The alarming realisation that the thinking mind does not care for how meaningful or fulfilling our lives are. Oh how we think it has our best interests at heart.
Thanks Mark! As you know, I find this fascinating:
"That challenge is made more complex by the fact that much of this extinction will seem voluntary."
It's not that it will "seem" voluntary. It was voluntary!
In his wonderful book, “Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibly,” the author, James Carse writes that, “… self-veiling is a contradictory act—a free suspension of our freedom.”
Self-veiling is the hypnotic thought that we're not doing any of this. It's happening to us. It's not. It reminds me of the saying, "You're not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic."
So true. And it makes me think the author would change that if he could! After all, every remedy he recommends is, by definition, intentional and, thus, voluntary.
The alarming realisation that the thinking mind does not care for how meaningful or fulfilling our lives are. Oh how we think it has our best interests at heart.
It believes your best interest is to be safe and comfortable, like an infant.
Love (and hate) this so much. So very much on point.
And avoiding the silence just keeps getting easier and easier. Before too long, all the alternatives to distraction will blink out. Great piece that relates to this. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/19/opinion/extinction-technology-culture.html?unlocked_article_code=1.A08.E0ln.iHUNLnSAivL8&smid=url-share%60&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&stream=top
Thanks Mark! As you know, I find this fascinating:
"That challenge is made more complex by the fact that much of this extinction will seem voluntary."
It's not that it will "seem" voluntary. It was voluntary!
In his wonderful book, “Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibly,” the author, James Carse writes that, “… self-veiling is a contradictory act—a free suspension of our freedom.”
Self-veiling is the hypnotic thought that we're not doing any of this. It's happening to us. It's not. It reminds me of the saying, "You're not stuck in traffic, you ARE traffic."
So true. And it makes me think the author would change that if he could! After all, every remedy he recommends is, by definition, intentional and, thus, voluntary.
Exactly!