🎙️ Petit Petit Summit (18) Does Human Society Change Through Collective Consciousness?

October 25, 2022 — Part 4

Can Society Really Change?

Goro: You say that "human society changes through the consciousness of the people who compose it," but is that really a concept we can accept so easily? I don’t think it’s that simple—especially looking at recent global events and Japanese society.

Yūdai: Oh? It seems Goro-kun is the pessimist this time, rather than Ishikof-san.

Goro: Going back to our earlier point about "this life" being a multi-layered structure of separate worlds tied to individual consciousnesses—it’s precisely because of that structure that I think change is difficult. The people with a strong, genuine will to change society are an extreme minority. Most people have faint hopes or expectations that things might get better, but they don't truly believe it, nor do they possess the iron will to make it happen.

Yūdai: I see. And that is exactly why the masses are so easily ruled, brainwashed, and exploited by the cunning few. If you look at human history, that is undeniably the truth.

Goro: As long as the "silent majority"—the conformists—make up the bulk of the population, most layers of that multi-layered structure will remain unchanged, won't they?

Allan: Perhaps they don't change because they change too easily—if that makes sense. It might sound like wordplay, but the social structure where the will of a few rulers moves the masses hasn't changed since ancient times. Consequently, the consciousness of the majority is easily altered and controlled. In this age of advanced media tools, "democracy" could even be seen as a highly convenient system for those in power.

Goro: Furthermore, most people's desires are primarily egoistic: needing more money, getting their kids into famous universities, or wanting to be popular. Global peace is just an afterthought—a "nice to have." This is true for both the rulers and the ruled. They’re "badgers from the same hole"—the ruled obey because they harbor the same desires as those who rule them. They’re largely driven by the hope of catching a few crumbs. As a result, when everyone pursues their individual desires, the world as a whole drifts toward destruction through competition for resources, military power, and the domination of others.

Yūdai: So, "that's just how humans are," eh? Therefore, the destruction of this life and the extinction of the human race is just the natural course of things. What a boring conclusion.

An Individual's Worldview is Part of the "World"

Allan: Then how about this? When I was a child, I was obsessed with the delusion that the world only existed within the range of what I could see. To a child with limited knowledge, whatever you can see and touch is the entire world. I used to think: maybe penguins don't exist. Maybe Hokkaido doesn't exist. Maybe America or even the Earth doesn't exist, and I'm just being made to believe they do.

Yūdai: Oh, I remember that feeling. To be honest, I might still feel that way somewhere deep down.

Goro: I had that too. That childhood memory or sensation.

Allan: It just occurred to me that if we link that image of "the world only exists around me" to our talk about "this life as a multi-layered structure," it might actually hold water in a way. Let’s say the world I recognize now includes not only what my five senses perceive but also the world I know through knowledge and experience. Penguins, Hokkaido, and America turned out to exist. I could see them with my own eyes and go there. Through experience, my world certainly expanded beyond my childhood delusions.

Yet, the world I can grasp in any given moment remains limited. Even on this Earth, there are many countries I haven't visited, and far more things I don't know than things I do. It’s impossible to grasp the totality of this world. There are many things that exist in the worlds known by Goro-san or Yūdai-san but do not exist in mine. When the worlds of the three of us overlap, the world expands slightly. If another person's world is added... if "this life" is a world made of layers like that, then it’s only natural that I cannot commit to or take responsibility for parts of the world I don't even know. I have no choice but to fully accept living within the "part" that is my thin slice of this life.

Now, that tiny, thin "my world" is constantly changing. It changes every time I experience, think, or act. Sometimes it might change drastically. In my case, when I learned about Entropy Environmental Theory, my world changed immensely. Perhaps "worldview" is a easier term to understand? You might say a worldview is just a thought model in an individual's brain and not the actual world—but from today’s perspective, since the world is tied to individual consciousness, an individual’s worldview is a part of the world.

Goro: So if each person drastically changes their own worldview, the entire world changes?

Yūdai: Not the "entire world," but "this life." Because "this life" is only a tiny fraction of the totality—the true world.

Allan: Exactly. It might sound like a platitude, but I think that’s a good way to look at it. Even if the way things change heads in a terrible direction and human society eventually collapses or the species vanishes, that is only something that happened in "this life." The "True World" is the totality that manifested this life—a dimension we cannot perceive.

Goro: Some might call it escapism, but that kind of detached perspective is important. Ultimately, we only live in our own worlds. It’s not about being indifferent because we can't change the world; it’s about living to the fullest in the world our brain recognizes as long as we are one with our bodies. Whether that is judged as a "success" or "failure" is, from the perspective of the totality, just a plot point in a movie being shown in a 3D theater. There are tragedies, comedies, and plays of the absurd.

Allan: Right. Maintaining that mindset might even help keep our immune systems from dropping too low.

"God" Exists in a World with a Denominator of Zero
Yūdai: I am now very conscious of preparing for when my body vanishes—returning to that "Original World," or rather, being reabsorbed into it.

Goro: Not again! Yūdai-san, you're always talking about dying. There’s no need to rush. It would be lonely to lose such a precious member of our Petit Summit. Let’s watch this movie together a little longer.

Yūdai: I'm not in a hurry to die. I’d actually like to see what "this life" looks like next year, once we've made it through this winter.

Allan: I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but I want to see how you change, Yūdai-san. You speak of the sensation of gradually detaching from the body; I can't help but hope that in that process, you’ll start to see things that Goro-kun and I cannot. That you’ll begin to see the True World, the Totality—the world of "God," so to speak. Even if it’s just a fleeting vision, I want you to tell us about it.

Yūdai: I wouldn't get your hopes up. I might mumble something like a delirium on my deathbed, but even if I see something, I doubt I could ever express it properly in the language of "this life."

Goro: Phew. This turned into quite a heavy conversation today. But it was stimulating and fun. It just occurred to me... perhaps that "Original World" or "True World" is a world where the denominator is zero.

Yūdai: A world with a denominator of zero?

Goro: Yeah. In math, we're taught that you can multiply zero by any number, but you can't divide by zero. If you divide by zero, the equation breaks down. At most, it becomes infinity (∞). That’s why we’re told "you can't divide by zero." I just had a thought that the Totality—the realm of God—might be like that. Something humans can't calculate or perceive, yet something we can feel actually exists.

Allan: Well said. That's worth ten points—or ten zabuton cushions, as they say.

Yūdai: Then, now that Goro-kun has earned his ten cushions, shall we call it a day? I’m already sleepy.

Goro: Yes. Thank you for the ten cushions. Goodnight, everyone!