The Stages of Perception | Teen Ink

The Stages of Perception

December 8, 2011
By KendrickL BRONZE, Ormond Beach, Florida
KendrickL BRONZE, Ormond Beach, Florida
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

This is divinely important.


Everything we think about on a usual basis is just so small. We worry about school, work, our friends, family, and other things that seem trivial if taken out of perspective. Our perspectives are our most powerful tool, and they will forever be. A journey through perspectives should only be regarded a beautiful thing. A closed mind is the ugliest thing one could ever lay their perspectives on. As our minds open and blossom out, everything becomes more intricate and beautiful. Days pass: humans' measurements of "time" are the rotations and revolutions the enormous sphere we thrive on around another, larger, life-giving sphere.

During this day, a journey through perspectives and enlightenment was made.

Stage 1: Before the actual journey, when we were too ignorant to think of other perspectives. We worried about dieting, making money, keeping in touch with family, our loved ones and friends, the government, our pets, and other completely trivial things.

Stage 2: We journeyed through nature, enjoying the gifts of the Earth and commenting on how wrong society has become. It seemed as if living with nature and in nature as a part of nature was just right, and nothing could be righter. Humans take things like oceans, and, because they aren't enough for us or they aren't to our liking (too many animals, filthy, salty), we create our own bastardized versions of them (swimming pools). We have square boxes (houses) to protect us from nature, because nature isn't to our liking. We cook food and combine different foods and such because just eating isn't to our liking. We mold the world to our desire, and eventually this is what fuels the progression of a society. At this point in our journey through perspectives, we believed that this progression was immoral, and that being primitive in nature was the only way to completely maximize the joys of life. We spoke of the things necessary to teach young humans: medicine & plant knowledge, zoology, psychology, physics, and such, while the study of fictional literature seemed completely trivial. Although the life would be primitive by choice, it would still be extremely intelligent. In this perspective, things like friends, family, and work seemed completely trivial. This stage completely encompassed stage 1.

Stage 3: We spoke of human society's complete progression since the beginning of time. Was this a linear movement, or a cycle? We pondered the idea of a whole separate ancient human society that had gone through a whole cycle and died or left the Earth in search of greater places. We would have no idea whether or not there was such a society, and those who said there for sure could not have been can not prove their view. To be fair, though, we can not prove our view either. Since these views are equal, both should be approved. This perspective encompassed stage 2. We realized that gas powers everything that defines our society and that when we eventually run out, our world-encompassing society's cycle will be done. Riots will ensue. People will kill other people for drops of gasoline. Although we are enlightened and it seems like a calmness about the eventual starting over would be beneficial, we realize the "freaking out" of the masses is inevitable and should happen. Its the course of things. The calmness shouldn't be in the fact that we're going to start over as a civilization; it should be in the fact that mankind will completely upheave everything freaking out about the end of the gasoline supply, and that it will be okay. We can be calm and enlightened and watch it happen. What a noble and joyous thing to have experienced in life: to completely re-begin a civilization! I can think of absolutely nothing more exciting or more terrifying. We also realized that if our views are incorrect and we don't have the skill to restart a civilization, then the gasoline shortage will be the end to our existence... and that is also divinely ok. It just is. How insignificant does your career seem now? How trivial does what you study or professionalize in seem now? These are the questions we asked ourselves as we ventured through the third stage of enlightenment.

Stage 4: As human civilization starts itself, progresses, collapses, and restarts itself, only seconds pass in the universe. As we shift our perspective even further back, we realize that even the cycles of human society are trivial, when only moments before in stage 3, they seemed to be the biggest, most epic things possible. As the successful cycles come to a close and humans venture out into space, from a divine perspective one can see them leaving Earth in waves, resonating the very fibers of the universe. Nothing could be more beautiful or awe-inspiring. Nothing could be more humbling.


The thought of a multiverse does even more to expand one's perception...

Stage 5: Ignorance should not be considered "ignorant." Chosen ignorance is intelligent, and in ignoring the universe out in stage 4, we can live peacefully. If we all thrived on the idea all the time, no one would ever be at ease. The lack of knowledge is an uneasy feeling. This is why we must not thrive on the idea of everything that is out there. We must continue in stage 1 to completely enjoy life while it lasts. Making the journey throughout the stages of perception is a worthwhile thing to do, and it is quite humbling; but at the end of the journey one must be ignorant of the journey to really thrive normally and enjoy the remainder of their life.


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