Secrets...

Likely to be a post I don't publicise. I wonder how many will discover it? My money's on one, Highlander style...there can be only 1. Or Lord of the Rings style.

This is a thought process that has lead me to believe that it's all smoke and mirrors, illusions. Anyone read Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah? If you ask nicely I may lend/send you a copy. Lots of layered illusion to overcome. A nice and easy one is where we walk. On footpaths right? But why? Because that's what we are supposed to to, also they are safe and usually free of vehicles.

So the nub of this is the illusion of self. I had that nagging fear about death that wrote about back here. I seems to have gone now that I've come to this idea/working theory/something I don't know how to classify. Self a collection of tendencies based on previous experiences. But what is self is constantly changing. Cells are born, grow old and are replaced. What was "your" skin today is dust tomorrow. What was your dinner today becomes your flesh, blood and bone tomorrow. Maybe not that quickly but you get the gist right?

So the body is constantly being renewed so it is not constant. Once you grow up you have a basic frame that you consider yourself. It may get a little wider, narrower, firmer, saggier, greyer etc. but as it's constantly being renewed it's not the same. It may appear the same but it is not the same. Had a shot of rum in my vanilla chai so this may be the slightly tipsy ravings of a borderline narcissist.

So body is not constant, so what about conciousness? That's stored in the mind, right? Staying relatively scientific as the esoteric/mystical mumbo jumbo is too soothing. Solace, something that is nice but something intellect won't allow to remain in place for too long. If the very basis of conciousness is being renewed/rebuilt regularly then is this a continuity? Or a series of snapshots stitched together using the faculty of memory? Take 20 photos of any moving object per second for ten seconds and then run through them at a rate of 20 photos per second and the image will appear to move.

Does that make sense to anyone or am I really barking up the wrong bush

My fear of death appearing to be gone. Well I think that's because I don't really exist at all. Much like a record of events my mind has recorded everything that has happened around me to date. This record is maintained and accessed when faced with new situations day to day. So what is there that's "me". Broken down and rebuilt constantly. A copy, of a copy, of a copy.

I thought the truth about life, would be bigger, hit harder, maybe this isn't it or all of it. Perhaps a small portion. Hmmm. I don't know!

Segregation

Up till now I've just been writing down what happens to me day to day. And I was pretty adamant to keep it to a weekly thing that shouldn't take over all my spare time. Oddly the more I do this the more I want to do more of it. There has to be a better way of putting that, answers on a postcard.

I chat regularly with my bro on skype, we get on famously. Am I right in thinking that most folks would be happy that they get on with the person they grew up with and leave it at that? I've got a sciencey brain that tends to want to dissect everything to understand the underlying principles behind it etc. This is not a recent thing I've been at it for quite a while hence detail.

First off there is the sheer quantity of time we spent in each others company. To paraphrase the great Will Mackenzie You just have to spend enough time around people and they will become your friends. But I don't think it's quite that simple.

My dad, as awesome as he was, was always fantastically busy. He's still fantastically busy! Any guesses and to what he does when he goes on holiday? I've come to realise you are a lazy lot who won't comment or hazard a guess so here's the answer :P He volunteers at hospitals, clinics etc for pretty much the whole time! But I guess he found his calling and loves what he does. This may just be a rationalisation I've concocted to make it ok.

As a result of the aforementioned busyness, I think I may have become the role model that my old man was for me. Now I was nerdy, angry and overly macho. Not a great combo when choosing a role model. From the extended exposure we are basically the same person. Well he's like 10x more disciplined when it comes to studying but then I've got pecs so it kinda evens out right?

Anyway onwards to the point of that 300 word preamble. One other thing we share, at least I think we share, is our interest in conspiracies. Like gravity being a CIA plot to keep us all on earth and countries are actually a lot closer together than you think...

It's more a seeking of truth and the fundamentals behind certain processes.

Creating an Underclass
There are seven steps identified about how this has been done in the past. They are:

1. Identification
2. Ostracising + Propaganda
3. Concentration
4. Reduced Opportunity
5. Crime
6. Arrest
7. Annihilation

These steps feed into one and other. For example crime leads to arrest and that in turn reduces opportunities further. Once arrested concentration is also easier e.g. prisons.

Bit heavy for a bank holiday afternoon but when I sat down to write this is all I could think about. Well also about how I can't eat normal food again for another fortnight.