that maybe, maybe division, the way we divide everything into boxes and bags around us (square plots of land, cabinets to hold this, drawers to hold that, pockets to keep this in, cases to hold sunglasses, etc) as a way to
compartmentalize and categorize everything is the wrong idea. that maybe the only reason we see time broken down into minutes, seconds, hours, is because we can't comprehend it in its entirety. maybe the reason we see everything as individual, is because our minds are too feeble to grasp the concept of one-ness. i mean, i dunno. the bible, and religions in general fit into this very well. the idea that God (or Allah, or Buddha, take your pick) is the only entity that can truly see things the way they are. to see time as eternity in both directions, simultaneously; while small-brained humans have to break it all down into manageable bite-size pockets.
this idea of compartmentalizing happens in literally every aspect of our culture! time, obviously. seconds, minutes, days, years, centuries. entertainment is always in genres, be it books, music, or movies. computers have folders for this, folders for that. paragraphs when we write. we keep our plants in pots. separate, isolated pots. residential districts versus downtown. majors at college. the linnean method of naming genus species. cubicles at work. assembly lines in factories (old and new). individually wrapped presents at christmas (or whatever. balls to political correctness). i think you get the point. and why? you can ask anyone on the street, why do we have pockets? "so i can find things easier." drawers? "so i know where stuff is." file-folders? "so i know where i put what paper." cabinets? "so it's easier to know where my dishes are." we compartmentalize everything because it's easier for our brain. we dissect everything down to its lowest common denominator, because when it's like that, we can deal with it that much easier.
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