Conscious and Never Woke: My Treatise on Conscience

Consciousness: The Dancehall Between Mind, Brain, and the Universe

Yuh ever stop fi wonder if yuh mind is di driver or di passenger inna yuh life? Is consciousness just di brain running its computations like a high-tech quantum computer, or is it something deeper—like a cosmic hand reaching through space and time to whisper, “Yuh alive, mi fren”?

I've instinctively believed this to be true from I realized thinking starts in the brain as a child. I just automatically thought consciousness was the experience of all the computation happening in he brain to create a real time interplay with the environment the organism is in!

Is Consciousness a conscience, is the mind a soul, is the brains house to the mind or the soul? Is consciousness tied to identity? I started wrestling with these topics after starting the #Spiderman clone saga and the story when Chameleon tried to con Peter Parker with fake parents. It triggered years of story telling where Spider-Man wondered if his memories were real. If memories or biology or soul determined who we were. Was he Peter because of his parents or his memory of them etc his experiences and if his clone had those memories did it mean the clone was the same person and was that determined by his biology. That shit was trippy for a 10 year black Caribbean child wrestling with similar ideas in a Jamaican context. Wally West's Flash made me question physics, could molecules and atoms really vibrate and make a material man become immaterial? Could a man or anything move so fast that time could slow and eventually reverse? Yep sci-fi had me thinking and going deeper than the STEM in the education system!

Di mind-brain duality has always been one big debate, like whether curry chicken or chicken curry is di right way fi seh it. (Spoiler: it’s curry chicken. Don’t argue wid mi.) But jokes aside, dis reasoning is as old as philosophy itself. From di Greek man Democritus a chat ‘bout atoms to Descartes wid him famous “I think, therefore I am,” philosophers an’ scientists been trying fi figure out if di mind is just di brain’s vibes or if it’s something more mystical—something beyond di flesh an’ bone.

Your Brain: The Quantum Machine in Your Skull

Now, let’s talk about di brain itself. Picture it as a quantum supercomputer processing trillions of bits of information per second. It’s a mad ting, nuh true? DON'T! But here’s where we get to the seasoning in the reasoning: A bredda name Dr. Stuart Hameroff—di same man weh been stirring up controversy from di 1990s—claims dat consciousness is more than just neurons firing like gun salute. Him seh it’s rooted in quantum processes deep inside di microtubules of di brain.

Microtubules? A weh dat? Don’t worry, mi nah tek yuh back to high school biology. Just know seh microtubules are like tiny highways inside yuh cells. Hameroff, along wid Sir Roger Penrose, seh dese highways nuh just carry proteins an’ waste; dem also carry di quantum signals dat create consciousness. Imagine yuh brain as a dance floor, an’ di microtubules are di riddim section, coordinating every move in perfect harmony.

But wait, it get deeper. Dem seh dis quantum computing inna di brain nuh just process yuh thoughts an’ feelings. It might actually link yuh consciousness wid di foundation of di universe itself—space-time. Yeah, mi seh it. Di universe could a di big selector, an’ yuh consciousness is di dance.

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Mind vs Brain: Who’s Running the Show?

Now here’s di big question: If di brain a di hardware, is di mind di software, or is it something else entirely? Di mind-brain duality argument is a classic “chicken or di egg” situation. Brain scientists seh consciousness is just what happen when di brain compute all di sensory input an’ memories inna real time. It’s like di brain a run one big virtual reality simulation, an’ di mind is just experiencing di show.  

But spiritualists, mystics, an’ even some quantum physicists seh, “Hold on now. What if consciousness is separate from di brain? What if di brain is just di radio, an’ consciousness is di signal coming from somewhere else?”  

Hameroff’s theory seh consciousness might even have a quantum connection to di afterlife. Wild, right? Him argument is dat since quantum states can interact wid spacetime, maybe yuh consciousness is part of a bigger universal network dat nuh dead when di brain shut off. It’s like when yuh phone battery dead, but di Wi-Fi signal still on.  

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The Cosmic Connection: Space-Time and Quantum Consciousness

Alright, let’s zoom out fi a second. Tek a deep breath an’ look up at di stars. What if consciousness is more dan just a ting happening inna yuh head? What if it’s tied to di very fabric of reality itself?

Quantum mechanics already twist up wi brains wid ideas like particles existing in multiple states at once (superposition) an’ particles affecting each other instantly across distances (entanglement).

Unnu see why me watch sci-fi and read comic now? A dem sittn yah a rattle in me head as it me brain a tackle... when you see me a easy, nuh feel like me idle and the engine on just a throttle... parri man inna intellectual battles. Any back to wah mi did a seh...

Hameroff and Penrose argue dat di brain’s microtubules are like tiny quantum computers dat interact wid di quantum fabric of space-time. Mi know, it sound wild—like some sci-fi movie. But di truth is, nobody fully understand di quantum world yet. Well certainly #Marvel and #Antman don't overstand it yet.

Imagine if consciousness is like a ripple inna di ocean of space-time. Yuh brain is just di tool dat translate di ripple into thoughts, memories, an’ experiences. In dis view, di universe itself might be conscious, an’ we are all just likkle sparks of dat greater awareness.

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Jamaican Reasoning: What Dis Mean Fi We?

So weh all dis leave us? Fi wi culture always teach wi fi question di deeper meaning of life. Whether it’s reasoning pon di corner wid di elders or looking out pon di sea an’ wondering if God deh in di breeze, Jamaicans have an instinct fi connect di physical wid di spiritual.  

If Hameroff right, den maybe consciousness is di bridge between di physical brain an’ di infinite universe. Maybe wi nuh jus’ a live fi wi likkle lives, but wi connected to something bigger—something cosmic. It’s a humbling thought, nuh true? Like di same way yuh feel small but connected when yuh look out pon di Milky Way.

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Final Thoughts: Consciousness as Di Ultimate Mystery

At di end of di day, consciousness is still one of di biggest mysteries inna science an’ philosophy. Is it just di brain computing everything like a supercomputer? Or is it a quantum connection to di universe itself? Maybe it’s both.  

What we do know is dis: Yuh brain is a marvel, an’ di fact dat yuh can even sit down an’ reason ‘bout dis topic means di dance between di mind an’ di brain is alive an’ kicking. So next time yuh deh pon di veranda or di beach, just smile an’ remember: yuh consciousness is di ultimate dancehall between yuh brain and di universe. An’ mi nuh know ‘bout yuh, but mi glad fi be a part of di big dance inna the big lawn.

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Dere yuh have it—my thoughts and take pon di whole mind-brain-universe ting. Walk good, mi fren, an’ keep reasoning deep! Till then... this Jamaican Philosopher is out here in the streets!

The Paris Olympics is Everything Wrong With Society

G-Nomads Comic by Yannick Pessoa

As a writer and artist who struggles to make it in Jamaica my passion projects get put to the side in pursuit of what’s financially sound, viable and feasible. As such sometimes I feel my brain gets crammed up and crowded with unrealized, unreleased and yet to be unleashed ideas. Many days and months I feel my brain will explode with dreams and ideas yet to be manifested!

This is but one of my comic adventures…

Meet the G-Nomads!!!

In a world where a subset of humans known as Meta sapiens are emerging with extraordinary genetic mutations and abilities, fear and prejudice run rampant. Governments and private organizations seek to control or exploit these "enhanced" individuals, while extremist groups view them as abominations to be eradicated.

Enter Dr. Y, a charismatic and powerful Rastafarian leader who has established a clandestine network called the G-Nomads. Inspired by the Underground Railroad that aided escaped enslaved people, the G-Nomads rescue persecuted Meta sapiens and provide them safe haven in hidden compounds scattered across Bay City and the Caribbean island of "Xaymaca."

At the heart of the story is a diverse group of young Meta sapiens, each with their own unique abilities and personal struggles. Some have been forced into hiding, others exploited by nefarious forces, and many simply fear for their lives due to public hysteria. Under Dr. Y's guidance and the G-Nomads' protection, they must come to terms with their extraordinary powers while grappling with the ethical implications of using them.

The narrative explores parallels between the Meta sapien experience and real-world civil rights movements, drawing inspiration from the American Civil War, the fight to end transatlantic slavery, and modern issues like human trafficking. Dr. Y's Rastafarian philosophies and beliefs intersect with the mutant phenomenon, providing a unique cultural lens on evolution, oppression, and the struggle for freedom.

Overarching conflicts arise as governing bodies and corporations increasingly view Meta sapiens as commodities to be exploited or threats to be neutralized. Radical factions emerge on both sides, some Meta sapiens becoming radicalized against their human oppressors, while others preach peaceful coexistence. The G-Nomads find themselves caught in the middle, protecting their charges while navigating a world that fears and discriminates against them.

Personal arcs explore individual Meta sapiens coming to grips with their abilities, whether to embrace their powers openly or remain in hiding, the psychological toll of constant persecution, and the challenges of forging a unified community out of a diverse group of outsiders.

With tones blending sci-fi action, social commentary, and character-driven drama akin to Doom Patrol, and The Umbrella Academy, G-Nomads offers a fresh perspective on the mutant metaphor by filtering it through the lens of the African diaspora and Rastafarian culture. At its core, it's a story of finding one's place in an unaccepting world, the importance of chosen family, and the never-ending fight for equality and justice.

The conceptualization of the first 3 pages for a G-Nomads comic book:

PAGE ONE

Panel 1: Large, widescreen panel of a bustling city street at night. Neon signs, traffic lights, and headlights cut through the shadows and grime. In the foreground, a YOUNG MAN runs down an alley, fear etched on his face as he looks over his shoulder.

Panel 2: Close-up of the Young Man's eyes, glowing with an eerie, otherworldly energy.

SFX: HUM-MMMMM

Panel 3: The Young Man teleports in a blinding flash of light and energy, just as two heavily armed guards round the corner of the alley, weapons drawn.

GUARD 1: What the--?!

GUARD 2: Dammit! Another Meta freak!

PAGE TWO 

Panel 1: Large, stylized title card that dominates the page: G-NOMADS

Panel 2: A series of quick slices/inset panels showing brief glimpses of people using extraordinary abilities - energy blasts, telekinesis, elemental control. The panels contrast with images of fearful human crowds reacting in terror.

Panel 3: An advanced genetics laboratory, with scientists in lab coats studying DNA strands, cells mutating on a cellular level under microscopes.

Panel 4: Exterior shot of a well-fortified but camouflaged compound hidden in a lush, overgrown Caribbean setting. Rastafarian disciples in purple and green garb move about, as Meta sapien children play with fantastic elemental conjurings of energy, fire, water, etc.

PAGE THREE

Panel 1: DR. Y, an imposing Rastafarian figure with long dreadlocks, emerges from a dwelling, surveying the scene before him with a measured gaze.

Panel 2: Inset panels contrasting two scenes - fearful human crowd reacting with anger and aggression, juxtaposed with determined, powerful-looking Meta sapien teens.

Panel 3: Dr. Y crouches down, placing a calming hand on the shoulder of a young Meta sapien child, looking paternal but formidable.

Panel 4: Dramatic close-up on Dr. Y's intense eyes, burning with resolve and conviction. Meta sapien children flex their energy/elemental abilities behind him.

Let me know if this script hits the right visual notes to effectively set up the world, characters and tone I’m striving for with G-Nomads in the first few pages!