By
Hénock Gugsa
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I don’t know what it was, but I woke up last Friday morning
with restless and impatient meanderings of the mind. For some reason, I was thinking of circles in
all their variations and sizes. Strangely, the process of thought that was in
motion was also of a circular nature.
I would progress from one notion or
concept to another in a deceptively linear fashion. But all the time, I was steadfastly and almost
effortlessly holding on to the original thought and its seedlings. The experience was both tantalizingly refreshing,
and mentally stimulating.
Think of circles, and imagine them … regular round
circles, oblong circles, ovals, conical ones, and orbital ones. Think of the earth and the endless heavenly
bodies. Think of our universe, and the
universes beyond, and the universes within universes! In my mind’s eye, everything is both physically and metaphysically
circular. Add to this the concepts of
centricity and concentricity … now we are off and running and we haven’t even
smoked anything!
Of-course, the first time I was introduced to the circle
was in high school geometry. But that
was only a superficial and benign encounter with this extremely crucial phenomenon
of our existence. Then again, back at
that time, my mind was not sufficiently developed to absorb the abstract side
of a deceptively simple thing called a circle. In point of fact, I am embarrassed to admit, it
was only in the last fifteen years or so that I began to really appreciate the
immense significance of the circle.
Historically, we’ve been told, mankind has long been
aware of the circle … in the daytime there was the sun, at night the moon …
circles of celestial bodies! Then, we are told that the invention of the wheel
(a circle) was the harbinger of civilization. Early abodes were circular, and many
cultures have long had circle dances. So, the question is: why are we drawn to the circle (no pun intended)?
Some years back, a work colleague and I used to have
interesting dialogues about general societal matters that also touched on religion
and politics. He had very strong views and beliefs that could easily be
classified as conspiracy theories of the strange
kind. He believed that the world was under the control of the Masonic
society, and that we were all being manipulated and are headed toward a certain
Armageddon. The signs were everywhere, he used to say. And he actually meant all the
logos of companies and corporations that displayed circles of one kind or
another. Indeed, we still see all these round comets that seem to be traveling in
circles. My friend likened them to snakes that are assaulting their own body …
the fangs opened wide while engorging the tail. Thus, to him, circles were never
some benign phenomena.
My views, on the other hand, have tended to be less
dramatic and more didactic. At any rate, I am hoping that they are more positive and
hopeful for mankind’s future. I believe in simplicity for the sake of clarity
and easy understanding. In my reality: The circle is us, and we are the circle.
No sinister conclusions need to follow!
So we ask: Considering the thing (the circle) in itself, what do
we know or what have we learned?
In mathematics, there is a study of what is called the
straight line (i.e., the number line). The two opposite ends of the line are
presumed never to meet as each moves away, “infinitely”, in its own direction. But
this is a wrong conception because the idea of infinity is ill used here. In actuality,
it is not only possible but also probable that the opposite ends of a
straight line will meet. All that is needed is the introduction of π
(pi)
which is a mathematical constant found on the number line. It is also the one
and only “infinity” factor that is part and parcel of the circle!
How is a circle formed or created? Well, you need an
origin, a starting place. From there you go a distance of π in
all directions and connect those points. That is what we do with a pencil and a
protractor, as I remember it. The origin is very important as it is also
indicative of the destination. It is a point, a dot … and a dot is also a circle
if you really imagine it. It is a starting point, and we assign it a number: 1.*
The oneness or unity of origin and destination is
mathematically observed or enforced when multiplication (or division) of any
number by 1 results in the same number!
Continuous travel to the east ends up in the west at
some point. Extreme left and extreme right eventually are one and the same.
After all what is the difference between Stalin and Hitler? They are one and the
same evil.
During a self-awareness exercise, the psyche (the
soul) may be grounded or tied down by notions of individuality. But deeper
meditation will reveal that all dualities, all adversarial situations, are
resolved by their coming together to a focal point. This point is the origin,
the beginning. So, from whatever point our thought process emanated, we tend to
come full circle to the beginning. Alpha has become omega, and vice-versa.
Conclusion
:
My mind’s meanderings thus far have been circular.
At times, they may have seemed strange or looney even to me. However, somehow
the concept of the circle makes extremely good sense. Is it a coincidence that
the vortex of thought in its cyclicality reminds me of a cyclone? The eye at
the center of a cyclone is the unity point, the origin. At that point, chaos
turns to tranquility. And when we depart from there, we are back again in
chaos. In the same manner, we can think of all dualities existing in the same
place at the same time for eternity (the infinity aspect). On/Off, Light/Dark,
Good/Bad, and Sanity/Insanity are all within the Circle. And Unity (oneness)
has been made clear by Logic!
__________________________
* It
is a mathematical and logical impossibility to assign zero (0) as an origin
point. Besides being a void, an empty hole, zero can never be a divisor to any
number.
