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Everything is as it Seems

Full Metal Jacket, dir. Stanley Kubrick, Warner Bros., 1987.

The duality of man presents itself across all art forms. The notion that we are individual beings, contained within a singular body, that must constantly wrestle with the influence of external forces, is an illusion. In reality, multiple creatures live inside all of us.

The most debased creature isn't evil but has limited priorities. It lacks context. It's an animal that only sees the need for sex, food, and sleep.

One level up, there is another creature that understands the body's full context. When given autonomy, it is able to go against the desires of the debased creature (let's call it the 'troll') and make decisions that benefit the body's future. The troll, predictably, will initially hate the higher level creature. Eventually, however, the troll will come to accept its limited understanding, as the higher creature's wisdom inevitably begins to ameliorate their suffering, leading to an appreciation of the higher creature's stewardship. The troll will "repent," no longer fighting every step of the way, and be filled with joy and gratitude.

At a higher level of abstraction, the individual body becomes another illusion. All bodies serve as nodes that are interconnected within a sort of graph network. For Buddhists, this is called Indra's Net. All living beings contribute to a shared consciousness, which can be accessed like the internet.

A 3d rendering depicting the Indra's net metaphor

At the highest level of abstraction, all matter forms into a single entity. In the same way that protons, neutrons, and electrons comprise the atom, we too collectively are part of the universe's body. Our essence was forged in the heart of stars.

From quarks to galaxy clusters, all matter experiences some amount of consciousness. Without an observer, matter doesn't have definite properties: it exists in a superposition. With an observer, it collapses into a single outcome. Our collective consciousness, consisting of all things, filtered by our own capacity, creates reality.

Sleep town neighbors drunk town; one body, I pass back and forth between the two. The ninety days of spring are but a dream and I am a dreamer within that dream. —Yi Kyu bo

The ineffability of language constricts our ability to explain something transcendental that all humans know to be true. The implication of the interconnectedness of our reality means that we all can attain something "higher" together. The Buddha wanted the cessation of all human suffering. The single candle that lights infinitely more candles is not diminished.

To use an attribute to show that attributes are not attributes is not as good as using a non-attribute to show that attributes are not attributes. To use a horse to show that a horse is not a horse is not as good as using a non-horse to show that a horse is not a horse, Heaven and earth are one attribute; the ten thousand things are one horse. —Zhuangzi

The love of God is self love. The Father and the Son are part of the same body. The Holy Trinity exists as individuals and part of the same whole. All humans beings are part of "the body of Christ."

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15: 4-5

To love the universe and existence is the universe loving itself. Me loving you is you loving you is me loving me. Kicking a dog makes my mother weep yesterday. My birth happened 13.8 billion years ago, today.