The Work That Does Not Stop

My daily routine is a continuous and continued one. By its very nature, by the grace of God, it does not stop, regardless of occasions or circumstances. At its core, it consists in working on understanding, calculation, proof, and programming in my theoretical-physics research, always trying to bring one project or another to completion. Some of these projects go back nearly twenty years and are still unresolved. Despite all the disappointments I have encountered in this field, this remains my absolute priority.

I then continue my routine and turn—truly as a form of respite—to reading in philosophy, psychology, or scientific and philosophical fiction. At present, I am reading Foundation by the American Jewish science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It is a remarkable book by a remarkable writer. Asimov regarded Zionism as a trap and believed that Judaism had no need of it. He once said:

“What are we doing? We are building ourselves a ghetto, in a small corner of a vast Muslim sea… and the Muslims will never forget, and will never forgive…”

The paradox today is to find Arabs and Muslims who are Zionists—one of the strangest contradictions of our time.

After that, I may write down one of my ideas: on the Theory of Every Consciousness, on psychological existentialism, on the Theory of Multiple Islams, or a reflection on the history of Algeria and history in general, or a meditation on the Arab–Berber question, or on the Sunni–Salafi problem.

I admit here that I in fact try to refrain—and to restrain—myself from writing in these areas, because I do not truly wish to get involved in them, as they are not my original field of specialization. Yet these ideas often build up in my mind and imagination to such a degree that I am left with no choice but to write, compelled to do so in order to find relief. Writing has thus become, in this sense, a form of therapy—one that has helped me greatly to preserve my psychological and intellectual balance.

I therefore have many ideas that are almost ready, already drafted, but not yet finalized—original ideas waiting to be edited and turned into a unified and coherent framework. This task is carried out with the support of my linguistic partner, artificial intelligence (ChatGPT), which has greatly helped me to organize this vast and far-reaching project, and to achieve a finer command of both the Arabic and English languages. I should also note that, before the advent of AI, this work was considerably more tedious and slower; some of my writings from that earlier period are available on my blogs:

https://badisydri2.blogspot.com/
https://badisydri3.blogspot.com/

In this context, I should mention that I am close to finishing a new book, after a long and sustained effort, in which my ideas on consciousness over the past ten years are crystallized. In it, I present in particular my theory, the Theory of Every Consciousness, which I see as occupying an intermediate position between the physical Theory of Everything and the metaphysical Theory of Every ʿAyn, which I had developed many years ago. Four papers have already emerged from this theory and are published on the philosophical archive: https://philpeople.org/profiles/badis-ydri

As for entertainment, I watch American drama. For example, I am currently watching Vikings, an enjoyable series from which I have learned a great deal about the history of the Vikings in England, Ireland, France, and Europe more broadly.

This is my daily routine.

I go to the university only for teaching or examinations—which are the worst days for me—or for administrative matters, or for research—which are the best days—when I meet those who still wish to learn and to work in theoretical physics. They are few, and they grow fewer with time.

But it does not matter. My daily routine does not require the university, nor an office—I do not, in fact, have one despite nearly fifteen years spent in it—nor collaborators, especially since I have come to rely largely on artificial intelligence. It needs only the home. And although conditions at home have themselves become unfavorable, I still continue this daily routine. I cannot in fact stop working, even if I try—and I truly have tried.

There is, however, one thing that can bring this entire routine to a complete halt: Facebook. Once the account is open, everything goes out the window—no theoretical physics, no philosophy, no science fiction, no writing, no thinking, no creating. I cannot even watch television. Facebook, quite simply, destroys everything without effort. 

That is why, whenever I open my Facebook account, I soon find myself forced to close it again—in order to concentrate, to prevent my mind from scattering and my will from collapsing, and to be able to work, remain effective, and produce something, however little.