On Your Mind

Do you mind if I say that everything you see, hear, or feel is IN your mind? Scientists say that the brain is the reflector of the outer world. It contains all the fascinating God-given “technology” needed to analyse what you see, hear, or feel, and accordingly you use your brain again to react consciously (jumping in a pool) or unconsciously (blinking, or avoiding a burning object). Talking about vision, what you actually see around you are images reflected to certain areas in your brain. The brain reads them, then presents them back to you. But in order for these images to reach your brain, you need to have eyes. Eyes are the tools through which  images around you are collected. Now, think of this: Is the world around you “real”?

The Normal Way

You of course use your eyes to see, your skin cells to touch, and your ears to hear, etc.. But it’s the brain that interprets everything. So yes, the brain is the matrix. The idea behind the movie The Matrix was based on this philosophy which is called “Idealism”.

When you think about things, life, or whatever, most of the times these thoughts are mind-independent. You see life via your sensory organs, so you don’t bother much about anything.

There is me, a human, and the rest of the world, which I detect directly through my sensory organs. The rest of the world is independent from me; if I were to disappear, the rest of the world would still be here, and it would remain as I thought it was. Why do I have the sensation of seeing typed words right now? Because there are typed words in front of me now. Source: Theories of Perception

Taking it to the Extreme

If you’re okay with this, one major question would impose itself: What makes you believe that the brain exists? Did you actually see your brain? You might have seen other people’s brains. But still, go back to what I said; everything you see is actually coming from your “existing” brain.

To go more extreme on this, and based on the above information, it should make sense to you if I say that NOTHING really exists. It’s hard to believe this and it’s abit shocking and complicated, but wait, did you ever thought about it before reading this? That’s why it’s shocking. It’s because we live life and take everything for granted; we see, hear, feel, etc.. and everything looks real.

Putting it in a Different Context

Okay, now you’re wondering, whether the outer-world really exists or not, what’s the deal? Life is cool!

I agree with you. We can’t keep thinking whether things materially exist or not, because life will go on. But you can still ask yourself a question. If what I see, hear, etc.. doesn’t materially exist, where is it coming from?

First, think of it as a dream. A kind of unique one. When you dream, you see pictures and people, you hear them, and react with them, but they all don’t really exist. You never know that you’re dreaming except when you wake up. Have you ever woken up and seen those people you’re dreaming of in your bedroom?

That exactly could be a logical interpretation or answer for the question above: “where is it coming from?”

Idealism, a philosophy adopted by many religious people, suggests that the way we live our life is like a satellite dish, which receives direct signals from God.

Or perhaps, an iPhone!

Since we can prove nothing regarding the material existence of life, the only interpretation of what you experience in your everyday life is that you’re like an iPhone (a soul) which synchronizes with God. God installs in you animated pictures of people, sceneries, and perhaps a poor old man who you saw this morning on your way to work! Let me rephrase this in a more technical way:

All that exists is God and God’s ideas; that the world as it appears to the senses is a distortion of the underlying spiritual reality, a distortion that may be corrected by a reorientation (spiritualization) of thought… there is in reality no matter: all is Spirit (God) and its manifestation. Source: Idealism, Wikipedia.

This idea/philosophy is definitely too big to discuss in a blog, don’t you agree with me?

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2. Zain

   
   11/8 2010

   it is too big to be discussed…
   but the idea of everything around us isn’t true and that its mere mind result, is kinda frightening!

   what if everything was actually not there :S
   hmmm…
   you raised a big question mark in my head now :D

   but in case idealism does exist, then my mind is drawing such a nice life around me ;)

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