Non2
I try to understand how the universe is structured, and my situation in it. I explore the diversity of answers that are, or have been, proposed to those questions, at the scale of humanity. I examine what each of them takes into account, excludes or neglects, explicitly and implicetly; and what are the consequences (in time, by the actions of those who take them as guidance).
Even if the distinction is not clearcut, there are at present two reference poles as to what is the best sort of answer. The scientific and spiritual poles. I explore both.
On the scientific pole I studied theoretical physics. I got a MA. I did not pursue an academic carreer but follow the evolution of the field, mainly around the interpretation/justification/expansion of Quantum Mechanics. But I also read a lot of biological and human sciences, mainly in an evolutionary, historical perspective.
On the spiritual pole I explored a wide variety of eastern philosophies.
Through philosophy/history of science, I reincorporated western philosophy and spirituality, but viewed from an eastern perspective.
In my view all disciplines and traditions have a more or less extensive domain of approximate validity/usefulness, many overestimate their domain. I try to use the most appropriate disciplines for each particular context.
Concerning plurality, retroactively it is omnipresent, but the explicit awareness came about mainly through 3 experiences.
I was a close witness of the complete reversal of character, for about a week, of a very close friend. She died shortly after more or less regaining her usual character.
Later I had another close friend, during about 30 years. She had, at least in my opinion, a very high quality spiritual practice. But she had severe psychological problems, due to severe abuse from her mother starting in early childhood. At one time another personality manifested itself, very abusive and opposit to the usual, and expressing views similar to those of her mother. The usual personality was not aware of it. When I tried to make her aware of if, the alternate personality came to the front.
The third experience was reading the book ""The Minds of Billy Milligan"". It gave me the impulse to develop, about 30 years ago, my own conceptualisation of a spectrum from explicitely multiple personalities (now renamed DID) to ""normal people"" (now renamed singlets) through intermediates (now named OSDD) such as myself.
In my view people who consider themselves as singlets just have a form of OSDD that is accepted by the society in which they live. For instance, in most western(ised) societies it is accepted that a drunk person manifests a very different personlity than sober, and that they can do certain things only when drunk, such as enjoy themselves.
By helping to situate the experience of plurality in a wider context than psychiatry. Both for the people concerned and the societies in which they live. That both become aware that the experience of plurality is the inscription in individual bodies of phenomena pervading societies. And when there are trauma, they are the inscription of trauma of societies, some from a far past. Healing must happen at both scales."