The Philosopher from Carnival Island

The Seeing

Sam Chahine(sechahi at gmail.com)

Contents

The First Letter

The Knower

The Fallacy

The Delusion

The Awareness

The Second Letter

The Expression

The Seeing

The Carnival

The Domino Universe

The Third Letter

The Innuendo

The Champion

The Guardians

The Storyteller

The Final Letter

The Revelation

Upon learning to observe the experience from the perspective of no one, where no one is no where, you will find it is less likely to ever fall victim to the menace of doubt. In other words, since you are now recognising the experience, instead of believing that you are experiencing it, it is less likely that you will fall victim to the menace of doubt. As long as you are observing the physical being as the ocean observes a wave, you will be able to unlock a remarkable and natural ability. You will be able to tap into the very essence of this experience, allowing you to recognise the algorithmic nature of all things.

It is important to note that in the same way The Knower is subject to and can never know The Awareness, you will never know whether or not your interpretation of this experience is shared by anyone else. That is, you will never know if your “blue” is the same as someone else’s “blue”. Although you may both look at the sky and agree that it is in fact “blue”, you will never know if the other person’s “blue” looks like your “red”, and their “red” looks like your “blue”.

I am not assuming that your “blue” is not the same as mine, but I am making the assertion that I can never know if it is. I can never know because if your “blue” is the same as mine, there are infinite ways to coerce me into believing that they are different. Just as well, if your “blue” is not the same as mine, there are infinite ways to convince me into believing that they are.

I do not recommend dwelling on this uncertainty, but rather I suggest you try and understand where I am coming from. If you can never know if your “blue” is the same as someone else’s, how do you know if your “good” is the same as someone else’s? If you can never know that your interpretation of a thing is the same as someone else’s, without falling victim to the mechanism of belief, what good is imposing judgement on another’s interpretation of what could possibly be a completely different experience, through their subjective interpretation of it?

All you know, is what you know. Of course, you are able to learn and explore any area of understanding that you wish, but you must remember that your interpretation of it, is your interpretation of it. If two individuals were asked to paint with the color blue, they would paint with their own interpretation of the color blue. Although the participants confirm that both blues are the same, each individual is superimposing their own interpretation on the other’s, so of course they would believe that they are seeing the same color.

You are not the experience, nor are you the physical being who is limited by the lens through which they are able to see. You are The Awareness, yet you are aware of the knowing of the experience. In this experience, the physical being cannot know another physical being’s experience. The physical being cannot know another’s experience without first superimposing their own subjective interpretation upon it.

The only one that can know your experience, is you. Although it is possible for me to document, demonstrate or retell certain happenings from your experience, it is inevitable that I will superimpose my own interpretation of my own experience, upon yours. It follows, that should you believe that you are able to perfectly understand another’s experience, as well as you do yours, simply remember how quickly The Believer recognised The Knower, and how quickly The Knower recognised you. You can always try to understand another’s experience, but it is important to remember that you will inevitably superimpose your own interpretation of your experience, upon theirs. Try to approach any judgement of others with a respect and humbleness that comes from your awareness that you only know what you know.

This is not a case against the possibility of a shared experience, but rather a reminder that it is impossible for me to know if my experience is the same as yours. In the same way, it is impossible for you to know if your experience is the same as another’s. What is known, is simply what is known. If you have come so far as to recognise the experience as no more than the knowing of an experience, then recognising that you do not know what you do not know should follow suit.

What’s the point in there being only one Awareness? What’s the point in being? What’s the point?

The Invitation

There was a foolish part of me that believed the best way to communicate a complex understanding was through mathematical concepts and abstract ideas. Thankfully, the jester within convinced me otherwise and allowed me to express simply, through storytelling, what would have been a convoluted explanation of how to find, well… nothingness.

In the repetitive recognition of all things, it is important for the physical being to align themself with the nature of The Awareness, in that no judgements are made and no sentimentality is expressed. The experience should not be limited by any beliefs, assumptions or allusions. For example, in the event that four horses are being observed, the only revelation that should be taken from this experience is: the knowing of the experience in which four horses are being observed.

Put simply, what is recognised is the knowing of experience. Therefore, to put the experience of the horses simply, you could say that what is being observed is: four horses being observed. It may seem rather repetitive and monotonous to recognise inconsequential occurrences within the experience, without knowing why you are recognising at all. However, it is the consistent recognition of all things that will allow the expressions to become apparent.

You walk outside of your cabin and find a letter in the mail. The letter reads ”O’ Greetings, good and splendid soul! We ponder, deeply, would you stroll along the rubble, to the town of Alden, when the sun goes down? To hear the joyous choir sing, to see the jester and the King. From tiny folk, in green and gold, to tales of evil, tales untold. So set your woes and troubles free, for much awaits, and much to see.”

You live on Carnival Island, in the town of Alden. Every year, there is the annual fair where all the townsfolk gather and show off their… selves! There are clowns, leprechauns, jesters, and all sorts of peculiar characters. You decide to prepare yourself before heading off to the town of Alden, to see what all the fuss is about.

On your way back inside, you close the envelope, and then you close the door. You pause for a moment and recognise that your experience has just expressed the abstraction of ‘closing a thing’. Although there is no meaningful connection between the closing of the envelope and the closing of the door, you observe the expression of a thing being closed in two instances. This is by no means a revolutionary discovery, so you do not dwell on your findings, but instead you choose to become more observant of your surroundings. Who knows what can be found! You choose to become more observant in the hope that you can recognise more abstractions that are being expressed within the experience.

Before you change into the proper carnival attire, you close the curtains for some privacy. After grabbing a pair of socks you close the drawer and start putting on your boots. The thought appears once again, that the abstraction of ‘closing a thing’ has been expressed time after time. You grow weary of the pointless abstracting your mind seems to entertain, and decide to meditate in the hopes of calming your thoughts, so you close your eyes. Then, you get it.

Although you are not mesmerised by your ability to recognise repetitive expressions, you are intrigued by what can be uncovered regarding the patterns and the order in which things may or may not occur. To clarify, the abstraction of the ‘closing a thing’ is only one out of an infinite number of abstractions. Any thing and every thing that is able to be known in this experience can be abstracted. The only reason we are observing the experience is to form an understanding of what these abstractions mean and how to even find them.

You understand that if you were to recognise every single expression of an abstraction, you would go mad. What good is recognising every ‘step’ you take? What good is recognising every ‘breath’ you breathe? What good is recognising every ‘question’ you ask? Fortunately, you realise that there are probably more interesting abstractions to recognise than the number of ways you are able to walk or breathe.

However, although there are more interesting abstractions to recognise, it is important to note that all abstractions hold the same significance, for the simple reason that they are a part of the same knowing of experience. That is, should you recognise two instances of a bird and two instances of a stone, you must not quantify the significance of either abstraction, for the ability to quantify exists within the very experience you are trying to transcend.

Instead of quantifying or estimating the value or significance of a thing, observe it with the utmost objectivity your are capable of, accepting it as it is. If there are two instances of a bird and two instances of a stone, it holds true that there are two instances of a bird and two instances of a stone. Understand that since you are aware of the experience being known, it would make no sense to try and quantify any thing, for neither The Knower nor The Awareness has the ability to quantify.

Accordingly, neither The Knower nor The Awareness has the capacity to express sentimentality. Should sentimentality be expressed in the analysis of abstractions, you are simply aware of the knowing of the experience in which a physical being is experiencing sentimentality. Should sentimentality be expressed at all, the physical being is superimposing their ability to express sentimentality upon the nature of The Awareness, wherein lies the delusion. The delusion lies in the belief that The Awareness and The Knower have the capacity to be any thing other than aware and knowing, respectively.

Although I ask you to recognise and observe the experience, I do not intend to confuse you in regards to the capabilities of The Knower or The Awareness. The physical being should recognise and observe the experience, while being conscious of the essence of The Knower and the nature of The Awareness, so as to allow for the awareness of an experience unhindered by belief, bias, or sentimentality.

As sun down approaches, you head outside and make your way to the town centre where the carnival is happening. You have walked this path a hundred times before, but you have never taken notice of the obscure abstractions on the way. As you trod along the stoney road, folk on horse drawn carriages pass you by, one by one. You decide that it is best you find some food before the carnival drains your stash of gold, so you take the next left to make a quick stop at the closest inn. As you turn the corner, a carriage follows and turns the corner.

You remember the thought you observed which resulted in your change of direction, from heading to the carnival, to searching for an inn. You think it ridiculous, but choose to entertain it nonetheless. You see that the ‘change in direction’ abstraction was present in the thought you observed, the physical path you were walking, the horse drawn carriage and inevitably, the fellow who instructed the change in direction. The fellow would have observed a similar thought wherein the ‘change in direction’ abstraction was present, resulting in the horses turning the same corner.

You start to realise that the ‘change in direction’ abstraction is also present in the crossroad, the change in destination from the carnival to the inn and even the thought that observed one possible future, but decided on another. It would be impossible for you to know what the fellow is thinking about at all, unless they choose to tell you. You are starting to recognise abstractions in the expressions you are observing.

You find that you quite enjoy the search for reoccurring abstractions and continue on your path to the inn. How complex can the abstractions become? In what way could the recognition of reoccurring abstractions help you at all? What did you end up eating at the inn?

The Vision

Instead of delving into the crux of Fibonacci or mastering quantum mechanics, we are able to explore a wondrous tool that exists within the mind of the physical being: imagination. Analogies are most often used to help convey an understanding in short story form, but with the infinite potential analogies hold, it would be beneficial to explore their nature to understand the underlying principles that govern their complexion. To understand their complexion is to understand why we are able to use them to describe or simplify, fundamentally anything.

The word “abstractions” has been thrown around quite a lot, but what is an abstraction? The Oxford Dictionary defines “abstraction” as:

abstraction: a general idea not based on any particular real person, thing or situation; the quality of being abstract.

An abstraction is not any specific thing, but rather an idea of any thing. As you are, ultimately The Awareness, the path to the knowing of an abstraction is as follows:

The Awareness is aware of The Knower, The Knower knows the experience, and the experience possesses the concept of abstractions.

The concept of an abstraction is an abstraction in itself. That is, the idea of an abstraction is an abstraction. Similarly, a single abstraction can be expressed infinitely, as demonstrated in the previous chapter, wherein you observed the ‘closing a thing’ abstraction being expressed in many different instances. If we were to abstract the transcendence of the ‘closing a thing’ abstraction from the perspective of The Awareness, we would find:

The Awareness is aware of The Knower, The Knower knows the experience. The experience expresses within itself the 'closing a thing' abstraction, where the many expressions are represented by: door, curtains, drawer, eyelids, etc.

The written diagram above may seem linear, but that is only because we are trying to express infinity, The Awareness, through finite means.

So far on your journey to the carnival, you have recognised two abstractions, ‘closing a thing’ and ‘change in direction’. The name or label given to an abstraction is irrelevant and does not need to be meaningful at all. The only thing an abstraction requires is your awareness of it. In the same way the physical being had to align themself with the nature of The Awareness, which is only ever aware, the physical being must now align their abstracting of the experience with the nature of The Awareness. In other words, the physical being will soon be able to relate all expressions of abstractions to the infinite, paradoxical, momentary and familiar nature of The Awareness.

The physical being must remember the infinite nature of The Awareness, always abstracting any concepts and ideas observed in the experience. Furthermore, in the same way you were able to transcend The Believer and The Knower to recognise yourself as The Awareness, you must attempt to not only abstract obvious concepts and ideas, but you must also abstract… abstractions! Should you recognise the abstraction of ‘two things side by side’ , or the abstraction of ‘a thing that is blue’, understand that each abstraction can always be further abstracted.

There is no level of complexity an abstraction needs to have for you to know if you should entertain its presence. It is, however, up to you to find these abstractions, regardless of how complex or simple they are, as long as you are able to abstract them infinitely. It is up to you, and your understanding of this experience, to decide how complicated you would like to your recognition to be. How complex can abstractions become? What are all the abstractions expressing? Does the carnival sell cotton candy?