Facing Life’s Difficulties
Do we know what life is? No
Do we know what consciousness is no?
Do we know why we are alive?
Throughout history when something has been accepted as true, it turns out that the picture is not complete. Up until about 100 years ago Newtonian physics was thought to be all there is to physics. It turned out that sub atomic particles obey a different set of laws. Coffee has been deemed bad for health and then good for health over and over again. What we know applies very well sometimes given certain circumstances. That makes what we think we know appear to be true. Rather than say this is true and that is false, lt makes sense just to say based on our circumstances this is what appears to be true.
Principles of mathematics appear to be well founded as do the principles of chemistry. I do not know chemistry so I won’t comment on chemistry. In math there is much we use and rely on but don’t understand. The complex number system is one of those areas. In the complex number system for those who don’t know there are square roots of negative numbers. The square root of (-9) is 3i. In our physical world this makes no sense but the complex number system is used constantly to study the mathematics of waves. How do we build relationships using something that is completely imaginary?

Perhaps complex numbers are actually not imaginary but part of a system we don’t yet know about. Quantum physicist often believe in parallel universes. What if there is a parallel universe that is exactly opposite the one we live it. Ours could be the positive universe. The other could be a negative universe. What are called imaginary numbers within the complex system could be normal in a negative universe. Perhaps at zero there is no universe at all. Regardless of what we are studying there is always more that we don’t know than what we do know.
Finding out what is not true is many times easier than discovering what is true. It makes sense to focus on that. By what we know, we may or may not be able to help ourselves. Knowing what is not true is always quite helpful in helping us survive and flourish.
Fantasy begins as we try to cope with having no answers to life’s basic questions. Then fantasy develops further as we try and separate ourselves from the harsh realities of survival. We all like to think of ourselves as being above the fray in terms of what we must do to stay alive. Mankind can only survive be consuming living things just like the lower animals. This activity gets euphemized so that we all feel positive about ourselves.
Over many eons humanity has come to completely detach itself from the harsh realities of existence. Who wants to be a ruthless predator? The mind organizes thoughts in such a way as to never think about the harsh behaviors necessary for survival. A very small percent of any population actually takes part in the dirty work. Lofty explanations and definitions are given to ourselves as we keep a distance from knowing what it actually takes to stay alive.
The universe, at least our part of it, provides a system of dominance and subservience under which all living creatures live. Replace that fantasies and euphemisms and the dominance and subservience system continues, whether it is replaced by fantasy or not. Is reality so brutal that mankind invents ways to make it seem more friendly. You bet. That can be great for reducing stress but if you have reason to want to know the probable outcomes of what individuals and groups are doing, not dealing with the world exactly the way it is is a sure way to never get it right.
It turns out that what passes for economics these days is based on fantasy and thus gets very poor results

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