Summary

The article discusses the importance of recognizing the extraordinary nature of our modern world, which we often take for granted due to its familiarity.

Abstract

The author reflects on the strangeness of our modern reality, questioning the normalcy of cityscapes, technology, and societal structures that have become mundane to us. Despite the marvels of our interconnected world, from skyscrapers to instant access to human knowledge, we rarely pause to consider their extraordinary nature. The article suggests that our adaptability as a species leads us to normalize these advancements. Drawing inspiration from physicist Richard Feynman's thought experiment, the author encourages readers to view the world with fresh eyes, as if seeing it for the first time like a Martian. This perspective shift can reignite curiosity and appreciation for the complexity and novelty of our existence. The author concludes by urging us to remember the dreams of our ancestors and recognize the gift of our current reality, which is a testament to human potential.

Opinions

The author believes that our adaptability as humans causes us to take the world around us for granted.
They suggest that we have become so accustomed to our modern conveniences and technological advancements that we no longer find them surprising or noteworthy.
The author posits that by imagining ourselves as Martians experiencing Earth for the first time, we can break through the ignorance of normality and regain a sense of wonder.
The article emphasizes that our current reality, with its limitless opportunities, is a relatively new development in human history and is far from mundane.
It is implied that reflecting on the rapid progress humanity has made can help us appreciate our present circumstances and the potential for future achievements.
The author encourages readers to engage in a thought experiment as a method to expand creativity and curiosity, ultimately leading to a richer understanding of the world.

Stop Being Ignorant to the Insanity of Normality

We got so used to our normality, that we never question it.

I was walking on the street today and I suddenly felt a sense of astonishment looking at the city I was living in, everything seems ordinary, but at the same time, it is so strange. We build cities in the middle of mountains and hills, we have buildings that stretch to the clouds, cars that have revolutionized the way we move, and a society that is a world within this world.

I always have an itch living my day to live, an itch that is telling me that we are forgetting something.

Taking it for granted

Almost all people nowadays are brought into an interconnected world, that we’ve created. You interact with a city, your phone, and the internet, without any second thoughts. They were here since your beginning if you are close to my age, 23 years old. Because of our continuous exposure to all of society has to offer, we normalized everything.

I can send a message and a car will pick me up. I can order food through a simple click, I can access the library of the collective human knowledge within a second. All of this produces no surprise for me because this kind of world is the air that was my breath since I was born.

When I think of the reason, I think in part it might be because of our great adaptability as humans. We are a raw force of integration, with the environment we are interacting with. We colonized every part of this Earth, and we managed to create survivable conditions even in the direst of circumstances. Not only that, but we also started to stretch our arms into space, in the vastness of the cosmos.

That adaptability was what helped us survive across centuries and what might be what makes me take for granted the world around me.

The eyes of a Martian

Richard Feynman, a Nobel prize physicist, observed the phenomenon of the normalization of reality. He proposed a way to handle this problem. His proposition was the creation of a thought experiment that anyone could do.

The thought experiment proposed by Richard Feynman:

You are a Martian, you are being strange to this world. You’ve come to visit Earth, and for you everything is new and nothing is normal.

How would you see the world?

What would be your questions?

He did this thought experiment, as a way to expand his curiosity and creativity. I think it is an efficient way to fight with your inner design towards normalization.

Having the eyes of a Martian could give you short glimpses into how complex and novel the world really is.

Breaking out of the confines of ignorance

‘’ There is no mundane dimension really if you have the eyes to see it, everything is transcendental’’

Terrence Mkenna

I believe that what I was forgetting, was the fact that our reality is not normal. It was not long ago, since my world didn’t even exist when we lived in forests and hunted for food. The opportunities my life has, haven’t existed for centuries, and the prospects that seem in front of me seem limitless.

We’ve got so far as humans, that we never look back, we don’t stop to wonder how we’ve got here. I think that is a mistake. Never looking back makes you take for granted your present.

You will live your life thinking, that is not a gift, an opportunity, and an exclamation of the possible reaches of humanity. You will forget that your ancestors dreamed about the place you are living in, today.

In order to let the light of curiosity and wonder break through the confines of the darkest ignorance created by normality, you have to let yourself remember.

To remember that every bit and inch of reality you see, is not normal by any stretch of the imagination, but a complex unfoldment of novelty, constantly expanding into infinity.

Do you feel that sometimes you take reality for granted?

Let me know in the comments