Tangible shadows

Topics: psychology, perception

2012-07-21

> The dark form of the world is hollowed out by each of our beliefs and it is dissonance between such worlds which brings conflict. Multiple worlds. Perhaps only those who lack imagination can perceive without distortion.

I believe I typed this into *Eira* approximately a year ago. It was inspired by a paragraph from a novel by *Cormac McCarthy*. His point was that how we perceive the world - our personal beliefs - carve out the substance of existence just as *wind* or *rain*.

Reading my quote again, it seems obvious. After all, I was scolded today for stating the obvious. I say fuck criticizing myself, however, because it bludgeons down my will to write. That takes my mind quickly back to so many conversations with Christian about negativity and *Energy Vampires* and how our lives were better with out either. But that is another story (most likely already told elsewhere).

The idea of the quote does seem obvious. Of course dissonance between humans results from differing sets of beliefs. The views we hold do carve out our perception of reality. This perception directly leads to our expectations of how events should unfold. The dissonance results from these expectations not being met. All this leads to the obvious conclusion that humans with similar belief sets will basically get along better than those with differently shaped *carvings*.

I disagree with what I said about imagination, however. I believe it takes a large dollop of imagination and creativity, but most of all, sheer intellect, to carve a belief system out of the substance of reality which allows one to accept other belief systems on the surface and in their individual volumes. I'm thinking of a meta-carving. A space which accommodates different carvings and perhaps modifies itself in the process. A learning space. If the stuff of reality is three dimensional, then my meta-space is four dimensional.

Those who lack imagination will, like Roland, be single minded, have a static space carved from reality, frozen long before. Advantages to this mentality abound, and the immediately obvious disadvantage (at least to other humans) is that such a carving is obstinate to an extreme. Plodding onwards, this hollow will swallow none but perfect matches. Others are rudely thrust aside.

I could easily be drawn into thoughts of the brief exchange I had today with Miss Sunshine about proselytizing and continue. It is a natural continuation...

tzifur (Martenblog home)

jenju (Thurk.Org home)

@flavigula@sonomu.club

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