External Vision and Identity -- How Perception and Identity Has To Do With Truth and Survival

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Article Synopsis by Mr. O. C. Isaac

The article "External Vision and Identity: How Perception and Identity Has To Do With Truth and Survival" is a philosophical exploration of perception, identity, and the impact of external feedback on one's sense of self and truth.

It draws from classical philosophy, particularly Epictetus, to provide depth and historical perspective. The introspective nature of the article allows readers to engage with the author's personal experiences and philosophical journey, adding authenticity and relatability.

The article critiques the reliance on external perspectives for understanding oneself, challenging the idea of objective truth and highlighting the pitfalls of seeking validation from others. The discussion on identity and survival is thought-provoking, with the notion that unconventional minds must navigate a conventional world adding an interesting layer to the discussion on identity.

The article's philosophical purpose emphasizes the value of logical reasoning and philosophical inquiry in providing purpose and coherence amidst confusion.

The language and philosophical jargon might be challenging for readers not well-versed in philosophy. However, it's possible to train oneself to understand philosophical texts.

In conclusion, the article offers a rich and introspective examination of how external vision and identity intersect with truth and survival.

Part I: The Constructed Acting Stage

Sometimes I think of a certain quote from Epictetus, the same quote that led me and different people into our separate ways:

Remember that you are an actor in a drama, of such a kind as the author pleases to make it. If short, of a short one; if long, of a long one.

Perhaps throughout my life I have underestimated the confidence and certainty that might be embedded through external vision. After all, people are really biased per what they perceive, and looking beyond it is a critical thinking skill that must be developed, even during moments of hatred and rage.

Perhaps this overlooking, of the difference between how I think and how others think, was the same thing that led me to a life of semi-solitude. As I got rejected by people around me I slowly realized the pain caused by the external vision's recklessness towards what it fails to understand.

What it wants to understand, however, are roles. Functions within greater contexts. Within these roles are attributed different levels of truth, either fully associated with it or associated merely through stereotypes and stigma.

Entry of the Misguided Gladiators

The unconventional mind has to live an unconventional life in order to mentally survive in a conventional world. A reality of such a mind is experienced as uncanny, as much as society experiences him or her as uncanny. The roles designated in one's mind towards different functions are shattered when the uncanny people are recognized for their success. The drama play as described by Epictetus is mainly nothing more than a fabricated matrix we choose to wove around reality.

The "Ill perception", the "social psychosis" happens when we actually think that our woven matrix is reality itself. This, then distorts much of our understanding, leading to horrible miscommunications, as well as the preventable suffering that ensues.

Part II: How and Why I Dismiss External Vision

On a logical level, external vision has always been a problem for me. It was and is difficult for me to know whose perspective is more reliable. Is it the outlook of those who love you the most or the outlook of a foreign critic? What if those who love you are biased by their affection? On the other hand, what if the foreign critic is ignorant of what they're criticizing, but they criticize it nonetheless? What if both sides tell different pieces of truth about the same subject?

Since I never found a satisfactory answer, I began to dismiss external vision entirely. I realized that I am stuck between two extremes.

On the one hand, I've written a lot in the first three decades of my life. On the other hand, I am too irrelevant to be worthy of the company of any people that are not as intelligently weird as I am. Positive as well as negative feedback has been given to me, and I philosophize anything that moves, as I am trying to make sense of what is objective and what is merely intersubjective.

This is why I feel kind of lost, even though I believe this situation is not unique to me. I don't know if I'm a good enough philosopher, or just a sore loser who writes just to feel like his life has any meaning or influence on a socially-driven-world.

Am I successful like I sometimes think I am, or am I just a weird hermit who fails keeping up friends, resorting instead to apprentices? You see, when you've fallen between the chairs of life's socially determined roles, of course you might find yourself confused and lost. Of course you'll think about whether you're this exceptional sage or an infantile man with poor social skills.

The Streams of Confusion

I feel as if I am swimming against a sea of intense waves, trying to put enough power into swimming, and making sure I have enough breathing space throughout. These waves do not move in unison but independently of each other, each pulling me to a different role at the same time. Whether these roles are accurately described or are poorly understood through their orthodox paths, only intensifies the constant anxiety I'm often having.

My former master once told me that humans must be described by others or they will lose their grip on reality. This was more than a decade ago. However, he also told me, a while later, that no one in my situation should be alone. And yet, why would I need to be in a society with those who actively limit themselves by their external vision?

The Pains of People

Understand, misunderstanding or lack of understanding in general is painful as well as inducing loneliness. I might as well live together in hermitage and call it a day. No much need to communicate, no much need to socialize. Just making minimum contact with this world just so I would be able to spare myself the awful pain of being severely misunderstood over the years.

As people lose their critical thinking skills in modern times, they lose their ability to see reality clearly. As much as you'd like to think you see reality clearly just because you have good sight, much of reality is processed in the brain. It's not the eyes that are the lenses of reality as much as the brain. Eyes might help you see the physical aspect of reality, but how can you understand people when your brain has not used the fuller extent of its intelligence?

Therefore, if I had any friends that could truly understand me, how can I rely on them, so that this clarity of mind remains, when it is hindered by biases related to time itself? If fatigue compromises our thinking, and society breeds tiredness, of course there is going to be no security in this. And therefore, the compromised external vision would go on hurting us and making us question our identity.

Part III: The Savior

The only grasp that I have on anything is logical reasoning. If I choose to do something that isn't as practical, I might question that action's continuation; if I choose to do something that brings productivity and help for others, I will continue to do it with little hesitation. We just need to understand if whatever we're doing is actually productive and helpful, or not really.

Can you really say that teaching people how to twerk is as helpful as philosophy? Should twerking teachers be proud of their work as much as philosophers should do whenever they devise a new concept or find a new logical fallacy?

Looking back at life from your deathbed, would you feel accomplished by teaching generations of people how to twerk, or would you feel more important by helping people with their problems? Problem-solving, after all is one of philosophy's main purposes.

With this relationship of importance one can deem objective, it shows that logic might exist beyond a mere construct in our mental dimensions.

Philosophy as Purpose To Continue Living

All of this time and energy spent on philosophizing is not something I am willing to give up and may never be. I don't care if people refer to me as irrelevant or immature or pretentious. I don't care. If I want to mentally survive I must find something I can stick to, something that would give me a concrete identity that can prevail over all contradictory and painful external visions of people.

It is thus reasonable for a person to be biased toward themselves, for they cannot escape themselves until death. Bias, as distorting our perception, is also there to help us preserve ourselves and advocate our interests. If I'm biased towards myself, it is mainly because I am biased towards remaining sane in a reality I experience as horribly devoid.

And the reality which I perceive by default is not necessarily the one you perceive. Most often than not, "reality" starts in the brain. The brain in turn acts accordingly.

Conclusions

Identity and external vision serve not only as assets to cross human knowledge. Negative. They are also ways for us to keep a grip on reality, and keep ourselves away from destructive chaos.

Why not, in this competitive world, fight for oneself, for one's legitimacy? Perhaps if I were a different person by default, I would've been treated differently, and my shape of reality would've been similar to what most people might have in mind. It is hard however to see how different people communicate as if they are in the same "reality". In reality (pun intended) they are very much prisoners of their own mind.

We are, ultimately, tribal beings, even when it comes to our own vision of things and beings. After all, similar people think alike.

Understand this: Consistent human interaction with the same people leads to the syncing of people's brains. Brains are being synced and thus gain similar understanding in the name of social benefits.

It is therefore the interest of many to think alike to many of their counterparts, merely as a means for survival.

However, human interactions with people that fail to be steady in their continuation, will deter their brains from being structured in a similar way.

And as much as we need to survive we should also appreciate the value of having unique brain anatomies. Human uniqueness doesn't have to be seen as an unfortunate matter when it can be used to extract revolutionary potential and be used to give hope to oneself and others.