The decade draws to a close
As the last few weeks of 2019 fly past in a blur of damp weather, Christmas preparations and constant reminders to vote in the General Election, I have cause to reflect. I want to get a little philosophical, but more importantly, draw out a key lesson and generate some concrete advice from the past ten years.
It is only natural to see one’s own life in sections, and there is something satisfying about considering decades as such chapters. The 2010s formed a decade that, for me, began with some wild years and ended in a much more psychologically stable (if financially precarious) situation.
There are two things that inspired me to write today, ironically both arising from social media posts. At the close of the decade in which I shut down my Facebook account, I find myself spending just as much time on the other platforms… but that’s a post for another day. I’ll explain how both made me think and how that thinking led me to draw useful advice from the departing decade.
Two Poignant Tweets
I’m no massive fan of Twitter in general, but I came across two separate tweets this morning which inspired me to think along interesting lines. The first was a philosophical sentence about how you exist as many distinct versions of yourself in the minds of others. The suggestion of the author was that it is most important to keep the central version of you as one that you are most happy with. The other tweet was very different, not necessarily philosophical, but kind of related.
Neurological Interest and a trick of the Mind
In 2010, I was still debating the existence of God or Gods with good friends. As we near 2020 I am more concerned with the philosophical and psychological underpinning of consciousness. The presence of a benevolent (or otherwise) higher power is less of a concern now than the workings of my own mind. I guess that is the result of mellowing with age, becoming less concerned with questions of right and wrong, and more interested in what’s practical and useful.
These days I am often reassured by snippets of information that resonate with me in terms of inspiring deeper thoughts. For example, the philosophical tweet that made me think of our ‘selves’ as being distributed among others, almost networked, just like the nodes of the internet; vast constructs of interlinked servers, multiple hosts and their client computers.
The corollary of this is that just as we as people are spread out, so we support the essence of the others that we hold in our own minds. In time, I plan to develop this line of thinking but I’ll return to the notion of self as part of perception for now.
Yourself or just Someone like You
As Alan Watts liked to maintain, neurologically, everything you are aware of is yourself. Watts was heavily influenced by Eastern ideas, holding that all ‘knowledge’, by its very nature is knowledge of you; your perceptions and your inferences from those perceptions. In this sense, we as personalities have no distinction from the external world which we know as reality.
I touched on these ideas two years ago but never really developed them. For a long time, I’ve thought that this is a great way to conceptualise existence. It is a way to feel connected instead of isolated, a part of things rather than a distinct entity who needs to actively make themselves involved.
I’ve yet to read much Susan Blackmore, but I’m interested to spend the next year or so exploring philosophical notions and attempts at psychological explanations of consciousness. In addition, I have always thought we are more than the sum of the parts, and in 2020 and beyond I hope to explore just how much more we can be.
The other Tweet
Also inspirational was a kind of trick of the mind type tweet. It read something like:
‘The most important person in your life is the person you think of first after reading this.’
I mean, I’m not sure if that works, or is true, but I did think of my wife… Someone who is probably the most important person in my life, but who has given me some challenges to deal with I certainly didn’t expect to be working through back in the early years of the decade.
We met in 2013, married in 2016 and celebrated the birth of our son in 2018. On reflection, it’s been kind of quick. It’s really been a ride. Thoroughly enjoyable, but the increasing amount of stress, demands and responsibility take their toll. When things get tricky I remind myself of the importance of gratitude. In the post from early 2018 that I linked to above, I express thanks and consider myself blessed.
That still rings true. Yet it can be hard work. There is a certain emotional toil with starting a family of your own that nothing quite prepares you for, and nothing really predicts how you will fare. I remain optimistic and I am certainly more upbeat in general than I was in 2010. I’ll say balanced maturity and an interest in growth will do that to a person.
Can these musings connect?
Between the two lines of thought is a common strand. I am more than the sum of the parts I was in 2010 because I am more socially embedded than I was ten years ago. I have more to care for and more to provide for.
Whilst contemplating technological comparisons of the Internet and human consciousness may not be very useful for my well being, having a loving family certainly is. The situation does create its own new and novel struggles, but dealing with what life throws at you is a test of your character. As someone a lot wiser than me once told me, you should look to take on more responsibility.
Words of advice from the departing Decade
Know your limits, but take on as much responsibility as you can bear. Remember to be grateful for what you have, and look for the positive in all situations. In this way, dealing with the responsibility will not weigh you down, but instead, lift you up.
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