Law of Singularity: Consciousness

“Why did he run away from his responsibilities?”, asked my uncle. My father when questioned, replied, “Because it is his nature. That is just the way he is. An escapist.” I was sitting in my study room when I over-heard this conversation. 

I was looking out of my window, staring blankly at a flower blossoming on a nearby plant. Suddenly, my father’s words echoed in my mind and for some unknown reason, the reason given by him seemed to make some absolute sense. One’s actions and consequences of actions seemed to have a principle cause, which leads to the observed nature of the person. Perception, cognition, behaviours, actions are simply consequences of this principle cause. These thoughts led me to some other realm of thoughts. 

If one observes a blossoming flower carefully, one may notice that the space-time occupied by the innermost petal is shared by the space-time of the whole flower. It is the cause-effect relation that is significant in such a mutual relation. This can be explained by Aristotle’s concept of the four causes. This observation of the blossoming flower embodies an analogous understanding for all perceived consequences and is an easy start from the sensible world to explain the ideas of singularity and consciousness in an intelligible manner. Such a manner of explanation is important since it is from particulars that we can have an idea of the universal and vice-versa. Division of sensible and intelligible worlds is just a tool for better communication but to understand the concept of singularity and consciousness, one must reconcile them in one’s mind, such that they co-exist and function simultaneously.

The characteristic of space that is ‘juxtapostion’ and the characteristic of time that is ‘sequencing’ are treated as mere symbols in this explanation. In the mentioned example of the flower, if one imagines a single point in the flower, this particular point shares the same space-time (a single position and a single moment) with the universal but at the same time this particular point of space-time is independent of space-time itself- such is the paradox.The validity of the symbol of space-time is extinguished at this point, which is named as ‘singularity’. The existence of this singularity is therefore absolute with all of existence in this singularity being independent of space-time. 

However, the idea of ‘singularity’ is not enough for our understanding. The question ‘why’ is one of significant importance. This is the question that gives birth to various questions of how and what, without the aid of which we will fail to understand the concepts of fundamental and universal. Thus, the next question that we face is ‘what is the nature of singularity’? leading us to the premise taken for comprehension of the law of singularity, which is the consideration of consciousness as nature of singularity. Now, as we know every element has functions according to their natures. The same is applied for singularity and the characteristic of its nature, that is consciousness- leading us to the question what it does? 

Consciousness is the principle cause and the law of singularity. As a consequence of this nature, which acts as the principle cause, change is created followed by concepts of cognition and perception. As one leads to the other, the flower keeps blossoming and we have movement, growth and decay and various other forms and natures. Elements and their natures consequently producing various states of form as a result of consequences of consciousness maintains the intrinsic nature of singularity. 

Human cognition itself shares this law of singularity but this can only be comprehended when one merges cognition with singularity. Only then, one becomes aware of space-time as mere consequences and then one is said to be truly conscious. To merge cognition with singularity means to take oneself beyond the cause-effect relation, as no cause can exist without effect and the concept of cause-effect itself is a consequence of space-time concept. Thus, when cognition merges with singularity, the individual self is again extinguished, becomes independent of any consequences, becomes independent of space-time and therefore dissolves in singularity completely with no separate identity of cognition itself. 

From this principle cause, both intelligible and sensible worlds take their birth and every way of perception and cognition, every way of rhetoric, every question of true/false and reality/illusion are only consequences of this law of singularity. Going back to the question, ‘why everything exists?’, we can therefore only answer, ‘because of consciousness: nature of singularity’.

From this idea, we can conclude that consciousness is the law of singularity and this law is also the nature of singularity that acts as a principle cause in cognition and perception to create the concept of space-time, therefore concept of change. With reconciliation of cognition into singularity, consciousness expresses itself only as a inherent nature of singularity, making the concept of cause-effect invalid. This also tells us that the very concepts of ‘particular’ and ‘universal’ is merely a consequence of cognition, which in turn is a consequence of the principle cause (as comprehended by cognition) of singularity.