Numbers 1-10

My insane ramblings of reasons I dislike and like numbers.

The Ramblings of a *Insert Title*

Numbers 1-10

The Number One �"

The number one is a numerical glyph representing that number. It is also known as “Unity”, this leans me towards liking this number more than the rest as it seems as if it not only signifies a number but a cause or meaning. I also respect its ability to not slide into the nothingness, so close to zero yet staying above the void, this to me makes the number one also linked to being strong, standing tall even with the rest of the positive numbers pushing down on it, just like Atlas held the Earth on his shoulders in Greek Mythology. The negatives, the reasons I’m swayed away from it, it is a pompous number, it knows it is strong, for example “Being number one” and “Coming 1^st”It is also the atomic number of Hydrogen, one of the easiest chemicals to remember on the periodic table yet I for some reason always forgot. In Philosophy the number one is the ultimate reality and source of all existence according to Philo of Alexandria, he thought of the number one as “God’s number” and the basis of all numbers, this man in my opinion was just a mad man ranting, if any number should be revered “God Like” in my opinion it would be zero, mainly because I have a bad sense of humour, saying there is no god.

The number one reminds me of all the “winners” in the world, all the people who came 1^st, this is the reason I dislike it, yet it always makes me happy to see the number, and that’s something I can’t explain.

The Number Two �"

This one’s tough for me, you see I could go immediately to say how it reminds me of being second place or runner up but it doesn’t. The shape of the number has always been had a massive appeal to me, its majestic and gentle like a swan but has a sturdy base and can stand up for itself. Of course the two times table was the easiest and probably the most fun to chant out with the class as a child, so the number also gives a nostalgic feel that makes me remember my childhood, also it being the first prime number and the only prime number I remember after giving up on my math skills one year after school is my go to answer whenever anyone ask me what a prime number is. I was okay at science but I remember the number two was the atomic number for helium, this is of course a plus for me as healing is, for the lack of a better phrase, f*****g awesome. No one in the world, any age or origin can resist breathing in helium and talking like a complete twat to entertain friends and yourself. The number is also important in the religion Judaism, because of the whole “two of every creature on the arc”. Needing two would be important to keep the races going through such a perilous time. (Of course I believe in none of it, that would just be crazy right?) It is a passionate number in that sense as some people believe that we are one half of a person, in the desperate search for the second half to complete us, as beautiful and cliché that is, I find it personally disgusting but it does make me think of such a thing when I think of the number two. Dualism believes that the number two is good and evil, having a dual form and could maybe be linked to Yin and Yang, a theory that everything in the world is in balance. In the Chinese culture they always tend to say “Good things come in pairs” yet I am yet to agree with the saying, most men would argue “But Eddy, breasts come in two heh heh” but I don’t see that to be a compelling argument.

The number two is a strange number, as it makes me feel lonely when meditated on for some strange reason, you’d think the number to do that would be one, it is something strange I can’t explain. The number two to me, is a strong elegant number, staying strong in the shadow of number one.

The Number Three �"

I don’t really want to stay on the topic of this number much as for some reason I dislike it as if by nature and I cannot explain. The way it looks I dislike, the way it is said, I dislike and it always feel like it doesn’t deserve to lead π or 3.14159265359, an important mathematically number. We will get off the topic of this number and jump straight on to the number four.

The Number Four �"

The number four always makes me think of “Order”, everything being enforced and kept in place, as if the number 4 is the line that crosses horizontally through the centre and the world is the vertical line up with a hook, being held up by the number itself, if left to rest the number four would look a whole lot different without that horizontal line, so it isn’t the good kind of “Order”, it lacks freedom. Ages ago before the number fours glyph looked how it did today it looked an awful lot like a plus (+) symbol written by the Indians, to cross four lines together, it made sense really, but as we use the plus symbol for something else it would be a silly idea to change it back now wouldn’t it. This number in turn because of that makes me wonder what the numbers we use today will look like long into the future when I’m nothing more than energy in the form of heat, forgotten by the world. It makes me disappointed that I will never know what will become of something as simple as the numbers one through to ten and at this present time makes me a little upset with how people take numbers for granted and don’t actually take the time to decide a “favourite number” and why. While I discussed the number reminding me of order, it is important to not forget The Four Noble Truths from the Buddhist religion. Dukkha, the Noble Truth of Suffering, Samudaya, the Noble Truth of Cause of Suffering, Nirodha �" the Noble Truth of Cessation of Suffering and Magga, the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. The paths teach the way to cast away suffering all together leaving only peace. Order and peace are very relatable, could order bring about peace? Would order restrain peace thus restraining freedom? The number four to me is a very philosophical number that makes me wonder such things. I don’t feel like going into the scientific side after all this philosophical side, although I think I could, I feel it isn't needed.

The conclusion being on the number four is that is a strong number that flares the mind and makes one think. It reminds me of a crutch holding up something strong, a noble number.

The Number Five �"

This number, this one I like a lot, just for its appearance, the backwards C like shape going into a 90 degree angle, it appeals to me on what you could call an artistic level, and I am not involved in the arts at all, it looks as if it was painted quickly and smoothly using a paint brush as if writing haiku. It’s also a number that reminds me of starfish just as the number eight would remind someone of a octopus as most starfish have five appendages, this is strange how these thoughts flutter around in my head as I think about said number, relating back to the artistic side of the number, I see the starfish in the sea, surrounded by coral and other sea life, colours everywhere, glistening as the suns light reflects through the ocean, a powerful number that makes even the least artistic like myself, feel well, a little artistic. We all have five fingers and five toes, although people would correct me that we have four fingers and two thumbs, but those people can go to hell as they only like to bring it up to feel pompous and high and mighty after correcting someone. Hands, have you ever looked at your hands for a long amount of time and wondered to yourself how alien your body really is? How creepy and strange your fingers work, even now as I type this they look like giant spiders eating their prey, the number five makes me think about the biology of a human being.

The number five as I have put is artistic to me, it also reminds me of a favourite book series of mine as a child “The Famous Five” literature being art it makes me give the number five the crown of art, it might not be my favourite number, but it has a crown.

The Number Six �"

The number six is slightly unfair to rate, compliment and criticize for me when it comes to a flat visual review as I feel whatever I said about it would be unfair to not say about the number nine. I feel like they should be together, but they are not and never will be, which to me is a little sad really. I do however love the way it is said, the way it rolls of the tongue, the way the x at the end dwells on the back of the tongue for just the right amount of time emphasizing its sound and making it just feel right, this is of course personal to me, others may hate it, but this is my rambling, not yours. The Greek term Hexa is equally as fun to say (personally I think it’s the letter x, but lets not get on to the alphabet shall we) and sounds like a very strong word to me, loud and proud, Hexa, say it out loud and tell me you don’t think so. I find it very funny how “666” is known as the ‘Devils Number’ and then in my country of England “999” is the number you call for emergency services, I feel as if when someone came up for the number to call at the time of an emergency made it up taking that in factor as an ironic joke of it being the opposite, that’s what I like to think anyway, I think I think too much though. I would hate to say that 6 and 9 are the opposite to each other, I prefer to say they are parallel, the same in many ways, both need each other for the other to exist, they are quite romantic numbers in my opinion, the Romeo and Juliet of numbers if you will, endless attempt at being together but being separated for reasons they cannot control.

Six is a number I would never call my favourite, but it is a “lost” number in search of nine, I only hope one day there glyphs are able to be together, but then everyone would make weird sexual jokes, of which I would not be happy with. The number six is a dreamer, it makes me think of hope.

The Number Seven �"

Here we are, ‘lucky 7’. A number I don’t consider lucky at all, in fact perhaps the opposite, at the age of seven I discovered a lot of things I would only consider to realize the importance of as an adult, with my Mum and Dad splitting when I was at the young age of four it brought about problems, of which were addressed at the age of seven. For me the number seven is just a bad memory, a gateway to a dark part of my life I would not grow out of until around the age of sixteen. Needless to say I would only compare this number to sadness and depression, for this reason, f**k number seven.

The Number Eight �"

I don’t like to refer to the number eight as a number at all unless mathematically needed. I love that whole hipster tattoo of the 8 rested on the side, the symbol of infinity, I love the term infinity, to think that anything can be infinite to me is amazing, unbelievable, like the universe, infinite expansion. It is a mind boggling concept and so very beautiful, the number eight makes me feel so small, and proud to be part of the infinite universe.

The number eight could one day be a tattoo on my arm with a hipster story behind it to make me seem “interesting”.

Conclusion �"

I will not be touching on the number nine, as I feel as if it should be romantically lumped in with its partner number six. The purpose of this writing, of which I may add was written at 2:30am by a hyperactive nineteen year old teen with ADHD and who is described by most as “weird” or “eccentric” was for me to discover what my favourite number was and why. One day I asked myself “What is my favourite number?” I asked other people theirs and their reasons. I felt a little disappointed to be honest, poor reasons why, if any at all! I thought, to really describe why you like something it’s because of how it makes you feel, memories, feelings, experiences, so many things that define us as people can be linked to these little, simple numbers, and when given the question, “What is your favourite number?” people don’t give their answer enough thought. It really annoyed me that I couldn’t decide what my favourite number was at all and I guess this little paper was mainly for myself, not to entertain or please a reader, but for me to discover what my favourite number actually was, but I feel that I’ve discovered something more important through this. I still now don’t know what my favourite number is, but to be honest, I don’t care. Who am I to judge numbers anyway? 

Author's Note

I never ever write anything, I had the urge just this once and as a person I am known to be... strange as it may reflect in this writing, but it is nothing more than non-nonsensical rambling. Note this is how I truly felt about these numbers as I thought about, and wrote about them.