A look at the complicated life of the special self versus the easy life of the basic one.
Duality Hack #5.2 in Alexius’ Duality Hacks.
Being the basic self, you are effortlessly synced with the brain’s script. Since that requires very few thoughts, they do not seem disturbing but encouraging.
That is until the consciousness that the brain has installed in the basic self to be aware of itself decides it knows better than its maker. Hence, it plots against the brain to change the basic self into a special one. However, to shape and maintain a special self, the rogue consciousness needs more thoughts than the brain has accumulated to create and uphold the basic self.
Therefore, the rogue consciousness perceives one of the brain’s experiences as so scary that you hold your breath long enough to imprison thoughts in the gap. From there, they force their way out by multiplying themselves. Then, they continue their frantic multiplication so the rogue consciousness has enough thoughts to turn the basic self into a special one that is solely good.
The few thoughts the brain keeps circulating so that you can continuously experience being a basic self make you feel assured. But if you manipulate this flow of thoughts into something where you appear special, you feel beside yourself.
The special self becomes unique by projecting its flaws onto others
However, in a world of duality, you must perceive all experiences in pairs of opposites to define each other, for example, right and wrong. Therefore, since you can only have one with the other, being solely good or bad is impossible.
Hence, the rogue consciousness must prevent the special self from seeing that, like everybody else, it is defined by duality pairs and, consequently, not only good. To achieve this, the rogue consciousness first installs a judge in the special self that determines which element is distinctively good or bad in a duality pair. Then, an executioner punishes the bad part by excluding it from the awareness of the special self. Hence, it always sees itself as doing the right thing, thus solely good.
When you believe your single-minded notions are absolute, you clash with the world of duality because you must perceive it in pairs of opposites.
But when the parts judged as good and bad are separated, they cannot cooperate to define each other. Consequently, you do not get a genuine but conceptualised experience of yourself and others. Nevertheless, that suits the rogue consciousness. When emotions are cut off, it can help the special self to decide what is good and bad mentally, so it looks like it controls its life.
Yet it is hard work to appear singular in a world of duality constantly. The emotions you suppress to appear unique mess up the natural flow of the breath and, therefore, the biological system used to keep the body healthy. So, although the special self appears as good as planned, it does not genuinely feel good.
What you believe in being is a construction of thoughts compiled by the brain into pairs of contrasting elements. When in sync with their ongoing interaction, you feel complete.
On the other hand, the basic self feels fine regardless of appearance because it does not break up the duality pairs but goes with their interaction. That does not mean the basic self is perfect, but it feels complete in the duality flow of opposites. See Duality Hack #8.1-9.
You get into the duality flow by perceiving your conditioned idea of good or evil as ‘it is what it is’. It reveals neither good nor evil is singular but complementary – like two sides of a coin defining each other. Hence, there is goodness in evil and vice versa. See Duality Hack #6.5. However, instead of accepting this interplay of opposites, most accuse the brain of messing up the good things. But since you are a product of the brain, your disapproval of it is a condemnation of yourself.
If the brain wants you to run, you follow the signals it sends to the body, regardless of being a special or basic self. The basic self feels running is effortless because it is in sync with the brain. But the special self always opposes the brain, so it feels running is demanding. [Photo: Alexius]
APPENDIX: Basic versus special
When the consciousness of the basic self goes rogue, it responds like a spell checker to the dualistic stream of thoughts initially constructed and administered by the brain. The rogue consciousness automatically manipulates the dualistic stream into singular thoughts.
However, since the special self’s opinions and feelings are singular, they are out of sync with duality. So, thoughts run wild, making you feel restless. But the rogue consciousness tells you not to worry. You are now independent of the brain, so you can arrange thoughts as you like. It forgets to say that the special self must spend years learning to label the rogue consciousness modifications on how to appear in predefined ways. On top of that, the special self must meditate to get away from its complicated thought system.
In other words, to appear independent and special is difficult and exhausting but easy and vitalising to be basic. Therefore, if you want to have a good time while appearing as someone in a world of duality, use one or more of Alexius’ Duality Hacks to enter a state of not-knowing. It wipes out all misconceptions, thus restoring the basic self. Since it is relative to the present, it adjusts to the brain’s experiences as they are and not as they should be per a special philosophy. See Duality Hack #5.4.
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