Category: I. The Logic Air Tags: Identity Recursion Consciousness Philosophy
There is a bug in the human operating system. It happens when you try to answer the question: “Who am I?”
Most people answer with Data:
-
“I am a software engineer.” (Job)
-
“I am a father.” (Role)
-
“I am anxious.” (State)
-
“I am [Name].” (Label)
But logic tells us this is false. If you lose your job, do you cease to exist? No. If you change your name, are you a different person? No. If you stop feeling anxious and start feeling happy, has the “You” disappeared? No.
The Data changes. The System remains. So, you are not the data. You are the Function.
The Infinite Loop
In Computer Science, Recursion is when a function calls itself. Imagine a function called FindSelf().
Python
def FindSelf():
return FindSelf()
If you run this, the computer will freeze. It creates an infinite loop. It keeps looking for the answer, which tells it to look for the answer, which tells it to look for the answer. Eventually, you get a Stack Overflow. The system crashes.
This is exactly what happens to the human mind during an existential crisis.
-
You try to find “yourself.”
-
You look at your thoughts.
-
But who is looking at the thoughts? The Observer.
-
Okay, so I am the Observer. But who is observing the Observer?
-
The Observer of the Observer.
You are a mirror facing a mirror. An infinite tunnel of “I” going back forever.
Nouns vs. Verbs
The mistake is in the grammar. We treat the “Self” as a Noun—a static object that we can find, polish, and put on a shelf.
But the Self is a Verb. You are not a “Thing.” You are a Process.
-
You are not “The Walker”; you are the act of Walking.
-
You are not “The Thinker”; you are the act of Thinking.
-
You are not “The Sad Person”; you are currently Running the sadness script.
When you realize you are a Function, you gain a superpower: Refactoring.
If you are a Noun (e.g., “I am an angry person”), you are stuck. That is your definition. If you are a Function (e.g., “I am currently processing anger”), you can change the inputs. You can rewrite the logic. You can wait for the process to finish and return a different result.
The Base Case (How to Stop the Crash)
In code, every recursive function needs a Base Case—a condition that tells the loop to STOP. Without it, the program runs until the whole system dies.
In your mind, the loop is: “Who am I? Who is asking? Who is asking who is asking?”
The Base Case is Presence. It is the moment you stop thinking about yourself and just experience being.
-
When you are completely lost in a piece of music.
-
When you are sprinting at full speed.
-
When you are laughing so hard you can’t breathe.
In those moments, the “I” disappears. The loop breaks. There is no “Observer” and “Observed.” There is just the music. There is just the run. You have stopped calling the function and started executing it.
The Logic of the Soul
You will never find yourself by looking in the mirror. An eye cannot see itself. A knife cannot cut itself. You can only find yourself by interacting with the world.
-
Don’t ask: “Who am I?” (This triggers the loop).
-
Ask: “What am I doing?” (This triggers the function).
You are not the code sitting on the hard drive. You are the electricity running through it.
Return to The Logic