The Pantheist’s response to system’s failure
Death happens as the natural outcome1
of system’s failure.2 System’s failure3 is signalled
with the varieties of physical, mental and emotional pain.4 System’s success5 is signaled with the varieties
of physical, mental and emotional pleasure. The pantheist, understanding herself as niche
manifestation6 of the universal creative urge, here named PAN,7 hence as wholly natural event,8
expects and accepts inevitable system’s failure9 and its consequence,
death, specifically in old age. ‘When in doubt, return to nature.’10
The basic rule of nature is: ‘The quicker11 get to eat and mate,
and so survive. The slower are eaten! (end
of story) To avoid the awful downside effects of system’s
failure12 she voluntarily ends her existence before the awful
downside effects become unbearable. That is both natural and honorable. Voluntarily
ending her existence is natural because as failing system she now functions
as prey and whose natural function it is to serve as food. And because she
isn’t stupid and quickly realizes that enduring the awful pain of systemic
mal-function is absurd.13 And voluntarily ending her existence is
honorable in that she clears the field (of creation) of obstruction that impedes
fully functional systems,14 i.e. PAN
niches, yet striving to succeed at generating upgraded survival capacity. In other words, the individual who has retired,
or been retired from PAN’s creative endeavor because of system’s mal-, dys- or under-function voluntarily and painlessly ends
her life to avoid the horror of decline15 to decrepitude and to
clear the path for new PAN variations.16 © 2018 by
Victor Langheld |
1. For ‘natural outcome’ read: nature’s
(hence PAN’s) way. Or, as the Old
Buddha observed: ‘Whatever is subject to arising is subject to cessation!’ +
‘Things arise subject to conditions; things cease subject to conditions!’ 2. In the case of humans, system’s failure is
understood as biological system’s mal- or dys-
function or final breakdown. 3. Failure is here understood as a decrease in relative
survival capacity. For ‘relative’ understand: relative in relation to the
initial state of the current situation (or world) and the expected or
intended outcome. 4. (The varieties of) Pain and pleasure (Sanskrit:
dukkha & sukha) happen as biological Guide
& Control signals serving as feedback required for self-regulation
required for directing self-adaptation. 5. Success is here understood as an increase in relative
survival capacity. 6. For ‘niche manifestation’ read: a localised
elaboration, hence adaptation of the basic creation algorithm (i.e. as set of
rules = constraints), here called PAN. 7. For PAN
understand: a universal set of
constraints (to wit, laws, rules) upon disorder (or chaos) that produce order
as emergent phenomenon. 8. Since all natural events (i.e. things/phenomena that
appear to fill, that is to say, appear as the universe) emerge (as
side-effects) of PAN’s ordering
function, all natural events happen as it were as distributed network running
on PAN as wholly recursive and so
self-elaborating basic ordering operating system. 9. System’s failure is the sine qua non of a complexity
increasing survival system relying on a food chain to provide it with the
wherewithal for increasing both complexity and the energy to drive it. 10. The rule applies even to scientific endeavour. When
in doubt, as PAN! 11. For ‘quicker’ read: applying greater survival
flexibility. In this respect Darwin (actually Spencer) got it wrong. It’s not
‘the fittest’ who survive but ‘the fitter’. 12. The physical pain and emotional horror (of the
cruelty) either of the inevitable slide into decrepitude or of being hunted,
caught and eaten while yet alive. 13. Self-termination was common in ancient times amongst
failed generals, such as Varus and Cassius, though sadly not now amongst
failed CEO’s of multinational financial institutions. 14. ‘Old (i.e. redundant) theories die when old
professors die.’ Likewise, repressive and restrictive, hence generally
annoying archaic primary and secondary phase religious beliefs, such as those
of Judaism and its locally elaborated side-show, namely Christianity, die and
their ridiculous rituals and practices end when old priests are eliminated. 15. PAN (the basic creation algorithm) shows neither mercy nor
compassion, neither love nor hate. Those qualities emerge as survival Guide
& Control sub-functions in higher complexity Pan
apps or niches. 16. For PAN variations
read: locally adapted but fundamentally identical Pan
copies, i.e. clones or replicants. |