I Am the Timing of an Active Soul: Kirdomicism's Definition of "I" and "We"

Philosophers have defined the “I” as a thinking thing (Descartes), a bundle of perceptions (Hume), a process without a permanent self (the Buddha), and as time itself (Heidegger). This short working paper proposes a new definition from Kirdomicism, an action-centric philosophy: “I am the timing of an active soul.” (Thai: ฉันคือจังหวะเวลาแห่งจิตวิญญาณที่ตื่นตัว) The “I” is the timing, one’s own present moment used in action, supported by an active soul that connects to consciousness; together they complete the meaning of “I.” It follows that “we are the timings of active souls, all living the same now.” The paper sets out what follows from the definition: no one can take a person’s now; before timing, rich and poor become meaningless as measures of a life; “a vacation is bought; a happy moment is drawn by the soul”; and seeing others as timings of active souls lets us see a life without attachment. It compares the definition with Descartes, Hume, the Buddha, Plato, Seneca, Heidegger and Dōgen, answers five objections, illustrates the definition with a case from the author’s own family, and offers six propositions to be cited, tested and challenged.