My Theory Of Everything

My Theory Of Everything

The concepts by which we interpret the world – determine the world.

So when we realise that it’s quite possible to derive whole new alternative interpretations to explain our world, we’re presented with the observation that, what actually sits at the very base of our understanding is in fact, the very process of cognition itself. 

The way we imagine the world, determines the world.

And our imagination, our beliefs, theories, concepts, ideas, etc, mesh and interact and feedback on each other, to generate a seemingly solid representation of reality. And yet all of that sits on this very fragile layer of perception, interpretation, imagination. 

Do we collectively imagine the world into existence? 

If we unpick the cornerstone of scientific inquiry, “Observation”, we have to admit that this pillar of causality is grounded on nothing more than our ability to describe mental maps of what we experience. The whole process of observation, description, interpretation, relies on our ability to imagine the interactions taking place in these mental maps. At no point can any mental activity take place without this cognitive process of imagining. We refer to it as “Thinking”. And we naively assume this activity to be partisan. Yet it colours and forms the very experience of observation itself. In reality we do not see anything in the world, we do not see the screen before us, we imagine it. The mind formulates it in a space beyond conceptual awareness. 

To the extent that these mental maps may or may not actually represent the interactions we “observe” as the ‘real world’, we can never really know for sure. However we do know that these maps affect and effect the way we experience this world. 

Therefore, for science to hold any currency at all, it must acknowledge that at its core there is a deep mystery. It is in fact this mystery, this awareness, this “knowing that we do not know” that inspires us to continue asking questions and investigating the world around us. Showing us that there are indeed many possible ways of interpreting the data which our eyes, ears and other senses feed from in order to draw our maps of reality.

Maps of understanding painting images of an always evolving, unfolding world. I personally find this view rather humbling. And it fills me with a sense of responsibility, knowing that the way I interpret the data, the attitude I take toward the observations I make, the choices I make as to where I put my attention… all feed into what kind of maps I will create of the world… which in turn feed into what kind of world I will help to co-author. We are all co-authors of this reality. And to acknowledge that gives us back our power, and also makes us equally partially responsible for the world in which we all collectively co-create.

There is a continued self development here, as the world continuously reflects back to us aspects of our co-creation that cause discomfort or suffering or disharmony. Ripples of discord present as areas of intense attention where cognition is acting to acquire deeper understanding.

*** To be continued…