“The Aleph” by Jorge Luis Borges is a short story housing a phenomenon which a sphere (the Aleph), if looked at from particular angles and distances- will provide all potential realities and all experiences, across all time and all space. In short, the entire universe, infinity, encapsulated into one point.
“I saw the Aleph from everywhere at once, saw the earth in the Aleph, and the Aleph once more in the earth and the earth in the Aleph, saw my face and your face, and I felt dizzy, and wept, because my eyes had seen that secret, hypothetical object whose name has been usurped by men but which no man has ever truly looked upon: the inconceivable universe.
I had a sense of infinite veneration, infinite pity.”
So this thought experiment is as follows: you look in the Aleph, you are immediately omniscient (all-knowing).
In this discussion, we will explore the implications from this concept.
What would there be left to pursue once we’ve experienced everything?
Are we striving in secret hopes we don’t reach every one of our goals?
Do we need gaps in experiences/knowledge in order to be fulfilled through our journey in life?
Questions for the breakout group;
-Given an opportunity, would you look into the Aleph? Why or why not? Does your decision change if you would remember everything forever?
-Do you agree that we need to be pursuing something to be satisfied?
-Would we lose all motivation without any novel insight or unique experiences?
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What comes to mind with the phrase self improvement or self surpassing? In these discussions, we will cover why it is one of the most significant aims if we are to live a meaningful and fulfilled life. Each week we will cover a different theme.