Abstraction
What separates humans from the animals? Well, there are a lot of theories about that. But we suggest that a key difference is our ability to think in terms of abstract concepts. We are able to comprehend underlying patterns and recognize those patterns in different situations.
Now, some animals have demonstrated the ability for abstract thought. And some people are much better at abstraction than others. So that may not be the best distinction between people and animals. But that’s not the point. The point is that the ability to recognize and utilize patterns, i.e. abstraction, is a clear sign of intelligence.
Indeed, the IS IT Awareness System holds that the ability to step back and view Reality in abstract terms is the essence of enlightenment. When we focus on the myriad concrete details of day-to-day life, our minds often become filled with clutter and confusion. Only when we step back and observe the signal beneath all the noise do we find clarity and peace of mind.
The ability to Abstract allows us to grasp the real moral of a story and so learn and grow from it, rather than just getting lost in the scenery. So much of the religious conflict we see is due to people taking literal interpretations of their respective sacred writings and then fighting about the differences in the details.
Abstraction enables clarity and… Awareness.
The IS IT Awareness System is based on Abstraction. What we are doing is recognizing the patterns we see throughout Reality — from the farthest reaches of the Universe to quantum string theory, and through every aspect of the world around us like ecology, economics, relationships, organizations, technology… Everything. And then we’re taking those patterns and abstracting them to the highest possible level — right up to the Absolute Infinite One.
