To imagine that reality is an illusion or that everything doesn't exist appears to defy logic. But before you dismiss these ideas, let me first discuss why everything is an illusion. Nature has managed to convince the mind that the physical world is real, like the sounds detected by the ears, the odors consumed by the nose, the sunset perceived by the eyes, coldness by the skin, sweetness by the tongue, and beauty by the mind, however, all these sensations are nothing but simply a figment, a perception, a false impression of the mind. They are all illusions created by the conscious mind.
But, how can we test whether Reality is an Illusion? How would we know the mind itself is not an illusion? How do we detect if consciousness is real, if we don't even exist at all?
Tough questions! Here are my tough answers...
(i) The First Illusion is known as the Trick of the Shape.
When we see a tree we perceive that there is a real tree. But as we come closer to examine it, there is actually no tree at all. There is only a "Shape"- the shape that forms a tree. An invisible shape made up of leaves, twigs, branches, barks, and roots - the building blocks that form the shape of the tree. In a similar manner, as we inspect the building blocks more closely, the leaves are also but shapes, the twigs and branches are also but shapes, and all the remaining parts are but shapes as well. Probing down one level deeper, dissecting every piece microscopically, all these shapes are still made up of shapes and spaces. In other words, the whole tree is nothing but made up of invisible shapes and empty spaces. It might look real in the macroscopic world but in truth, it doesn't exist in the microscopic realm. The tree is simply an illusion. The tree doesn't exist.
Now analyzing our observation further, if we remove all the leaves, can we still consider the tree a tree? If the twigs and branches are removed, is the remaining trunk still a tree? If we get rid of the trunk and only leave the roots, are the roots still a tree? If we cut all these various parts and file them together in the ground, are all these parts still a tree? Can we call a trunk a tree? Can we call a trunk and its twigs a tree? Can we call a tree with leaves and twigs and branches but without roots a tree? If we say no, then this tells us that a tree only exists if all its parts are present. But each part is also each whole. Does this mean the whole only exists if all its parts exist and vice versa? Does this mean both must exist to exist? Does this perception apply to us as well?
(ii) The Second Illusion is called the Trick of the Light:
Scientifically, everything is black! Without light, we would see nothing. Without the sun, there will be no red, orange, yellow, green, violet, indigo, blue, and all the million and billion colors. White light causes objects to have colors. A red apple is red because the red color is reflected and the rest of the colors are absorbed by the apple. Apples can also be blue, violet, indigo, or black depending on what color is reflected. Thus, colors solely depend on light. Without light, colors are illusions. They don't exist on objects. Moreover, lights are waves --electromagnetic waves -- pulsating at different velocities creating a mirage of colors. Hence, colors are simply illusory pigments produced by our imaginations. They are abstracts. When a photon, a particle of light, reaches the speed of light, science claims that time stops or that space contracts to a point. This means that if a photon is moving at the speed of light, then it is actually not moving (d=0), it is not actually occupying any space (d=0), and it is not even in existence at all (t=0). Thus, light is simply an illusion.
(iii) The Third Illusion is called the Trick of the Senses:
Neuroscience tells us that all thoughts, feelings, movements, decisions, and perceptions are the result of signals that pass through cells called neurons. The various sounds our ears hear are all but mechanical signals (bits of energy) created by the vibrations of air movements. The objects our eyes see are all but optical signals (pixels of energy) made up of inverted images. The odors that our nose smells are all but chemical signals (droplets of molecular energy). The flavors our tongue tastes are also chemical signals (pieces of chemical energy) and the sensations our skins feel are all but sensory signals (binary energy) encoded and decoded in the brain. All these energies are nothing but simply Dots of Information. And information is invisible, thus it is an illusion.
Remember too that there are other people who use their ears to see things, hands to talk, and feet to write. There are animals that can see at night without eyes, that can see things using echo locations and that can hear or smell things hundred miles away. They may all process information using various mechanisms, but the bottom line here is that all biological sensors are basically the same. They mechanically act on the principles behind the sensor-actuator principle I dubbed the Zizo Effect. Like in the computer system, there is hardware and there is software. However, if I tell you that there is no such thing as Software, will you believe me? Of course, you will not. Well, let me explain! We know that a computer is made up of two major components: hardware and "software". However, in reality, there is only a hardware side. The software side of this binary world is actually but an illusion. There is no such thing as software. The letters, pictures, colors, and anything you see on your computer monitors are all but illusions.
(iv) The Fourth Illusion is called the Trick of the Consciousness:
It was developed from a simple thought experiment known as the Lawsinium Train Effect. It is a model that can be actually experienced to satisfy the claim that everything doesn't exist. It demonstrates that the physical world is simply an illusion created by the conscious mind. The physical self and the universe are entirely not real. The only physical entity that exists is (could be) the mind that simulates the reality of existence.
The illusion of existence can be physically observed and experienced while inside a moving train. Imagine you are comfortably standing inside a train. As the locomotive enters the dark tunnel, a hundred times longer than the entire train, the feeling of darkness begins to take over the mind. As the last carriage enters the tunnel, the mind begins to experience the feeling of emptiness. Your eyes try to focus hard to see if things still exist. You glance at the ceiling, the windows on your sides, the seats around you, but because there are no lights, you see emptiness.
As hours pass by, your eyes eventually resist seeing anything if anything still exists. In an instant, your eyes begin to see darkness. Total darkness. Then confusion kicks in. Your mind becomes confused. It starts to ask: “Am I trying to see everything or am I trying to think of everything”. Suddenly, the function of seeing stops, and the function of thinking starts and becomes clear. Anxious and concerned, the mind begins to check itself physically ... mentally. It finds for your legs, your hands, your physical body. But because everything is black, it doesn't really know. The mind could no longer even identify the physical world. It can only recognize itself.
However, there is something behind your head, floating above and outside the mind, creating a sense of reality. Is this the soul? Is this your consciousness? Or, is this something else? Whatever it is, you feel it doesn't belong or is even a part of your mind. It is just there! Let me call it "The Oculus" or the "I".
Now, as the train approaches the other end of the tunnel and as the light enters inch by inch, the mind slowly switches on its sensors and begins to adjust eventually seeing and feeling things again. The mind suddenly begins to see your hands, and your legs and feels the whole physical body once again. As the mind settles down, eventually you come back to recognize your surroundings. Then you pause, think, and contemplate -- you ask again yourself the same questions -- do I exist or am I a creation of the mind? Is my thought an illusory schema created by the brain? Does my consciousness make objects exist? Can consciousness be represented with material objects? If it cannot be codified with physical material, is consciousness real?
The great train adventure just shows that the mind can play tricks on us. The thought of existence can be created by the mind. The mind can create the illusion of reality. Reality is simply a figment (pigment or colors) of one's imagination. In other words, everything that exists in the universe, if a universe even exists at all, does not physically exist.
But, are there other ways we can prove that reality is an illusion? How do we know that you and I exist? If it is not the mind or consciousness, what is the natural law that provides proof of our existence? If it is the "Oculus", how can we prove that it exists?
(v) Other examples of Illusions:
The notions of life, free will, ghosts, god and things we sense may be experienced as real but their essence are all but illusory. They are experiences that seem to be true or exist to be real but at a closer look are merely the products of our imagination.
1. The Illusion of Freewill - Does free will control our lives or do we control our lives?
2. The Illusion of Emotion - Is pain, love, joy, or crying real or true?
3. The Illusion of the Law - Are we governed by an abstract living instruction or by a physical natural entity?
4. The Illusion of Creation - Does design need a designer or can creation be created without a creator?
5. The Illusion of Things - Why do we have the illusions of time, force, shapes, and organisms?
6. The Illusion of the Supernatural - What for are the illusions of ghost, soul, or spirit?
7. The Illusion of Life - Do we live in a natural world or are we just part of a mechanical universe?
The more I realize that everything doesn't exist, the more questions come to my mind: Why do we perceive things as real? What is its evolutionary advantage? Why does illusion manipulate our brain? Why does the brain create the illusion of things? Why does reality hides as an illusion? If illusions have used, what are they for? Could the purpose be like a mirage of water in a desert that encourages thirsty travelers to stay alive in order to survive? What about other living things like plants and animals, does illusion also manifest in them? How do we know that something is true or real? Is there a difference between Reality and Truth? Am I real? You be the judge!
(Excerpt: originemology)
NOTICE: Articles on this site are composed of random
thoughts. The transcript may not be in its final form. It may be edited, updated, or even revised in the future based on the outcomes of my experiments.
"Every creature is a living instruction that runs the algorithm of nature."
~ Joey Lawsin
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Patent Pending. 2000 © ®
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