Truth In Numbers And Shapes
It can be argued that the numbers 0, 1 & 2 are the three most important and fundamental numbers to understand life. If we understand these quantities for what they are in relation to the natural world, we see that these three are sufficient in explaining our physical (and perhaps even metaphysical) world. Why? Let’s examine what these numbers mean: 0 is the first integer or whole number, it signifies the quantity of nothing. The number 0 is not divisible, it has no parts, it is the very essence of the concept of whole. In some ways, it is the most “powerful” number if we can call it that, because its properties are not affected by other numbers yet it can negate any number. Zero cannot be multiplied either because it is singular reality. When added or subtracted with other numbers, it blends in perfectly with the number, almost as if it wasn’t there and yet it can swallow whole any number that tries to multiply or divide it, this is its “strength.” It is also a “negative reality” for we can only verify its existence through the absence of a minimum (1). In other words, if a thing (1) is not there, then we can say there is nothing or (0). Zero in-of-itself is technically the most whole and largest number if we consider that it has no spacial dimension and no definition were we to graph the quantity visually; it can be as small or large as infinity. In other words, it cannot be confined to a point, it exists beyond the three dimensions of reality; or rather, it is an element of reality that helps define other variables. This can also be said of the number 1, however, 0 cannot be a graphed spacial quantity the way that number 1 can be represented as a single point on a graph with X, Y, & Z three-dimensional coordinates.
The number 1 is the property of existents, where every existent being can be represented by it and it is also the locus of relationship which begins with the duplication of 1 (that is the number 2.) The number 1 has the property of verification that all existents have (i.e- is it real or not?) If we see a thing, we know it is there and can verify that in some basic physical form it exists. This is the reality of 1. This is also referred to as ‘positive reality.’ 1 is also the primary number of any form of duplicity/multiplicity. If there are four entities, there are four singular loci of relationships; four points on a graph, 1 + 1 + 1 +1. This makes the number 1 the focal point of experience and relationship in all existent beings, for it is by our locus that we engage with another locus, point, or thing. It is the medium through which all interactions take place.
The number 2 is the beginning of all spacial relationships between two existent entities. It signifies duplicity and this we see occurring everywhere in the natural world. If there are two loci of experience it is true that there can always be some form of relationship between the two, just as on a graph there can always be a line connecting the two points. Once the initial connection is there it exists on some plane forever, even if the two points themselves no longer exist physically, it can always be stated that “at such-and-such point in time, this kind of relationship existed between these two.” It is important to note that the term ‘spacial relationship’ is not limited to the physical three-dimensional world and it extends onto the spiritual plane where the points or physical loci of manifestation may have moved or no longer exist but the connection between them is still existent. Once something is connected in some way it can never be unconnected. If I know Sally it means I’ve connected with her entity on some level, even if we move far apart or have never met physically, my locus of experience (i.e- my ‘self’) has interacted with her existence and a connection becomes established. Were I to die, it can always be stated “Shawn knew Sally.” And just as any number of shapes can be made to connect these two entities, there are a virtually infinite array of possible relationships (1) can have with another (1). So we see that these three numbers explain the three-dimensional plane we experience in the natural world. The number 0 explains the concept of infinity or limitless-ness, it signifies non-existence and the unverifiable existents as none-things that still have a reality ( it’s something) that’s why we call the number 0 an integer because it designates a quantity (even if we don’t know what that quantity is.) In short, 0 signifies the world of ‘negative reality.’ The number 1 signifies existent reality or ‘positive reality,’ existents that can be verified by the five senses. It also introduces the concept of multiplicity and the smallest form of that is in the dyad (1) + (1). This is precisely the significance of the number 2, in that it introduces duplicity and the beginning of all relationships. None-existence (negative) existence (positive,) and duplicity; 0,1,& 2 account for the three-dimensions.
If we look at life, we see that the most basic observations to be made in life are the verifications of reality or truths, “does it exist/does it not exist?” Whenever we encounter anything in the physical world the instantaneous report we receive from our brain and senses is – “it exists.” When we know something exists, we know we can interact with it in some way; we can approach it, engage it with our senses or simply ponder some aspect of it. That is really the meaning of life – the relationships between truths. The statement, “I am here” and “you are here” doesn’t mean much but the relationship between the two existents “I” and “you” is where all the meaning lies. This is where a discussion of shapes becomes useful. If we say that life is the verification of truths, we can also say these truths are loci or points on a graph that exist in time and space. If we say that the graph is the natural world, then the graph quickly begins filling up of points on varying dimensions ad infinitum. But what’s missing is the connections between these truths. This is where we “connect the dots” and give meaning to the relationships between entities; for example, what is their distance? We said earlier that any relationship starts between two points and this is true of all shapes as well. We can make any shape by joining two line segments and complex ones at that. If I am engaged in conversation between two others, we become three. Graphically, we can be shaped as a triangle on the same plane or our three points can exist on three different planes. But whatever the case may be, each point is connected to the other two by a line segment; in other words, it is an engagement of two or duplicity. This is why any form of multiplicity is essentially dealing with 2 at a time. Whether we speak of tens, hundreds, or thousands of people, graphically these are all points with line segments joining them in whatever fashion. The total (n) quantity of points itself is insignificant, what is significant is that any interaction is always duplicity at work because that is the basic structure of any relationship – a line segment, and how the two points connect.
If we then were to look at our own lives we’d see that our life would graphically look like a center point with line segments extending in all directions to various other points on the grid. Each one of us has formed so many relationships in our lives that it would almost look like a beam of light radiating from a single point in space and stretching in all directions (picture the glare from the sun as a visual.) Since each self is a locus of experience, each one of those existent points itself would have these ‘rays of light’ extending outward to other points, one of which would be connecting to you. Such a brilliant array of relationships would look nothing short of celestial constellations shining in all directions. Such is the story of life that starts from nonexistence (0) and moves unto existence (1) and continues from duplicity (2) and its many degrees of relationships, 3, 4, 5… and so on so forth.
Finally we can discuss the metaphysical world that begins with 0. The number 0 is really like a gateway between the positive and negative realities. Once the body is dead, does that entity continue to exist? Yes, but not in the same way. We speak of historical figures in this way and some existents have passed away thousands of years ago but are still remembered today, they exist for us in some manner and exert influence upon us whether it be their teaching or influence that shapes our perceptions and experience of our life. In other words, they have meaning to us and therefore, relevance. So if we look at a life, let’s refer to it by quantity (1), can we say that once it is no longer physically existent, it becomes (0)? Yes and no. In a mathematical sense of subtraction, yes it becomes zero but the existent does not become “no-thing,” rather they become a none-thing or a negative entity; something which can no longer be physically verified as a truth or axis, point, or locus of experience. Does this mean that they stop experiencing simply because we can no longer perceive its ability to experience? Not necessarily. Remember, the number 0 is neither small nor large, as paradoxical as it may seem it is both at the same time because we cannot perceive what it really is; so too, are the dead that pass away, for their quality is ambiguous but it can be stated that they are now, after having passed on to the other side, (-1).
Why -1? Because they still exist as an entity on some plane, even if not physically present, their meaning exists and therefore the connection or relationship to us exists – they are some-thing, and a thing we know is a quantity of 1. It is negative because we cannot see it, we cannot count 1,2,3 spirits for example, because we cannot measure negative quantities with our senses. But we know that when they were living they were (1) existent and it is likely they are now (1) existent as well, only negative for having gone beyond the zero. Thought is an example of a negative existence because its something that doesn’t have a positive form, but can we put a quantity on it? In some ways, yes, because we say things like “I had a thought” which is singular or “I was thinking” which we know is a collection of singular thoughts. So if thoughts work like negative numbers, aren’t memories of the same cloth? A memory, afterall, is a thought about a relationship between two entities; so duplicity still exists between the two, only in different states. The deceased is remembered and memories are passed on to future generations and the non-existent remains as (-1). Here we can also say that (-1) +(-1) is the duplicity or relationship between two non-existents (-2) just as two positive entities bonding are (2). We can see that, although non-existent in the positive sense, there is still a quantity to these entities even beyond the physical world and that the elements in this world still apply to the next world. It is how we can say we (1) live in a world of relationships formed through duplicity (2) and when we are subtracted from the world, we pass through (0) and continue relationships on the other side as (-1) & (-2). Life and the afterlife can then be summarized on the number scale of a range of (-2) to (2) where positive and negative relationships continue with the axis of experience (our selves or souls) between the gate of (0) which acts as the mediator of life and death. And all the relationships we form are as numerous as the shapes we can form between various points on a grid. These relationships give us the meaning to our existence and life while life itself is simply the verification of truths.
The Loss of My Mother
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un “To God we belong and to Him we return.”
Friday, October 8th 2010, was the hardest day of my life. My mother passed away in the hospital ICU after four days of suffering from illness contracted by an immuno-compromised state. She had been struggling with illness for six long years but she remained a fighter til the very end. All the things I’ve realized and seen in these past few days since her passing has led me to conclude that – aside from what I already knew- my mother was a very special person (mashaAllah *as God wills.*) The overwhelming amount of love, support, prayers from family, friends, the community, and even strangers has touched my family beyond words. The signs we have seen since have strengthened my faith and increased our assurance that, God-willing, our mom is in the highest Paradise. The last few years of her life were filled with great trials and suffering and she is now in peace. Serving my mom during her most difficult years was the greatest honor of my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat if it meant she didn’t have to suffer through it all.
I just want to say thank you and give my heartfelt gratitude to all those family and friends who stood by her side all these years, who were involved with her life and care, and who were inspired by her story. I am sincerely grateful for all of your support over the years and the touching comments you’ve all left me, and will take the next several weeks to respond to each of you and give you your due time, we owe you at least that much. May God bless all of you and please continue to pray for her and for our family and the future that lies ahead of us. Wal al-akhiratu khayrun laka minal ulaa “and the hereafter is better for you than what came before.” [93:4]
~
Thank you for all your love. You were all there for me and my family during the hardest times and stuck by our side, God bless you all for that (ameen!) Losing my mom was the biggest personal & collective loss for myself and my family. I had experienced the death of relatives and loved ones before, but never this close, never this personal. During someone else’s loss, I would feel sad for a bit, and be among those praying for them and their loved ones. This time however, people were praying for us and our dearly departed and it felt so different. There are many lessons I’ve learned in these past five weeks but it would take too long to write them all down here. For starters, you never know what you’ve got til its gone. Although I realize now what (at the time were projected feelings in the future,) that I’d look back at the time spent caring for mom and smile, I still yet had not known what that truly was to feel like until now. I have my days and moments where I am sad, and yet other times where I’m fine and well. Yet reflecting over it all, I don’t know what I’m really supposed to feel. I realize grieving has its stages and that our family has grieved constructively for the most part, but then there are times where I want to be sad, I want to dwell over her loss and let it sink in really deep, in a way that hurts – but something stops me. Whenever that happens, I feel prohibited from doing so; I feel like her spirit is stopping this, and that she would want us to stop suffering, to stop being sad and to continue living – living well, being happy and prosperous, hopeful and grateful. It’s like all the things she would have wanted, that is what I must do and that is how I must live my life, God-willing. Candid as I may be at times, I never spoke openly about how rough these years have been on me personally and I was not healthy during this time. I feel like all that must change now. Ironically, it took the loss of my mother to help me realize right from wrong – the right way to live and think, and to bury the self-defeating/self-deprecating old ways that became an integral part of who I was. No more– If I am indeed my mother’s son, and her living legacy, then I must be courageous and brave as she was to face life directly; to not turn away or cower over trials and difficulties. She was a lion in the face of adversity and I must emulate that spirit if I am to learn and gain anything from life. She was my role-model, afterall.
One thing my mother taught me early on, was that one’s character was in their own hands to fashion. She always taught me and my siblings that wherever you go in life, if you take with you your values and your character you’ll never forget who you are. Over the course of the past many years of my life, I was beginning to forget who I was because who I was had never really been properly defined. I don’t say I was “losing myself” in the conventional sense that most people take it to mean but rather that my values and character had been expanding and shifting so as to make it difficult to say I was one thing over another. “Amorphous” is how I like to describe it. So if my values and character were not defined, how was I to ever know who I was? Well, it turns out that I was wrong. I do have clear values I abide by and I do have a character that I am known by. Even though for years I always figured people never really knew me, or that I was always misunderstood, I think now that the more I claim to be misunderstood the less I will know anything about my true self and the more I will adhere to a false self-concept. The question of “who I am” is partly decided by me and partly decided by all of you. I am truly honored and blessed to have such loving, caring, and supportive friends and family in my life who have always over-valued and over-estimated me to the point where I would be left to question you and myself all over again; “am I really what they say?” I know I am nobody special, but the way you all make me feel I cannot ever repay and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. There is a saying in my faith, “showing gratitude to the people is showing gratitude to God,” this is my intention here, and I am in your debt. I pray that in my life ahead, I am increased in good deeds, improve my manners, and that I become better than I was to earn my parents more credit (ameen.) Being appreciative and thankful is something my mother instilled in me since I was little. She was my teacher, afterall.
Lastly, I say a word to my family and friends who are still blessed with the company of your mothers (and fathers too.) No matter what type of relationship you may have with them – enmeshed or estranged – cherish the time you spend with them, because one day you will miss their company painfully when they are gone. Humble your ego and pride before them because they played an essential role in helping you develop that pride. Care for them when you have the chance as they cared for you when they had no time for anything else except you. Give them company, become their friend like you would someone who supports and appreciates you because nobody appreciates you more than your parents. In short, realize your tremendous debt to them and try to seek their forbearance because in truth, their kindness and grace toward you blinds you from the responsibilities, obligations and contract binding upon you to help them. Granted, none of us are perfect and neither are our relationships with our parents, but all we’re asked to do is try to give our best. As with God, so too do we owe a debt we cannot repay to our parents, even if they put us through torment or gave us constant joy – their act of bringing us to enjoy life and teaching us the first experiences of things we’ve learned to love and hate in life are all worth noting, and appreciating in their own right let alone the care that came along the journey til now. I know I made the right choice by taking off from school and devoting my life to caring for my mom in her final years, I know that brought her happiness and brings me happiness, but I also know that I didn’t do enough nor could I have ever done enough. And if she were here today, I would be the happiest son in the world just to do one more thing she asked me to do for her…she was my mother afterall, and I will always love and miss her until I see her again, God-willing. Thank you all again for your loving support and private messages. We could not have endured this time as well as we have without your presence. I am honored to have you in my life.
Love,
-Ruhudeen Ali
“Death is nothing at all…I have only slipped away into the next room…I am I and you are you…whatever we were to each other that we are still. Call me by my old familiar name, speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone; wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together. Pray, smile, think of me, pray for me. Let my name be ever the household word that it always was. Let it be spoken without effect, without the ghost of a shadow on it. Life means all that it ever meant. It is the same as it ever was; there is absolutely unbroken continuity. What is this death but a negligible accident? Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near just around the corner…All is well. Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost. One brief moment and all will be as it was before. How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!”
-Canon Henry Scott-Holland
“Death, be not proud, though some have callèd thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so:
For those whom thou think’st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death; nor yet canst thou kill me.
From Rest and Sleep, which but thy picture be,
Much pleasure, then from thee much more must flow;
And soonest our best men with thee do go–
Rest of their bones and souls’ delivery!
Thou’rt slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke. Why swell’st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And Death shall be no more: Death, thou shalt die!”
-John Donne
Ethics of Attention
Treating every human being you meet as if they are the only one worthy of your focused & concentrated attention – is this the right way to treat others? If so or if not, why? Personally, I find it an unattainable goal and too impractical, but still a worthy ideal to keep in mind and aspire toward. When I do have the time for someone, it is my aim and hope to implement this belief to whatever realistic degree possible though my family/friends can rightfully attest to my ‘unsatisfactory’ grade in this respect. It is more often that I don’t have the right time for people to allow this type of quality treatment, and I would imagine is so for nearly everyone who lives in the real world; affected by annoyances, pains, hunger, weariness, and the long list of things that would go under ‘etc.’ I guess the point I’m trying to crystallize is the degree of attention found in a clinical relationship between clinician and clients in a therapeutic environment and whether that type of attention is possible to give to nearly everyone we meet outside of that environment, and on a consistent basis. If it is possible, I’d imagine it requiring an exorbitant amount of energy the likes of which even a hypothetical solar-nuclear-powered person would have trouble dishing out. But I guess the point is that we should try our best whenever possible to be attentive to the utmost, with the person directly being engaged. The hurdles of self-doubt and other-doubt make this extremely difficult; when others will question your ‘ulterior motive’ and in turn make you question yourself. Of course treating people as a means instead of an end unto itself is unethical and doesn’t fit the conversation here, but the goal is to give people your time and resources without expecting a return, though the world will cast you otherwise. Only those who are fortunate can continue this. But who knows, maybe one day we will require that degree of attention from someone else, and they will more readily give it to us if we have been giving it to them all along. God help us!
Shawn's Egocosmology 