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“One Life in Eternity” The Druid’s radical take on Discrete Being and Temporal Illusion Introduction For
millennia, philosophers have debated the nature of being and time. Most
traditions—whether ancient metaphysics, modern idealism, or
phenomenology—presume that reality consists of enduring entities persisting
in a continuous temporal flow. They take for granted that “being” is a stable
condition (as in Vedanta) and that time is either an infinite continuum or a
structured sequence of moments. The
druid’s radical deconstruction reveals this picture as an adaptive fiction.
Discrete observation reveals that there is no continuous persistence, no
underlying temporal stream, and no intrinsic coherence of experience. What is
called “being” and “time” arise solely through discrete events of contact
between observer and unknown quantum phenomena. 1. The Primacy of Collision Events Let us
begin with the simplest claim: Nothing persists. There are no enduring “things.” There are only discrete
collisions—moments when a quantum or aggregate of quanta impacts an
observer presenting as alternate quantised aggregate. Each collision: ·
Produces a detectable effect (e.g., a particle
registers on a detector or a sensory organ). ·
Generates the observer’s experience of existence
(“It is”, “I am”). ·
Defines a discrete moment of time (“Now”). Between
collisions, there is no actuality—only indefinite, unreferenced possibility. Example Consider
a particle detection experiment: ·
Before the event, there is no fact about the
particle’s location or state relative to the observer. ·
At the moment of
impact, the detector clicks. ·
That click is the entirety of the
particle’s being for the observer. ·
Simultaneously, the click marks a unique,
unrepeatable moment of time. In this
framework, “being” does not refer to any enduring substance. It is the
singular occurrence of contact. 2. The Absence of Prior Causation When the
collision occurs, no statement about its prior cause is available. The
observer: ·
Cannot reference the origin of the impacting
quantum. ·
Has no access to the conditions that led to this
specific event. ·
Receives only the effect—the impact
itself. This
indeterminacy is not merely epistemic. It is ontological. Before the
collision, there is no real relationship between observer and quantum—no
shared time, no definite spacetime linkage. Only the impact itself brings the
quantum into existence relative to the observer. 3. Time as Discontinuous In this
view, time does not flow. It is not a background dimension stretching
smoothly in all directions. Time is simply the discrete moment, as
quantum, generated by collision. ·
No collision, no “now.” ·
No sequence, no duration. ·
Each impact defines its own unique temporal
instant. This is
akin to a movie projector: no matter how many frames exist on the reel, a
single frame is all that is projected at any instant. But in this analogy,
there is no reel—only the singular frame, arising unreferenced from
possibility. 4. The Illusion of Continuity Human
experience seems to contradict this picture. We feel ourselves to be
continuous beings in continuous time. This apparent stability is an adaptive
illusion. It arises because: ·
Trillions of micro-collisions are constantly
occurring within the body and sensory apparatus. ·
The nervous system integrates these events into a
smooth narrative. ·
The brain imposes temporal coherence as a
survival-supportive simplification. For
example: ·
Photons strike retinal cells in continuous
streams. ·
Auditory hair cells vibrate with incoming waves. ·
Tactile receptors register countless
micro-contacts. The brain
superimposes these impacts into a seamless image of persistent objects
and enduring time. But in fact = truth, every sense
of continuity is a secondary effect (as trace) of discrete impacts. 5. One Life in Eternity Reinterpreted The
classical formulation—One life in eternity—usually
suggests a single, finite life embedded in a vast, flowing continuum of time.
In this discrete-event framework, it acquires a radically different meaning: ·
One life: Not an extended biography
or a persisting self, but a single discrete contact moment when being
and time co-arise in the collision. ·
Eternity: Not an infinite temporal
background, but the unreferenced, indeterminate possibility space from
which collisions may emerge. Thus: One life in eternity means: 6. Consequences and Significance This
perspective has profound implications: ·
No enduring identities: The
self is not a thing but a momentary aggregation of impacts. ·
No continuous existence: Reality
is discontinuous and event-based. ·
No flowing time: Each event generates its
own instant of time. ·
No prior cause required: The
collision is ontologically primary. This is
not a metaphor. It is an account grounded in the minimal conditions necessary
for any observer to experience “being.” 7. Example Illustration Imagine
an astronaut alone in deep space. In a perfect vacuum, there are no
collisions. No photons, no particles, no impacts. For that observer, there is
no time and no being in any sense: ·
No events occur. ·
No “now” arises. ·
No existence manifests relative to the observer. Then, a
stray quantum from a cosmic ray collides with the astronaut’s retina. In that
instant, and as the Shakyamuni already observed 2500 years ago: ·
Being arises: A flash! ·
Time arises: This happened! ·
A singular, discrete moment of reality emerges. This is one
life in eternity: one collision against the boundless, unreferenced
possibility space. Conclusion This
interpretation eliminates the need for metaphysical substance, continuous
time, or any grand ontological architecture, such as, for instance, the Vedanta concept of
sat-chit-ananda. It is a
rigorously minimalistic account: ·
Being is discrete contact. ·
Time is the instant of collision. ·
Continuity is an illusion of aggregation. Nothing
persists but the possibility of further collisions. Reality is a mosaic of
unconnected impacts. |