Blank Man

Man wakes from his sleep, still fatigued and half naked and itchy all over from an unmade and dirty bed. He groans and after a while forcibly brought himself up from the bed. Glancing over the windowsill his eyes awaken from the gleaming sun rays thinking about how grueling his day will be. Shortly afterwards he walks to his bathroom stepping on clothes and things on the way while rubbing his eyes. At the bathroom he is greeted with his reflection from the mirror, the only way he can see what’s behind him, for he only knows there is blank anywhere his vision isn’t. He rejoices as though as he relieved a bothering impulsion, as though as his eyes were finally fixed. After looking for a good while, detailing his surroundings in his background and avoiding the shame of his uncared for face, he showers. Afterwards he eats what’s left in his pantry in his impoverished and lonely apartment. He finds grits stored in the far end of the pantry and eats them. Sitting in his two person table in the kitchen he stares into the opposite chair in front of him the entire duration he eats. He ponders if a person were to sit right in front of him, he wouldn’t be able to see what’s behind him, but I can. 

At his low wage job at a kitchen appliance manufactory, organizing bolts and screws to their respective appliance from the conveyor belt. He works charily as he observes his coworkers in the other end of the factory and to the ones beside him. The person next to him asks “I see you here, looking over there and at other people as if you have some discontent with them or suspicion, it’s every time for as long as I’ve been with you” The blank man coughs and is shocked someone would ask such a inducing question. He fixes his posture and looks him in the eye and say “It gets boring, tiring staring at these screws and having your head bent down constantly, at least I get some satisfaction looking at other people imaging their lives” he said nervously. “Haha, aren’t you imaginative, what do you imagine of my life?” The blank man smirks and his chest still feels dropped from his first question. After taking in the provocation from this man he looks him in the eyes and sees his face for a little moment: middle aged, almost white scratchy beard, blue eyes and a curious smile. “I think you will do what is right in front of you” he said seriously. “Hahaha, you’re too funny, I was hoping you’d say something nicer and more imaginative” Although the blank man wasn’t joking and could clearly see what was behind him and the scratchy bearded man couldn’t. 

“Do you have any hobbies?” Middle aged man asks. “Not really” He said seriously. “There was a time when I your age, oh do I miss those.” The middle aged man said reminiscently. “You should do something before your life becomes not becoming a life. Don’t be a mechanical little fella.” The blank man side eyes and his chest drops again and is filled with anger against him as well as pity for himself. As if though he saw what was behind him. But he decides to ignore him and to shrug it off. “You know you said I would do what was right in front of me, what did you mean by that?” The blank man smirks and decides not to respond with the obvious. He turns his head towards him and says “look behind you.” The middle aged man then turned his head towards him and nodded his head in affirmation as he turned his body. “Now what?” “Can you see what was behind you a moment prior?” “No?” “Now you could.”But now it repeats itself.” The middle aged man look perplexed but understood at least. “So what is the point of this?” “To see what’s behind you.” The middle aged man is stunned but then laughs at the absurdity. The blank man is slightly annoyed but understands his confusion. For he knows it was only meant for him. “Why do you do this, funny man.” Middle aged man said with a big smile. “I do it because I need to look what behind because it’s all blank.” “So, does that mean it doesn’t exist?” “Yes” “So I don’t exist if your heads turned?” “Yes” The middle aged man looked even more perplexed and now sensed an uncanny sensation but he didn’t think too much of it and continued with a good mood. “So, what made you into this kind of way?” “I’ve had it forever” “It seems a bit strange doesn’t it?” “Not at all” 

As the shift ends and he walks out the door and starts his commute to his apartment he ponders in the night walk about this same dilemma: feeling what was behind people and knowing that he could see what they can’t see. He has the sensation constantly where he knows nothing exists behind him, complete whiteness. As he walks down the pavement under the street lamps in a not so busy road he is constantly observing people he sees.

He returns back to his impoverished apartment and goes to the bathroom mirror first thing and to receive the relief of being able to look behind him, but he still isn’t satisfied with himself, he cannot see what was behind his head, no matter how much he turned and repositioned his head and body, he not see the things behind him. He novels as if it’s something very profound and must be achieved: to look at your blankness. He thinks of an idea: having mirrors placed beside and behind his head and angled from the bathroom mirror then to the floor. Then another mirror that will reflect the second mirror and point from his back. There he sees it but not completely. He gives up had he been doing that for an hour setting it up. He sleeps in his unmade itchy bed for the next day. As he lays down he dreams about the blankness of the rear. 

What is consciousness he asks as he eats his grits, how come I know this and that middle aged man didn’t? How could he not know? How can it be strange? You simply know or you don’t. What empowerment am I beholden to; such profound consciousness that exists within me.

Consciousness is of no use within me. It exists only in the alleyways of the knowers.  What alleyways can I be conglomerated to? 

Thus he asks the impossible question, from consciousness, to knowers, to alleyways then to a conglomerate - what will such conglomeration do to consciousness? It would do nothing, to impel the impel is a means to an end to your suffering. It will never be as reflexive as you may think!

As he commutes to his day at work he’s convinced that he should conglomerate his other workers into his consciousness. He believes we exist in our own eyes and external reality is specifically from your vision. 

He goes to the middle aged man and asks of him to see if he thought over what I have said to him. “Yes, how could I have not.” “You may be right but why do you hold such fixed beliefs?” “I do not, I’m merely stating the obvious, it is true and probable by your own mind” “I do realize that, but it is strange to have this conviction” “Novelty is what hides behind strangeness my friend; it is an imperative by all of us to know this blankness that exists in our blindspots.” “Do you want humans to have eyes behind their head?” “No, that’s not it, it’s the observation of everywhere that isn’t seen. No matter how many eyeballs there will always be a blank somewhere.” The middle aged man novels slightly but it still very perplexed, after a few long seconds he asks, “What do you impel?” “I impel nothing, I only observe.” 

As the middle aged man begins to draw comfortable with this philosophy he grows evermore nearer. The blank man wants to expand his philosophy and grow a following. He soon talks to the other workers and just like the middle aged man they were all perplexed then awed.

“You see my brethren’s, I am not full of conviction whatsoever, the only proposition I make is to observe, something we all have and can’t deny. Look at your blankness! Look at your past! Only you exist in your own mind!“

“There! You can finally see your surrounding clearer. There! You can now see your companions clearer and that person walking down the street; you can now see and predict their lives just from where they look! This skill is of no mastery, it exists within us and is under no piety. The most empirical philosophy I tell you! 

His boss is now evermore irritated by the lack of productivity in the facility as a result of this uprising. Although he is also intrigued on such philosophy and he knows he has attained quite of workers as well. So he chooses to continue with the lack of productivity for the sake of not having a revolt. 

As the sunset approached and the shift thus ended, he is asked many question by his peers: What is it you mean by seeing the blankness? What do you have to offer for our sanity? What are you trying to fix? 

You see my brethren’s, there is no meaning in the mind, you cannot choose to not think, you cannot choose to not use logic. Go observe my brethren’s and cure your everlasting aspirations and justice. They look in awe and admiration as if his words were from a god, but then they quickly took in those words and realized not to drown themselves with piety, and to finally, observe the blankness. 

As the blank man walked in the starry night to his apartment he has gained a plethora of confidence and strength. He is more happy than ever to the point he finally makes his bed and cleans his whole apartment. Then he goes to the convenience store to finally buy some decent food. He sleeps with many dreams and hopes to attract more of a following.

The next day he ventures to the central market and on a soapbox he preaches his philosophy:

My brethren’s, there is much of you to see, much of your burdens to relinquish. Much of you blankness to be sought! 

You must see through the mind; you must observe with your mind; you must look at the lives of other foes from the mind of your own! Exist the existent! 

No piety, no deity, nobody will define us, we are humans with a mind and heart, but our mind is at the behest of some piety. So I ask of you, to forget the mind, observe thyself! 

He soon gathered quite a bit of people around his soapbox, all of them looking in awe and amazement. 

He continues for another hour or so and the crowed has grown to the point there’s no space in between the first and second row of people. He says his farewell and announces that his philosophy shall forever be know as blankastrophyism!

Later he rejoices of his accomplishments but he finds himself lonely, something he just now is feeling despite him arousing other people.

Thus he realizes he impelled some piety, he has forsaken himself, by way of hypocrisy - he hasn’t observed them…

“No matter the indignant traitors, there still exists a conglomerate that will henceforth prosper” 

The next day at the job he is greeted by the crew at the facility except the blank man seems preoccupied. The middle aged man asks “I’ve taken a liking to Blankastrophyism, except you one time said you weren’t full of conviction, what happened, what has your passion come to as of now?” The middle aged man sees his preoccupied demeanor. The rest of the crew looks at him eager for his wisdom after such attack. “What did I say about blankness? “It is your mind that imposes greatness?.” “I’m simply observing” “Doesn’t that mean your greatness impels a response to your passion, something that you’ve said is a piety?” The blank man is angered by such a response but for the sake of his popularity he keeps his cool. “You do realize piety is only of the observable, my passion lies in the destiny of thyself. Piety is will always be everlasting” The blank man quickly regrets what he has just said, for it clearly goes against his principles of a staunch opposition to piety. “What does that make of blankness, my friend?” Angered he says impulsively, “it makes a dying wish for myself you curious devil, a wish for prosperity, an observable universe where people are humble and kind.” 

Thus he impelled, but you must know, the thing he impelled is far from false: Its principles, no matter how false it may be they will always be a dying wish for everybody - except it will always induce suffering. Such morality will always exist and then impel principles that will nevertheless be semanticised to another principle. Such philology. Blankastrophism is of another observable universe, just like all the rest.