Our perception is a toy,
And capitalism the ploy.
Facts are manipulated and hidden,
Whilst truths are masked and lies overwritten.
How can we willingly choose our beliefs?
When what’s on the surface, is different to what lies beneath.
Is the spread of misinformation a seed that has failed to germinate?
Or the consequences the roots that continue to permeate.
T. Fox
Is time a factor or an actor,
An enabler or a reactor.
Atop the tightrope of capitalism,
Are we the kidnapped or the captor?
Can the mind ever rest?
Wrestling the pressures of life, money, success.
Is time a luxury or a test,
Or a curse that we undress.
Can we control the imbalance,
And prosper despite ambivalence?
Or is time our overlord,
The real source of omnipotence.
T. Fox
Is direction truly a luxury,
Or is the totem’s fate certain.
One spin, one motion, one action,
To decide on a life or a burden.
Is influence naturally overcoming,
Or is decision a power we hold.
Can the totem turn with freewill.
Or is serendipity a force untold.
T. Fox
The ability to perceive our surroundings?
Awareness of our environment through touch/smell/sight/hearing/feeling?
We are conscious creatures but opinions forge the way we approach consciousness. Just because we can perceive our environment, does not mean we perceive it in the same way.
Perceptions are forged through cognition. Consciousness is not the same as awareness. Animals are aware, humans are conscious. We reason and utilise rationality. We utilise instinct in very few situations whereas animals when placed in harsh situations will use instinct unknowingly.
Humans can for the most part utilise rationale to understand a situation and evaluate how to respond, whilst simultaneously thinking about the ramifications of different responses. We are conscious since we can think about the future, the past, and the inconceivable. Consciousness has evolved with time as humans turned from hunter-gatherers into the society in which we live today.
Other factors such as technological advancements have sped up the process of increased consciousness. These tools can predict future situations/ future data and even emulate the results of subjective interactions. If our consciousness has improved for the better is the real question. Were humans happier being aware? Or has an elevated sense of consciousness (through data/travel/ education) made us more cynical?
T. Fox
Strife is subjective,
And situation serendipity.
Unforgiving is one’s circumstance,
Unchangeable is its history.
In what world do we live?
Where differences so vast.
One’s upbringing, one’s caste.
One’s future defined by another’s past.
Events can never be changed,
But situations can be reframed.
The mind now more forgiving,
With a vision re-engaged.
T. Fox
The world is now more connected than it ever has been in history. We are living through a time where multiculturalism is the norm. Where individuals have several identities and speak several languages. Where physical borders no longer represent the people bound within them. Where the notion of nationalism is soon to be obsolete.
However this new generation of multiculturalists (to give them a label) or nation-less citizens is still a minority. The sentiment of the older generation is dissimilar.
In a world of growing interconnectivity, it is expected that acceptance of culture should rise. However, multiculturalism is a new concept. For millennia we have existed in micro communities and have become accustomed and comfortable with this. We are used to stability, to conformity and to routine. Multiculturalism goes wholly against these three factors. It upsets and rejects that which is stable, conforming and routine. It is then almost obvious as to why acceptance of culture does not proportionately increase with interconnectivity. That which upsets the status quo in the community is sure to upset the citizens within it.
It is not only stability, conformity and routine that are being upset. Culture can sometimes be so powerful, so relentlessly potent that an attempt to alter its state is almost impossible. The power and extent to which culture can impact an individual or society should not be underestimated. How then can we tackle the dichotomy of rising multiculturalism with increasing hostility to change?
Education
One culture cannot live peacefully amongst another without some sort of change. The only way to truly integrate cultures is through an open education to understand the idiosyncrasies, complexities and norms of the other. Once this has been achieved the customs of one culture can tweak itself in order to align with the community. If two cultures are unwilling to change, even in the slightest, hostility and aggression will occur.
Culture in the 21st century has to be adaptable in order to survive and achieve peaceful coexistence. Once an education and understanding has occurred, as well as a deep appreciation for multiculturalism, only then can the citizens and communities of today start to proposer on a vast scale.
T. Fox
We cannot fathom size…
We cannot perceive space…
We can only imagine… But can we even do that? Could our mind and thinking be limited?
We are a but a speck of dust in the universe… How can we find meaning if we cannot truly understand the essence of time and space?
We do not know what is in the darkness… We do not know what lies beyond the edge.
We only know that which is near, that which we see, we hear, we smell, we touch… But, how can we even know that which is near when our sight, our hearing, our smell, our touch are all limited to a certain scale, a certain frequency, a certain wavelength.
We live the majority of our lives being superficially conscious. We think we are aware, we think we are free, however, our mind is so easily satisfied. We are increasingly distracted by digital noise which numbs the mind into a vegetative state.
The mind has become addicted to constant digital connectivity. We prefer to scroll than to speak, to like rather than listen and to watch rather than wander.
Our mind has built up a desire, a need, a craving to be digitally aware and active throughout the day and the night. Our mind is now more inclined to accept than reject that which lies in cyberspace.
Through becoming more digitally connected, we have become less socially aware. And the problem with digital connectivity is the emptiness which it brings. The essence of this article was about finding meaning in an endless time, however, we are only moving further away from this notion through increased digital activity.
We need to stop living through our superficial conscious and overcome our minds insatiable digital appetite. We need to learn about pain, despair, hope and love to be able to reach a state of appreciation.
Once we can appreciate, we can truly love, and as Carl Sagan said ‘for small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love’.
T. Fox
Desire is danger.
It is never being satisfied with one flavour.
Never enjoying one behaviour.
Disguising itself as a saviour.
It is temptation embodied.
It is a sensation and a worry.
Is it a friend or a foe?
Is it yes or is it no?
T. Fox
Sharing a time frame whilst keeping your mind sane,
Is this tainted time?
Boxed in, I still can’t escape this frame of mind.
Days here and days there,
Guilty fears from the open air.
Time is irreversible, yet my mind is merciful,
That’s why my presence is a closed affair.
T. Fox
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