What are you?

Vedush Malik
Aug 23, 2017 · 6 min read

For almost the whole of the human history we believed in souls, for an explanation to as what makes us conscious. Some of the smartest humans believed in souls, people who are much smarter than you and I. Issac Newton certainly did. Ponder upon it and one realizes that it must have been a good logical explanation at that time, but if I were to compress the history of the world into one year… Let us do that. Let’s compress not the whole, but just human history into one calendar year. It brings me to the conclusion that in the last 5 seconds of history, a big number of us seem to have abandoned all that held dear to majority of us and gone all atheist.

It’s not a bad thing per se. Challenging one’s beliefs is a substantial move towards understanding of all that we call life. You may have persevered through questioning God and all the beliefs you or your friends and family hold dear, but does that really give you a right to be a dick? Does it really give you a right to shit talk someone over the internet, just because you have read The God Delusion and watched a couple of youtube videos with flashy titles such as”CHRISTIAN GETS UTTERLY DESTROYED BY ATHEISTS!!”?

Anyway, recently many of us have decided that we are probably just made of meat and that’s it. There is a term for it. It’s called Materialism.

Both meanings of the word have been deeply immersed in the sub conscious believes of a 21st century ape called human. Let’s concentrate on the latter here. The problem with this idea is that while the approach of materialism is almost definitely true, it fails to explain us what consciousness really is.

What is you? How do you really work? Try and relate to these common yet ignored situations and make an attempt to think of logical reasoning behind it.

The Knowledge Of Absent Information

Remember all those times when you fail to think of a particular word, but you know there is a word that goes there. How do you know there is a word missing without even knowing what the missing word is?

Think of all those occasions you were writing your exams under the illusion that you were killing it! When looking back at your answer script and suddenly

Brain : “Dude, this answer isn’t complete. A point is clearly missing.”

You : “Wait, what? Oh yeah.. Thank God you noticed that. What is it?”

Brain : “What is what?”

You : “What is the missing point?”

Brain : “I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

You : “What?! You.. You don’t remember?! It’s your job to remember!! Come on man! Think! Go through memories. It must be lying there somewhere! We don’t have much time!”

Brain : “Fine.. Let’s see what we have hereee.. Nope. No. Not that. Not this either. Ohhhhhh yes!”

You : “You got it?! What is it?!”

Brain : “Nah. I couldn’t find it but I got something else. Something much better. Go ahead. Play it.”

You : “What? NO! I am not playing that! I don’t even like that song! Find me the damn point!”

Brain : “Oops. Too late. Because I am happy..”

You : “Clap along if you… ARGH FUCK!”

How does that happen? Why does that happen? Why is it so common? While we are still talking about music, read the next one.

Mental Audio Playback

Think of a piece of music. Any song or tune you enjoyed, or for that matter, just listened to recently.

How are you hearing it in your mind? Where is it? Why is it always the same volume? Wait, so we are all cool with a single voice in our head narrating to us since ever we can recall but try talking to yourself and simultaneously play a song in your head. It’s hard. Why is it so hard? It’s certainly not a skill you want to improve upon. If you have one voice in your head, it’s considered normal but if you have several other voices, they end up diagnosing you with.. Well, you are considered

Recalling

How do you remember stuff? How do you get your brain to go back in time and recollect something you heard, read or saw?

Are memories physically imprinted upon parts of your brain? Is it like moving a muscle or is it more like running a program?

Mind Over Matter

Or for that matter there is a huge difference between thinking about moving your arm and just moving your arm. Try putting into words exactly what the difference is. Can you do that? Go ahead. Try it.

Stop it. That’s how you sound.

No Memory Of Infancy

Don’t you think it’s a bit weird that you can’t remember anything about the first few years of your own life and everyone is just fine with that? Are they? Why is everyone just fine with that? I mean, I’d really appreciate remembering the dumb shit I did as a baby.

Involuntary Body Response

This one’s my favorite. How come your body just ‘does stuff’ based on your mental state? Like when you feel sad you start crying or when you see something that turns you on, your genitals… do that thing. How does your brain monitor what you are feeling and knows what to do with your body?

My point is : WHAT THE HELL IS CONSCIOUSNESS?

Ignore your body, your identity, your life and your job and ask yourself

WHAT ARE YOU?

(Play this in the background while reading the last part for necessary dramatics)

Billions of years ago, the universe exploded into existence and made stars. Stars died and made planets. One of these planets (at least) made life.The cells evolved into animals. The animals eventually got smarter and developed minds and finally they evolved into you. This conscious, impossible machine that looks back out on all the things and processes that made it and actually understands where it came from. It feels, it learns, it thinks, it grows. You feel, you learn, you think and you grow.

The entire universe spent 13 billion years contriving to make you. So now, you have around 80 years on this bluish-green space ship as a human. Funny thing, the bit that does all the experiencing, your mind, you, we don’t even know what that is. We literally have no idea and anyone who tells you knows is probably-definitely lying.

Just the odds alone, of you being born were trillions and trillions against one.

The odds of you being born in the time in human history when life wasn’t miserable, short and terrifying were billions and billions against one.

We’ve been born a little too early to go and explore the stars but almost all of our ancestors would probably give their legs just to live for a few hours in the time we live in now. We get to wake up in it, everyday, for at least the next few decades.

When you think about it like that. When you think about how thousands of species and billions of people have come before you, when you think of the sheer size of creation, God or no God, there is really no excuse left to ever be bored, mean or even sad.

Ever.

Let’s be honest.

Not really.

)
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade