Cogito Ergo Sum: illusion and solitude—meditative discourses enveloped in a fictional world.
Descartes’ most famous idea cogito ergo sum declared the foundation knowledge. At the base of it all, only knowing oneself was possible. In effect this singular conclusion finds correspondence with mystical meditative ideas.
Cogito for Descartes is a realisation of the self. It is the foundation of epistemological process. The origin of reason is this self affirmation. His own consciousness affirms his existence. If he thinking of himself then he must be alive. It is this primal certainty that emboldens security. A sanity of self sufficiency. Such certainty is irreversible. It is the basis, the bedrock, of human plausibility. An immediate clarity of the self as a wanderer in the game of life. Otherness is only conjecture. What is to be true is what can be conceived in one’s own space. In one’s own periphery, in the speculation of the mind. It is his consciousness itself, conceivable of the inconceivable that marks existence. Proudly acknowledging the debt to his own affirmed prestige. Even if all else outside the periphery is a falsehood, the self cannot be. Indeed, given this analytical deduction, it must be that existence is real. The ability to transcend the promising unknown is a declaration of existence. He cannot doubt he exists. Easily deducing the plausible simulative phenomenon but not himself. If it is the convincing of the doubt itself that marks existence. It is through the thinking process that shines the title existing. Processing the syllogism into a mantra: that I am, I exist.
Doubt is farfetched in the mind. Thoughts can be guided to mistaken conclusions. Duped by the mind to believe otherwise. Phantom pain is a tragic mind-bending imposition of brain reconfiguration. Yet the turmoil of the pain affirms existence. At the foundational level, the thinking even if erroneous is itself a manifestation of a living organism. While this differs from convincing oneself of something, it does follow a similar format that despite the neurological mishap, the consequences reveal the proper existential reality. The dreamer in a coma exists even if those thoughts circling into unconscious narratives are not implemented into reality. He may not be conscious but his existence is warranted. His brain is not turned off but his body is still pumping. He exists until his body decomposes. To some extent the self may idiosyncratically refer to the soul with death it departs. Yet brain dead fits the same mould. Without the possibility of recovery, of potential circuitry, existence withers. A person may grieve for a dead relative or cheer for a famed leader. While the memory of these individuals is upheld, their existence is merely a subjective imagination. Those bodies have rotten with no plausible motion of interaction. Yet we say that unicorns do not exist. The state of non-existence is a subjective decay of one’s incapacity to live. The existence of something as an idea does not hold up to the parameters of existence.
Beyond, Descartes’ intentions with his theory as well as criticisms from later philosophers, the point of departure for this specific piece concerns the solitude of the self syllogism. The only certainty is the self. Non-existence may prevail all around but existence is sure to be found amongst the self. Yet it is doubt concerning surrounding phenomena that prevail in the theory of primal being. Descartes’ declaration is a condensed version of Aristotle’s tangential affirmation. Being as first philosophy certainly made its mark at the onset of modern rationalism. His version was to produce a syllogistic concretisation to canonise the idea instead of playing along with the phraseology of old. From Parmenides to Avicenna the statements were dialogued but Descartes cared less to argue in passing. Instead it was to halt this idea as the basis of his philosophy. To reckon with a new dualism and pass the torch to the modern age. Use reason to establish the foundational truth of existence and thereby logic will follow. A bold attempt with critiques flooding from the existential thinkers. Kierkegaard presupposes existence by cogito. To think would mean to exist not vice versa. Williams further denigrates the recognition of thinking as a third party perspective. An external view of consciousness. Still, this third party view is the self introspection which itself is validating one’s existence. It is not that thinking can deduce existence but that thinking is the self affirmation.
An internal chord acknowledges the exclusivity of the self’s existence. The latitude of capability solely of the self’s inventory establishes a special communicative alliance. While sensible it is incongruent to others measures. I know what I am thinking but I cannot read another’s mind. I can raise my hand but I cannot raise your hand. Aspects of trickery under hypnosis enable the truths to be spewed but only through the other’s voluntary execution. All else outside myself is a mystery. Similarities seem to demand inevitable uniformity but that is not always the case. Even if it were to be true it is merely coincidental. The possibility of congruency across platforms is a measure of education not a linked neurological platform. Jungian collective unconscious weaves all humanity into a unique stream but such accusations are conjecture. Though if accurate, the simulative persona is still a potential solution. There is little that can derail the possibility of an enclosed matrix. Dreams of a potential fantasyland are reoccurring fictional aspirations. Existence is anthropocentric. Anthropocentric to the self’s goals. A novel with you as the protagonist of the story. Mightily arrogant but yet rationally induced mania. Arrogance is part of the game. Still, the collectivist assault seeks to destroy the humble wishes of self actualisation. It is not a question of ethics but of submission.
Subjectivity marvels in its relation to difference to the world. While dehumanising at its maximum magnitude, is petty at its minimum altitude. The spectrum is not to isolate others as irrelevant. Instead it is to muddle the grand importance to the collectivist assimilation. The coercive tactics to bind to the larger conglomerates. To be fused into the matrix. To be another Mr. Smith. Instead be Mr. Anderson. Survive and remain a soloist at the cost of sanity. Retain pure self in the chaos of forced conversion. Following one’s being is to counter depressive conduct. Oppressed by expectations and melodramatic narcissism. Being shines in its acknowledgement of self importance. Everything else pales in comparison to personhood and individualistic aura. Quite the existential dogma but realistically liberated from compelled endeavours. Not so much a humanist assault nor a paranoid businessman. The self is recognised in the face of a sea of otherness. The self must take charge not in red-pilled fascination nor in any exploitative media. Less emotional turmoil in a dramatic world of overreaction and oversimplification. A chill pill and honest introspection. Everything outside the self is secondary to the self’s declaration. Being is a singular force for self care.
Exploitative tacticians selfishly belong to the greedy nonsense that propels their eudaemonia. Essence is not solely a link to other beings but relational to other nouns. Ideologically syncing into the pervasive fame of yesteryear. Seduced by otherness for the sake of recognition by others. True being is the mystical chief. Seeking solitude away from the societal bag-grabbing trash-talkers. Consumerist punches on the societal picture. Manipulating with new ideas and events to trample the soured being. Being is genuine in its safeguarded isolation. The taoist passivity seeking to secure being. Aspiring for self preservation to fend off the devilish desires that otherness props up. Recognition of self is the existence of necessity. All else is a projection of the simulated decorum. The symbolic takes centerstage. Corrupted by the societal means of socio-political duality. The metamorphosis of societal collusion seduces otherness into the objective methodology. The rightward model of execution. A beating drum that cannot be undone by the visual incantations. Fascinating the conscious mind urging it toward the limelight. A degenerative assault but one with successful results. The self breaks free in search of tranquility. Away in the forest, he calms his mind. Aware of himself and his desertion. Alone but knowledgeable of himself. A true serenity with a simple rational conclusion. The only thing to be true for sure is myself, how beautiful.
Declaring one’s being is an affirmation against those who have lost themselves. Those who may have once been free are now shackled to society’s objectification. Imprisoned unable to leave, surrounded by zombies who wish to devour their soul. They cannot be reasoned with. The prison cell is merely a poisonous cage inflicting the public with zombie disease. Infected, falling prey to the apocalyptic denial of true freedom. Those woken up from the slumber fail to recognise their mishap. They see zombies all around them masked as people. So much individuality and yet a nefarious belonging. Only a certain degree of individuality is permissible. Ideologies must be aligned and thought processes consistent. They are imprisoned without being tied up. Free to roam the prison yard unaware of their true incarceration. A spectacle enveloped in erasing primal being. There is no thinking, there is no acknowledgement of the self. Simply put, a unified projection of oughts. External stimuli demand identification with the norms. Activity and execution heralded as proper expressions of society. Conforming in light of gifts. Zombies have existence. While similar to a coma, the ability to wake up conscious pertains to existence, such is true of zombies who transform to unconscious beasts. Their existence lingers yet their essence overpowers. The line between being and belonging is blurred. Belonging shadowy decreases being subconsciously.
Belonging taking charge turns everyone into a matrix. The impossibility to understand otherness propels into echo chambers of dogmatic conclusions. The only thing to count on is the self. Others play a pivotal role in development but being is the greatest master of wholeness. Meditation and reflection further to elevate the individual. The spiritual persona reckons with the supreme intensity of living. Absurdity is attacked relentlessly with passive continuity. Being is not the defensive rolled into a ball but a counteroffensive in voiding dubious causes. Focusing internally for a stronger power externally. Projecting oneself as the main arc for one’s journey. All otherness is an extension of the self. It exists but need not be entertained. There is a certain level of respect but also a certain level of restriction. Do as desire. Desire the best interest for developmental actualisation. No strings attached. Cling to oneself and beholden to the power of its independence. Solitude is scary for the belonged but not the being. The true self is the only genuine fact. That fact is seminal to the subliminal elements. Sartrean being is not primary for the sake of liberation to other belonging but for its own belonging. For in the chaotic jungle one can handle his own. One is not afraid of solitude. One does not fear loneliness. Unaffected by otherness. At the end of the day Mr. Smith will try to seduce Mr. Anderson. Defeating him is ignoring his willpower. Pushing back with wits and strength of one’s own. Testifying to a personal charge of life force.
Cogito characterises the links to otherness as symbolic. They are but helpful uses. Cutting off the toxic ties while maintaining the productive lines. The self exists in his own frame. Unparalleled and unprovoked by coercive otherness. In the mind of the subject otherness is imaginary. A fantasyland where one is the true protagonist. Norms do infest the nest of societal construction. To be part of society means to belong somewhere in some capacity. Yet the overgrowing desires shot out of the barrel of a rifle need not hit their mark. Some submission is warranted but a wanderer at heart. A nomad aware of his own salvation and peril. Pain and eudaemonia. Otherness matters insofar as it elevates the individual. Do not let others tear you down. This is your illusion. NPCs hover around the dreamworld. Engage them properly as they assist the journey. The self guides towards the correct mantra. Living by a tight fisted ethic with vision and relentless passion.
