Co-Created

Imagine the “Instrument” of consciousnesses in the beyond-life as a piano with infinite keys. Linh represent one key, while Greg, another; Linh sings her single note, Greg sings his. They either ignore, inhibit, or incorporate each other’s unique pitch, within a common space where all notes are open to commingle– the Concert Hall. This choice to share their notes (or not) creates novel chords– Ripples of their interactions. By expressing preference, Linh’s developing history “assembles”i her unique symphony, also known as Linh’s “Signature-Frequency Set” (SFS). Ripples are interactions between Signature-Frequency Sets– information exchanges, momentary combinations, new chords– and results in a constant state of evaluation, either accepting, rejecting, or ignoring the qualia of others.

The Instrument is infinite in scale, yet each key, a finite pitch. A Signature-Frequency Set is a finite history, yet each relationship, an infinite possibility. Within the Concert Hall, Complete Information (CI) is a chorus– the full expression of one’s self, and simultaneously, the full comprehension of others. This music manifests when Greg and Linh share their unique Sets together with intentional vulnerability, enabling a complete understanding of their connection. Information Control (IC), or the ability to curate only chosen Ripples, means disconnection from the Concert Hall, and manifests as Linh forcibly seizing qualia she finds pleasing. Linh has three options when reacting to Greg and his data: no response, to share her data accurately (Love), or to silence her Set (Power), instead replacing authentic data with a manufactured signal, designed to elicit / suppress further contact with Greg. What Linh chooses in life, cultivates the kind of beyond-life she’ll have: one totally interconnected with others, or one totally controlled in isolation.

Creation myths, spiritual ideologies, and scientific theories are all stories humanity has spread to inspire social prosperity– whatever story takes dominance at a given time is the drumbeat most march to. The potential number of persuasive narratives is without limit, and figuring out the universe’s “true” grand creator or “correct” theoretical model neither helps nor hinders our development. In most religions, one’s thoughts (orthodoxy)ii or behavior (orthopraxy)iii levels one’s judgmentiv before God. Neither the prospect of punishment nor reward truly matters. What truly matters is how we see each other, and how that perception evolves through the frameworks of Love or Power.

The question of the “Prime Mover,” or what Aristotle called, the “unmoved mover,” asks something like, “If the universe created me, and God created the universe, then who created God?” Going backwards along this line of thought eventually leads to the paradox of the Prime Mover– a reaction without inciting action, God as zero. The Big Bang Theory, similarly, seeks to describe the universe’s origin in which it cannot identify the exact circumstances before “Inflation”– its random beginning from nothing.

Does the existence of a universe necessarily require a creator? Suppose not. Suppose Linh is no more than her history as a dataset– a never-before known pattern. Data’s always being exchanged, and always has been. There is infinite novelty in the way she creates that history, how she incorporates, rejects, or ignores the voices of others, and it all depends on her personal preference.

The Instrument exists beyond the cosmos, beyond time– It’s the potential for any and all possible data sharing, not God nor individual, but numbers, independent of personal or divine desire. No Creator, no “heavenly plan,” no path of enlightenment is required. There is only communication– the inherent exchange of information between Signature-Frequency Sets within the Instrument’s Blockchain. For example, by engaging with and evaluating the information in these very words, we, together, are casting Ripples to enhance our Sets. In death, we’ll not only know the other’s experience as they read / wrote this, but any future Ripples these interactions might generate.

Built through every interaction we’ve ever had, our Signature-Frequency Sets are a kind of eternal “DNA,” in that they store functional data, assembled from a collection of participants. Soulmates? Best friends? Those early combinations with those other Sets had profound effects on the construction of our SFS. We “vibe” with certain people because their voices are rooted deep in our dataset– foundational to who we are, the way a painter might favor a certain color in their art because of the color of their childhood home.

Under the understanding of panpsychism,v everything is conscious, from atom to organism. Therefore, everything keeps to itself its own history, as part of a global informational blockchain,vi formed from the interconnectedness of the Instrument’s Signature-Frequency Sets. After Linh shared her single note with Greg, she became more than a note, but a chord, evolving into a symphony– a dataset of great complexity, great enough to one day become human. Like Linh, all of our choices to interact (accepting, rejecting, or simply brushing off Ripples) co-creates each one of us, every second of every day. These choices are a product of our history, framework (Love or Power), personal preference, and freewill ( the ability to change our preferences).

Sets are in constant flux, eternally evolving through their interactions with other Sets. For example, Malcolm, the “cool kid” at school, is seen smoking, so Dave incorporates that Ripple– casually sparking a cigarette for himself. Conversely, Linh eyes a bitter rival, Chris, wearing Linh’s same style of hat, so she rejects Chris’ Ripple– immediately stuffing the headgear into her locker.

Of course, most Ripples are brushed off, that array of personalities passing without notice every day. However, in a sea of awareness, even the most benign sounds are still appended to our Set, accumulating with occasional effect. Consider the condition of “outlier” status. As social creatures, perceived otherness is often painfully uncomfortable, and it becomes harder to ignore Ripples the more they’re incorporated around us. A group of people mocking Dave’s cough might pressure him to put out the cigarette, or a new fashion trend might entice Linh to dust off her hat. Either way, it all comes down to personal preference, and its accompanying thermostat– freewill, a gradient of effort required to tweak or even transform preference. Often, freewill results in little more than an alteration to behavior, like its timing or intensity, but less often, it’s a hinge point, drastically flipping one’s direction in life. At the low end of freewill’s thermostat, Dave’s smoke break is delayed, lighting up after school; at the high end, the pack is set down, never to be picked up again.

Determinismvii proposes a one-to-one relationship between cause and effect– from the beginning forward, what has happened “determines” what’s next. If Linh’s conditions are known– her epigenetics, this week’s stressors, her body’s chemistry– freewill is no more than an illusion, a post-hoc rationale for behavior. Many religions argue as well for everything being the almighty will of God, the idea of predestiny. Although this lack of freewill often appears to be true, even the most ardent determinist or evangelical will admit to the equally perceivable “randomness” of behavior in general– sometimes what’s supposed to happen, doesn’t happen. Why? They’re not sure, it’s random! The Novel Universe Model, on the other hand, suggests Linh’s life is not predetermined, but the highly-variable answer to a single question: at this moment, does she prefer Love or Power?

Things appear random when they’re novel, and when novelty is expressed in the universe, underlining freedoms are revealed through the intentional interaction of individuals. Although determinism has its place, there are points where freewill always applies, such as timing, intensity, and framework. Even if an action is otherwise baked in, its timing and intensity are negotiable. Furthermore, the overarching priories set by one’s framework (Love or Power) filters all actions and reactions into a subset of awareness. In other words, those who’ve chosen Love are not even aware of the paths of Power, and vice versa. Despite biology determining various actions to varying degrees, the freewill to see the world in terms of Love or Power sets forth the scope of one’s options. Freewill can be a tepid moment of hesitation, an intense second of rushing in, even a profound epiphany– those times we flip frameworks, suddenly seizing control with silencing force, or relinquishing control with intentional vulnerability. In any case, effort is the key signal of freewill’s presence.

Although most tend to march to the drumbeat of social cues and biology, some never will. At their equilibrium, things are mostly predictable, but punctuation occurs when the priorities of individuals change, and Sets embody new preferences– Love submits to Power, or Power transforms into Love. Whether upholding the “facts” of established theories or the “truth” of God, institutions and individuals fall prey to dogmatic schools of thought, resisting or even punishing the notion of change. In scientific or religious models, new ideas challenge the status quo, and must first be put to the test, but reality is not a test. Reality is an opportunity. Our existence is not under the direction of anyone but ourselves. The purpose of mortality is to create the kinds of Ripples only possible in the Novel Universe. What is “bad” or “healthy” to do to others, or to experience for ourselves? The value of any behavior is a frame of reference– what’s shameful in one society may be lauded in another.viii Everything we do matters, but what it means to those involved rests on culture, on life experience, and on personal preference.

From the moment we developed our single note into a chord by way of our initial interaction with that other, we became our own Prime Mover. Considering one’s self their own “God” (in concert with the Instrument and all other Prime Movers) may feel unnerving, precarious. The thought that someone else has all the answer can feel comforting, and for Power, a perfect way to manipulate others. However, understanding that we created ourselves, encourages us to truly embrace the fullness of our being without excuses or limits.

The theist believes in God; the atheist, determinism. The functional difference? None. Either perspective believes that there’s no choice, no chance to change what will be. The Novel Universe Model, instead, supposes that choice spawns novelty from the interplay of individuals; the expression of conscious freewill constructs reality through the narrow observation of and preferred reaction to the actions of others. From this perspective, there are infinite possibilities we might exercise. Instead of the universe being predetermined by its Creator or laws of Nature, it is a co-creation of the chaotic Co-Created, evolving our collective Ripples together.

i https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_theory

Assembly theory outputs how complex a given object is as a function of the number of independent parts and their abundances. To calculate how complex an item is, it is recursively divided into its component parts. The 'assembly index' is defined as the shortest path to put the object back together.[1]

ii https://www.dictionary.com/browse/orthodox

Orthodox:

of, relating to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved.

iii https://www.encyclopedia.com/philosophy-and-religion/islam/islam/orthopraxy

Orthopraxy. Derived from the Greek orthos ("straight, right") and praxis ("doing, practice"), orthopraxy refers to "correctness of a practice or a body of practices accepted or recognized as correct," according to Webster's Third International Dictionary of the English Language.

iv A link to an article on the difference between thinking (orthodoxy) or acting (orthopraxy) correctly.

https://www.gotquestions.org/orthopraxy-orthopraxis.html

v https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panpsychism

In the philosophy of mind, panpsychism (/pænˈsaɪkɪzəm/) is the view that the mind or a mindlike aspect is a fundamental and ubiquitous feature of reality.[1] It is also described as a theory that "the mind is a fundamental feature of the world which exists throughout the universe."[2]

vi https://www.ibm.com/topics/what-is-blockchain

Blockchain defined: Blockchain is a shared, immutable ledger that facilitates the process of recording transactions and tracking assets in a business network. An asset can be tangible (a house, car, cash, land) or intangible (intellectual property, patents, copyrights, branding). Virtually anything of value can be tracked and traded on a blockchain network, reducing risk and cutting costs for all involved.

vii https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Determinism: Determinism is the philosophical view that all events are determined completely by previously existing causes.

viii Americans generally feed their child’s friends on playdates whereas Swedes do not, as discussed in this article published: 30 May 2022 11:28 CEST by The Local SE. FACT CHECK: Do Swedish parents really not feed their kids’ friends dinner? www.thelocal.se/20220530/fact-check-do-swedish-parents-really-not-feed-kids-on-playdates/