Processes

 In 1992, Silo made the following comment: “It is difficult to grasp the nature of a process. Processes are phenomena that unfold from within; they cannot be understood from the outside. History is the process of human beliefs manifesting as behaviors and transformations in the world. We are in a moment of historic change—a shift in beliefs—and we will continue to say that what we see is incredible. What is truly incredible is failing to realize the depth of the change we are living through.”

I have always liked this statement because it clearly explains at least a couple of things: one regarding processes, and the other regarding beliefs. I am deeply interested in understanding processes—and, more specifically, the process of our human history.

The context of this statement about processes relates to the explanations given when a line of thought—one that is, from my perspective, highly coherent and rich—is presented, yet someone inevitably asks what ideas are actually being put forward. Asking this is akin to asking a musician, after a concert, whether there was any music in their performance.

Of course, one hears this and thinks it is absurd to ask such a thing—wondering how anyone with even a modicum of brainpower could ask such a question. Yet, it turns out to be far more common than we think, and it reveals something much more interesting. The person did not hear the music, despite it being a concert. This happens because what is structured within their consciousness does not correspond to the present moment; instead, it is tied to those well-known beliefs we hold—specifically, the beliefs characteristic of our era, which exert an enormous influence on us.

More than fifty years ago, a group of scientists decided to study the possibility of nuclear fusion. Naturally, both the scientific and non-scientific communities dismissed them as dreamers. They argued that fusion requires more energy input than it produces—due to the extreme temperatures at which the phenomenon occurs—and was therefore an impossible task…

All this was said while our sun—and millions of other suns in the universe—were operating via nuclear fusion; a process for which we should be grateful, as it makes our existence on this planet possible. So, despite all this evidence and the research conducted by brilliant minds, the prevailing belief of that era—lacking expanded knowledge of quantum physics or artificial intelligence—was limited to the notion that nuclear reactions could only be produced through fission, and that even if fusion were possible, it was not economically viable. In other words, it was considered "practically impossible."

Today, we have nuclear reactors that operate via fusion and generate temperatures higher than those recorded in our sun. This is merely the beginning; the key point is that this reality is now part of the prevailing beliefs of our time, and it has little to do with people's innate cognitive capacity.

Reaching this point has undoubtedly been a process, which is why it is important to frame what we know in terms of processes. It is clear to all of us that our lives are a process—especially if we make a small effort to look at the different stages of our biographies and the beliefs that surrounded us at the time.

The words "impossible" and "incredible" are intrinsic to the fabric of these processes; both reveal the beliefs held by an era. Again, it does not matter if the evidence is right in front of us if it has not yet been "structured" as such within the collective consciousness of the times.

I have always loved the story of Newton (regardless of whether it is fact or fiction); the image of a man watching an apple fall from a tree to the ground is one I cherish. Countless apples must have fallen over thousands of years, yet in all likelihood, none of them sparked a thought in the people who witnessed them drop. That was not the case for Newton, however; structuring phenomena was likely his favorite pastime, and consequently, he ended up formulating the law of gravity. Today, the law of gravity is nothing extraordinary, yet humanity has advanced significantly thanks to our understanding of it. It has become part of the beliefs of our era.

All of this holds true for historical processes, just as it does for "discoveries" of every kind. When the prevailing beliefs of an era begin to waver due to a historical process that advances not linearly, but rather in an ascending spiral, we can sense that what lies ahead is a process of destructuring: the best elements of the historical moment continue to move forward, while what is no longer useful collapses, declines, and falls into oblivion. These are “incredible” moments—not because they are unbelievable, but because the beliefs of our era interfere with a proper understanding of the phenomenon. After all, Newton simply framed the phenomenon differently. The phenomenon of falling objects had been present for thousands of years in our history, yet it did not become evident until that consciousness was able to structure the phenomenon from a new perspective.

I believe it is highly appropriate at this moment to make an effort to understand that what we are witnessing historically is not unlike realizing that many of the stars we see at night actually vanished long ago; we only see them now because, after thousands of years, their light has finally made them visible. Humanity’s future is already here, and what we “see” is what has already passed…

Who knows what is coming—or what is already here—but it is coming… or it is here.

Fernando Aranguiz

Translated by Trudi Richards

Art by Rafael Edwards