And there is something about the intensity of the experience required to really change or re-wire one’s mind that the spiritual traditions and art point towards that is also reflected in the science, isn’t there? In order for a sufficiently big and powerful global change to occur? I always come back to the emphasis on the boundless states or on faith, hope and love in the Christian tradition. Something sufficiently intense and sufficiently vast is required to make local errors in the system un-newsworthy? Loving kindness all the way up and loving kindness all the way down one might posit?! 🙏
By invoking physics, don’t you necessitate a fixity? Isn’t it a search for fundamental “laws”? An axiomatic programme that leads to a mathematical, platonic realm of archetypal “truths”? I guess the measurement problem belies that as does Gödel or anyone else embracing infinities. Your writing brings me back to my Whiteheadian-Taoist process-relational-recursivity. Us autopoietic creatures, interconnected colonies of cells and minds, desperate for certainty, may only find freedom in relinquishing the control of a “physics”??? The sage is right- it is alive. And perhaps that aliveness is why physics can only ever be a pale shadow of a representation. But like art, the beauty of the representation is still a worthy endeavour. As the great poet Michael Jackson said- “don’t stop til ya get enough”. Lotsa love 🙏🏽❤️
With all due respect... Your subtitle is "A non-dual manifesto". You present freedom as opposite to stuckness. Isn't this a duality? Is the contradiction obvious? Yes, freedom is a non-dual condition when experienced/understood by the awakened mind. In its essence - immediate experience/direct knowing - freedom is beyond concepts and well beyond the juxtaposition of an opposing concept. Best wishes. GH
Lovely to read... (First time reader) and I wonder if you'd be thrilled by Hannah Arendt's work, given the different other disciplines you're tapping into. I won't be presumptuous to assume you haven't already delved into her work, but if not, I'd be happy to introduce you to her philosophical work that feels resonant with your emphasis on bringing experience into considerations of the conceptual and grounding thinking in its necessity for freedom, most importantly, freedom to change.
Thank you for this post! The similarity (almost identity) to Donald Hoffman's motivation and approach, is surprising, to say the least. Please keep on sharing your thoughts!
It's great that you're thinking all this through and sharing this with us, but just so you know, I couldn't follow this one. You lost me about a third of the way through. Too academic. Love that there are academics in this space though. We need more of them.
Just listened to your conversation with Christopher and tried reading this again. Felt like it made more sense. I guess I have more hooks to hang it on. Looking forward to your next conversation. My husband’s a big fan of his, so it’s really special to listen to the two of you engage.
Being stuck and being aware of it, I can do but " stuck " is not going away. It's there! The desire for it to be dissolved................ the dissociation to integration!
Always a pleasure to read your articles, though not able to fully comprehend. Wishes
I had a spiritual awakening (of the Catholic Christian sort) at age 50 after a lifetime of intellectual belief in God. It took a decision to leave my previous life long church and a year long break from any dutiful church attendance (thanks COVID) along with a period of what I call super sobriety (no alcohol, sugar, starch, social media, limited screens) to open my soul to God.
Your comparison of stuckness vs freedom really spoke to me as that's exactly how I describe my life before and after Jesus opened up my heart.
Life is a still a rollercoaster, but I can enjoy it now. I am becoming more spiritually disciplined all the time, but it feels like more freedom from self and enslavement to the physical.
And there is something about the intensity of the experience required to really change or re-wire one’s mind that the spiritual traditions and art point towards that is also reflected in the science, isn’t there? In order for a sufficiently big and powerful global change to occur? I always come back to the emphasis on the boundless states or on faith, hope and love in the Christian tradition. Something sufficiently intense and sufficiently vast is required to make local errors in the system un-newsworthy? Loving kindness all the way up and loving kindness all the way down one might posit?! 🙏
Well said :)
This is pure GOLD, keep it up Ruben, you’re changing everybody’s mind through your work 🫶
Thank you Daniel!
By invoking physics, don’t you necessitate a fixity? Isn’t it a search for fundamental “laws”? An axiomatic programme that leads to a mathematical, platonic realm of archetypal “truths”? I guess the measurement problem belies that as does Gödel or anyone else embracing infinities. Your writing brings me back to my Whiteheadian-Taoist process-relational-recursivity. Us autopoietic creatures, interconnected colonies of cells and minds, desperate for certainty, may only find freedom in relinquishing the control of a “physics”??? The sage is right- it is alive. And perhaps that aliveness is why physics can only ever be a pale shadow of a representation. But like art, the beauty of the representation is still a worthy endeavour. As the great poet Michael Jackson said- “don’t stop til ya get enough”. Lotsa love 🙏🏽❤️
With all due respect... Your subtitle is "A non-dual manifesto". You present freedom as opposite to stuckness. Isn't this a duality? Is the contradiction obvious? Yes, freedom is a non-dual condition when experienced/understood by the awakened mind. In its essence - immediate experience/direct knowing - freedom is beyond concepts and well beyond the juxtaposition of an opposing concept. Best wishes. GH
thanks Gary, language is sticky :) - the game I'm playing here with stuckness is not so different to the game with emptiness, it eats itself
Lovely to read... (First time reader) and I wonder if you'd be thrilled by Hannah Arendt's work, given the different other disciplines you're tapping into. I won't be presumptuous to assume you haven't already delved into her work, but if not, I'd be happy to introduce you to her philosophical work that feels resonant with your emphasis on bringing experience into considerations of the conceptual and grounding thinking in its necessity for freedom, most importantly, freedom to change.
Thank you for this post! The similarity (almost identity) to Donald Hoffman's motivation and approach, is surprising, to say the least. Please keep on sharing your thoughts!
☯️🦋
It's great that you're thinking all this through and sharing this with us, but just so you know, I couldn't follow this one. You lost me about a third of the way through. Too academic. Love that there are academics in this space though. We need more of them.
Thanks for the feedback! :)
Just listened to your conversation with Christopher and tried reading this again. Felt like it made more sense. I guess I have more hooks to hang it on. Looking forward to your next conversation. My husband’s a big fan of his, so it’s really special to listen to the two of you engage.
Being stuck and being aware of it, I can do but " stuck " is not going away. It's there! The desire for it to be dissolved................ the dissociation to integration!
Always a pleasure to read your articles, though not able to fully comprehend. Wishes
I had a spiritual awakening (of the Catholic Christian sort) at age 50 after a lifetime of intellectual belief in God. It took a decision to leave my previous life long church and a year long break from any dutiful church attendance (thanks COVID) along with a period of what I call super sobriety (no alcohol, sugar, starch, social media, limited screens) to open my soul to God.
Your comparison of stuckness vs freedom really spoke to me as that's exactly how I describe my life before and after Jesus opened up my heart.
Life is a still a rollercoaster, but I can enjoy it now. I am becoming more spiritually disciplined all the time, but it feels like more freedom from self and enslavement to the physical.