Monday, March 31, 2008

Philosophy*

Most days, I have the emotional depth of a teaspoon (blessed are those days!). But then, once in a blue moon, I do have my philosophical jaunts. On such days, instead of spending time on normal fantasies related to wet mallu aunties, my mind wanders into a higher plane of thought regarding such mundane details like “what is the meaning of my life” etc. Fortunately, these spells are short lived and I come back to self in no time. The simple reason(s) being that
1) There are no mallu aunties
2) I don’t get any answers.
3) It leaves me depressed and I don’t like being depressed.

But here goes the questions and train of thought, just so that other buggers out there like me know that they aren’t alone!
1) Why do I think that I am I? Why don’t I think I am you?
I got a brain. So do you. I got a body so do you. But what tells me that I am the “owner/individual/soul/whatever” residing in my body? See I told you it is depressing stuff! I am already confused.
2) How did this world begin? Ok if you are a religious you will say God made it, but who made God eh? “God was just there” doesn’t satisfy me.
3) What if we make the matrix? Do we become God?
4) Do we live inside the matrix?
5) Is God megalomaniac?
6) Meaning of life and its purpose?

Of all the other trashy philosophical questions that pop up, 1 to 3 are those that bother me the most… though not necessarily in that order.
Like, for the life of me I don’t understand why I don’t think I am Bill Gates i.e. after he made his fortune and not for criminal tendencies
Is it the “soul” that tells you, that you are you and not me? Well if you do find out, tell me!

Coming back to the age old chicken or egg question, frankly it gives me a pain just to think about it. Moses once asked God “who are you?” and pat came the reply “I am”. Pretty smart answer, but what happened before I am?..... I was? Or I am coming? Bah! It sickens me no end.

The latest bout of my philosophical over-anxiety was brought about by a bus journey. Lonely bus journeys, beautiful sunsets, a walk on the beach, deathly calm/silence, they all conspire to make me philosopher. Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge that you are thoroughly ignorant and you can’t do anything about it is frustrating. The fact that I will not find out the answer to any of these until death weighs on me….:(

Living in a country where the Sadhu’s chant “this world is baghvan ki maya, an illusion” I was not very surprised by the matrix concept. We are already creating virtual worlds out there on the net. It will only be a short while before science comes up with true artificial intelligence. Now for a moment assume that we can create a virtual universe inside a computer. The entities inside the program believe that they are really living in a world.
What should their morality be?
Who should they worship? Us, Or our God(s)? Should there be a friggin chain of command too?
Can I go in as the burning bush and tell a Moses “I am” (Hey! that would be cool!). Should they have a heaven and hell? Or will the despots and tyrants of this virtual world also get away with it, just like they do in our world?

Which brings me to the megalomania of some higher up entities (I won't drop any names here due to... let us say ah.. "superstitions"). Say, I create a virtual world; I might(read will) want to go in once in a while and have drunken wild sex orgies with an actress. But I just wouldn’t want people bent on their knees praying to me! (Well maybe that is why God is God and I am I)

The last of the questions bother the greatest of men (and women! for politically correct people out there). Maybe coz I aint that great or maybe coz I know that the purpose in my life is plain old debauchery; I am not much bothered by that q. What bothers me is the plain old lack of it…:( Hey! Did I hear somebody say “teaspoon”?

*Please dont blame me for the post, I was bored and I just finished counting my fingers for the nth time!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Webcam, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://webcam-brasil.blogspot.com. A hug.

Anooja said...

hii abey..
I read ur blog regularly, but havent left any comments so far..Seeing your writing.. was actually scared about getting classified into any of the categories you have for various people :)
You write well and your blog is interesting..

And what prompted me all the more to add a comment is that.. this post is so different from ur regular ones...
And btw, this morning, saw this comment by webcam, on my friend's blog too;verbatim.

N!$#@N^# said...

Regular days- emotional depth of a tea spoon.
off days - i bet its not more than a table spoon he he he he....

Moreover,I liked that your "virtual world" has just one motto - reproduction....

and I was just wondering if GOD is a male or a female...
or is "it" .... Ardhnarieshwar

Unknown said...

Anooja: Sorry to intimidate you with my "categories" nothing official about it...:D. I've got previous comments like those from webcam almost all from spanish speakers... spanishil swalpam theri padikenda samayam ayee....:D

Nishu: well I got you for company in the teaspoon dept..:D
very interesting thought... is "it" male or female, well as they say "God Knows!"

Anonymous said...

Whew!!That was a scandalous!!I could have run some maintenance plans on my Databases meanwhile ;)

Fall in love Abe...That will answer quite a lt of questions you have!!

And Yo man!!Answers to your hopeless questions :: Read Richard Bach's One.... I fell in love with that book when I read it during my engineering days back in CEC when I used to get supplies!! :( Any guesses as to who I am ??

Unknown said...

hey! its not like I dont want to fall in love its the ladies who are shirking....:D
Confused=Bastin?/Melvin?