Time & Death
“The unexamined life is not worth living”
– Socrates (470-399 BCE)
From the moment we are born, our internal clock starts ticking. Most of us did not choose this body consciously, but even if we did, we entered this life in connection with our last incarnation, the one before that and so forth. Every life, we have lived, led to this moment. This very moment is the sum of our thoughts, words and actions. It has infinite potential... However, to fully comprehend where such potential comes from, we must first have another look at the phenomenon of linear space-time.
Units of time are the means by which we measure change. It took centuries to establish the Gregorian calendar and integrate it into every inch of our lives. Nowadays, without a clock, few of us would be able to deduce the time of day, month or year. We may gaze upon the stars in amazement, but could we still use them to navigate? Naval or other military forces could, perhaps, but not the average civilian population. We've become accustomed to checking our watches or mobile phones, since they're unlikely to switch off permanently anytime soon. Despite leaving us at a tactical disadvantage, this modern mentality also fostered the tendency to contemplate the nature of time only when we are in short supply of it. The rest of the time, it flows silently in the background without much awareness as to why.
We think of space-time as a construct, which happens around us in the external world. However, if we imagine the phenomenon as non-externalized, space-time becomes non-local and non-temporal. This does not mean a great deal in the absence of a transpersonal experience that corroborates the reality of quantum entanglement in terms of real life. Without any kind of practical application, non- locality contains itself to the domain of thought alone. It doesn't cross over into the realm of experiential learning.
David Bohm once said "We have to see why time is so destructive inwardly." To which Krishnamurti eventually replied throughout the course of the conversation "If there is no ego, there is no problem, there is no conflict, there is no time." It is no secret, we shy away from destruction to avoid pain. It is an evolutionary throw-back to our instinct for self-preservation. Still, it dominates much of our lives. However, our awareness of being is not equal to our identification with the body or other worldly concepts. Countless scholars have attempted to explain, what is born must come to pass. What is created must be destroyed, when nothing is created nor destroyed. Conclusively, time is merely our sense of being and becoming in the boundaries of space.
In Time, We Become.
Outside of Time, We Are.
This "idea" is greatly misleading. As mentioned before, it is far too easy for the ego to lose sight of the Self. In the absence of space-time, there is no becoming, only being in blissful nothingness. It is that which defies any verbal or written description. We may investigate, reason or attempt to convey our direct experiences of the non- temporal indefinitely, but how can we realistically give a detailed account of the absolute from within the relative? Except for light, it is improbable. In theory, it is possible in a myriad of ways, but in practice, these all take the form of light or, in other words, operate through the biophotonic matrix as a whole.
Crazy Theory: The molecular blueprint of time is the equivalent of the biophotonic matrix of a single quantum system (i.e universe) and/or multiple (i.e. multiverse), if it is not the blueprint in itself.
There can be no illusion of time without space. Yet, neither time nor space can exist when consciousness is absent. Time and space are interdependent contents of consciousness. The entire duration of space-time happens in the parameters of consciousness. This implies, space as well as time are internal, interconnected constructs. Now, when we enter the realm of all-pervading awareness, there is no consciousness as we know it. It is void of all its contents. There is no space, so there is also no time.
In the words of Krishnamurti "Consciousness is put together by its content. The content is the result of time." (1985) Space-time has its causes and its effects, as so many other things. To transcend the inner boundaries of the continuum, we must go beyond thought and mind. We must focus on that which has no cause. Being, love, true happiness for example. It is important to note here: Something, which has a cause, cannot co-exist with something that does not. Light cannot co-exist with darkness, just as love cannot co-exist simultaneously with hate and indifference. Knowledge or insight equally cannot exist side by side with ignorance, not completely. However, in a dualistic existence, opposites seem to do precisely that. They exist concurrently in a dual state, which requires the presence of space-time to take place. Outside of time, what is there to despise where and when? Hate needs an observer and an object/subject to be observed at a localised point in the material continuum. Prior to space-time, in the absence of consciousness, what is there to observe? In the nothingness of being, what is there to feel hostility toward or be in conflict with? That which is bound by causation can no longer be in existence inside a causeless reality. Especially, when it rests on the Nothingness of Being.
That which is without cause is timeless, it doesn't occupy physical space to any degree. Therefore, it is also deathless. It has no beginning and end. When all, which the mind has cultivated ceases at the lateral end of space-time, it remains. When the entire cosmos dissolves, it absorbs all contents of consciousness into itself. It is the embodiment of death, the destroyer of the many worlds.
"So long as human beings stay human,
Death and life are the same thing." (Orwell, 1984)
The Oxford Dictionary defines death as the permanent cessation of vital functions in cells and tissues. There are three primary causes of death: Disease, Trauma and Ageing.
Disease: denotes a disorder in the functions and/or structures that prevent the body from operating at optimal capacity in a state of physical, mental and emotional homeostasis. In general, disease manifests as a result of an underlying imbalance. Our bodily systems operate in unison with one another, which indicates that when one system is compromised, it is only a matter of time, until other systems are affected. For example, when minor symptoms, such as hypoglycemia or hypotension, are neglected or solely treated with pharmaceutical aids, then they have severe long-term effects up to the point, where the damage becomes almost irreversible. Disease is classified according to: Etiology, apparent symptoms, pathogenesis or organ system(s) involved. However, regardless of how we choose to classify disease, its origin is usually genetic or environmental. Despite the fact that many physicians discuss lifestyle choices as a separate subject, I consider this to be counterproductive. For instance, if we choose to smoke tobacco, laced with highly toxic and addictive chemicals, which reshape our dopamine pathways, why is it not considered an environmental factor? It contributes to the poor life-quality of billions for the sake of profit, while it impacts on air-quality. If our residence is located near a mobile-phone tower and we contract cancer, as a consequence, is it not a condition brought about by our environment? By the way, we are forced to adapt to our surroundings, not the way we choose to live? Seeing our industrialized society is the foundation of our economy, it would not be too far-fetched to account for the spike in all medical conditions as a direct by-product of our remodeling of the environment. As a consequence of environmental changes, our inability to adapt physiologically creates disease, which then take root on a hereditary level over generations of exposure.
As a consequence, our modern lifestyle leaves us with certain limitations, even if we choose to live self-sufficiently in the middle of nowhere. Despite what we may believe, hemp and marijuana are the cheapest, perhaps even the only means to prevent the sixth mass extinction organically at this point. THC currently provides the only means to transform all excess carbon-dioxide, methane etc. into oxygen in under 10 years without technological assistance. (In this case the re-establishment of aquatic plants to restore marine eco-systems would be required.) In the absence of any such global intervention, this planet will suffer irreversible environmental change to which maybe one in a billion could adapt.
Trauma: describes physical and psychological injuries. From a legal standpoint, injuries can be self-inflicted, unintentional, defensive and/or offensive. They are either considered as fatal or non-fatal. Physical trauma is classed as chemical, thermal and/or mechanical. Mechanical injuries are further sub-divided into the following categories: (a) blunt force trauma, (b) penetrating trauma
Whether the injuries sustained are intentional or not, death as a result of physical trauma can be sudden, expected and/or unexpected. (Particularly in cases, involving premeditated risk)
Although it is not common knowledge, poisoning in the form of physical trauma can be sustained over weeks, months and years, before individuals ultimately notice the underlying damage or succumb to their injuries. This is particularly the case when ingested orally or inhaled. For example, over 7.5 billion lives have been lost solely as a result of pollution, not actually the diseases caused by it.