Somehow, by evolving to a point of not only being capably aware enough to recognize that we're "blessed" (inexplicably) to be here, we've also evolved the ability to actively disown that truth in pursuit something beyond it. No matter the gain of knowledge, if it kills all life, why continue in this pursuit? Isn't that the moral of Adam and Eve? Not necessarily that knowledge is power and God arbitrarily wields it, but that seeking forbidden knowledge is detrimental and dangerous to life. Knowing becomes an addiction. Quitting Facebook means I view a lot less "news" (which are really morsels of information) . But I realized that "knowing" more in the way of constant exposure leaves little time to actually reflect and think deeply. My attention was simply a commodity for advertisers - their interest never lies in the relevance, importance or truthfulness of the information. The more I had looked, clicked, and commented, the more my time had been exploited. And, not for love- as in the all-encompassing attention a newborn child might need, for example- but for someone else's profits. In such a search for knowledge, one engages endlessly, because there is no end. At least not for human beings and our limited capacity to remember everything we encounter. Leave the notion that you're a living bag of guts for too long and the mind begins to play tricks on you - like, "Hey, you don't need the body. The mind is all there is." When in fact, it's very not the case. There's an alienation, a hollowness, without something physical, material, to bring you back to a grounded sense of self. This can also explain why experiencing pain is a grounding moment. There's a visceral wrongness that hits you as all other concerns are pushed aside - no more "to-do" lists or preoccupations about decorum. There is nothing else but pain and (possibly) a desire to end it. There's a feeling of helplessness and vulnerability that penetrates the mind. Anyone with mental illness also experiences this physical pain within the mind as well, which is what I think those who have not endured depression or anxiety have no perspective on. Even though your mind may look to find an "out" or a way to control a painful event, sometimes the realization occurs that there is none. In those moments, there's no escaping the thought that, "Oh yes, I am a mortal that's destructible."
To expand on this, I like "psychological horror" writer HP Lovecraft's works for the reason that knowledge, in his stories, represents the ultimate danger. If his stories hit you right, you experience what his narrators do -a protagonist comes across some arcane knowledge that's absolutely horrific in nature. Despite being exposed to this information, he is completely helpless to prevent humanity from being destroyed and, thusly, either sequesters himself or is driven mad by the end of the tale. Impotent in the face of such psychic trauma, the protagonist slips into a depth of despair nothing in life has ever prepared them for. Somehow, understanding too much has its consequences too. Perhaps, for our overall survival of our species, there needs to be an acceptance of an unknown.
I fall back on musical analogies a lot because, despite being a poor talent myself, years of listening to music has left me with a deep appreciation for this form of expression. I feel music - physically feel it. There’s a need for music to produce a positive visceral reaction for me to truly be into it. If there’s only aural engagement, it will never have the same impact. I appreciates good storytelling; many bands I am into have lyrics which are thoughtful/thought-provoking. But that storytelling must extend into the music for me too. I know different people’s tastes lead them to have this sort of reaction about music that, personally, I could never get into, but I respect their feelings for whatever rocks their socks. Unsurprisingly, I tend to fall in love with people who appreciate music. Could be romantically, but also platonically. If someone can open their anthropocentric mind to a language that’s older than human speech - melody -it's likely we can have a healthy conversation about music whether or not our tastes coincide. And if someone can start with opening themselves up to artistic expression, there's a flexing of an ability to transcend one's own consciousness and even, potentially, species-ness. It's humbling if one becomes vulnerable enough to allow themselves to just be a vessel of acceptance for experience.
