day 24

​Progress today kitesurfing.  I am now able to get up going left about 25% of the time and going right about 5%.  Once up I can stay up going left and am starting to learn how to edge.  Going right’s still a shit show. 

Draft answer to “the hard problem of consciousness” (how/why do our physical brains produce quali/subjective)

Consciousness emerges as a simplification mechanism for the complex patterns processed by the brain, which originate from our sensory inputs. Through practices such as meditation, one can become increasingly aware of the sensations that underlie thoughts and feelings, indicating that consciousness extends beyond just a reactive state to stimuli, to a deeper awareness of the present moment. This awareness, however, when filtered through the concept of 'self', tends to narrow our focus, allowing us to consciously perceive only a limited array of stimuli at any given time. Despite this limitation, a state of 'bare awareness' can provide a broader perception of multiple inputs simultaneously. The 'self' emerges as a higher-level abstraction within this framework, a construct that encapsulates our habitual responses and identities, shaped by our conscious experiences. This reflective observation of the 'self' by the consciousness not only forms our individual identities but also highlights the complexity of understanding consciousness as it intertwines with our sense of self and the selective nature of our conscious awareness.

It just feels like shitty software development…. Each developer just kept adding another abstraction layer.  In meditation we practice bringing awareness to the present moment. With enough time sitting one can observe “everything” all at once (flow / bare awarness). Sit in that long enough and one can observe “self” and even “consciousness” as just abstractions to simplify things.  I value “self” but at a the same time I know it’s just an illusion I’ve created to help process all this shit.