Blind Men And The Elephant In The Room
"Truth is singular. Its 'versions' are mistruths." Although I cannot presume to know the truth, I do believe this quote by Somni-451 from the movie Cloud Atlas to be true.
And it also happens to convey the essence of the lovely parabel about the Blind Men And The Elephant, that is believed to originate from the Buddha himself.
Blind monks examining an elephant, an ukiyo-e print by Hanabusa Itcho (1652–1724).
source: Wikipedia
But let's stay with Somni-451 for a second. She is an android about to be executed for the terrorist act of broadcasting her truth throughout the empire for everyone to hear, by hijacking the central broadcasting system with the help of a group of freedom fighters. Among these terrorists there's the human man with whom she has fallen in love. Here's the revelation the terrorists broadcast through the mouth of Somni-451:
"To be is to be perceived, and so to know thyself is only possible through the eyes of the other. The nature of our immortal lives is in the consequences of our words and deeds, that go on and are pushing themselves throughout all time.
Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future."
For me at least, this is pretty essential stuff coming from this android. Because I believe this to be true, and have believed this to be true for as long as I can remember, it is very difficult for me to grasp today's western dogma's about individualism and freedom as expressed in the many anarcho-capitalist ideologies floating around.
Cloud Atlas - Somni-451's Revelation Clip (HD)
This movie is so beautiful and has such great scope and deep understanding of what drives mankind forward; please go see it if you have a chance. This android later in the story becomes a God, her revelation and heroic sacrifice to broadcast it, are the start of legends and eventually worship. Android becomes God... ponder on that one for a minute or two :-)
Enter the elephant in the room. In the parabel of the "Blind Men And The Elephant":
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said, "elephant is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
source Wikipedia
This is only a short synopsis of one of the many versions of the story that exist. Some versions have a seeing teacher that describes the animal to the blind men, and teach them that they were all truthful and honest, but none of them were able to know the truth about the animal by themselves. In other versions the blind men argue and even fight among themselves because they the others are not telling the truth.
Although the parabel originates from the East, my favorite version is the poem by John G. Saxe, which you can listen to in this two and a half minute video:
"The Blind Men and the Elephant" by John G. Saxe (read by Tom O'Bedlam)
This parabel is yet another way to tackle a common elephant in the room which is the modern days dogma about freedom and individuality. Both an ancient human male spiritual leader and a futuristic female android become conscious, teach us the same truth that has been so obvious for me to see all my life: my individuality is precious because it is given to me by the community of people I've always belonged to, starting with my parents and siblings, and my freedom can only be meaningful if I'm part of a community of people. In turn it is my individuality that enriches that same community because I'm like no one else, my perspective on the universe or multiverse or whatever is "out there" is truly unique, even if there were infinite clones of me in every possible and impossible reality.
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