The Three Modes Cont'd

Now I would call [1] discovery. Many associate [1] with birth and childhood/youth because life then is full of [1]. Much of everything is new, you have no choice. [1] is your main part of life and you can't avoid it. ( that said I heard of three year old who if an old Sesame St is on, cries bereft of Elmo, that is truly a sad sad something)

[2] is repetition. It's rhythm, and it's addiction. I think everything in the realm of [2] has diminishing returns. I know addiction is a strong term for this, but it's [2] in it's most extreme (compulsory / obsessive) form. It's a natural mode of operation but it's distracting and gets out of control, mentally (OCD), physically (addiction), and spiritually (radical fundalmentalism).

[3] naturally is fear. Sometimes this is very mild and an activity that everyone engages in, simple avoidance. For example, potato salad tastes horrible to me. I don't know what it is, it's not texture, there a chemical or protein formed in the potato salad process that makes me wince. So I naturally avoid it. Wife is afraid of break-ins to our home, because her home was burgled 7 times as a child. I was viscously attacked by a dog as a child. He bit through my face I had stitches and drank /ate through a straw for weeks. And while I was afraid of a few loud barking snarling dogs... I had a dog and loved him, I'm not afraid of dogs at all. Strangely enough I don't really see the attack as traumatic. I don't remember any pain, I remember being in shock not really understanding what had happened.

Also I am very allergic to Poison Ivy/oak etc. (This will clarify the picture in the earlier post) And while I'm educated and avoid it, I sometimes wish my skin was so sensitive as then. When I have poison ivy the constant fluctuation between sensory overload, and itch and relief can be addictive. Also things like warm rushing water, does feel anything like it does normally. For Poison Ivy I normally engage in [3]. I've had some very curios [1]'s while inflicted with it so there's some [2] tangled up in with it as well. And this leads me to a curious point. Sometimes the very "Full" experiences of life involve all three modes. Love definite has all three mode in spades and so we say... "Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." All activities probably have some small bit of all three in them. It' s hard to say what life is from this side of the death divide. But it's a stream of 1,2,3's
1,2,,,1,2,,,1,2,3
1,2,1,2,,3,1,2,1,2,3
1,2,2,1,2,2,3,2,2,2,,,,,,,,,,1

There's a rhythm to it all

The Three Modes

We as inhabitants of this world, are so fixated on owning life or experience. There are basically three modes of existence that as far as I can see make up most of "life". These are not to be confused with the birth/life/death trio.

[1] Trying to own/have new experiences.
[2] Trying to repeat (very often "good") experiences.
[3] Trying to avoid (very often "bad") experiences.
There might be a fourth class in trying to understand experience. I mean by this reflection or seeing past experience in a new way or light in order to get some clarity or invent new meaning for memories. But I think just a combo of [1] and [2].

Now, some people view death as just another [1] and these people seem to have no hard feelings. They do it's because they can no longer [1] or maybe they wanted to share their [1]'s. Or maybe they are so busy finding [1]'s they often find death "the great [1]" on their heels before they have time to prepare.

Most people find some [1]'s they like and then struggle to [2] the rest of their life, or until they are bored of the same old [2] and go looking for a [1] to own and [2] over and over again. This is stability, addiction, materialism, a lot of things. It's the mode of life we most often operate in. This is what many people would call life and it is for many. Death puts a big kink in [2], in that most see death as no longer being able to enjoy the people/stuff/sensations we like so much. No longer taking satisfaction in making for yourself the things and activities you enjoy. People being something we become very attached to, and death takes them away. I ask you, at a funeral, do we weep for the dead or for ourselves?

Thirdly ,people [3] what they determine or are taught are "bad" experiences. Ones they did not enjoy or do not wish to repeat. They are vigilant to [3], not to repeat them or even have them at all. Even without their own judgment. They are told or taught they are "bad" and thus will not engage certain experience. Obviously death is the ultimate "bad" experience, to many people, especially those consumed with [2]. Also death gets a "bad" rap; people are taught death is horrible, tragic, etc, etc..., and so they are afraid of death. And since they [3] death at all cost eventhough it's inevitable, they [3] all sorts of other things, to fool themselves they can [3] death. Laughable. ( As a side note, I'm not taking in to account the "survival instinct". That is very biological in nature and I'm talking about mental constructs, although it only takes a slightly altered view of consciosness and spirit to see that all life is really engaged in [2] )
Some people, depressed or suicidal, euthanasia, mercy killers, etc... engage death as a very effective act of [3]. And it's true to avoid bad experiences...just die. It's pretty simple.

The Two Universes

This is a series (in a series...) of writings I will be doing... As far as I know, no one else has come up with this theory or talked about this in this way. If it is original, well it first appeared here. (Photo: The poisionous itch of skin)

Why are we here? I know people usually attach this question with the notion of destiny. Destiny is not a path and not an explanation, it's not a reason. Everything we do. Everything that life does. Is to try to create stasis and order. It has many forms: reproduction, obsession, manipulation, accumulation, etc. We're trying to control the universe through puppet strings. Why?
There are two universes. One immaterial, transient, omniscient, potential, non-local. The other is very similar to what we think of as reality, only blank, darkness, and void... but stable. What was the universe before the big-bang? Very hot and very small? It wasn't. But something happened. Was it a question? A collision? I'm not sure. But here we are conscious protrusions of one reality into another.
Only we never entered. It's like a puppet show. I think "TYPE IN ALL CAPITALS" and it happens. The actor pushes a series of buttons and keys, he does what I tell him (most of the time) like a good little puppet. And I play with the puppet, and we play all my favorite games. I love the puppet. Not only can I move him about but with practice I can see through his eyes, hear the sounds he hears. I can even make him talk. It's like it's me on stage, saving the day and getting the girl.
We think we are that thing in the mirror, on the tiny stage. We are not. Although we are so entertained by the multitude of new tricks and old tricks it can do. It keeps it's shape. It has stasis. It has memory. Even a glass of water has memory. Through all this manipulation we think we own this reality. We made that thing. We stare at the puppet and scream "I made you!" We gave the dark chaotic void order and reason.
What does it want?
What does master want?
What do you want?
I dunno, what do you want?
How foolish we must seem to the rest of existence talking to ourselves like this? How narcissistic. We are addicts. We are all on drugs, addicted to material life, and it's bullshit. Ask any ghost you know or might happen to meet.
My real worry is not "What does it want?" I think I know. But I'm not sure if we can severe the bond and split ourselves into a autonomous and yet incomplete soul to inhabit this "material reality." I don't want to. Then again if your like me, and you've read the Precession of Simulacra by Baudrillard, then you worry that there might a lot of reasons to worry.