A Thought (as opposed to "Some Thoughts")

"Western man is so surrounded by ideas, so bombarded with opinions, concepts, and information structures of all sorts, that it becomes difficult to experience anything without the intervening filter of these structures. And the natural world - our traditional source of direct insights - is rapidly disappearing. Modern city-dwellers cannot even see the stars at night. This humbling reminder of man's place in the greater scheme of things, which human beings formerly saw once every twenty-four hours, is denied them. It's no wonder that people lose their bearings, that they lose track of who they really are, and what their lives are really about."

  -Travels, Michael Crichton

So accustomed have I grown to Crichton's beliefs and so borrowed are they into my own opinions that I did not even stop for a second to consider that the above passage from his autobiography of sorts was written about the world of 1988, the year I was born. My initial reaction had been to nod my head in silent agreement, lamenting the state of society here, with its obsessions and proud ignorance. But the world of 1988 was a world that I did not grow up in (almost even in the literal sense, since my birthday is in December), and surely not equivalent to the world of the present.

Assuming for the moment that you agree with me in the application of Crichton's sentiment to modern day-America, I will conjecture something about the nature of man: that we will always choose to define our existences, and that what we define will be based solely on what we know and perceive. With the use of 'existences' I mean to refer to more than just each of our physical surroundings; I include the thoughts and ideas (and their subsequent actions) about which we judge and believe in the world. A less abstract definition of 'existence' might be the facts that we each hold as facts that may or may not be in fact, facts. Our individual perceptions of truth and of reality.

(Here's an example, if you will, that I have taken from personal experience. One person grew up often eating soup for breakfast, including chicken noodle soup, beef stew, and so on. Another person has never eaten soup for breakfast. The first person will believe that it is natural for breakfast to include soup, while the other person will not. Breakfast as part of each of these individuals' existences is a different entity.)

Usually the differences in our perception are acknowledged and acceptable. I may think that the TV show Jersey Shore is an absurd drain on society, contributing to an accelerating decline of intelligence in modern entertainment, while you may think it incredibly amusing and flavorful (though I would hope not). I might precede a statement about Jersey Shore with the words "In reality, Jersey Shore is...", but so might you.

While that particular expression is merely a figure of speech, there is still a sameness behind the intent of its use, in that both you and I have a perception of that particular aspect of the world, and that perception is based on a complex compilation of experiences. You and I do not have the same group of experiences, and so we do not have the same perception. Therein lies the inclination to accept the possibilities of different perceptions, assuming knowledge of the the previous statement, but therein also lies both the crux and unraveling of Crichton's message: that this difference predisposes each man to exist (in our previous definition of the term) in his own world. That a man may recognize that his experiences and knowledge is separate and distinct from any other allows him to chase any notion or belief that he is inclined to pursue. Man believes in his own existence because of his ability to interpret the world as a summary of his own perceptions regardless of the method of perceiving. Thus a blind man can live in a world that is not defined by visual appearance, and a color-blind man can live in a world without acknowledging the difference in visual representation of red and green. They need not others to tell them of things that they have no knowledge of; yet if they are told, the existence of those aspects is yet perceived as part of the world even if not in the same manner as others.

This is what allows man to believe in the existence of what is invisible, or to disregard the vastness of the universe in favor of the small Earth. This is what drives men to agree and disagree: the notion that another man may hold a belief that is comparable to one's own despite our inability to perceive the minds of others.

Here then, is where I disagree (such strong irony in this statement) with Crichton's assertion that people do not know who they really are, or what their lives are really about. Perhaps he felt this way about city-dwellers in 1988, but this does not mean that those people were according to his assertion. To each "Western man" and to any man at all, really, the world is and continues to be a collection of "opinions, concepts, and informations structures of all sorts". A man will continue to exist in his world regardless of what sorts of new information he is enlightened of, for he cannot help but assimilate every experience in some way. "I will never look at ____ the same way again" is an example of this.

And finally, it is a hallmark of the human spirit to believe that there are parts of our existences that we do not yet know and to take action to confirm this (in other words, to experience them). The pursuit of the unknown is a fundamental driving force behind every motivation of man. Every action a man takes serves to change his existence, to seek some aspect of the world that yet is not known or not experienced and make it thus. This is because every moment of the present's future is completely and wholly unknown, and it is without exception that every action taken serves to attempt definition of that future. To attempt to define the future is to attempt to define the unknown, and to define the unknown to make known the unknown. This may be observed on both a microcosmic and macrocosmic scale, from each small motion taken by our bodies to the thoughtful anticipation of events coming in the next few minutes to careful planning and desirable deliverance of occurrences taking place in months, years, and even beyond our own lifespans. Rewatching an episode of Jersey Shore holds as much discovery as purposeful scientific research under these terms, and this is because of the equivalence in both cases of the fulfillment of desire of the unknown.

If you've actually followed through my thought process this far, thanks for coming with me down this road, as I've tried many, many times before to express this belief, but have never felt it as clearly conveyed as in this attempt. There is a strange irony in my attempt at even conveying such a concept.