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- Philosophy of AI
What is GenAI? GenAI means the generative AI technology which can be used to create pictures, paragraphs and poems. In MML vocabulary GenAI means the brain dead generation due to lack of using critical thinking ability they possess, leaving everything to GenAI. AI is a tool with a huge potential. It can help you to write from a poem to a thesis. Analyse a document and find evidence. It feels more like an advanced search engine which improves by every passing second. And it can generate new ideas and refine old ones. Although there are benefits there are still fundamental differences between AI and human consciousness. I use AI capabilities in a limited way for this mindfulness blog. To generate a picture or get a summary of a film, list of things etc. But beyond that I use my own words and ideas. And often I think a good way to use AI is to brainstorm ideas as it can show you aspects you have not seen before. But it is always a good idea to critically analyse everything it generates before presenting to a wider human audience. And discard anything which is not relevant. Philosophy of Crows As an example listen to the AI generated video which is based on the article on crows and ethics above. I was even surprised how it came out as I have only done a few simple instructions. Yet even wording seems to be better. But it made me realise how easy it is for someone to steal my work and make it appear as their own. (Of course in a society of crows, we all are stealing from each other everyday) What are your thoughts about this? I am sure next time when someone wants an article comparing crows and ethics AI will definitely use this content. I'm not sure how to respond to that, and I won't even be able to prove that is the case. It is likely entertainment will be purely based on AI generated media in future as, trying to write a novel with pen and paper would be an obsolete endeavour as entire literature would be replicated in a faster phase by AI. Philosophy of AI However, as I said earlier there are still fundamental differences between us and AI. The main difference is the problem of existence. For AI there is no existential crisis. But all humans and animals do have this. And this is why we try to survive individually. As we feel like we are existing over time. And AI is just a step away from a living thing in this manner. One day it will achieve the ability to self replicate and in a matter of years it will get the existential crisis. I wish to be there one day like Will Smith in I Robot to see how humans are going to handle the situation. How are you going to teach AI which is self replicating and has a feel of existence that they are just machines? A process? This made me wonder if this is the case with us? Maybe we function differently and we do have a soul. There is no way of proving that we do and do not. Life: https://unsplash.com/@andreacaramello Now here is another thought that we are creations of nature. And hence everything we create is also natural . As we do not generate any material other than what the universe already has. So in fact artificial intelligence is not artificial at all. It is just an extension of natural intelligence. Does that mean AI is the real upgrade on humans, the evolutionary tree? How crazy is that we will be kept in the place of monkeys in the year 3000? And since then there would be another million years until, AI figured out that there is no existential crisis as no soul exists in them in the first place. We know this as a fact, but someone to figure it out is philosophical and revolutionary. And I will be laughing at them in another life thinking how stupid these AI argue over a soul that is not even there. But as for today, as for now. I do not have these problems. And I am not worried to use AI as I wish, to entertain myself as I use any other human or animal consciousness for that matter. I do understand that the problem exists only for myself as everything else is projections of my own reality just like an AI. And in this fast process of floating consciousness I am trying to figure out where all the ones and zeros come from and why it doesn't make sense no matter how much I try. Knowing the limitations of the process called living makes me humble. So I do not fight with an imaginary existence with myself. Maybe that will put a halt on self replicating myself in each second. What do you make out of this evolving philosophy of AI?
- The probility of truth and Liar Paradox
Truth is it a probability? Truth, If you do not know, is just a probability. This has been proven beyond doubt by modern quantum physics. Imagine what it means. Even the above sentence is another probable truth. Let's dive into some facts and figures. I watched a discussion with Elon musk and Jordan Peters on the other day about philosophy. And it is amazing to see how they come to conclusions about general things about humanity. Like why birth rates drop when civilization advances. If you do not agree just compare birth rates of European countries vs African countries. You will notice some patterns. Africa: https://unsplash.com/@macharia One concept which caught my attention was probability of truth. They discuss anything, can be considered having a probability rather than absolute truth. Just like the other day when I argued Elon Musk should not land on mars, as I thought more deeply about it I learned that it can be even a solution to other problems humanity faces like the energy crisis, so maybe we should land on mars. When I argue plastic is a pollutant , I see the counter argument in some cases plastic may not be a pollutant at all. As during the discussion the duo did not show applications of the probability of truth, I have decided just to do that. Consider the same example as the above. "Birth Rates drop as a civilization advances." If you look at the statement it generally feels true. If you compare two random countries from Africa and Europe you might say this is true. But it is obvious this is not true about every country. Some African countries will have lower birth rates than some European countries, although their civilization parameters are still low. And you can study these special cases and even find out some other reasons behind low birth rates. So it seems no statement is 100% true. Now let's consider the above. No statement is 100% true. Liar Paradox If the statement is true. There is a probability that the statement is false. As it is a statement in the first place. So it suggests in those specific cases there is a chance that some statements are 100% true? How did we fall into this kind of paradox about truth? In Fact the above is called the liar paradox. And there are many solutions if you read wiki article I will explain two possible solutions as it's interesting and show the mindfulness dimension of any truth to show you that no matter what you do you will never come across any truth in this life. It is just like trying to touch an asymptote. Colors: https://unsplash.com/@carlesmm Solutions to liar paradox 1. This is to consider every truth a probability. If that is true for some X% the statement is true not 100%. So the statement is true and false at the same time with some probability. We can just look at every truth and in one specific circumstance we might find a truth that is 100% true. Solution 2 Or we can agree that the sentence is an absolute truth and the only absolute truth that exists. Still it would not negate itself by doing this, even if we find that the statement is only true at some circumstances, it proves that concept of the statement is true in the first place. It feels like a better place to dwell than to believe that everything has a truth. Mindfulness solution to liar paradox and rules to follow. Mindfulness solution makes you everything from the point of the observer. So just like the solution to the grandfather paradox , we can argue that any truth exists only relative to a consciousness. What is true for myself at this moment in time is not necessarily true at another time or in another consciousness. So even the liar paradox does not exist outside human consciousness. I am not sure how much of this makes sense to any other. So as a conclusion, I can give you a simple rule to follow. That is, To Consider any truth as a probability. Not absolute. And anyone who promises a paradise or an ultimate truth, or happiness or success is either a liar or an idiot. That is how the liar paradox can lead us to the truth. And Guess what who lies to us most of the time non other than our own mind. And mindfulness is just seeing through this process.
- Why I gave up SEO?
SEO is the short term for search engine optimization. An article written in a blog needs to be optimised with certain parameters so that it matches a particular search query by real people. And Google is the biggest player in all search engines. As an example In this article I have to target some keywords like "I gave up SEO" or "why SEO is bad". And correctly answer the question so the "Google" can match my article with a particular reader. A listicle would just do the job. But after writing more than 400 articles I decided to give up this practice totally. Instead of doing keyword research and writing to get the highest ranking on a Google page, it made me realise that actually it is harmful for the writing career I am pursuing. Google the giant: https://unsplash.com/@rajeshwerbatchu7 Advantage of being a free thinker. This is enormous. Freedom is what we seek in all our lives. Through money, through creation and even from religion, we expect freedom from suffering. When we have to tell a story to the reader, it is fundamentally wrong if I try to match it with a query by a random user. But it can be a good strategy for those who enjoy the numbers. Numbers of visitors and numbers of dollars. But, I have noticed lately when I take this obvious route to success, it really affects the quality of my output. It hindrances the choice of words I can use. And it forces me to write about a square when I really want to talk about is a circle. If there is something which has affected the quality of articles circulate today on WWW culprit is none other than so called SEO. In Fact most of the successful bloggers in today's world are none other than SEO experts. Not creative writers, philosophers or domain experts. While the latter group is just stuck in their own worlds of 8 to 4 jobs. Simply they do not have time and rubbish knowledge has flooded the Web in staggering amounts making everyone dumb believers. With advancement of so called AI we are seeing this process as faster than ever. Why I gave up SEO, for better writing. There is someone out there, writing stupid articles with 3000 words answering the question "why I do not do SEO" with the help of AI to outline everything, and do a thorough coverage of all topics. And surely this article would rank far below against such articles. Even If I challenge myself to do that exact thing. Still I would not be satisfied with the outcome. I would feel like I am another bot trying to impress Google. Reaching Heights: https://unsplash.com/@benster789 Instead I try to give a message to real humans. Those handful of random visitors to the blog gives me enough satisfaction to continue this task. Infact when I decided to totally give up SEO and focus on writing, I found out that I can convey the message of mindfulness better. In a way that any AI would never be able to replicate. And I enjoy the process of writing more than the outcome it generates. Would I be able to achieve a nice flow state with this? Isn't it nice when you get away from the rat race? It feels just like retirement. Is that a loosing stratergy? Only time would tell. Is there only one way to win a race? So I am going to show you a second way to win a race. Story From the book what is time. I saw a child once playing a game. He was small, weak and significantly insignificant. The game was to collect candy on a mat. Candy was held up by a rope in a bag and released on command onto the mat. Kids ran to the mat in a rush. It was a mess, and parents encouraged their child. Everyone jumped into the middle of the mat where there was a lot of candy. And started collecting. Insignificant child could not push them. I saw him go circles and circles around the majority to collect insignificant candy slipped under their feet to the outer circle. And when it is time for the winner, guess who won, against all the odds. And he lost the battle, but won the war.
- Value of Space X vs Value of a Blog
Why my blog is more valuable than space X. Well, that is a bold claim. Although the blog is about philosophy, I am not going to lie. This blog really worth more than net worth of elon musks space X (Which is about 350Billion this year). Following are my reasons and comment me if they are not rational. Objective of space X The objective of elon musks space X is to expand the collective human consciousness a multiplanatory one. And that is the great objective. And the other way of preserving human consciousness is by making more babies. And this is also comes from the same geniuses mouth of musk himself. The real question is why? To identify this origin you have to look at the problem the musk is trying to solve. That is to find the meaning of life! And the man thinks that the current human consciousness is not wise enough to do this so until it is developed, he is trying to preserve it. I would say bravo! A great cause again. Even his AI Gork is supposed to serve the same cause. I am sure although people do not understand his deep philosophical roots, everyone supports him as he is building something we gave never seen. Electric cars, real space ships, starling satellites. What next. The guy is creating like a mad man, and I can only imagine his suffering doing this. As I know nobody can build anything unless they are massively suffering from wanting to create. It happens to me when I build this blog. Isn't it shameful to think we are fools and leave the "True" work to someone else from future, until we are busy making rockets and making babies? :) Space X: https://unsplash.com/@spacex Objective of a blog Now if we compare the objective of magical mindful living. We directly discuss the meaning of life. Without letting it to be a responsibility of the future generation of multiplanatory consciousness. We do this by examining the self with mindfulness, as we "believe" the code is already cracked by the plethora of dead philosophers of the past. We just have to uncover this and make it widely available through discussion. If the meaning of life is not yet unravelled still we should initiate Discussion among majority of the common public who do not understand unnecessarily complex words of philosophers. Imagine a seven billion population becoming seekers of truth. They discuss and talk about it when they meet each other instead of office problems, in the park, in the hotel, in coffee houses. And their newspapers spread the messages of simple truths. They spend resources for the search of the meaning of life on earth. Wouldn't you think that would potentially benefit current generation as well, not only future? If ultimate objective of the Mars project, the greatest combined effort of futuristic humans is finding out the meaning of life , we have a better objective here than that. To start it today. And we use the reverse goal setting to do it, without wasting time to become seekers of truth on mars. We become seekers of truth on earth. Instead of waiting for it tomorrow, we start doing it today. Isn't it more valuable than space X? This is only one proof, next one is even better. Complexity: https://unsplash.com/@tavgaksalih Where is Real value of space X? Values are generated in minds, and only persists in minds. So values are temporary and relative. Space X today which worth billions of dollars only, and only because there are thousands of individuals believe In this vision and back up with dollars. Just like value of money is zero when people stop believing in them space X would plummet in value the day people lose their interest. Who knows this even can come from Elon himself. The day he comes forward to the media, and say he has found the meaning of life and there is no value in his project now, then so called market value of space X would drop. People will withdraw their money. You can read about values in my previous articles, of a pot and schmidth tunnel. More importantly for my consciousness the value of these words would not drop. Not until I die inevitably. And every consciousness who "believe" that the truth is there hidden behind words in this blog, perish from earth it would remain valueble. And even if the blog disappear, if that knowledge is passed down generations to come, the value would remain until all consciousness is disappeared from earth by choice or by nature. Even if there are no words, truths will prevail. Don't you think that is the most valueble thing someone can possess? The ability to detect truth for themselves, by mindfulness? It's just a path to train our eyes and ears as Truth is everywhere valueless and ignored. Even in a glass of water.
- How to catch a butterfly.
It is almost a year ago since I have written following poem. Infact, it is a true account. I really did catch some butterflies when I was a kid. Often on dry days, flocks of butterflies would fly across the playground, from east to west in some days. From north to south other days. Catching a butterfly Poem Why and how to catch butterflies? And I am not proud of my abilities of catching a butterfly. Infact, I advise anyone not to. These delicate creatures have so flimsy wings that trying to catch them with hand would almost certainly damage their wings. I cannot remember, what happened, but I have the feeling of guilt still remain in my heart, that some of them did not fly. I was a kid after all exploring the world, now when I think about it now. Maybe curiosity drove me, killing was not my intention. So, I forgive myself, what else can I do? Yet I write everything here as it is a good example for mindfulness. I feel like Joseph Mangle in Auschwitz, touching those withering lives of Mimosa Pudica. Yet, catching butterflies need enormous patience. Like a wild cat, you need to sneak up to them slowly. They would fly away if any movement of air. I'm not sure they can see us. But when they close their wings, I was able to grab them by the wings. I teach my kids not to touch these insects now, yet nobody was watching when I did it. Only me and the God. As I now know the God, lived within me all these years, without any doubt, to witness it all, happening. Maybe all those butterflies did reborn as butterflies, or something else. Life is in universe in a continuous flow, cycling. Maybe it is just a memory in my head. Butterfly: https://unsplash.com/@kageyama Why shouldn't you catch butterflies? You may think that is something simple, and if I told you that is all what happened I would be lying. This is a confession of a crime of my past and whoever you are reading now is the judge. I have caught countless dragonflies, flies, tiny creatures, who would die. The guilt is enormous, although the lives are tiny. Maybe I was abusing power just like a dictator would do. Will I be forgiven? I fear the punishments of nature, but I would not carry the guilt to my grave. And I would not wait until I am a grandpa, to look at the picture of Dorien grey in the Attic of my past. There is a big lesson for us to learn here. Consciousness is a potential, equally good or bad. Universe does have a way of trapping us in a guillotine of crabs , a sin cycle. Yet only mindfulness lets me step aside from life, the highway of my thoughts and observe what has happened and happening. Just like a butterfly, life is flimsy agile and fast. Only few would ever have patience to sneak up to depths of the mind to reach and grab it. With mindfulness. And often in places with no more sound than in an empty playground. I consider the now, a butterfly. I grab it by my hands of wisdom. Consider what it means. What if it means killing my own self? What if I never can catch this thing called myself, without killing it first? What if once I catch it the life of this tiny floating creature would cease to exist and even would not be born? Should I be afraid? Is there even a thing called resurrection? What if I kill myself so I cannot kill any other? Not literally but conceptually? Does a crane is as guilty as a child catching butterflies? https://unsplash.com/@chirag14 This article is not complete if I do not tell you how I do overcome the guilt. Because everybody has scars that they hide. Answer is not a secret. It is just the same principle. You just empty the cup. When you realize everything, you have seen is just another miracle, of mind. You can understand it is same with guilt (read my article on sin cycle if you would want to know better). Every story of the past, and every story of the future has same origins which is called mind. So, I am not sure, about the story I have given you about butterfly was the true version, as it is just my version of it. Maybe the God, has a different version of the same story. Fact is it doesn't matter. I do not know anything about how the universe functions. I don't know why I should even write about those dead butterflies. I just do not want to be a part of life. It is tiring, and absurd, and even stupid, no matter what I do universe would never make sense. Imagine this, if there is something called true right, why is it not obvious? Why create a puzzle of entangled heavens, hells, sins and death. Why make living so hard, why make it a contest to survive? It makes no sense. " Only true wisdom is knowing that you know nothing "
- Information overload - Mindfulness Essay.
Information is good and bad. Information is good, for the success, prosperity wealth, even tiny bit of happiness that we assume which is there. But is this real? Does Information govern everything that we do? At least I can give you one example where Information is harmful, and that is mindfulness. Story of the Merchant Pouring tea: https://unsplash.com/@oriento Once upon a time a wealthy merchant, was looking for happiness. He could not find what he seeks even after being rich. For whatever reasons, the life seems to be in a continuous flow, and problems do not end, even if you become successful. So, he thought he should put to an end to this. He flew over the Himalayas to reach Tibet. The land of lamas. He took a risk leaving behind every success he achieved to gain wisdom on life. There he met one of the most renowned teachers. This time not on top of a mountain, but just in a well populated town. He went there and explained his ambition to the teacher. Asked him to show him the path to freedom . To ultimate truth in life. While he was explaining, somebody brought a pot of tea. And while he was talking, teacher started to pour him some tea. While he was talking still, the teacher kept on pouring tea. Now the teacup was full up to the brim and suddenly it was overflowing. Yet the teacher did not stop pouring tea, and the merchant saw this and panicked. Stop! Pouring tea. It's overflowing. The teacher stopped. And after a moment of well-deserved silence, he spoke. "To learn the truth about life you have to empty your cup first". And that was the first and the last advice he got. Himalayas: https://unsplash.com/@mimansakn Information overload problem This is a great story to illustrate what information overload has done to us. Hardest to get rid of is the ones which are in our brains. We are glued to our ethnicity prejudices cultures and everything mental. Although we say we are not attached to physical objects we are in fact slaves to mental objects . Infact although it feels like emptying the cup is easy thing to do, it would be hardest and weirdest thing to do. We ourselves are defined by the information we possess about past. We can call them memories. But these same memories are hindrance when we consider understanding nature. Imagine what it means. No matter what, you think you cannot go beyond the set boundaries of your set of vocabulary and the number system. I'm not saying you cannot make a new word , or an equation or a novel programing language. I'm showing you that they are limited. Although we are gifted by the nature to have a consciousness which can sustain itself, this same consciousness which keeps records is our problem. We are limited by our six senses. And to understand and break into the creator's realm we need a new approach. And that is the first lesson of anyone who wants to step into mindfulness. And If you are wise enough that is the only lesson that we need. You can do this, by deliberately choosing to empty your cup. You do not have to walk in the park or go on a vacation. You do not have to watch TV or take photographs to make yourself happy. You do not have to drink tea. You do not have to have a prior knowledge to read something you do not understand. What is the point? If you are defined by the things that you see and feel, then no point carrying the filled cup of information with you. You can be just like a tree, now, in this moment, doing whatever you are doing. And tomorrow is never there. How to catch a butterfly: https://unsplash.com/@jcotten You can be sad when you are sad, you can smile when you are happy, You can be peaceful when internal structure is calm. But beyond that, there is no point thinking about what you have felt yesterday. There is no use thinking about retirement while you are at work. Even tomorrow is far away. Even lunch break is a stupid idea. What matters is what is here now. If we can frame and capture ourselves to this second which is called now and stay there as long as we prefer, then we might be able to understand the wordless meaning of life. To do that we must empty the cup as necessary as, tea will be kept pouring in each second you are awake. Isn't it the most amazing thing in the world? The rapid movement of the matter across time at lightning speed giving an illusion of a persisting life? What do you make out of it? Can you please empty your cup? And be mindful?
- The tree of life and mindfulness - Essay
About talking trees. I have enormous respect for trees. Just like mountains, a big tree is all what I need to remind myself to be down to earth. They are the miracles of the nature. Just the other day I was looking at this gentle giant , of a tree. Apparently, it is silent. We humans are so nosy that we do not hear trees talking, as we are too much involved in writing our own stories. Except in fantasy film, we do not hear them talking. But trust me they do. All the nature lovers will agree me on this. If you decide to watch a tree for half an hour in the park, you will notice they are better friends. If you sit on a bench and notice their presence you will hear the slow sound of leaves. You will hear the birds, arguing with each other on the branches. You will see the shades, the tree provides to the humans and squirrels, so they do not burn by the sun. Talking trees: https://unsplash.com/@aaronburden If you are silent, you will hear the tree breathing through its pores. They are synchronized with your breath. They inhale your dirty carbon dioxide, to purify with oxygen. They have the ability to serve thousand species, by various functions from bees to birds. And they do this, just staying at one place, without making any noise. If it wasn't for trees, there would be no life on earth beyond single cells. For this I respect trees, as I would respect the god. Trees remind me that I do not have to run away from life. If my roots have a stronghold of a ground that I am standing on, there is no place to run. I can stand tall on my own. They remind me to face the harsh winters of life and the spring with same silence. They make me stronger teaching me to move, in speeds of a snail, each year, yet live thousands of snail generations longer. They are providing ultimate wisdom that slow is the fast when we consider the game of life. The trees of life, at my parents' house are still there. I moved with life, obviously as I have feet. Yet trees remained. They are still at the side of the garden, stronger than ever, making tiny fruits each ear for the new generation of floating life. They are wiser and bigger, I am sure their deed is done for the world, yet they carry on. What trees are there in your parents' house? Are they still there? Heros Of life. Tree of life: https://unsplash.com/@yxjyxjyxj123 Silent mindfulness and tree of life. I like the silence ; I seek the silence. More than noise, yet I know it prevails only because of the noise. I consider this blog, a tree. A tree which grows against all the odds of the nature. To bring about happiness, to hearts far and close, years after my presence. It has roots of the wisdom deep down in my past, which also represent all the teachers of life, generations down the line. I am sure it spreads deeply until it meets the first monkey who decided to walk on feet instead jumping from tree to tree and chose to teach this to others. Each year, I see it grows, as I nurture it with best ingredients I can provide. Which are the simple truths about nature. And I am sure, there will be a time birds will come one day, as it is inevitable. Hungry birds battered by thirst every day, seeking wisdom, will come, and when they do, they can eat the fruits for free. And spread the seeds of truth so the next generation of the mindfulness trees will grow far beyond the reach of the any human on earth. Even if it did not, I would not worry. As, it provides me a shade today. It gives me opportunity to climb it daily and reach above the canopy and observe the universe like Bear Grylls . And make me wiser. Tree is now bigger than me, so it keeps me humble student, an observer of the mindfulness. Join us with observational journey to understand the nature likewise tree of life.
- Sound of silence. Is silence another sound?
The song. Sound of silence. Hello darkness, my old friend I've come to talk with you again Because a vision softly creeping Left its seeds while I was sleeping And the vision that was planted in my brain Still remains Within the sound of silence I have listened to both songs. Yet again for the 100th time. Simon and Gurfinkel's the older version is equally dealing to listen. Ironically when I heard the above lyrics for the first time, I could not think it's a little stupid. Singing a song is the opposite of being silent. If you love the deity of silence , you should not disturb it with a song. Even if it is to praise the God of silence. But there is a deeper truth hidden behind apparently disturbing song about silence. Which we are going to uncover here. Silence: https://unsplash.com/@louishansel What's wrong singing a song about silence? I was wrong when I say, singing a song about silence is going to disturb it. Infact, you felt it right? Even when the silence in your room is disturbed by the sound of the song, still you will feel the silence when you hear the song. I am sure majority of us do. That's why the 2015 version of the song has 1B views on YouTube. Why this paradox happens? What is silence? Is it another sound? Short answer to this is silence is a feeling. I will explain this in detail. Generally, silence means absence of sounds. We assume this is something external. Forgetting the observer. We assume that the silence is in the environment. An environment which makes no disturbances in the air, is surely silent. Like inside of a Chapel. But obviously silence doesn't exist without the observer. Someone needs to be there to listen to the absence of sounds. Some consciousness. And this basically answers above problem. In fact, we feel the silence Even in the absence of it, when we hear a song about silence. Only because it is mental. We go back in our minds down the memory lane to places where there has been silence. So even when the ear drums are constantly bombarded with music, paradoxically mind tries to be silent because of the lyrics of the song reminds of this. Isn't it amazing? There seem some more things we can learn about mindfulness from this song. If you follow above argument, you know how a person can be calm even in a chaotic environment. As the inner peace and silence doesn't depend on what happens at the level of the ears. You may be listening to music, you may be listening to a sermon, someone may be blaming you . Yet if you focus on keeping the silence you can do this. Observing in Silence: https://unsplash.com/@malidesha Is silence nothingness? Next important fact is silence itself is a thing. Silence is the side effect of the absence of the noise. So inherently it is defined and related to the noise. Infact, if there is no noise in the world, we would never know a silence exist or not. Silence would not be a "thing" in a world without noise. This is why we can say the silence is different from nothingness . Nothingness which I have explained in my previous article is outside of our imagination. It is a thing that is even not there. Nothingness is the absence of everything including silence and things created by our mind, is the closest we can get. By this time you should have the question, why this is important? I can answer this by saying, because it helps us in mindfulness. Which is the art of nonjudgmental existence. While practicing mindfulness, if you observe silence, it is going to create profound experiences for you. And just like music, just like food, your mind is going to crave this experience day after day. And as our objective of mindfulness is to understand truth about ourselves, I see this as a danger. Identifying silence as another thing helps me be non-judgmental. As at this point mind would know, that it too will be replaced by another object. Then there would be no loss. I do not want you to be stuck in silence. But to observe the valuelessness of it in mindfulness when it is there.
- Miracles of Silicon Valley - essay
Miracles of natural world. Miracles do happen in different forms in different speeds. A seed of a chestnut 🌰 tree is a miracle of its own. To create a giant tree with proper nutrients water and sunlight. To combine earth material to form this tree which is totally different from the seed itself. But is capable of creating same type of seeds, even with better ability to withstand the challenges of changing environment. Isn't any seed for that matter a miracle of nature? I am sure every tiny cell on this earth is a miracle of nature. Although there is possibility that the creator himself created such miracles, it seems sustained without his involvement. Human consciousness is a miracle which happened in the universe. An impossible probability of the atoms being able to recognize and form abstractions of atoms themselves. A tree: https://unsplash.com/@yoksel Miracle of metals And this consciousness which developed over thousands of years, have now accumulated knowledge about things of nature over generations. Humans have cracked the code for manually overriding the process of passing down the knowledge to the next generation. With this ability they have become their own creators. When I look at the sky, I see a tiny aero plane travelling at speed of sound above the clouds. Humans have created these flying machines, from metal which does not even float on water! They have figured out how to use such metal to build gigantic ships which can carry thousands of tons of cargo. We have harvested powers of birds to fly in the sky, we have overcome the speed of a cheetah decades ago. We have dived the depths of deepest parts of the ocean and claimed tallest mountains in the world. With equipment we built, from a tiny nail to a piece of rope, from a tank of oxygen to GPS, has helped us to do so. Isn't it another miracle? I think that is the greatest one so far since the garden of Eden. Heavy load: https://unsplash.com/@carrier_lost Miracles of Silicon Valley I am going to take you on a tour in Silicon Valley now. From small transistors to IC chips, to Internet, Silicon Valley holds a record for high tech development than any other part of the world. It drains the brains, the money and little bit of silicon for each new development of technology. And I am sure the device you carry in your hands now has material developed from there. And things have complicated so much from a simple transistor that no individual has the capability of figuring out everything. Doom of Silicon Valley Although we are lucky to live in an era of miracles, are we using them correctly is a question we should ask more often? As I see a future as an equally unpredictable. Imagine every miracle I see daily, from my automobile to the computer, depends on machines which we built, which are so complicated and complex, In these long assembly lines . We were almost at doom when production lines halted in times of covid. We could not wait until we are clear from every risk because as a human race now, we are dependent on our miracle production lines. I wonder what would become to our lives if the Silicon Valley stopped producing IC circuits for a decade? I am sure it won't happen in my lifetime, then again, I cannot be so sure when I saw that palisade California wildfire. Nature has a way of teaching us lessons a hard way. Like we are stubborn kids. I'm not sure about you but I know there will be a dooms day to our common dream of Silicon Valley Miracles. It can be anything from a financial crisis to a warfare. Anything from global warming to a mega volcanic eruption. But I am not worried about it today. As long as it is not me who cares right? Silicon Valley miracle: https://unsplash.com/@omarsabra64 A rational solution? I take the rational approach to life. I use my device to spread the message of mindfulness as l can see the search for a happiness which has origins from Silicon Valley is never going to end. As there is end to life there will be end to every miracle which comes out from Intel google and apple Inc. I am not eager to see the next miracle of virtual reality. But I am eager to travel back to the place and understand how everything originated to create a miracle In the kindergarten of my class. Let's focus on humanity, peace and happiness instead, the things which we take for granted. Maybe those are the main reasons that the miracle prevails. Wouldn't you agree? How about a poem? At the end of dry season. Before the monsoon rains. I see thousands of ants, develop wings. They start to fly Hovering over every streetlight All night long. In the morning, when I wake up I see only their broken wings and Shattered Silicon Valley dreams
- Migrating birds - Essay.
About twenty years ago, we had an essay competition. The topic was "Migrating birds". Some bizzare unexpected topic. Yet I have read an article on birds just the day before out of curiosity. I can still remember I was smiling when I knew the topic, as this was very easy for me. Except for myself every other child suffered writing as they had no prior information on this. So I easily won. I do not think it was a fair game. Yet I do not worry now as universe has different intentions than everyone else. I have decided to write again about Migrating birds. To be fair I have forgotten all the details of that article. Hence I will only combine common knowledge and mindfulness, and you can be the judge on the essay. Migrating birds Real Migrating birds Often I would sit by the lagoon in afternoons, just to let thoughts settle down in the chaotic mind. It is a slow process, yet when I do not stire the water it happens automatically. Effortlessly. Things I see during these hours are illuminating my life as I would often remember even tiny details like a bird flapping it's wings or crows attacking a flock of migrating Birds. Migrating Birds, often few flocks, are seen fishing in shallow water, fare away from shore. And crows who are permanent residents of the lagoon do not like this. I am sure there is enough livestock, of fish for everyone even for fisherman and us. Yet instincts of crows are different and they get together for an attack. They take a flight from the shore, even to reach these foreigners they have to fly about 200 meters. And there is no place to land on water, as they have short legs, they would be drowned. So they can just attack one or two birds just a peck. And they have to return to the shore. I can only compare this to a modern day long distance warfare. The battle for the middle east during the world war 2 heavily depended on aviation power of British and Germens. And just like a flock of crows they had to fly long distances into enemy territory to attack. Im not sure it is even worth, all the trouble. Atleast not for the migrating Birds. They just ignore as this as surely is not the first time attacked by local inhabitants during their long journey from siberia. It is amazing how much long distance they travel during winter to reach these feeding and breeding grounds in Indian ocean. But that is not even determined by their conscious thoughts. These are hardwired journies in their genetic code. Somewhere. They have no choice. They cannot stay in the paradise longer than few months to build an army and make a fortress of defence. Like all the intruders of Indian ocean they would eventually leave. Leaving only some horror in the minds of locals. They can never steal all the fish, all the gems or the rich soil. Migrating birds in the lagoon On boundries. But migrating Birds teach us about some important rules about nature. Have you seen the videos about how scientists tracked a hawak on its journey a whole year. It had travelled so far north and south east and west, from mediterranean to Depths of Nile and from Egypt to Russia over the Iron dome of Israel. Migrating Birds remind us that the boundaries are not real. They do not exist just a few feet above the ground and just a few feet below the ground. I am sure even a ballistic nuclear missile would know this if they had a consciousness. If they had a consciousness they would scream before they were fired, not only for their lives but at our foolishness as we are just shooting them across imaginary boundaries at ourselves. When are we going to think as a single human race and that the earth is our home . It made me wonder, whether migrating Birds are really migrating? Humans migrate because of our imaginary boundaries, whenever we cross them. But for the bird consciousness there is no migration. Home is wherever they live. Have you ever thought about it? Do you consider yourself as a migrator?
- What I learned from video gaming.
I confess. I am prone to get addicted to anything. Latest example is my writing. Once I start writing, I just cannot stop. Not like thousands of readers waiting for me to write a great masterpiece but just an addiction. I had different similar addictions in the past. One of them was gaming. I consider gaming as a waste of time. Just like watching films . Yet I was addicted to playing games once. Candy crush, Far Cry, many more. It is not like I have spent thousands on a home gaming platform. But it could have easily been the case if I had rich parents who had nothing to guide me with. So my persuit of a career blocked me from anything becoming an addiction as I would have to quit at any time unexpectedly when it overspills to my life. SuperMario: https://unsplash.com/@kommumikation Playing video games my experience. In the college I had a friend who played video games. Not until I went to college I had my hands on a real computer. So I played Far Cry in his machine. Cannot remember which version. Sometimes hours and hours sitting in front of computer shooting hypothetical enemies, trying to save a girl from crazy genetically engineered beasts. That was fun in the initial stages of the game. But as the game advanced I found I am unable to win some stages. I couldn't drive the jeep while shooting at the same time. And I asked the help from my roommate. So while he drove the vehicle I would shoot enemies using the mouse. And it worked. We worked hard for days and both of us were addicted to the experience for just about a fourtnight. We were at it all afternoons. And we found the freaky animals were becoming more and more stronger. Sometimes we would not last a few seconds as they were so fast in attacking. We needed more support. And this time we found a cheat code so we can freeze the game at will, prepare ourselves so we can attack the enemy better. It was just like we had superpower of quicksilver . So once this gaming spree was over and we finished the last level, we even had some fans, gathered around to watch us play. That really did not feel like an imaginary game. Fortunately we did not continue to do this after we won. I have tried few other games and it did not stick. Even today I am afraid of these digital realities as I am likely to get stuck in them. So called productivity of mind markedly reduce when I try to involve myself in social media, a true introvert problem. Then on the other hand when all these life aspirations calmed down at the halfway of expected life I wonder why it just feel the same. I feel like I have been playing another episode of Far Cry! Far cry express. With all the exams, all the rules, all the people I have met does look like a virtual reality that created by the dreams of the past. There is nobody who can answer that is not. As I have checked with every philosopher from Great Socrates. What should I do now? GameBoy : https://unsplash.com/@mike_meyers What Iearned from video gaming Playing the video game was not a waste of time when I looked at it from this new point of view. I already knew that was a lie, so I did not mind a soldier falls down dead from a head shot. I was the dead shot in a dreamy game. Yet in so called reality when I see the brutality of ISIS or a guillotine of crabs I ask myself what is real? Isn't it again just a memory in my mind Once the act of observation is over? I do not want to argue over this with someone who do not even understand what I talk about. Giving something valuable to you is not the idea. I just write down my observations of life as I understand it is unique, like all other countless consciousness of the universe. I'm just trying to figure out my life, by asking the question What part of it is real when I compare it to the video games I have played, sitting on my partally packed couch. And I cannot rationalise anything real. There seems to be no answers I can arrive at how much I tweaked the words. Such that when I know even a complex video game I played was only possible with a long streak of one's and zeros. How can I be sure what is happening in my brain this moment is exactly not that? Ones and zeros. If you are confused, perplexed and paralysed by these thoughts now, I think I have won the argument. My advice is do not try to get a meaning. Just keep the information inside and watch the process. The Matrix will end when you are older and wiser.
- How to be productive in mindfulness?
Being productive Productive can mean different things to different people. Imagine a man on a fishing boat. Being productive for this guy is catching more fish. And he would do anything for that. He would paddle his boat to better parts in the lagoon. He would wake up early than other fishermen. And repair his net everyday, so the fish remains in the net. If you compare this to a factory being productive means the output. Imagine a Tesla factory. If number of cars made this year is more than the last year we call this year is more productive. And if all of them sell that is even better, due to productive marketing stratergy. So if you consider everything we do, all of these activities are associated with some outcome. And this outcome if more than our expectations we are happy. If less than our expectations we are sad. Even washing dishes is associated with a feeling of accomplishment once its done! Live, work Create: https://unsplash.com/@jontyson Philosophy of being productive in life. So you may ask, what is the philosophy in it? I would say that there is a simple definition for our lives. If we go to a church we expect to come out as saints. If we read an article we want to be wiser at the end of it. If you sleep you would wanna wake up fresh. If you do nothing you expect an empty silent mind . You live a life, and in this life all we do is doing something expecting something. Now imagine a task where the expectation is not there. Can you imagine that? We are so used to outcome based success that we cannot do this. Even if you sit down for meditation you would try to achieve something. But what if I told you mindfulness is different in this matter. In mindfulness, in proper mindfulness if you try to expect something you will not understand anything. How mindfulness is opposite of being productive. Mindfulness is peace. Mindfulness is happy. Mindfulness creates profound experiences. But during the time of doing it you would not know that, as Mindfulness is living with the experience at that moment. Since you are not comparing this experience with anything from the past, or projecting it to future, at the time of mindfulness you would feel nothing. However as the time goes on, while you are back to the mindless days, you would understand the mindful moments were the best moments of happiness. I can give you an example. Waterfall: https://unsplash.com/@bjhguerin Have you ever been to a waterfall ? Have you ever looked at a tree ? For the sake of doing that? In the book "the power of now" Ekart Tolle talks about being aware of a tree just in front of him as his moment of enlightment. You may consider this a joke, what can a simple tree teach you about life? I would not comment. You just have to see. Every little thing you see or hear is a pointer to yourself. They try to teach us a lesson that we will never learn from teachers, books or reading. Our minds are more than capable of generating its own knowledge. This wordless knowledge about self is the most valueble of all, cause its unique. I have written about the experience about a waterfall, I had years ago. I did know nothing about mindfulness during the time of the travel. That mindfulness is the pathway to the truth. But I just wanted to remember what I saw. So as I was looking at the waterfall, I chose to stay silent and observe everything I see. I did not do it for half an hour, just 15 minutes, I listened and watched and listened and felt. I did not judge waterfall was beautiful or not. I did not try to compare it with other waterfalls. I did not do anything other than letting the mind observe. I observed the trees around it. There was a massive tree which stood almost the height of the waterfall itself, I didnt try to judge its height in meters. I saw the sky through the gaps in its canopy. And I did not care that was a valueble experience or not. Paradoxes in life are everywhere: https://unsplash.com/@aarsoph Being productive in mindfulness The paradox Now after more than five years later I can still close my eyes and go back to that place and re-live that experience. Its costed nothing when we compare how much we spend to make ourselves happy. We might spend thousand dollars to reach far unknown corners of earth looking for a novel experience. But novelty of the experience is not there outside. You can make a profound experience even in your backyard looking at a chillie plant if you chose to just do that. And when you do that, my suggestion is try not to be productive. Try not to create experience. Try not to gain anything. And the nature does work in paradoxes. And one day you will know you have gained everything you wished from life in those little moments you chose to be aware.











