Cloak of invisibility

in #philosophy7 years ago

Can you see me? Are you sure? What do you see?

Ah, you see what you want to see, you see what you see and then filter it through into your boxes of understanding. Do you think that your filters are correct? You do? How much of what you filter is me, and how much is you and your expectations of what should be, what I should be?

I put myself out there, I try to show who I am but how many are paying attention, how many are able to overcome themselves to drop their tinted glasses and see me clearly? Perhaps it is me who is inauthentic, perhaps I am filtering the information poorly. Am I the liar or they the fool?

It is a problem that we think we see without knowing if we do. We believe that we know without thinking if it is possible to know anything at all. At least enough anyway. Perhaps we are just too self-centered to see what is true, or maybe our selfishness protects us from the truth itself.

It is potentially life saving or mind preserving to live in illusion as the truth might be too much for us to bear. It could be so large and complex we are just unable to ever comprehend it and we will short circuit or worse, it may be so simple, so basic that we will go insane from having missed it.

To live a life of struggle only to realise a life of plenty was just a step to the side would be soul crushing for many, for me also? Perhaps instead of being destroyed by the realisation that my past may have been greatly different I would embrace the future. I doubt this, I am wired to live in the past, live in what was rather than the reality of the now or the uncertainty of what will come.

It is evolutionary really, I am not to blame. Evolution adapts to the environment of our ancestors, it is not a predictor of what will come to pass at all. Some just get lucky I guess and make it through. We are different though in this respect now, we can create, we can change and manipulate our environment with direction. We can destroy it too, our evolution is now ours to shift.

We have definitely been a very destructive force whilst also being the most creative the earth has yet seen. Well, as far as we know. There could have been a myriad intelligent life forms that have come and gone over this time. Not everything becomes fossilised, not everyone need leave their trash behind. That is the thinking of humans.

Once we outgrow, once we pollute enough, we move on to greener pastures. Soon it will be space, colonies started to mine and pollute other worlds. Do you think we will change our process? Most likely it will be more like a new house, empty storage everywhere, not enough furniture and stuff to fill it. Yet in short time, it is a mess with all kinds of irrelevant and poisonous crammed into the corners. Time to move again.

I am not invisible, nor are you. We can be seen by what we leave behind, our stench and filth, while we think that no one will notice that we have not cleaned up after ourselves. No matter what we believe, we are all to blame, we are all in this together. Is there a way out or are we just prolonging impending doom. We shall see, will we not?

Perhaps we won't. Perhaps it will come so fast we do not have the time to consider our folly. Here's hoping.

Taraz
[ a Steemit original ]

Sort:  

I used to see things more this way, but I don't anymore. Perhaps it is my growth from my seething nihilism into more positivity...could that be true?!?!

Evolutionarily, every creature on the planet, likely the universe, seeks a means to an end. Even the smallest bacteria will ravage whatever it needs to, in order to do what it needs to: which is to spread. We can see the effects that diseases leave behind on people, I am going through it in my very own life right now. Whatever is causing my body to attack itself is doing so in order to replicate itself, to stay alive. I agree that the intrinsic nature of all living things is selfish, and that humans are as much a part of this as any other living thing, but is it also singularly negative as well? Evil, destructive even?

As soon as humans were able to civilize and settle down, we have been raping the land of everything we can get from it. We want shelter and sustenance and all the beautiful things mother Earth has to offer us. And you know what mother Earth wants? Our dead, decaying bodies to continue the cycle and fertilize itself. So, without thought or hesitation, humans are wiped out, often by the thousands in natural disasters, resetting the balance and restoring the nutrients to where they belong, according to mother earth. (or just natural cycles if ya wanna be all science-y here.)

While it's true though, that humans seek to outdo every previous generation, out-sow every past farmer, out-produce every last manufacturer, and while we are all a part of that process, I don't know if every human being can be harnessed with the same weight of that desire/need/outcome. Personally, I shop second-hand for almost everything. I try to re-use bags, I live as economical as possible, I try to not to drive when we don't have to, and I try to turn things off when I am not using them. I am relatively aware of the dangers we are putting our Earth in, and I do what I can to combat that, but who am I against a multi-billion dollar plant in China? Against businessmen who give zero fucks what their generation does, so long as they get to live in the lap of luxury? I refuse to take the blame for those who refuse to take any blame themselves. We are all ideally not blameless sure, but categorically I believe us to be very different.

I think I am closer to belonging to the category of: average living thing doing what it needs to just skate by. I am more like the bear that will maul the shit out of you if you come by her cubs, and would starve to death to ensure their survival. Yes, I have a cell phone, and a computer, but I feel as though in this century, those tools are as prime to survival as sticks and stones were to our ancestors. Times change and necessities change as well. Many of the things that you might see as unnecessary, or inherently damaging to the Earth, I believe to be an integral part of survival, and no different than any other species doing what they need to survive.

Sorry if this became more of a rant/comment coaster, I am still pretty well pumped on pain meds at the moment. :) I really enjoy your posts and look forward to many more in 2018! Hooray for a new year!

Well, I'm probably not invisible, but surely must be translucid or something. Erm.. yeah! I mean, according my abilities to get feedback & comments in my posts. LoL

I used to watch Casper as a kid.

I think it is always a taste thing. people connect with different stuff, most 'connect with what most connect with' if you know what I mean, which I am quite positive you do :)

There is only so much space for unique, the majority want easy.

There is only so much space for unique, the majority want easy.

Oh yeah! definitely. After a year and a half here, humor does not seem to be a very easy thing to grasp & digest on this place so far. }:)

I think that there are two filters:

  • The observed person filters what does he/she wants to show
  • The observer filters what he/she wants to see

I am not invisible, nor are you. We can be seen by what we leave behind.

Very nice thought!

I've actually just published a very similar topic: Can I really be myself? Am I free to do so?, where I tried to point out how social norms inhibit us from expressing ourselves, check it out if it interests you.

Cheers!

Being invisible is a choice.

Great post.

I believe that we CAN create something new...something that has no point of reference of the trash from the past. We are finally waking up to what powerful creators we all are.

We are not invisible✨

That's true, it is what are hearts want to see that we see, everyone can read different meanings from a particular circumstances

Maybe we are invisible, but we leaving behind the traces of visible destruction through our acts. :D

I wish we were not invisible

we are not invisible.

In short: We create, We have choice. Happy New Year!

This is true we see things from different perspective

Perfect post :)

excellent post ..loving to your blog.thanks for sharing..