and only after passing through the Earth's atmosphere does it finally reach our eyes Only then can we see something right in front of us
When photons, the particles that make up light, stimulate the retina at the back of our eyes,
electrical signals are sent to the brain, and finally, a visual experience is created The miraculous experience that we express as 'seeing' is, in fact,
a phenomenon that occurs thanks to the way our brain processes sunlight
The interesting point is that the most crucial process through which the light that enters our eyes
transforms into the vivid images we see is still a mystery that has not been fully uncovered
Whether we are looking at an apple, a cloud, a tree, or a mountain, ultimately, 'seeing' means that the light reflected from that object enters our eyes
and is processed by the brain However, no one can clearly explain how such
a thing is possible One clear fact is that the moment we see an object, that object
becomes real in our reality In other words, the act of perceiving itself
is part of the formula that constitutes reality If we do not see or hear,
the world may not exist in the same way as it does now This means that our 'consciousness' gives color,
sound, and meaning to reality Without our consciousness, the scent of a rose and the taste of honey
would merely be colorless and odorless particles and energy Moreover, if there were no observing beings,
even stars billions of light-years away would not exist in the form we know In this way, the relationship between us
humans and reality is so closely connected that we cannot separate one from the other We are creating reality at every moment,
but we do not really understand how it works
Moreover, surprisingly, we are accomplishing this without even putting in any effort
The moment we open our eyes, the light finally brightens, and the moment we listen, the vibrations in the air become sound
Ultimately, all the phenomena occurring around us are determined by how we relate to the world
In fact, this realization is not something new The sages of ancient India are said to have realized through deep meditation
that 'I am the universe.' The teaching that 'I am the universe' is an example
that has been passed down to this day In this way, the truths gained from spiritual insights
seem to have been largely forgotten in modern times Today, we are trying to uncover the truth about the outside world
through science, and interestingly, modern science is also encountering this ancient truth once again
If the claim that 'we are the universe' is true, then science must provide evidence to support it
And in fact, signs of this are appearing everywhere Modern mainstream science attempts to explain reality
by measuring and analyzing the material world that exists outside of our consciousness
Clearly, we have made tremendous progress through this objective approach
However, there are still many mysteries that science has yet to explain
Just considering the fundamental questions posed with the boundaries of time and space is enough
Modern science still does not have clear answers to questions like 'What
was there before the Big Bang?' and 'What is the universe fundamentally made of?'
For example, the universe is finely tuned to allow for the emergence of life and consciousness, there exists
a fundamental uncertainty in the microscopic world that is completely unpredictable,
and human consciousness itself remains an unresolved mystery These challenging problems are difficult to explain with current science
Therefore, some pioneers are attempting a completely new approach, that is, a paradigm shift
A paradigm is a framework for viewing the world, that is, a worldview Humanity's worldview was a religious cosmology that believed the world operated
according to the will of God Then, we went through a mechanistic worldview that sees the universe functioning
like perfectly interlocking gears However, today it has transformed into a perspective
that views reality as a result of physical processes Modern science has revealed a great deal through this approach
However, if you insist on that method, you will encounter the limitation of only trying to find answers
within the framework you have established Ultimately, for fundamental change,
courage is needed to transcend the existing framework However, transitioning to a completely
new paradigm is never easy A new paradigm should not just change a few theories,
but must offer a completely different perspective on the universe And it must be able to explain
the mysteries of reality better than before So, what answers might a new worldview centered on consciousness
present to us? The conscious universe, the humanistic theory of the universe,
is a perspective that looks at the cosmos with entirely new eyes It is, quite literally, a worldview that considers the universe
together with human consciousness without separating the two If the universe possesses consciousness, then that universe would ultimately exist for each
and every one of us Until now, we have felt that the universe is so vast
and distant that it has nothing to do with our daily lives However, if everything in this world only exists
because it must relate to our consciousness, then in fact, we are in contact with the universe at every moment
So how can humans create their own reality and yet forget that fact as they go on living?
To answer such an amazing and mysterious question, we will explore the world of consciousness and the world of qualia
Qualia, which may sound somewhat unfamiliar, is actually something very familiar that we experience every day
Qualia refers to each of the subjective sensory experiences we feel in life
For example, think of the warm air and dazzling sunlight on your skin on a clear summer day, along with the fresh smell of grass
These vivid sensations that we experience through our five senses are all qualia
The sweet taste of chocolate spreading in your mouth or the subtle fragrance of a rose are the same
However, it is difficult to fully convey qualia through words or writing This is because it is impossible to explain that
feeling 100% to someone who has not experienced it directly This is because no matter how much you describe the sweetness
to someone who has never tasted chocolate, they cannot know the exact flavor until they actually try it
In this way, qualia is our inner sensory world that can only be understood through an individual's direct experience
And it is this world of subjective experience that holds the most
important clues about how we live in reality The surprising fact is that even our bodies are an experience
made up of qualia Think about all the physical sensations you are feeling at this very moment
The tingling pain, the gnawing hunger, and the feeling of a racing heart are all sensations that exist in our bodies,
but they have no substance until we experience them ourselves Ultimately, we can say that our bodies are a large collection of various qualia
combined into a single experience If we delve deeper, all the mental activities occurring in our brains
are also a kind of qualia The movements of qualia occur in consciousness,
including images or visions that arise like paintings before our eyes, thoughts and imaginations in our minds, and sudden inspirations or intuitions
In the end, we can say that our reality is composed of qualia
We perceive and interpret the world through qualia at every moment, and we construct our world from this collection of sensations
What we call the outside reality is, upon closer inspection, recognized only through the sensations of our consciousness
The feeling that an apple is red and the wind is cool only arises when we perceive them
In other words, the experiences we gain through seeing with our eyes, hearing with our ears, and feeling with our skin create each person's unique reality
We understand the world through qualia, build relationships with others, create memories, and seek the meaning of life
And throughout all these processes, our reality becomes clearer and richer
In this way, qualia is not just a simple sensory element but an essential pathway that enriches and adds depth to our lives
Through the light of consciousness, the world is reborn anew in our hearts
Science has expressed the laws of nature in formulas, but subjective feelings like qualia
cannot be captured by such equations It's like trying to explain the sweet
taste of a ripe peach with numbers; you can't convey its true flavor
Many mainstream scientists still feel uncomfortable about studying
such subjective experiences However, we are now witnessing the birth of a completely
new perspective on nature The old image of a universe filled with matter
is being reimagined as a universe based on consciousness
Then, what principles does the new science exploring the world of consciousness, known as qualia science, have?
At one time, we believed that matter existed externally Since the time of Newton,
people have thought that the universe is made of solid matter and that an objective reality exists
fixed, independent of our perception However, as we entered the 20th century,
quantum physics dealt a fatal blow to this belief It has been revealed that, at a fundamental level,
the material world is no longer solid, cannot be continuously sensed, and is not fixed
The very concept of an object that appears as a single mass before our eyes has been shaken
If the reality of matter is shaken like this, what should future science be based on?
Those who remain in a material-centered perspective still deny the importance of consciousness
However, consciousness is the foundation that makes all experiences possible Even in experiments called objective,
our consciousness as observers cannot be excluded The first principle that qualia science assumes is this
Consciousness is not a product evolved from matter Rather, consciousness can be said to be fundamental
and the basis of existence Long before the species known as humans
was born, consciousness was already inherent in the universe and was never created by any external cause
Since we are beings with consciousness ourselves, there is fundamentally no way to experience, measure,
or imagine any entity that is completely devoid of consciousness Even if there is an objective reality unrelated to consciousness, if we cannot know it,
it is as good as nonexistent Ultimately, consciousness is the foundation of existence,
and everything we can experience occurs within a vast field of consciousness
Just as the electromagnetic field that fills all space underlies all electromagnetic phenomena,
the field of consciousness that fills the universe interacts with itself to create all kinds of concrete forms
All things and phenomena, including us humans, are forms shaped by this field of consciousness
Consciousness is not merely a byproduct created by atoms and molecules over time
Rather, there exists a unique qualia corresponding to each dimension of time and space, that is, the texture of experience
And pure consciousness itself does not have any dimensions,
so it does not contain specific qualia Just as particles appear in empty space,
pure consciousness is the source of all qualia There exists a level of consciousness that is dimensionless and even deeper
Consciousness can be said to be the ultimate field that makes all things possible
A single field of consciousness creates all things, and pure consciousness exists with infinite potential at its source
All living beings with consciousness, such as elephants, dolphins, monkeys, and humans,
experience the world in their own unique ways The world captured by each
entity's consciousness unfolds as a subjective reality However, that doesn't mean that
each consciousness is completely isolated Just as various electromagnetic
phenomena occur within a single electromagnetic field, all individual consciousnesses are rooted in a universal field of consciousness
No individual consciousness can be completely separated from its source Just as there can be no electromagnetic phenomena without an electromagnetic field,
there can also be no conscious phenomena occurring outside the field of consciousness
We are all fundamentally beings connected to a single consciousness
The experiences we subjectively go through as humans occur in the forms of sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts
The senses that see with the eyes, hear with the ears, smell with the nose,
taste with the tongue, and feel with the skin, along with memories or imaginations that arise in the mind,
emotions like joy and sadness that bloom in the heart, and the constantly flowing thoughts fill our subjective reality
The delicate mental phenomena that we consider mysterious, such as insights,
intuitions, and inspirations, also fall within the category of qualia Ultimately, all subjective experiences
we undergo can be described as qualia This means that all mental events we perceive and recognize
are included in this category Love, compassion, pain, hostility, and even religious ecstasy
are no exceptions So, what exactly is the external world
that we call objective reality? Surprisingly, it can only be perceived in the form of qualia
when it approaches us Without our subjective participation,
we cannot say that anything 'exists.' Even concepts found in science textbooks, such as space,
time, matter, and energy, only have meaning when humans perceive them
Even if these things exist in a state where no humans are present, if they cannot be grasped in any way,
it would be as if they do not exist In the end, we live in the universe of qualia
All the ways we interact with the world are through experience, and therefore,
ultimately, they can only be thoroughly subjective The same goes for scientific data
That data can only exist through the experience of the observer
In a sense, completely independent objective data is impossible
The way we feel our bodies is also an experience of qualia Feeling mental activity is also an experience of qualia
The world we encounter, and any other world we can imagine, is ultimately experienced only through qualia
The sensation of feeling 'I' is also a qualia experience Everything that happens in each of our consciousnesses
unfolds as a subjective event in the space of this consciousness field And at the foundation of this lies
a singular consciousness that binds all individual events together Every living being constantly interacts
with this fundamental field of consciousness to create its own perceptual reality
The field of pure consciousness is filled with infinite possibilities And those countless possibilities
manifest as distinct qualia However, pure consciousness itself is not any specific qualia,
so it cannot be captured by our language or concepts This is because pure consciousness is a pure existence
that transcends the constraints of space and time, matter and energy
Each living being has its own unique list of qualia, experiencing life through its own senses and perception of the world
It can be said that there are as many different perceptual realities and 'material worlds' as there are living beings
Nevertheless, among humans, there is a certain level of understanding due to the shared sensory organs and brain structures,
even if each person's qualia signals differ slightly and expressions vary across cultures
The reason we can empathize with and share each other's experiences through language and art
is that we can feel the qualia resonating together in the common field of consciousness that is being human
However, the nervous systems of other beings like dogs and birds are different from ours,
so we cannot fully grasp the world they perceive Ultimately, their world of qualia is different from ours
The birth of a living being signifies the beginning of a unique qualia program
Each life enters this world with its own inherent possibilities and patterns from the moment it is born
Throughout its life, it encounters and interacts with countless other qualia beings, unfolding its own world of experiences
Then, when death arrives, the qualia program comes to an end
It's the curtain call for a single entity, a single life drama However, the qualia that existence experienced during that time
do not completely disappear It can be seen as dissolving back into the vast field of consciousness
in a latent form Perhaps it may be recycled
as the foundation for another new life The field of consciousness and the web of qualia are not limited to specific locations
but spread widely across time and space This chapter is eternal and permeates everywhere
Additionally, this chapter of consciousness constantly exchanges
influences with all the individual events that occur within it The whole does not disconnect from the parts,
and the parts are also not completely separated from the whole In the end, we are all connected at the fundamental level
These new insights herald significant changes in fields such as medicine and psychology
If the perspective shifts to respect consciousness and subjective experience,
the way we view humans and the methods of healing will also change dramatically In fact, wisdom about subjective experiences
has been passed down through various cultures around the world for a long time For example, traditional medicines
like Ayurveda and traditional Korean medicine have already emphasized the interaction between the mind, body, and environment
Moreover, modern scientific research in epigenetics is revealing that our experiences,
such as stress or joy, can influence gene activity From the perspective of consciousness,
life can be seen as the potential that has always been latent within the pure consciousness of the universe,
manifested in material form Individual living beings are born and disappear,
but life itself has been ongoing without beginning or end within the realm of consciousness
Similarly, evolution is a creative process in which consciousness seeks out increasingly diverse experiences
The incredible diversity of life on Earth is an experiment of consciousness
aimed at maximizing every possible experience Every species interacts with its environment and has evolved
creatively, resulting in all life being interconnected like a vast network
Humans possess a unique ability known as self-awareness The ability to be aware of our own consciousness
allows us to choose new paths at any time, without being trapped by past experience patterns
The moment our consciousness awakens, we are no longer bound by the repetitions of the past
and finally get to taste true freedom In this way, our consciousness
is originally connected to pure consciousness, which is a realm of infinite possibilities
Realizing and accepting this pure nature within us will be the starting point for humanity
to leap to the next stage in its creative evolution
This change is nothing less than the act of recreating the universe
as we perceive it This is because the universe reveals itself
in accordance with our consciousness The newly awakened consciousness will spread like a flame,
illuminating the hearts of more people When the change in consciousness surpasses a critical point,
a new chapter of human reality will finally be opened And we are the agents of this change,
the beings who create a new reality These changes are by no means a mysterious magic
If the experiences of war and division, fear and deprivation that we have endured for a long time
gradually fade away, the deeper possibilities of our consciousness will emerge
It is only when we shake off the helplessness and fear that have long oppressed our inner selves
that new experiences of positivity can vigorously arise Science, including quantum mechanics, has made significant contributions
to the advancement of the world and will continue to play an important role
in technological development in the future However, if a deep understanding of consciousness and qualia, that is,
the inner world of humans, is added to this, our civilization will move towards a more complete and enlightened direction
that grows not only in technological progress but also in the essence of mind and life
And when we truly realize who we are, both individual lives and society as a whole can fundamentally change
We are no longer insignificant beings drifting alone in the vast universe
Each of us is creating our own reality, and we have been connected to the universe as one from the very beginning
In other words, each person is an alien in the form of a human Our essence is pure
consciousness that exists prior to countless thoughts and emotions And this consciousness is the foundation that transcends space and time,
connecting us all as one When you deeply realize this fact,
you no longer see yourself as a powerless being You will feel that the intelligence and creativity of the universe,
which moves the stars, also lives within you This realization leads us to a profound sense of liberation
The universe no longer feels like a strange background but rather a whole that is deeply connected to me,
allowing us to escape isolation and fear and live in deeper meaning and intimate connection
Even the fundamental fear of death can be alleviated
This is because consciousness does not come into being or disappear, leading to the belief that
the essence of our existence also does not perish Ultimately, the true nature of our existence
is not the constantly changing thoughts, but the pure consciousness that reflects those thoughts
We are all pieces of creation that have emerged from a single consciousness,
and thus each one of us is the universe So the next time you look up at the stars in the night sky,
remember that their light is shining within your consciousness