Text written by WikiBrother Gabriel Brandino , from @moshinhell
Another quite philosophical song from the band Epica , and today we're going to talk about "Sensorium".
The song is on the album The Phantom Agony, released in 2003, and it talks about chance, whether it exists or not, and about how we can have our own free will.
Mark Jensen , founder and main composer of the band, spoke about the song: "We are responsible for our actions, although nothing happens by chance. It deals with the exploration of smaller parts in science, rather than having a total overview."
The smaller parts in science that he mentions are most likely references to the concept of synchronicity, developed by the creator of analytical psychology, Carl Jung .
Synchronicity is defined by events that are related not by causal relationship but by a relationship of meaning.
It is different from coincidence, as it does not only imply randomness of circumstances, and is also referred to by Jung as "meaningful coincidence".
"Chance doesn't exist, but the path of life isn't entirely predetermined […]
Paths of existence to discover why we are here.
Being conscious is torment.
The more we learn, the less we understand."
The song immediately conveys the message Mark Jensen wanted to send, where he says he doesn't believe in chance.
And then they talk about the torment of being conscious, and that the more we learn, the less we understand.
Which is true, especially for science, because we live searching for answers, and with each new answer, we get more and more questions.
“No one examines everything, the focus is on such small things.
But the goal of life is to make that meaningful,
searching only for this, that which does not exist,
although our ability to relativize remains uncertain.”
The focus is on the little things, nowadays, and largely due to the band's themes. It could be quantum physics, but according to the concept of this specific song, it's not. It's probably on the small moments in life.
And that which "doesn't exist" may in fact be chance, and this ability to relativize is truly a gift of humankind, which allows them to relativize anything or any situation to fit their way of thinking.
"I'm not afraid of dying! I'm afraid of being alive without knowing it."
But ultimately, what is the meaning of life? For Socrates , the meaning of life consisted in achieving true happiness.
In the philosophical practice of Stoicism, the meaning of life is to live free from emotions, desires, and passions.
"Our future has already been written by us alone
. But we haven't grasped the meaning of our programmed life course."
Here we can understand that we truly have a destined future, but we still haven't grasped its meaning.
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