Brian Foss Observation Essay Essay Research Paper

Brian Foss

Observation essay

From Where I Stand

It has become aparent to me in the past few months that most people are not really thinkers. Most who read this essay will be lost, and will not comprehend many of the theories I adress. I cannot begin to understand why, but most people are not even the least bit curious about what, in our lives is real.

From where I stand right now, I know or believe to know certain things. I believe that this pencil is real. I believe this note book is real. I believe the people in this park are real. But, how can I know this? The first question to answer might be, what does it mean to know? This is a valid question, but I don’t intend to answer it. For now I will assume that whatever it is that I can recall from my mind’s memory, I know. For instance, I know this pecil is composed of matter. I know this paper is composed of matter. So, now the question again arises. . .

Is this pencil and paper real? The immediate answer which I do not wish to contest with is, yes. But why? Well, first its made of matter. As I look arround the park I see people, statues, architecture, earth, sky, and manny other things. Is it matter that makes something real. I think not necesarrily, but all things composed of matter are real. This is because I can react with them. Things that I can’t react, or act upon cannot be real right?

So now I’ve established a small chunk of what is real in my life. Now what about the people? What is it about people or any living composition of matter that makes them move? I understand, that muscles move bodies, nervous systems move muscles, minds moves nervous systems, but what moves minds?

I was stumped for a very long time, where I had become very unproductive, sitting looking at the park, wondering what moves the mind. Shortly after I thought the park would provide no answer for me, a couple came walking in throught the south archway. I thought to my self, “its kinda cool to see two strangers (to me, not eachother) in love, talking, sharing moments, comunicating. Then I some lyrics popped into my head, “reestablish comunication.” it was a song by Tool, one of my favorite bands. Then I started singing their songs, “watch the tower topple down.”

“. . .then a power comes along and sets two common souls in motion. . .”

“THATS IT. . .” I thought to myself in overwhelming self aproval.

“Souls are what moves the mind!”

I felt like a damned genious. So, the soul is something that is real. Two souls can react with eachother, I just saw it hapen moments ago. It was now that I made an observation about reality. Things become real, only through action, If something is not acting, or being acted upon, regardless of its material make up, it can’t be real.

I believe I have found an answer that is satisfactory and sufficiant for today’s observations. Maybe tomorrow I will go to a different park and contimplate further, but for now I will leave you with a abstractly related quote from my book of observations. Maybe this quote will be the topic of my next observation.

“Our world is defined through a finite set of human interactions of the mind. As far as I have observed, the human mind cannot comprehend the infinite. God himself is said to be infinite. This means that the human mind cannot possibly comprehend the exhistance of God. Geeze, bad news for Buhdists!”

- not so famous moder philosipher

Brian James Foss