The Illusion of Self

[@ApertureThinking]

There is no I. Check out Wondrium today and start your FREE trial at www.wondrium.com/aperture

[@wayababaya]

but there is an l

[@englishboi8816]

I

[@aagamjain793]

You see what you do now will have a result on your future self and after repeating and changing everyday on day you will become completely different that what you are now, it doesn't depreciate the value of your present action and thoughts rather it make them all the more important

[@christopherrobin3881]

Did you know that only ~45% of human beings are human? Human=5 letters Beings=6 letters 5+6=11 5/11= ~.45

[@Cahrssomething]

C?

[@VisualVenture]

This man raises his words, not his voice. It's the rain that grows flowers, not thunder. Love the voiceovers my friend! Edit: thanks for the love! As a small KZbinr it means the world to me! - Visual Venture

[@dustman96]

Thunder(or lightning rather) also grows flowers by altering the structure of nitrogen into a form that is plant available, which is then carried by the rain.

[@ahmedsuleiman6882]

@@dustman96 i was about to say that was a great quote but nvm

[@ninjaclan83]

Blood makes the grass grow....

[@bettermanchannel770]

I like this

[@bettermanchannel770]

@@ninjaclan83 sweat and blood of the sower

[@albypesphemore]

So I don't exist, therefore I don't have to pay taxes. Yay

[@ThePurpleNinja]

Haha

[@EJ-kc9ud]

That's what I keep telling them smh my head

[@elitereaper916]

Sir your comment needs 2 more extra thousand likes

[@Staple2]

@@EJ-kc9ud uh, smh my head = shaking my head my head ???

[@backstreetnibbano8327]

@@Staple2 Thats the joke man

[@ishigami5071]

It is so calming to just sit or lay down in a sofa while listening to Aperture's videos

[@sarthakchavhan]

yes 😌😌

[@Q--_--90909]

Ok

[@J-4RED]

I usually listen while in the shower lmao

[@Jeremiah.k]

@@J-4RED do you play it on the speaker or something cus how are you able to hear it ?

[@zezpz4258]

Absolutely

[@guyfearful]

Have you ever suddenly have an experience where you suddenly realize that you exist? And completely overwhelmed with the absurdity of it all?

[@jewelerseyeview]

Omg remember being around 3-4 years old, & becoming consciously aware of it all...? Surreal.

[@instantcurry2800]

Yep yesterday

[@sam0095]

Yes while looking at mirror for a long time

[@christianchapman9420]

Yep I do that a lot but mainly cause I have no life

[@altairibnlaahad6838]

Yeah, that happenes to me sometimes, it happenes when I talk to myself loudly

[@TobiasSalas]

"We were not and we won't be. We simply are." Very powerful quote. Thanks for the video!

[@ApertureThinking]

Thank you for your support! We are glad you liked it.

[@VisualVenture]

His voice is like a cup of tea with a dash of honey. Soothing, warm, and light.

[@onehungrygeek]

@just do it WTF?

[@andromaxbse6459]

Need more deep

[@stunnagirl8465]

hey , i don't why but why do you always comment on his every new upload about his voice?

[@VisualVenture]

@@stunnagirl8465 I just enjoy it a lot! I think it’s something valuable to add haha. I like figuring out interesting ways of comparing and contrasting his voice!

[@dayosavage6981]

Noooo, I can hear his saliva

[@IAHD]

“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” -Alan Watts

[@exismys]

❤

[@SoyOtroTu]

A very good quotation, specially when you have discovered that the "inteligence" Is a lethal mutation that direct its owners to exterminate themselves.

[@NatchEvil]

"Life is the universe singing to itself. "

[@oldman611]

Bullshit

[@MrSantaForever]

How we see and hear are just through sensors, in molecular level

[@blue-raptor4017]

I can’t be the only one who see’s these video and just thinks: “What existential crisis am i going to have today?”

[@theemo874]

Ikr

[@templed2021]

help

[@memesmojo5622]

people can think deep thoughts without having existential crisises nowadays... Stop with the bullshit bro

[@w0lfyfl00f]

Nope I do it too

[@theyamiofalltrades9182]

"I" don't exist so how will I go through an existential crisis. We adapt, an existential crisis is just your mind struggling to cope with this change and struggling to adapt but if you don't exist your mind shouldn't have to change, since your mind does not, will not, and has never existed.

[@fay2177]

when you brought up the segment about being kind, it really resonated with me because that’s exactly how i view my self, i suppose. i remember all the times i was nice and i can’t remember the last time i was genuinely mean to someone, not in a joking manner. love your videos, aperture.

[@Samuel-qc7kg]

That is a great perso ality trait in a world full of self absorbed assholes. As long as you don't allow people to take advantage of your kindness and stand your ground then it is great, keep it up :)

[@fay2177]

@@Samuel-qc7kg tysm!!

[@carpo719]

Excellent, and creepily accurate. Many people have no interest in pursuing these avenues of thought, because they create fear. But once you let go of that fear, you realize it was only trying to hang on to what will eventually turn to dust. So embrace it while you are here

[@ayeshaiqbal2716]

I was suffering from anxiety and overthinking for the past two days. I have a habit of catastrophizing everything that can go terribly wrong in the future whenever I'm emotionally triggered or upset. But watching your video calmed me a bit. Thanks for making this video.

[@IvanValance]

Your anxiety went away bc you found out you don’t exist?

[@prolificlife1710]

Exactly how I’ve been feeling lately

[@0maeWaMou]

@@IvanValance I think you might wanna rewatch the video from about 6:00, maybe then you won't ask her that lol

[@IvanValance]

@@0maeWaMou Yeah the video is as dumb as the comment I’m aware

[@0maeWaMou]

@@IvanValance Bcz your incapable brain cells couldn't understand anything, the video and this comment has to be dumb, right? Okay, m8🤠👍

[@aaronburton5833]

This channel is so… soothing. Makes me feel like it’s all gonna be okay somehow.

[@sriku1000]

A Calming video on how bad parents are made. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJXag2mpi7eoos0

[@jabreezy89]

I agree!

[@Abell_lledA]

One doesn’t experience self-transcendence, the illusion of self only dissipates 🎈

[@markoboychuk]

@@things_leftunsaid felt this on psychedelics

[@RizztrainingOrder]

Was that by Marilyn Monroe?

[@fatmayo2293]

Caterpillar: "You've changed." Butterfly: " We're suppose to."

[@STARQUAK3]

Love that one!

[@kalpanadhital7350]

@@STARQUAK3 ikr

[@moralbackboneofachocolatee143]

please reply to this comment in a week so i get a notification for it. i really fuckin needed this-

[@ooliecat]

@@moralbackboneofachocolatee143 reminder

[@moralbackboneofachocolatee143]

@@ooliecat thank you for that :]

[@xnatmi]

I recently found a video from 13 years ago, when I was 9 or 10, in which I filmed my family and at the end of the video, I turn the camera around to my face, smiling and waving. It felt like that pure "I", unfazed by the darkness of depression, was waving at me now, and I was just so sad that that person, who was very real in the video, doesn't exist anymore, and they (me) had no idea that something like this awaited them in the future.

[@jawn4243]

I know exactly how you feel. I remember trying to share the same experience to my mother but she didn’t understand. Reading Gödel Esher Bach is helping me understand these concepts

[@xnatmi]

@@jawn4243 Can you explain in what way it's helped you? I looked it up and it seemed to be a confusing book about AI.

[@jawn4243]

@@xnatmi Its a book about self reference, paradoxes and incompleteness. Bachs pieces, erschers illustrations and gödels incompleteness theorem are examples of those things. Consciousness is discuss in the book aswel

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Reflection is truly key. Humanity should dare to look deep within, but it should also accept that more than mere physical Reflection is required for true, celestial enlightenment. "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In Time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the Universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@elijahdeboer820]

And there’s such a sense of horrifying wonder isn’t there? How has the innocence that I once possessed with perfect ignorant clarity constantly evade me now? That’s the beauty of innocence, and the price of self awareness. I’m losing strength. Not sure how much longer I have. Just know that I see you. Whatever “you” means. And I know that people like us see me too. And at least there, we can find some small consolation.

[@TEAforMIND]

"Our self illusion is so interwoven with personal memories that when we recall an event, we believe we are retrieving a reliable episode from our history like opening a photograph album and examining a snapshot in time. If we then discover the episode never really happened, then our whole self is called into question. But that's only because we are so committed to the illusion that our self is a reliable story in the first place." _Bruce Hood, The Self Illusion: How the Social Brain Creates Identity. Thanks for sharing the video!

[@asimpleguy2730]

The self illusion it’s literally the best book I’ve ever read

[@abbygalerowe1254]

Buddha was right !!!

[@unknowninfinium4353]

Wait but we did live thise memories right? How then we are not the "Self" when we were aoemthing during that time.

[@cookieslalala5847]

@@unknowninfinium4353 What he means is that your psychological profile of who you think you are is an illusion, not your stream of consciousness.

[@unknowninfinium4353]

@@cookieslalala5847 Thanks for simplifying it.

[@ShortHax]

Damn, I was expecting some Soviet Union propaganda but this video really made me question my existence

[@wayababaya]

monokuma

[@ohsovague]

Stop being everywhere bruh between you, some guy without a mustache, and the verified imposter, I'm starting to recognize people in comments of vidoes I've never seen

[@wayababaya]

@@ohsovague what about ray mak

[@overlord1694]

There is no I only mother Russia

[@ziziroberts8041]

Speaking of impermanence... The Soviet Union was. And then it wasn't.

[@QuietClawss]

It's like you spied on me. When I was teen I was depressed from personal suffering and feeling suicidal thinking life is pointless anyway. Then I kinda rebooted myself free from pain using self transcendence. It's like I became a person who can use multiple selves. I was just a consciousness looking at the mirror not recognizing myself . Then I realized I can't live without a sense of self so I salvaged what I could from my memories and kept living

[@Thadnill]

I believe that the best way to look at life is by having an optimistic sense of nihilism. Now - Nihilism is neutral, not evil, not good, morality is an illusion created by humans and we are we universe experiencing itself with no purpose. But because of this lack of purpose, we have the freedom to choose our own purposes in life, while we are in our conscious human forms and able to experience emotions, the best thing that we can do is to acknowledge the reality and then use that to live in a way that just makes us feel better. We have the freedom to create our own morality and meaning in life, and that's a beautiful thing, just enjoy the ride while it lasts.

[@sandro.amirana]

Jordan Peterson has extensively discussed that very thing that you are saying. In his lectures he was analyzing Nietzche and his (in Peterson's opinion) flawed belief, as if an individual could create his own system of values. Idea, to me and not only to me, itself sounds appealing and very noble, although it's not easy to implement, by any means. I'm not very well-versed in philosophy, I'm more of an amateur and can talk about it only superficially, but my gut tells me that we can't create any more NEW values after what has already been created and cultivated in our history. There is only a possibility to play with already existing ideas and values, mix them and get some 'new' mode of living, but NOT entirely genuine one.

[@HeNryous]

Think the same way, found my way to stoicism and I like it without that religious thing(I think religion is a sect + time), kinda like just living the best day, everyday 😁 do the stuff you care for and then have a good time as you said. I hope everyone finds that thing in their life and will be happy, even if I know that might won’t happen.

[@Samuel-qc7kg]

Imo positive nihilism is just the coping mecanism nihilists use to feel better about their (in their own views) insignificant lives and existence. Or people who don't think their lives are worthless can adopt nihilism as an excuse for not having moral responsabilities (some of them at least because us humans are moral agents and can't escape morality unless we have a mental disability). And morality being created by humans sounds like moral relativism, which is common among nihilists (obviously). And I really don't understand how someone can accept moral relativism. It isn't that good and no one can live like moral relativism is true (not even moral relativists). This is not to mock your possible believes, I am just very confused about it.

[@sandro.amirana]

@@Samuel-qc7kg I agree. It's like they are promoting that idea in a conversation but in their everyday life they still have to use some kind of moral compass. And I don't think (thanks to Dr. PETERSON, again) that it is imposed on us only by society, most likely it is in our nature. Also, the thing with moral relativism- some views might be relative to the specific culture but the existence of some moral rules is UNIVERSAL.

[@Samuel-qc7kg]

@@sandro.amirana Yeah, exactly, and even some of those moral views can be traced back to factual errors. Like in some countries they think killing deformed babies is not wrong but they also believe that those babies are demons or possessed by demons. Usually when they learn that they are not their opinion on whether they should kill them changes. Or both sides of the abortion issue, they both want the wellbeing of humans (the mother in one side and the baby on the other). It is obviously not always the case, but it is interesting to see. Also, I haven't seen professor Peterson talk about that. I'll try to look for it, it would be interesting to see his take on this.

[@LLlap]

When I got scared, I remembered that there is nobody to be scared to begin with.

[@larsanderson6285]

The idea that the past self is not who I am today can be comforting. I’ve lived by this idea for years. I found with this mindset, I am able to forgive myself for my past actions much more easily. Better yet, I’ve found I’m more compassionate for others, being able to overlook there past mistakes, being more empathetic and forgiving. Past actions should not be excused of course, but looked at as experiences we can learn from. Thanks for a nice thought provoking video.

[@3LSRecords]

IT IS WHAT IT IS! Explained thoroughly

[@ninjaclan83]

If it wasn't what it is, than it is not...

[@ninjaclan83]

@@things_leftunsaid 👍

[@abbygalerowe1254]

And that's just the way it is...

[@divideandcollide8531]

It's what It's ;)

[@rikta8192]

Things will never be the same

[@Eternalised]

*The biggest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing: every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. is bound to be noticed.* Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness unto Death

[@pancanman]

I was in a medically induced coma for 2 1/2 weeks. When I "woke up" I was delusional for a while. Then I understood the "reality" of being in the hospital. I forgot my wife name. I forgot what I liked and didn't like. I had no access to my memories for a time. Eventually, my brain came back online and I knew my history, what color I liked, what type of music I like, what food I like. But it was strange, because for a while I existed without being me. Clearly our brains are complex and we don't understand how it all works. While I was in the coma I simply didn't exist. No dreams, no memories, no visions, no nothing. It wasn't that bad.

[@adma2787]

Just like deep sleep

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Reflection is truly key. Humanity should dare to look deep within, but it should also accept that more than mere physical Reflection is required for true, celestial enlightenment. "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In Time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the Universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@nuncio21]

Fascinating.

[@philipsmith983]

You are nolonger the you that exsited, but a new you

[@Anonym-yr4qn]

"Every time we go to sleep, we practice for death."

[@garylarson4415]

The fact that you are not the same person from moment to moment does not negate the possibilty that the process that is called "you" does not continue on after the death of the body in a changed form we called 'spiritual' or "soul".

[@garylarson4415]

Correct. And how can ANYTHING be but a collection of transient features?Try to imagine something that isn't that way -or could be different and you can't conceive of it.

[@Chaos_God_of_Fate]

To me, the 'I' is the 'camera' that watches the thoughts/ego. Love your videos. Keep them coming please!

[@dawn2809]

This is a calming way to make people realise that life is a complicated thing

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

Reflection is truly key. Humanity should dare to look deep within, but it should also accept that more than mere physical Reflection is required for true, celestial enlightenment. "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In Time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the Universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@youlleatamuffinandlikeit4596]

Sense of self is something I've wrestled with for years. I've never really known who "I" am. Sometimes I hardly even feel like a person. I was raised by narcissists and homeschooled from 5th grade onwards, so I spent much of my life isolated from my peers and, eventually, the world as a whole. I am also most likely a system, so there's likely never technically been an "I" so much as a "We". I don't think I'm ever really going to possess a real sense of identity, given that I never had a chance to develop one in the first place. Sometimes I'm okay with this, sometimes it feels like hell, but at the end of the day, it is what it is.

[@thrillbeats]

Thank you Aperture, for always teaching me something new. Your channel is one of the best!

[@FutureMindset]

Maybe we are simply an amalgamation of our sense of self-awareness, our experiences in life, the culture we were raised in, the ideas we've been exposed to, our mental state and more. These are very much subject to change and as we grow older and experience new things, we change and evolve. So maybe the self isn't static and while that may seem dreadful, maybe it isn't a bad thing at all...

[@LifeLessons-ElderMillennial]

I like this. I think it's true that we cling to an 'illusion' of self and it can become problematic because as we grow and change we start to feel cognitive dissonance as we start to behave in ways that are contrary to our fixed perception of 'self'. If we think instead of our experience of self as being a series of still frames, one still frame for every moment of our entire lives - we would have however many billion still frames... but if you held those still frames and flipped through the pages, it would give the illusion of movement - the illusion of self. This is how the illusion of self is created and then persists... because from day to day, our experience of self probably shifts only incrementally, by such a small degree it isn't noticeable. But if you were to go from chapter 2 and flick straight through to chapter 30 the vast difference would be so staggering any person would give cause to question it.

[@sethmerczero9827]

You're videos have gotten so much better haven't watched in awhile

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

I is like an endless river constantly flowing and changing and no two points are the same.

[@ColeHastings]

How you gonna drop a video like this right before im about to

[@markoboychuk]

TO WHAT!?

[@apparatingtonowhere6007]

And why 64 (or 65) people liked this comment?🙂

[@samuelvanorshaegen]

That's twin film phenomenon. Strange, because I was writing about the self too for a couple of days prior to this video.

[@soullover5253]

You still can, just do what you set up and don't compare yourself to anyone else besides the one you are yesterday. Different outlooks is diversity establishing it resonance within the University of perceptions.

[@jokebird6479]

i think we are supposed to finish the sentence are we?

[@user-ce7pi6mv2h]

Even it’s illusion, I still have a test at school tomorrow 🥱

[@Wraient]

You are soo consistent. Hats off.

[@invisibleimpostor299]

I like to think "self" as ego. Ego is what makes you, you. People who take psychedelics often report an "ego-death", where they someone seperate from their own body. They lose their sense of self.

[@LifeLessons-ElderMillennial]

I've used psychedelics and I've experienced 'ego-death' and it's not so much a sense of separating from one's own body. It's more an all-encompassing sense of connection to everything. When one realises that they are everything and everything is who they are - there is an ego death in that the isolated illusion of "self" or "I" is shattered by an this experience of "us". One the psychedelic wears off, a sense of self or ego eventually returns, but - as is the case with most powerful emotional experiences - it leaves an imprint of 'togetherness' in the brain and has created neural pathways that provide a memory of that experience (and thus a facsimile of the sensations) whenever the memory is recalled. It is why psychedelics can be so effective in mental health disorders that have been resistant to therapy and other medication. Most mental health disorders are due to a lack of social connection.

[@soaringsquid0.129]

The idea of self is what keeps us sane

[@dedragon7101]

We were not and we won't be. We simply are. Brilliant quote

[@neo5777]

First video I’ve ever seen in this channel and i couldn’t help but subscribe. Never questioned my existence/being as well as my thought processes so much after watching a KZbin video

[@benrogers4635]

This video is good but is only the first steps in self enquiry When you lose yourself and genuinely persist with self enquiry, you’ll notice something deeper; firstly you’ll notice that you are really ‘nothingness’ (and this is different from just perception/awareness or consciousness) - but then you’ll realise that this nothingness is the same thing as everything. Hence you realise there is no separation between ‘you’ and everything you experience This will probably all sound barmy to most people because it is something that requires direct perception - but the idea that there is no self equally sounds barmy to those that haven’t yet had this realisation

[@benrogers4635]

@Jay Tee “nothingness” isn’t really what you mean by ‘nothing’, - and the meaning of nothingness can’t really be communicated in a meaningful way without someone experiencing it directly - just like the experience of “redness” has to be ‘experienced’ to be fully comprehended. I know beyond doubt that ‘nothingness’ exists in the same way I know beyond doubt that ‘redness’ exists - because both of these things are subjective states which can be directly verified through observation (though it takes a fair bit of work)

[@benrogers4635]

@Jay Tee This may sound “woo”, but science may well have limits on what it can explain, hence things like Gödel’s incompleteness theorem, or paradoxes which we know are inherent to reality. It may be impossible for science to prove the most basic concept, because at some step an assumption is made, which cannot itself be proven. (Prove that this chair isn’t in fact, a car) This is not to say that science is all wrong, or not useful, but it is a tool to attempt to understand reality (an extremely useful one indeed) - but we shouldn’t confuse it with reality itself. So fundamentally, what can we be sure of? I’d suggest it is the fact of awareness/existence (I think therefore I am) - this is the fundamental thing that cannot be false, because it can be observed through direct experience which is not predicated on any other prior assumption. Nothingness is simply the state which this awareness exists as, which you can discover through careful self enquiry - it’s an empty formlessness. Its not a philosophy; it’s just what it is when you really look - a bit like saying ‘this apple is red.’ But as I say, it’s not the kind of nothingness that most people will think of. At the same time this nothingness becomes everything we experience. This is where the idea of “one-ness” comes in. It’s not just the space for everything, it literally is everything we do, and could possibly ever experience.

[@benrogers4635]

​@Jay Tee I wish i was better at articulating this - and all said with respect because I genuinely think there's something of value for others to gain through self-enquiry - but what i'm referring to is not a "feeling," - it's more profound than that. In the same way that you wouldn't say that the apple is "red" - the "redness" isn't just a feeling, it's a "knowing" - you know for sure that the redness of the apple exists, because you perceive it, and there's not any scientific proof that could tell you that the "redness" doesn't exist, becuase this "knowing" is more fundimental compared with the 'assumptions' that science has to make to 'get going'. You can come to observe that "nothingness" is what "you" are, when: 1. you ask "what am I", 2. you look, and you realise that you are none of the things you thought you were in your direct experience (and this is a lot harder to do than it sounds in practice). You are not your body, your thoughts, your emotions, your memories, etc. [effectively what this video is getting at] When you really get this... really contemplate this, and then you question what am I? you don't come to the conclusion "my brain" - because your brain is still a 'thought' in your awareness, and "you" are not your thoughts. If you really question and exclude everything from your direct awareness that isn't permanent, you "literally" experience a state of nothingness, voidness, or "emptiness" - all words that don't really do it justice because the words don't fully describe the state. When you then observe things in your direct awareness again, without the bias that you are what you thought you were, you realise that there is *literally* no distinction between anything - a sound, a table, another human being, your body, your thoughts etc. They are all literally the same thing and made from this "nothingness". This is where some people say "you are God" - but i know that puts off a lot of people and has a lot of connotations that are misleading and unhelpful. It's not a feeling, and it's not a belief, it is what you discover if you go and look and if you are sceptical of your own experience - but if you are truly skeptical and don't take anything for granted, and start with first principals. But as much as I've gone on here, it's for everyone to look for themselves, not to take anyone else's word for what is there when you genuinely look.

[@flyingshroomy5560]

Ah, fellow advaita student 😊

[@SoyOtroTu]

0️⃣+♾️=1 (I'm nothing. I'm everything. I'm Another You.)

[@Onthir]

That's what I'm exactly going through. I don't have any plans for the future not even for tomorrow. I'm just going with the flow, but it scares me sometimes.

[@haidengeary8277]

My grandmother, who died not long ago, had dementia, which progressed into Alzheimer's , repeated herself every 30 seconds or so. She still had memories of the past. Was she still her? No more than I , or you, were a year ago. I still treated all she said as if it was the first time I heard it. I lived with her and my grandfather, before they both passed. It was very difficult to make the decision to admit he was going to be gone soon, as I phoned emergency services that took him away, and later she was moved to a house they just bought. They both spend 1 night, holding one another, before he passed away holding her. Even if we are not who we think we are, it's still comforting to pretend we are.

[@huyma2757]

John Green has a character "me from the past" and that to me makes so much sense along with this video. Thank you!

[@coolworx]

"To realize that.... all your life, all your love, all your hate, all your memory, all your pain - it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream. A dream that you had, inside a locked room. A dream about being a person." ~ Rust Cohle.

[@theoneyoufear758]

this was so elegantly explained.

[@skrtiee]

lowkey i wish i could go back in time and give my younger self a really great friend tbh i think thats all i needed when i was a kid, someone to just be there for me

[@isubtothebest6020]

Hey😊

[@riccizech]

As a parent of quite a few children In my years I have witnessed a sense of self that appears around 1& 1/2 years old , when mine & I become part of the Daly routine . As if understanding that fairness & property rights are the right for every individual is seemingly inherit without social example . Makes me believe that it is passed on somehow through genetics

[@DemetriPanici]

*"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness." Charles Spurgeon*

[@oximas]

but why be happy or sad for that fact does it even matter??

[@oximas]

well my idea is that even if nothing really matters we still do exist or at least we feel like we do, and that is enough to live life to the fullest and just have fun with this human experience, that's the idea of optimistic nihilism

[@oximas]

​@John Barber only people who need to learn how to enjoy little things would say that

[@XAnimazingX]

This idea that there is something deep within us that stays the same when everything else charnge's. WOW!

[@shady2252]

it's 3 am, and im here yet again rethinking my life

[@bettermanchannel770]

This guy makes my higher self think, appreciated

[@mobiustrip1400]

It's terrifying to discover, deep down, as I have, that the "I" does not exist as I thought it did. Damn, I used the "I" word twice to deny it's existence! So the question arises, who, or what, exactly is asking or seeking or questioning?

[@deluxemusic8851]

This guy makes me question my existence and every thing I thought I knew every single video

[@F8LDragon2]

In a nutshell, what one thinks of as themself is the same self experienced by everyone. The ego defines our properties in society for cooperation. When the body dies, the self is still active in every other person. You essentially die every night when you fall asleep, only to wake up with memories of going to sleep. When Adam dies he wakes up again, just as Steve with Steve’s memories, not Adams.

[@jakobholmin2898]

This is the best video you've produced.

[@_xylotus_]

I agree with this video, it's just that I believe that some core values of your old-self, in a never ending cicle of new created selfs, inherit to the new self. Like manners, you know how to behave, and manners certainly are one aspect of what makes your current self yourself. While the inheritance of certain core values of our past self is not automatically implied and is not a must, it still remains to be a common theme. Therefore I think, that your current self get's inherently influenced by a mixture of the core values of your past selfs; while still not being persistent. Core values being things that influenced your past self a lot. Again: This is not a constant thing to happen.

[@kendalllent8037]

I’ve done mushrooms and went through ego death and soon times I like to think of it as following your intuition or trusting your gut instincts can lead you to the path of your “highest self” or if you think of it in multiple timelines then whatever timeline led you to making the best decisions in the moment can get “hinted at” In your current self. Basically become your true authentic self, being a learner and a teacher of this world viewing life as an experience. In in college and I’ve come to realize I don’t need to plan my day because I pragmatically show up where I need to be for class and the loving people around me, my true friends help create the best moment for me, and I naturally can create the best moments for them. Love is the underlying theme behind it all.

[@LadoX]

I now remembered that I had a similar existential crisis when I was 12. And it didn't really end yet.

[@arno_grnfld455]

The protagonist illusion of "I"

[@ciel_isl]

you mean "the protagonst lluson of ' ' "

[@HeadShotPR]

That's called *delusion*

[@ishigami5071]

There is no reason why i should focus on other's life and think of them as the "protag"

[@sriku1000]

A Calming video on how bad parents are made. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJXag2mpi7eoos0

[@megangallagher5463]

Who you are is predicated on who you were and who you will be is predicated upon both the past and present. I am me because although I’ve been different people throughout my life, there’s been a causal relationship between the selves of the past and the selves of any present

[@giovannii7519]

Great stuff as always Aperture. Mind provoking, and calming videos as always. Your voice is so calm and gentle, like that wind when walking by the sea. I love it. You teach me to be gentle and calm,instead of angry and stiff. Just like Bruce Lee said: "Be like water" it's the element that adapts to the environment, doesn't resist,instead it just flows. Thank you my friend whose face I never saw.❤️

[@jasonmcclarron2573]

Your videos are like listening to a podcast but in amazing quality

[@mr.caramelastronaut1656]

This guy always makes me question things

[@slappedgoat4967]

Excellent as always dude ❤

[@Toads]

cryin in the club to this rn

[@granodiorite9032]

Which bathroom are u in ?

[@Pirateboy-es9sl]

Bro these visuals are absolutely astonishing, I'm confused on where you can find all the beautiful videography. Love the channel

[@aagamjain793]

You see what you do now will have a result on your future self and after repeating and changing everyday on day you will become completely different that what you are now, it doesn't depreciate the value of your present action and thoughts rather it make them all the more important

[@sovashadow]

You always make the best content, thank you truly

[@stunnagirl8465]

Yeah thanks aperture for making me even more depressed than before. Appreciate it

[@joey6578]

This is one of my favorite videos you have made. Very well done and it's stuff I think about daily.

[@Raven28Pisces]

*"Do you really have to be special? Do you really need people's recognition? I don't think so. When it comes to my child... He doesn't need to become great. Why would he have to be better than anyone else? After all, just look at him... He's so cute. He's already great. Because he was... born into this world."* ~Carla Jäger, AOT S3

[@husseinlove5940]

Thanks for all of your videos it’s really interesting and important things to talk about❤

[@Getyourwishh]

>Consciousness is fundamental reality. >There is no essence. pick a side.

[@yxkaii]

this has become my greatest search recently

[@Getyourwishh]

@@yxkaii there is still no conclusive arguments on the matter but reductionist do have stronger points than the spiritual folks.

[@yxkaii]

@@Getyourwishh it’s scary to think our time on earth might be the extent of our existence

[@Getyourwishh]

@@yxkaii yes it is. what do we do then?

[@yxkaii]

@@Getyourwishh I really don’t know man. Maybe all we can do is make the most of it. In any case I think it’s important to chase knowledge and spread awareness

[@PloverTechOfficial]

You really are awesome. You can send me into an existential crisis for about 11 minutes and then allow me to leave it feeling good

[@cheesyretz]

How long does usually it take for you to write something like this? I love your philosophical takes on things and how you can make your words flow so fluidly. Keep up the great work!

[@annabelyaeva6174]

Great video. Personally, I don't think "no self" has to mean "no soul". I'm rather liking the idea that everything is a part of a greater, universal soul, so to speak. So there might be no individual self, but there's still the Divine. We're all just parts of it. I remember that phrase I saw somewhere - "We're all manifestations of the Universe, here to experience itself", or something similar. Or the "waterdrop in an ocean" analogy. "This is the whole, that is the whole. Whole comes from the whole..."

[@miguelatkinson]

No self definitively no soul since there is nothing that is eternal or permanent in the human being

[@jozabelle5042]

The Sense Of An Ending ( By Julian Barnes ) is a wonderful book I remembered when he said " 2:37 - 2:56 "

[@rodneydin]

I love this channel, I've watched all the videos, maybe even the second after you. But I think there's just one idea that I'm battling with. But we really appreciate your thoughts

[@bolenbeats]

This channel has greatly inspired my thinking. It has brought forth a lot of ideas and concepts that are really interesting and every video is done better than the last. Appreciate the content

[@mainjit725]

dude i get high a lot and these questions come to mind, and they drive me crazy. You sir are helping me a lot,

[@victore8342]

I am the observer, thoughts and emotions are just tools of observation

[@Mantocu]

Wow..you give me goosebumps

[@victore8342]

@@Mantocu I feel like you're being sarcastic, but ok

[@Mantocu]

Why you felt that way? I just say that because i have once thought that im just the observer if i have no feelings n thoughts. Pure experience nothing else

[@Mantocu]

Infinity experiencing it self..without any motive whatsoever

[@victore8342]

@@Mantocu that's my opinion as well.

[@jaylin-init2189]

You give me a Existential crisis every video and I'm here for it-

[@jmossy304]

I really like your videos, they always give some new ways of thinking or ideas. I was thinking about the concept of self a few nights ago so this is very interesting for me.

[@adne4336]

I generally think that the one unchanging thing about a person is intelligence (at least for all fully developed adults) if put in the same situation, we may not do the same, but that’s because of knowledge. Intelligence is the way you apply knowledge and thous meaner that it doesn’t change

[@bernhardreisinger4012]

Again it is Friday and I wait for something Again Aperture releases a new masterpiece Again my serious thoughts start to decrease Again "I" go to sleep worrying about nothing Monday again

[@FaithfulFumoFan23]

Since I was young I've always rejected the self. I always questioned what "I" actually was. Yes I am in my own body but what constitutes my "self" is really just something I make up as I go along. Really when we talk about "ourselves" we just refer to what we do. It was something that has stuck with humans since we created civilization because it's useful for productivity.

[@Orbitinbloom19018]

And yet you are ego practicing egoism

[@Charles37400]

This is reminding me alot of the deep thoughts about my own consiousness that i had the first time i took mushrooms. Alot of deep personal questioning about what it means to exist in a specific time. Even time is interesting to think about when your high. Its own dimension we always move through and its crazier to think about when you hear the way carl sagan or neil degrasse tyson describes how dimemsions work.

[@Ryuzaki14YT]

listening to u really changed me as a person happy i clicked on this vid today

[@xhulio4124]

The worst thing is that i followed and understood it all! Damn his voice goes through your head and activate 'Stoic Mode'

[@sriku1000]

A Calming video on how bad parents are made. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJXag2mpi7eoos0

[@You-rg4ec]

@@things_leftunsaid he wouldn't say much of it. Likely, he would only mention that science has brought about wonderful things for the benefit of humanity. However, like everything else, any attachments to any thoughts, beliefs, or knowledge is to be cut off. This is not to reject their usefulness. It is to not stay ''sticky''. The teachings would remain indifferent.

[@esmineldraaybara6975]

i find it a lot easier to describe other people n what they wouldve said in a hypothetical scenario than myself

[@malachyokafor9927]

You say there is no self, no I, but yet "We" (self and I) like you said create the "illusion of Self". So "self" and "I" has the ability to create (even if it's supposedly according to you not real) If what you say is true then we should be in the same level with animals, But the fact that you agree that "we" (self and I) can "create" even if is an illusion of Self, i believe It means that there is an immaterial essence in us, that is absence in other beings trying to find expression

[@juhadexcelsior]

the fact that we can even "create" false selfhood or conceptualize the theory that selfhood is false *pure evidence* of selfhood itself. If we did not have selfhood, the very concept would not even be known to us. We would, as you say, be like animals where we only know we exist through an extension of a interdependent pack or an organism spurred solely by instinct.

[@malachyokafor9927]

@@juhadexcelsior Exactly bro

[@yazanalkhalaileh9518]

The best type of videos on youtube .. this is my most favorite channel. Please consider enhancing the sound.

[@Redlight__]

Nothing brings you back to reality quite like one of Aperture's videos.

[@rojoscostanada8685]

I looked at a picture my mom sent through a group chat. I thought to myself, wow, I look nothing like my younger self. Never once said it out loud yet I still have this in my recommendation.

[@baekyum]

It honestly amazes me how hard it is for some philosophers and occultists to accept who and what they are. The self is real, but it’s not a static thing; it grows and evolved over time. You are still you: who you are deep down. We all know this at a primal level, but some people gaze at their navels for so long that they don’t even realize where they are. If you have any occult leanings, we all have a belief in a soul. And, if you’re versed in any traditional form of astrology, you would know how the stars influence at at birth as well. I’ve accepted myself a long time ago, so it’s particularly difficult for me to relate to people who haven’t.

[@FerdyTheGreat]

Stars?

[@chloebujuare1156]

I think he is referring to the self in terms of a fundamental cellular entity. All of your cells are replaced by other other cells as you age therefore the brain(which is the one that constructs the self) of your younger self is not the same one you have today hence it is safe to assume that you are fundamental not the same person anymore.

[@IvanValance]

If “you are still you, who you are deep down”, then there is indeed a static component to it lol

[@chloebujuare1156]

Can you elaborate more on what you mean by "deep down"

[@miguelatkinson]

@baekyum so apparently buddhist believe in the soul then by your logic then

[@Nindyen]

Your insight is keen and your inquiry is on the right track, yet until you reflect, expand and refine your idea of: what you believe is actually possible or not; the actual nature of consciousness and its limits (or lack thereof); and the limit of our current knowledge and understanding about most things (which is still amazing when looking back and improving everyday); the riddle of the illusion of self, and therefore the reality that you experience, will not be dispelled.

[@CarlGoldenface]

Nothing like a bit of existences dread in the morning

[@ncp3077]

This is absolutely miraculous! Ty

[@user-f0r3shad0wingR4coon]

ngl i went in my notifications and saw aperture and thought he replied to some random comment i made in some random for some reason?????

[@twintiger2110]

We are mirrors in the cosmic quilt of consciousness, we create reflection and shadow allowing us identity. Love your work 💚🙏

[@sriku1000]

A Calming video on how bad parents are made. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJXag2mpi7eoos0