Why do we do the things we do? What are we doing when we do the things we do?
Lately I've had an image of the entire universe as one physical/chemical reaction. We are part of this gigantic multi-pronged reaction just happening. Just like H2 + O => H2O, this reaction is apathetic, completely unaware of itself, non-judging, non-feeling: it just happens.
The picture I have is that of blobs of particles protruding from a flat space and toucing, interacting with each other. These blobs of particles are us, or animals, or any complex union of particles.
Because that's all we are. A bunch of particles that like to stick together.
People usually attribute a "soul" or "spirit" to the observer that is within us. For me it has become obvious that thoughts and the identity of "me" are also manifestations of this gigantic reaction.
Thoughts <= neurons firing <= electrochemical reactions <= basic physics
What I'm trying to say is, all the shit that we do is just like a simple event happening because of basic laws of physics, albeit at just a much much bigger scale.
Its hard to imagine it because we all naturally keep our sense of "self" disparate from the our sense of inanimate objects. Once we get over that infatuation, its easy to see humans and animals and everything for what they really are: macro particles interacting according to the laws of physics.
Again, when I say "interacting according to the laws of physics" we tend to picture two things colliding, or a charge moving through a field. The next step in seeing what I see is to get over this delusion and understand that me writing this and you reading this are all ultimately caused by physics. My decision to write and your decision to read are not something independent of simpler chemical reactions happening in the universe. Of course, I say "simpler", but the reactions don't have any understanding of simple or complex. As always they just happen. No judgement, no feeling. Period.
Lately I've had an image of the entire universe as one physical/chemical reaction. We are part of this gigantic multi-pronged reaction just happening. Just like H2 + O => H2O, this reaction is apathetic, completely unaware of itself, non-judging, non-feeling: it just happens.
The picture I have is that of blobs of particles protruding from a flat space and toucing, interacting with each other. These blobs of particles are us, or animals, or any complex union of particles.
Because that's all we are. A bunch of particles that like to stick together.
People usually attribute a "soul" or "spirit" to the observer that is within us. For me it has become obvious that thoughts and the identity of "me" are also manifestations of this gigantic reaction.
Thoughts <= neurons firing <= electrochemical reactions <= basic physics
What I'm trying to say is, all the shit that we do is just like a simple event happening because of basic laws of physics, albeit at just a much much bigger scale.
Its hard to imagine it because we all naturally keep our sense of "self" disparate from the our sense of inanimate objects. Once we get over that infatuation, its easy to see humans and animals and everything for what they really are: macro particles interacting according to the laws of physics.
Again, when I say "interacting according to the laws of physics" we tend to picture two things colliding, or a charge moving through a field. The next step in seeing what I see is to get over this delusion and understand that me writing this and you reading this are all ultimately caused by physics. My decision to write and your decision to read are not something independent of simpler chemical reactions happening in the universe. Of course, I say "simpler", but the reactions don't have any understanding of simple or complex. As always they just happen. No judgement, no feeling. Period.
