|
Blogs by Dorien Grey
The Endless Loop
5/18/2015 2:57:42 AM
Human beings seem somehow incapable of fully acknowledging the fact that the gift of life does not come without a price, which grows steeper with every passing year, or an end. Probably this is a good thing, since it keeps us from worrying too much about things over which we have no control.
We each develop our own philosophy―especially as we grow older―to deal with and shield us from some of the harsher blows of reality, of which none is worse than the death of a loved one. To me, the term "loved one" extends beyond partners and close relatives to include friends and pets. (Love, after all, is love, and the fact that the love was for a pet in no way diminishes the intensity or validity of the emotion.)
I recently received an email from a friend telling me of the death of his good friend whom I did not know, and the deaths of another friend's two dogs, with whom my friend's own deeply loved and recently deceased dog had played. He was truly and understandably saddened by both occurrences, and he may well have been hard-pressed to say which sadness was greater.
To shield myself from reality, I have developed and totally accepted the concept of time as being an endlessly repeating loop not unlike a cosmic Mobius strip of movie film, each micro-nanosecond being one frame of that film, and each repeating over and over throughout eternity. But because, like watching a movie, we are unaware of the individual frames, they appear to move seamlessly from one to the next. We are unaware that the frame just shown is still there, waiting to be shown again and again.
Of course, this theory would mean that not only are we constantly reliving all the wonderful, loving, joyous moments of our existence, past and future, but that we also are and will forever be reliving all the pain and sorrow which comes as part of the price of life. And I suppose, by taking this theory one step further, one could say that the definitions of heaven and hell could be found in those repeating frames. If the total number of the frames of our life contain more joy than sorrow, that could be considered heaven; conversely, if the "movie" of one's life shows more pain and sorrow than joy, that is hell.
This idea would surely alienate organized religion, which relies to a great degree on the belief of there being something beyond death, and I readily acknowledge that there may be dimensions beyond the Mobius strip of time. But for me and those who do not hold with the concept of a specific heaven or hell, what happens after we reach the last "frame" of our particular piece of the loop of time means, in effect, nothing, since every instant of our lives still exists somewhere on the strip.
Another argument sure to be raised against the time-as-an-endless-loop theory would be that it negates the concept of free will, but I would counter that by saying that in the repeating loop of life, at each moment where a decision must be made, we of course make the same decision...but that we make it freely every time.
I try to avoid delving too deeply into philosophy, not only because I don't consider myself in any way qualified to do so, but because I too quickly lose control of my thoughts, which invariably start out slowly and methodically, but pick up speed with each factor considered, until the centrifugal force numbs the mind.
After finishing this blog and sending it to my webmaster and friend Gary for posting, he sent me this, which he found on Wikipedia: “Eternal return (also known as ‘eternal recurrence’) is a concept that the universe has been recurring, and will continue to recur, in a self-similar form an infinite number of times across infinite time or space. The concept is found in Indian philosophy and in ancient Egypt and was subsequently taken up by the Pythagoreans and Stoics.”
So, while I may not be the original thinker I assumed I am, let me just say that this is, nevertheless, what I truly believe, and while I will never know if I am right or wrong―another of the frustrations of philosophy―I am comfortable with it. If you don't have a philosophy of your own, you're welcome to consider this one.
Or not.
*****
Dorien's blogs are posted by 10 a.m. Central time every Monday and Thursday. Please take a moment to visit his website (http://www.doriengrey.com) and, if you enjoy these blogs, you might want to check out Short Circuits: a Life in Blogs (http://bit.ly/m8CSO1), which is also available as an audiobook (http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=sr_1_1?asin=B00DJAJYCS&qid=1372629062&sr=1-1).
Post a Comment
More Blogs by Dorien Grey
• The Case Against Acorns - Thursday, October 29, 2015
• On Growing Up Gay - Thursday, October 22, 2015
• Damned if you do, damned if... - Monday, October 19, 2015
• When I was Who I was - Thursday, October 15, 2015
• We Humans - Monday, October 12, 2015
• "Dear Dugbate:" - Thursday, October 8, 2015
• Who? What? When? Where? Why? How - Monday, October 5, 2015
• Friends and Lovers - Thursday, October 1, 2015
• Friends and Lovers - Thursday, October 1, 2015
• Friends and Lovers - Thursday, October 1, 2015
• Here Lies Common Sense - Monday, September 28, 2015
• Getting It - Thursday, September 24, 2015
• "How 'ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm,....?" - Monday, September 21, 2015
• E Unim Pluribus - Monday, September 14, 2015
• The Doll House - Thursday, September 10, 2015
• "Pay Attention!" - Monday, September 7, 2015
• Shells - Thursday, September 3, 2015
• A Letter From My Father - Monday, August 31, 2015
• Philosophies - Thursday, August 27, 2015
• The Child Within - Monday, August 24, 2015
• "Let's Pretend!" - Monday, August 17, 2015
• The Circles of "We" - Thursday, August 13, 2015
• Loves Park - Monday, August 10, 2015
• The Forest and the Trees - Thursday, August 6, 2015
• Let Me Count the Ways - Monday, August 3, 2015
• Perchance to Dream - Thursday, July 30, 2015
• Moods - Monday, July 27, 2015
• Sharing Dreams - Thursday, July 23, 2015
• The Diamond Lady - Monday, July 20, 2015
• Remembering - Thursday, July 16, 2015
• Flashbacks - Monday, July 13, 2015
• Dear Lord, But You're Dumb! - Thursday, July 9, 2015
• Ask Not - Monday, July 6, 2015
• Hey, Rube! - Thursday, July 2, 2015
• Hidden Costs? - Monday, June 29, 2015
• Greed - Thursday, June 25, 2015
• "i" before "e" - Monday, June 22, 2015
• Letting Go - Thursday, June 18, 2015
• Acceptance - Monday, June 15, 2015
• Delusion - Thursday, June 11, 2015
• Communication - Monday, June 8, 2015
• Goldilocks - Thursday, June 4, 2015
• Do Not Go Gentle.... - Monday, June 1, 2015
• Bees & Flowers, Progeny & Words - Thursday, May 28, 2015
• "What if..." - Monday, May 25, 2015
• The Chaos Kid - Wednesday, May 20, 2015
• The Endless Loop - Monday, May 18, 2015
• The Tinfoil Hat - Thursday, May 14, 2015
• The Losing Battle - Monday, May 11, 2015
• When Then Was Now - Thursday, May 7, 2015
• The Price - Monday, May 4, 2015
• Goulash - Thursday, April 30, 2015
• Obsession - Monday, April 27, 2015
• Over the Rainbow - Thursday, April 23, 2015
• The Past-Clinger - Monday, April 20, 2015
• Tar Bubbles - Thursday, April 16, 2015
• Remembering Fairdale - Monday, April 13, 2015
• Custodial - Thursday, April 9, 2015
• Odd Man Out - Monday, April 6, 2015
• Lives - Thursday, April 2, 2015
• The Boggling of the Mind - Monday, March 30, 2015
• "He Had a Hat!" - Thursday, March 26, 2015
• Marshmallow Man - Monday, March 23, 2015
• Chance, Coincidence, and Incredible Odds - Thursday, March 19, 2015
• Spam and "Jabberwocky" - Monday, March 16, 2015
• Except After "C" - Thursday, March 12, 2015
• "That Which I Should Have Done..." - Monday, March 9, 2015
• "They," "Them," and Me - Thursday, March 5, 2015
• The Fine Line - Monday, March 2, 2015
• "This, too...." - Thursday, February 26, 2015
• Idiots - Monday, February 23, 2015
• Weather or Not - Thursday, February 19, 2015
• Envy - Monday, February 16, 2015
• Grand Delusions - Monday, February 9, 2015
• Waste Not, Want Not - Thursday, February 5, 2015
• "Pretty" - Thursday, January 29, 2015
• Observing - Monday, January 26, 2015
• Lip Service - Thursday, January 22, 2015
• Seriously? - Monday, January 19, 2015
• You, Me, and Snowflakes - Thursday, January 15, 2015
• Boogeyman - Monday, January 12, 2015
• "You're Nothing!" - Thursday, January 8, 2015
• Egotism vs Egoism - Monday, January 5, 2015
• Small Flaws - Monday, December 29, 2014
• A Matter of Distance - Thursday, December 18, 2014
• Cliffhangers - Monday, December 15, 2014
• Logic and Fun - Thursday, December 11, 2014
• "I Hear the Mermen Singing...." - Monday, December 8, 2014
• Mantras and Acorns - Thursday, December 4, 2014
• The Doll House - Monday, December 1, 2014
• Thanotophobia - Thursday, November 27, 2014
• Moments and Times - Monday, November 24, 2014
• Rules to Live Buy - Thursday, November 20, 2014
• Stranger in a Strange Land - Monday, November 17, 2014
• The Learning Curve - Thursday, November 13, 2014
• Cassandra and Me - Monday, November 10, 2014
• Remembering the Future - Thursday, November 6, 2014
• Beyond Understanding - Monday, November 3, 2014
• Commercially Speaking - Thursday, October 30, 2014
• Little Boxes - Monday, October 27, 2014
• Ursula's World - Thursday, October 23, 2014
• When "Then" Was "Now" - Monday, October 20, 2014
• The Bouncing Ball - Thursday, October 16, 2014
• The Sound of Laughter - Monday, October 13, 2014
• Ah, If Ye Only Knew.... - Thursday, October 9, 2014
• Hourglass - Monday, October 6, 2014
• The Gourmet Chef - Thursday, October 2, 2014
• Of a Certain Age - Monday, September 29, 2014
• Once Upon a Town - Monday, September 22, 2014
• The Illusionist - Thursday, September 18, 2014
• Words as Food - Monday, September 15, 2014
• The King of Romania - Thursday, September 11, 2014
• Comparisons - Monday, September 8, 2014
• Ladies and Gentlemen - Thursday, September 4, 2014
• The Delusionist - Monday, September 1, 2014
• Running - Thursday, August 7, 2014
• "It was the best of times, ...." - Monday, August 4, 2014
• A Conversation with My Muse - Thursday, July 31, 2014
• Mr. In-Betweem - Monday, July 28, 2014
• On Memories - Thursday, July 24, 2014
• America's Voice - Monday, July 21, 2014
• "One Ringy-Dingy" - Thursday, July 17, 2014
• Thomas - Monday, July 14, 2014
• On Meeting Myself - Thursday, July 10, 2014
• Frustration - Monday, July 7, 2014
• The Broken Compass - Thursday, July 3, 2014
• Pondering the Imponderable - Monday, June 30, 2014
• Of Time and Blogs - Thursday, June 26, 2014
• "I Sing the Body Electric!" - Monday, June 23, 2014
• Slleep - Thursday, June 19, 2014
• Technology and Me - Monday, June 16, 2014
• Sing Me a Song - Thursday, June 12, 2014
• Lies - Monday, June 9, 2014
• Spare me! - Thursday, June 5, 2014
• Words Spoken, Words Written - Monday, June 2, 2014
• Name Dropping - Monday, May 26, 2014
• "Mine Enemy Grows Older" - Monday, May 19, 2014
• "Under God" - Monday, May 12, 2014
• Where There's a Will.... - Monday, May 5, 2014
• Logic Redux - Monday, April 28, 2014
• Understanding - Monday, April 21, 2014
• Writers and Readers - Monday, April 14, 2014
• Crapshoot - Monday, April 7, 2014
• Ingrate - Monday, March 31, 2014
• If - Monday, March 24, 2014
• My Father's Sun - Monday, March 17, 2014
• Little Boy Lost - Monday, March 10, 2014
• On Thinking - Monday, March 3, 2014
• Simple Rules - Monday, February 24, 2014
• A Book's Tale - Monday, February 17, 2014
• Compared to What? - Monday, February 10, 2014
• A Bologna Sandwich - Monday, February 3, 2014
• Delusions - Monday, January 27, 2014
• Silly - Monday, January 20, 2014
• Imprints - Monday, January 13, 2014
• If at first.... - Monday, January 6, 2014
• To Quote Popeye,... - Monday, December 30, 2013
• Once Upon a Co-Op - Monday, December 23, 2013
• "The Normal Heart" - Monday, December 16, 2013
• On Colds - Thursday, December 12, 2013
• On Being 80 - Monday, December 9, 2013
• Logic - Monday, December 2, 2013
• The Dictionary Schizophrenic - Monday, November 25, 2013
• Teeter-Totter - Monday, November 18, 2013
• I, Philistine - Monday, November 11, 2013
• The Haunted Mouse - Monday, November 4, 2013
• I Do Not Go Gentle... - Monday, October 28, 2013
• Hype - Monday, October 21, 2013
• Time Travel and Jim Crow - Monday, October 14, 2013
• The Herd - Monday, October 7, 2013
• "I," "Me," and "Everybody Else" - Monday, September 30, 2013
• That Which I Should Have Done, ... - Monday, September 23, 2013
• A Ticket to Ride - Monday, September 16, 2013
• Words Written, Words Heard - Monday, September 9, 2013
• The Kindness of Strangers - Monday, September 2, 2013
• "Oink" - Monday, August 26, 2013
• Old Bones - Monday, August 19, 2013
• Life on Banana Peels - Monday, August 12, 2013
• Priorities - Thursday, August 8, 2013
• Pitons - Monday, August 5, 2013
• Neutral - Monday, June 24, 2013
• Plannin' - Monday, June 17, 2013
• The Spider's Belch - Monday, June 10, 2013
• Ya' Know What I'm Sayin'? - Monday, June 3, 2013
• Antsy - Monday, May 27, 2013
• You and Me - Monday, May 20, 2013
• Hope, Love, and We - Monday, April 29, 2013
• Pureed Thoughts - Monday, April 22, 2013
• The Willing Eunuch - Monday, April 15, 2013
• "If" Past, "If" Future - Monday, April 8, 2013
• Habits, Routines, and Ruts - Monday, April 1, 2013
• Mind vs. Body - Tuesday, March 26, 2013
• Rejection - Monday, March 18, 2013
• A Box of Days - Monday, March 11, 2013
• Instructions - Monday, March 4, 2013
• Ya Know? - Monday, February 25, 2013
• Logic, Oh Logic! - Monday, February 18, 2013
• North - Monday, February 11, 2013
• Domesticity, Yet Again - Monday, February 4, 2013
• The Christmas Party - Monday, December 24, 2012
• "De Profundis" - Monday, December 17, 2012
• Squiggles and Strokes - Monday, December 10, 2012
• Validation - Monday, December 3, 2012
• Wastebaskets and Life - Monday, November 19, 2012
• Once Upon a Time in the Navy - Monday, November 12, 2012
• Love - Tuesday, October 23, 2012
• Russ - Monday, October 1, 2012
• Torquemada'll Get You... - Monday, September 10, 2012
• King Canute - Monday, September 3, 2012
• Oh, the Nobility! - Monday, August 27, 2012
• A Pile of Rocks - Monday, August 6, 2012
• The Doctor is In - Monday, June 25, 2012
• Splits - Tuesday, June 19, 2012
• Softie - Monday, May 28, 2012
• Time Was - Monday, May 21, 2012
• Oh, the Nobility!! - Monday, May 7, 2012
• The Demons Within - Monday, April 30, 2012
• At the Movies - Monday, April 16, 2012
• I Believe... - Monday, April 9, 2012
• Bubbly Creek - Monday, March 26, 2012
• Who IS That Man? - Monday, March 19, 2012
• Dangling Wires - Monday, March 5, 2012
• Trains - Monday, February 27, 2012
• Songs - Monday, February 20, 2012
• Love - Monday, February 6, 2012
• Mind Boggling - Monday, January 30, 2012
• Omaha - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
• The Doctor is In - Monday, January 9, 2012
• Laughter - Tuesday, December 27, 2011
• A Job From Hell - Monday, December 5, 2011
• Ophelia - Monday, November 14, 2011
• Acknowledgement, Acceptance, and Compulsion - Monday, October 31, 2011
• Homes - Monday, October 24, 2011
• Tar Bubbles - Monday, October 17, 2011
• Different Worlds - Monday, October 10, 2011
• Missed Boats - Monday, September 26, 2011
• Little Things - Monday, September 19, 2011
• Shiva - Monday, September 12, 2011
• One Plus One Equals...?? - Monday, September 5, 2011
• Matchmaker, Matchmaker - Monday, August 29, 2011
• Journey's End - Monday, August 22, 2011
• Last Day in Rome - Monday, August 15, 2011
• Wandering through Rome - Monday, August 8, 2011
• A Stroll Through the Forum - Monday, August 1, 2011
• All Railroads Lead to Rome - Monday, July 25, 2011
• Climbing Vesuvius - Monday, July 18, 2011
• Sorrento Notes - Monday, July 11, 2011
• The Pompeiians - Monday, July 4, 2011
• And On to Florence - Monday, June 20, 2011
• The Train to Italy - Monday, June 13, 2011
• Life in Paris - Monday, May 30, 2011
• Progress Report - Monday, May 23, 2011
• Bienvenue a Paris - Monday, May 16, 2011
• A Klutz in London - Monday, May 9, 2011
• To London, To London! - Monday, May 2, 2011
• Moments - Monday, April 25, 2011
• The Likes o' Me - Monday, March 7, 2011
• Movies - Monday, February 21, 2011
• "As ithers see us" - Monday, February 14, 2011
• Kittens and Puppies - Monday, February 7, 2011
• Jobs from Heck - Monday, January 31, 2011
• The Boggled Mind - Monday, January 24, 2011
• Kids' Play - Monday, January 10, 2011
• Ozymandius - Monday, January 3, 2011
• Ponderings - Monday, December 27, 2010
• Laughter - Monday, December 20, 2010
• On Impatience - Monday, December 13, 2010
• Speaking in Tongues - Monday, December 6, 2010
• Idiots - Monday, November 29, 2010
• Losin' It - Monday, November 22, 2010
• Trains - Monday, November 15, 2010
• On Being Strange - Monday, November 8, 2010
• Cracks in the Mirror - Monday, November 1, 2010
• Because - Monday, October 25, 2010
• Strike Up the Band - Monday, October 18, 2010
• Embarrassment - Monday, October 11, 2010
• As Ithers See Us - Monday, October 4, 2010
• The Way of the World - Monday, September 27, 2010
• Generations - Monday, September 20, 2010
• Letting Go - Monday, September 13, 2010
• K’nesheeshawna by Any Other Name - Monday, September 6, 2010
• Unforgiving - Monday, August 30, 2010
• For We Are a Simple People - Monday, August 23, 2010
• Seven out of Seven - Monday, August 16, 2010
• It is to Weep - Monday, August 9, 2010
• Reality and Perception - Monday, August 2, 2010
• Memory Games - Monday, July 26, 2010
• Mind and Body - Monday, July 19, 2010
• The Captain and the Ship - Monday, July 12, 2010
• Logic and the Lack Thereof - Monday, July 5, 2010
• Normal - Monday, June 28, 2010
• You Is or You Ain't - Monday, June 21, 2010
• The King of Klutz - Monday, June 14, 2010
• You & Me...& Everybody Else - Monday, June 7, 2010
• 3,993 Sundays - Monday, May 31, 2010
• Tears of Joy - Monday, May 24, 2010
• Pond Scum - Monday, May 17, 2010
• A Day at the Movies - Monday, May 10, 2010
• L'etat, C'est Moi! - Monday, May 3, 2010
• We Three - Monday, April 26, 2010
|
|
|
