Critical Mass

[flazak]

I feel like I am reaching a critical mass of knowledge. This is leading to realizations about the world and why it is the way it is today. 

 

I had to go on a journey of introspection because I was depressed, anxious and reclusive and this led to an examination of the world and how it came to be. Apart from my job I basically withdrew from society due to my depression which was caused by an inability to 'fit in' with my peers. I now realize I was rejecting the environment I was growing up in because it exploits the masses to benefit the few who have already attained that critical mass of knowledge.

 

All I want to do is better myself and better humanity as a whole, whether that is my family, my friends or any others on this planet who are suffering (and the planet itself). I feel I am close to being able to put myself in a position where I can start to achieve these things one by one. I am worried that there might be consequences to myself, as if I have leveled up on a game and I am now exposing myself to new threats, or, I am just being paranoid. 

 

I know I am being vague but this is difficult to put into words. You either get it or you don't.

 

Even posting this I worry I am exposing myself to people who do not want me to reach critical mass. I can't decide if I am paranoid or not. I am here with like minded people so I am asking for advice

[flazak]

I think paranoia stems from learning too much too fast. The brain tries to assimilate, sort and store this information as best as it can but the more you overwhelm it the more paranoia. I guess I just need to rest, relax and take a breather. Fortunately I go on holiday soon

 

There is an episode of Star Trek Voyager called 'The Voyager Conspiracy' were Seven of Nine decides to download a lot of knowledge in a very short space of time, this leads to paranoia, irrational behaviour and even mental illness.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyager_Conspiracy

 

I will take a step back and relax for a bit whilst I can sort and understand this barrage of information I have subjected myself to

[Muchtolearn]

That's quite interesting what you've posted here, although there may be a danger of you looking for answers to things that are a lot more complex than they need to be in my opinion. For example the principles of libertarianism are simple enough probably for a child to intuitively understand. I think it is resisting the impulse to over-complicate reality that is the most difficult yet most important part of being a moral, philosophical person who behaves with integrity.

[Sima]

I think here are many people who feel the same. Basically if we come to this website, we have to forget almost everything what we learn at school, university, books, TV, parents, friends. The brain has to delete a lot of stuff, and start working on reality instead of propaganda. But thats good news: welcome to reality!

[dsayers]

Accept it for what it is: a rebirth. Once you've shattered the narratives that you and everybody around you have mistakenly subscribed to, you're literally a babe in a brand new world. That's the fear you're experiencing. Which by the by, calling it paranoia is poisoning the well. Fear is healthy and shouldn't be regarded as problematic when it's valid.

 

I recommend continuing on with self-knowledge. The better you get with that, not only will you be better able to see this or lack thereof in others, but you will be improving your own capabilities as a beacon of self-knowledge. If you continue to accept hard truths, welcome challenge, have the courage to challenge others, and do not allow TOXIC people (not the same as people that make mistakes; even big ones), you will also be a beacon of virtue. Be curious, start to put yourself out there as you're comfortable in doing so, and it won't be too long before that level of comfort returns. Only then it will be so much better because it's real.

 

I hope that helps.

[flazak]

I will continue with the self-knowledge, I personally think a mix of East and West values is the key. Actually I think being balanced in all things is the key, go to any extreme and you can cause problems with either yourself or others.

 

Yes I am experiencing a rebirth or a shift in consciousness, I see it described by others as an awakening. People in the past may have awakened but unfortunately they will have then ran into the open arms of the church rather than trying to figure things out for themselves. If an atheist has an awakening then I think they will consider joining a religion briefly but some then realise it is not the answer, the answer is within ourselves if we have access to the correct information. I did read parts of the bible at one point and it did help me at that low ebb which I am grateful for.

 

I was paralysed by fear for a very long time and it lead me to becoming very withdrawn. I could not overcome the fear to put myself out there because I didn't have the correct knowledge. I always thought I was wrong and I needed to fight against myself to fit in which I now realise was absolutely futile and made my situation worse.

 

I think what led me to post what I did was that I have absorbed this new knowledge too quickly. My sub-conscious was trying to join the dots and my conscious self was overwhelmed as I tried to decide if the dots have been joined up correctly

 

I currently feel like I must help others as much as I can and I also feel that I must let myself go and allow my instincts to guide me rather than the voice in my head. I must take action and trust in myself. I must accept that I can make a mistake, but mistakes can be very positive because they are part of the learning process. I must open my mind to new possibilities and new ways of thinking, and I am

 

I will see what Krishnamurti has to say about fear

 

Yes you have been helpful, thank you

[dsayers]

I must open my mind to new possibilities and new ways of thinking

Well then maybe I can help just a little bit more. How do you know that "balance" is synonymous with "value"? 2+2 doesn't equal something between 3 and 5. It absolutely equals 4. That "extreme" is what makes it valuable.

 

Also, you mentioned acquiring knowledge "too quickly" as problematic. How do you know? I think "too quickly" is poisoning the well. If you can handle it, then it isn't too quickly. Maybe it is for the people around you, but your life isn't theirs. You have to do right by you and telling yourself this lie is the old way of thinking. With the internet, the sum of human experience is at our fingertips. The only limiting factor is YOU. 

[flazak]

I cannot refute a scientific or mathematical, logical fact. That is the beauty of Science & Mathematics.

 

What about when science cannot give any answers, like what happens to our consciousness after we die? Thats when faith and belief is required. That is what I mean about the necessity to strike a balance between having faith and making a decision based on irrefutable facts. Religion steps in at this point, but I choose to keep away from organised/controlling religion and I will make my own personal religion based on the sum of my knowledge and my instincts.

 

Do I trust my instincts and feelings or do I simply make a decision based on the available facts? Again when I talk about facts I can only make decisions based on the facts that I know and then my gut needs to fill in the blanks. If you don't trust or listen to your gut I think your life would be less fulfilled. In terms of that big question about death, I must make my own decision because science and mathematics cannot help me, they can only offer theories that I can either choose to believe in or not... so science still requires belief until a theory can be proven but how can you prove a theory when you cannot devise an experiment to access the evidence? In the case of an afterlife the only evidence we have are people reporting memories of past lives and people who have had a near death experience and therefore science must reject this because it cannot trust a human beings word alone, it requires evidence.

 

Should I simply believe in myself, or, should I amass a huge amount of knowledge and then create a computer program based on facts about myself and the planet and then allow it to output the future path I should take - based on logic and facts alone? Maybe it would generate a successful career path but I think thats about it.

 

Yes the limiting factor is me and I am gradually throwing off the shackles, the timespan of this transformation will be whatever feels right

[dsayers]

what happens to our consciousness after we die?

How do you know that science cannot answer this? It's like asking what's in a movie after the reel runs out. Kind of answers itself really.

 

Animals have instincts. What separates humans from other animals is our capacity for reason. We also have the capacity for error. So if you're checking in with yourself, asking things like "how do you know?" you should be fine. If you just say "we have instincts" and you view that as license to believe whatever you want, I cannot help you there. Self-knowledge is the process of reconciling what you feel with what you know and identifying why that is. Saying "we have instincts" is like closing the book before the story is over. It's not the whole picture at all.

[flazak]

How do you know that science cannot answer this? It's like asking what's in a movie after the reel runs out. Kind of answers itself really.

 

Animals have instincts. What separates humans from other animals is our capacity for reason. We also have the capacity for error. So if you're checking in with yourself, asking things like "how do you know?" you should be fine. If you just say "we have instincts" and you view that as license to believe whatever you want, I cannot help you there. Self-knowledge is the process of reconciling what you feel with what you know and identifying why that is. Saying "we have instincts" is like closing the book before the story is over. It's not the whole picture at all.

 

Yes, you are right of course. I cannot state that science will never get the answer, it is just my theory. I felt that as we kept looking we arrived at the quantum 'soup' of possibilities which we cannot observe because the act of observation influences the result.

 

I have diverged somewhat from logic and empirical evidence in recent months toward a more spiritual way of thinking, it could be that I have fallen into a trap, or it could be that I am merely learning about all of that because I should view things from all perspectives.

 

I should point out that I am still a logical and scientific person, I have simply opened myself up to other possibilities that science may not be able to explain yet. The quantum realm is fascinating.

 

I am not sure where I am headed with instincts yet, I need more thinking time

[flazak]

I will look into a scientific theory that 'Consciousness causes collapse' and the Many-Worlds theory. I think we are navigating the quantum realm through our thoughts and actions and we choose our future quantum path with our free will. The question then becomes have all possibilities already been determined and I simply choose one, or do I create quantum possibilities.

 

I am new to all this, I am certain someone will have gone into lots of detail on both theories I have mentionned and many other theories.

 

Can an experiment be devised to prove them?

 

Also I watch lots of Star Trek so I have come across sci-fi explanations many times from when I was very young

[flazak]

The more intelligence you have the better your ability to grasp certain concepts and solve problems and the more chance of success in life.

 

If you are not properly stimulated you become depressed.

 

If you learn enough information (the correct information) an intelligent person then has the ability to become successful and help others (if they choose to help others) it is important to not be too greedy and selfish with your wealth if you have been endowed with this ability. The world cannot support too many people to a western standard of life with our current methods of creating energy.

 

I am babbling on a bit, but its liberating.

[flazak]

Animals have instincts. What separates humans from other animals is our capacity for reason. We also have the capacity for error. So if you're checking in with yourself, asking things like "how do you know?" you should be fine. If you just say "we have instincts" and you view that as license to believe whatever you want, I cannot help you there. Self-knowledge is the process of reconciling what you feel with what you know and identifying why that is. Saying "we have instincts" is like closing the book before the story is over. It's not the whole picture at all.

 

Ok, I have now realised my error, I meant intuition not instinct. I think intuition is an intelligent version of instinct, it cannot be taught but perhaps it can be suppressed and then unlocked if you find the key. It gives us gut feelings and inspires us. I imagine someone like Mozart had this ability in abundance to come up with what he did.

 

EDIT: Perhaps intuition can be developed if you use it more... I have so much to learn !

[Magnetic Synthesizer]

Ok, I have now realised my error, I meant intuition not instinct. I think intuition is an intelligent version of instinct, it cannot be taught but perhaps it can be suppressed and then unlocked if you find the key. It gives us gut feelings and inspires us. I imagine someone like Mozart had this ability in abundance to come up with what he did.

 

EDIT: Perhaps intuition can be developed if you use it more... I have so much to learn !

In regards to intuition, it is deep learning. Check out the epistemological methods higher-level-learning-AIs have. its simply, theory weighted and selected against experience and theory derived from experience. All you need is creativity and you may end up with the philosophical capacity of a human!

 

There are two sources of intuition: neural circuits hardwired from DNA and refined by millions of years of evolution. An example would be the intuition to interpret physical cues in other humans.

The other is what you come up with with the immense parallel processing power of your subconcious.

 

As for paranoia, it might stem from confusion.

If you take in a lot of world-view changing information for the first time in a subject, don't worry about being overwhelmed.

My mind distills it without me even having to think about it. The data epistemology and components are distilled, independent theories are distilled, complete consistent world hypothesizes are attempted.

Maybe if you don't verify the course of processing with your conscious seat of rationality as in the above quote, you could go crazy. If your not sure if you're crazy or if the others are, defer to universal consistency and empiricism. I suggest doing decisive distillation if you find yourself in a fog of probability (which only happens to newbs I think).

 

After a year, I can eloquently speak of it. Remember, most of your knowledge comes through other humans. ''she said, he said'' is a sorry and hypocritical excuse to ignore valuable information.

Whatever comes up from deep learning ends up being rationalized and rationalizations end up going getting refined through deep learning.

 

 

I dug up a link for you: http://www.wired.com/2016/01/microsoft-neural-net-shows-deep-learning-can-get-way-deeper/

 

Hope this helps. Let me know if you got anything from my reply. If you observe your development is exponential year-by-year, I can relate. It seems a surprising and unsustainable trend. Yet, it keeps going.

Don't expect everyone around you to follow.

[flazak]

^^ ok, I am looking into this, I don't know how long it will take me but perhaps I will get back to you eventually :-)

 

I do seem to have eureka moments much more often, usually they relate to the 'bigger picture' of why things are the way they are and then I will try to apply this newfound wisdom into my personal life.

 

If indeed the development is exponential then maybe I need to make sure I stay sufficiently grounded, with nature and so on Take it easy and don't rush things etc.... but maybe I am caught in a fast flowing river now and I can't stop it. I will find out. The movies that feature a character undergoing this kind of change are either created to try to guide me or try to scare me, I don't know yet.

 

I wonder if AI will simply wipe us out like so many stories or maybe when AI is born we do it right and it helps us solve our problems. Maybe this is one of the great filters? I didn't realise AI was getting so far along in its development. 

 

Well whatever happens, as long as I have fun, be happy and help out were I can, I believe I am on the right road.

[flazak]

Ok, at this moment I get it and its good to know Its important to stay grounded and not lose perspective at any point. You must be anchored or else you will lose control and you must know the most efficient ways to stay mentally anchored. Well thats the stage I am at, anyway. Who knows what I might think tomorrow!

 

Anchor and ground for me is empiricism and rationalism. We need to take action rather than be passive and let stuff happen. Individually being passive might work great for you but for the world it does not, take sips rather than overdose.

[Magnetic Synthesizer]

^^ ok, I am looking into this, I don't know how long it will take me but perhaps I will get back to you eventually :-)

I meant my reply to your thread. I realized you could have interpreted ''it'' as referring to the link. Let me know if that happened.

 

Relevant part of my comment: ''let me know if you got anything from my reply''

I didn't mean you read the whole article. I just dug up something to convince you and others that deep learning logic is a real thing, not just an idea.

[flazak]

You have set me down the right path anyway, I am reading about consciousness, quantum physics, meditation etc and its relationship to deep learning and the human input required to steer the deep learning algorithms on the right track.

[flazak]

I am still awakening, I just wanted to post an update

 

I am currently reading 'My Big TOE' by Tom Campbell, I am finding it excellent so far.

 

I have an insight I wanted to share while it is fresh:

 

The meaning of being is to find out the truth, the closer you get to the truth the better you feel and the easier it is to help others see the truth and then the better they feel. It is imperative to keep an open-mind and be skeptical at all times, it is important to be free and you must be allowed to speak freely without recrimination or censorship no matter what the subject, equally it is important that you must listen to others and be prepared to alter your belief-system when presented with the truth.

 

We must forgive others who have acted within a belief-system that was not of their choosing, they acted in ignorance and self-preservation, it is important to help them see the truth but it is equally important that they are able to keep an open-mind at all times. This is where we all come in...

 

It is difficult for a close minded person to be led onto one of Stefans videos and watch it all the way through whilst understanding it fully and realising in their gut that this is much closer to the truth than they are, however if Stefans words are repackaged and tailored for the audience (a close-friend or relative) then it becomes easier to to trigger their awakening because they trust you more than someone in a newspaper or a politician AND you have been able to change the message to better reflect their own personal situation and viewpoint.

 

The more knowledge you amass and the closer to the truth you think, act and feel, the easier it will be to alter your own worldview and then the worldview of others, the truth, when realised, is irresistible and permanent. It is intuitive.

[flazak]

You are born, you download information from your mother and father, you then leave and go it alone. If you have been given good information you succeed, if you have been given bad information you fail and if you don't leave your mother you never grow up because you are forever dependant on someone else who has a finite existence and cannot support you forever.

 

Awakening/Kundalini/Gnosis is not triggered if you don't grow up and instead you live in fear rather than relying on your own intuition. Being able to effectively use ones intuition requires an awakening process to have taken place which is part of growing up. You must always seek knowledge and find the truth. Your new mind will be quietened, the negative self-chatter gone, you are now steered by your ego which desires to help people that seek help and desires  to help trigger an awakening whenever possible whilst making your world a better place to live in (your personal circumstances)

[flazak]

OK so I have some more theories I need to get out there

 

I think that the mind/body is linked to such a degree that when the consciousness is made aware of and understands certain things about himself and the world intuitively (and those things are correct) then the DNA of that person is altered and that person is changed physically and mentally. Certain genes are switched on and others are switched off as you amass the 'correct' knowledge. This could be some kind of phenomenon that ensures the person with the knowledge is worthy and wise enough to be responsible with his power and not pervert the knowledge for his own gain.

 

I was wondering how this applies to r/k theories, I believe the sheep can become a wolf and that transformation is triggered by knowing the right stuff and using that knowledge wisely. Unfortunately some people crave power or are bestowed with power and they don't want to give it up.

 

I am sure this is all ancient information but it still applies today and it always will be relevant.

 

Also science is hamstrung by the necessity for peer review so it cannot answer the big questions at the moment because many scientists have to think about their own interests. EDIT: peer review is absolutely necessary of course.

[flazak]

The sheep will always find strength in numbers, they can try to work together to access knowledge as they are much more ineffecient in terms of accessing the knowledge and understanding it. This is the only way to achieve parity with the wolves. Though the wolves are massively outnumbered they are able to intuitively use their knowledge and are very efficient at doing so and thus they are able to think quickly and innovatively in their efforts to stay one step ahead of the sheep

[dsayers]

Also science is hamstrung by the necessity for peer review so it cannot answer the big questions at the moment because many scientists have to think about their own interests. EDIT: peer review is absolutely necessary of course.

Careful not to conflate science with coercively funded research, which many call science. Peer review suggests that reality is up to us, which is false. The scientific method requires that a finding be repeatable, due to the observed consistency of matter and energy. This is the closest to "peer review" that would be philosophically sound, but could not be accurately described as peer reviewed. "Verified" would be a more accurate term.

[flazak]

Careful not to conflate science with coercively funded research, which many call science. Peer review suggests that reality is up to us, which is false. The scientific method requires that a finding be repeatable, due to the observed consistency of matter and energy. This is the closest to "peer review" that would be philosophically sound, but could not be accurately described as peer reviewed. "Verified" would be a more accurate term.

 

Yes I see what you mean. What I mean is that a theory or paper cannot gain any traction if the conclusions are going against whatever dogma is prevalent at the time or the theory is controversial.

[dsayers]

Yes I see what you mean. What I mean is that a theory or paper cannot gain any traction if the conclusions are going against whatever dogma is prevalent at the time or the theory is controversial.

Enter the internet. As Jeffrey Tucker has point out, we are living in a Jetson's world and the internet has allowed us to subvert all the gatekeepers of yore.