1986
Grandfather reveals to me the concept of the blind spot, validating my suspicion: we perceive things not as they are, but as we are. He explains, 'What we call reality is merely a consequence of our bodily senses' limitations. It's our human umwelt, our narrative, shaped by our blunt tools of perception.'
This revelation sets me on a journey of retrospection, introspection, and exploration. Over the years, this journey amasses a trove of observations and reflections, all stored in what I call my virtual sack: 'Musings from Eternalmoor.'
Is awareness a product of matter, or does matter itself arise from awareness? Could my body be just an avatar, a vessel, akin to a 'VR headset', facilitating experiences of being a human, a whale, or a tree? Or is my entire experience merely a series of calculations and hallucinations produced by my physical brain?
Raised in a scientific milieu where the dominant Newtonian view posits that awareness stems from matter, I've often found it difficult to share my musings.
Over the years, however, my path has crossed with the works of thinkers like David Chalmers, Donald Hoffman, Swami Sarvapriyananda, Robert Lawrence Kuhn and his guests, Thomas Metzinger, Karl John Friston, and the team at the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia. Their open-minded approach and thorough analysis of aggregated data resonate with my own perspectives, bridging traditional scientific beliefs and secular spiritual views. This confluence of ideas reflects my understanding of the concept of spacetime and has assisted the skeptic in me to embrace the personal experiences that initially ignited my interest in the hard problem of consciousness.
The insights gained above, coupled with current evidence indicating that objects are not solely influenced by their surroundings, and may even lack definite properties without measurement or observation (local realism), have finally led me to a pivotal conclusion. It's time for me to step out of my self-imposed secrecy regarding my out-of-body and (assumed?) near-death experiences, and contribute my personal data to the broader narrative.
You might find my musings to be entertaining, thought-provoking, unbelievable, or perhaps uninteresting. As some of you are aware, there's an abundance of autobiographical material stored in my drive, which I intend to share eventually. Until then, I'll offer a eclectic 'show-don't-tell' introduction: 'The Way of Wood and Fire - A Yew Tree's Coming of Age.'
I invite you to join Aril on her transformative journey in our animated movie project. As a yew tree coming of age, Aril's story navigates the intricate balance between innocence and self-awareness, the eagerness to learn against the fear of failure, and the struggle between self-faith and the fear of rejection. Her journey embodies the hope that things will eventually be okay, set against the doubt of fitting into the world, and explores the tension between making clear decisions and the tendency to overthink.
Through this storytelling endeavor, I’ll do my best to embrace the power of art and metaphor to express things that words alone often cannot capture.
Expect to see snippets of poetry and quotes here on Instagram. Over on YouTube, I'll be sharing my animation movie work-in-progress. I'll also include links to scientists and thinkers who have captured my interest.
There might be an ultimate truth out there to uncover, but more likely, there is no single, definitive truth at all. I actually hope for the latter, because what would be the point of existing, in any form, if everything there is to know were already known?
As always, curious, inquisitive and full of love,
/Sol Vikström