Sorry to upset you, but I am starting this series titled the “Collective Unconscious” as a purely selfish endeavor to document my journey of Self discovery.
I understand how this may reek of spirituality and self-help, but I assure you whatever stigma this topic garners, it is an inevitable journey all of us take.
. . .
Disclaimer:
The format is simple – each edition will focus on a singular concept – usually an idea that is hard to describe with words. A good analogy is that I am trying to “point to the moon” – you can only see the motion of a finger pointing at a “moon”, but it would be impossible for me to describe what the moon looks like exactly.
I will frequently and absolutely must make use of paradoxical statements. It is like a Zen koan, which I have never cracked. Sorry, I know this all sounds weird, but paradoxes are the key vehicles to gain new insight into the nature of reality (whatever than means).
I will attempt to capture what I learn between each edition and present them in plain English, but will often use words from eastern philosophies. The style will be unstructured, hopefully poetic in nature, with references to the great sailors who have traversed these treacherous waters before us.
No references to the Matrix, the Big Bang, levels from one to infinity, or infinite recursion. Nope, none of that fluff, nothing fancy.
Just commonsense.
What I am trying to tell you is that this newsletter is my stream of consciousness.
Now, if I can ask you a favor, please take a deep breathe as you slowly close your eyes. Now exhale slowly and imagine you haven’t seen any information about me.
Start with a blank canvas, please.
. . .
Without further ado, let’s begin this voyage.
We are on a course where we don’t know the beginning or the ending.
The only inevitable fact of life is death.
As we come ever closer to our denouement, we witness our body slowly deteriorating, before our mind and consciousness cease to exist.
Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but it’s true.
Or maybe not.
Given that an atom is mostly just space, perhaps everything is just emptiness?
But how can emptiness lead to causation – you know, actions and consequences?
Isn’t electronic repulsion the leading theory on causation?
Wait, I think I learned that in quantum physics.
No, no, it was general relativity, idiot.
No, no, I actually think this has something to do with particle physics.
Wait, didn’t I just say electrons?
Now I am confused.
NO NO NO!
You guys got it all wrong. Math is fundamental – it’s on another plane of existence.
Have you seen how beautiful complex analysis is – those holomorphic functions are infinitely differential and locally equal to its own Taylor series.
Yes, I won!!!
Snap out of it, wake up!
. . .
My perhaps naïve belief is that the “purpose of life” is to ironically to find our purpose in life.
Or maybe there is no purpose in life, no Genesis, no dissolution, no one in bondage, no one who is striving for or who is desirous of “liberation” and thus, there is no one to be liberated.
Don’t worry, I am still trying to understand these dualistic ideas myself.
There are many words across many cultures to grasp at this ineffable idea (ikigai in Japanese, arete in Greek, and perhaps “flow” in modern western societies), but they all seem to point to the same “moon” that Joseph Campbell described so beautifully in his later years.
The idea of bliss.
Snap out of it, wake up!
. . .
I have no clue what self-actualization, or words like nirvana in Buddhism, satori in Zen, or moksha in Hinduism, really mean.
But bliss is a simple idea that all of us have perhaps experienced.
Some of us may have glimpsed it during a spur-of-the-moment decision to take a dance class or perhaps, as a criminal attorney, you were able to exonerate an innocent man with the possibility of life without parole during discovery.
Yes, that Asian American man was discriminated by a White Judge.
Let’s get back to bliss, ok?
Sure.
Bliss is different than the ephemeral whims driven by pure pleasure.
Bliss is different than the relief when an immense source of pain is lifted.
Bliss does not discriminate based on what society values as success.
Bliss is unique to each one of us and I believe it is our purpose in life to find our bliss. It is only then that we can truly discover and understand who we really are – whatever that means.
You may have heard the Greek proverb “know thyself.” Perhaps this is what the philosophers of Ancient Greece meant when they inscribed it on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi.
Snap out of it, wake up!
. . .
Great bliss, I’ve heard this from every motivational speaker including Tony Robbins.
How exactly does one obtain this “bliss”?
According to philosophers much wiser than me, the road to bliss is through character development, sincerely practicing and not just paying lip service to the fundamental Ancient-Greco virtues.
Let me spell it out for you.
Prudence – making wise decisions in life.
Courage – the ability to take the “leap of faith.” You know, the thing Joseph Campbell wrote about on bliss.
No, I don’t.
Ok ok, you do follow Ray Dalio on LinkedIn right?
Founder, CIO Mentor, and Member of the Bridgewater Board.
According to his LinkedIn bio, he is a global macro investor for more than 50 years.
What the hell (excuse my language) does that mean?
Oh, he’s very very “comfortable.”
Back you go.
Temperance – yep, temperance is the ability to take things in moderation.
Finally justice – treating everyone with respect fairly.
Snap out of it, wake up!
No don’t, don’t.
I think we reached the end of this long diatribe of God knows what this insane man is talking about. He must have bipolar or some other mental disorder.
Take him to the psychiatric facility, please.
Snap out of it, wake up!
WAIT, WAIT, WAIT…
WHY DOES HE KEEP SHOWING US STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN?
IS HE A LED ZEPPELIN FAN?
WHY DOES THIS AUTHOR KEEP SAYING “SNAP OUT OF IT, WAKE UP?”
. . .
Anyways, I am still learning this myself so that can share for the next edition. Or maybe not.
By continuing pursuing your bliss, if you’re so lucky through practices like meditation or simply just observing daily life, you may obtain what James Joyce calls the “radiance.”
Radiance describes a state of immense lucidity where you become one with the present.
The constant thoughts we all may have of what should I do today, what I should wear and how I should speak (our mask to the world), or how should I present the company’s annual report to the board, vanishes. Absolute state of radiance!
Radiance is an act of grace as many of us play the victim card when life difficulties arise.
Snap out of it, wake up!
. . .
Yea, I know how all this sounds far out and I am a bit skeptical myself.
I don’t know much beyond this, but that’s my best guess so far.
I don’t claim to be any wiser than you, preaching about spirituality, or even trying to change your mind. The only purpose of this blog is to document my journey to pursue my bliss – if I am so lucky to even find it – before my own memory begins to fade.
I also understand why all of the above may sound like nonsense nor am I judging you as we all have different perception of realities, different levels of understand its true nature.
I don’t claim to have any deep knowledge about anything, but if you are going through a difficult time in your life, try to revisit this article after you have recovered.
The irony of all the strange ideas I have shared with you is that people with high IQs are actually at a disadvantage to take the “leap of faith” to adjust their preconceived notions about reality. People much smarter than me call it “growth mindset.”
Let me search that on Amazon and order it.
It should help improve my rapport and get me that hard earned promotion!!!
More time with kids, less time at work, am I right?
Snap out of it, wake up!
. . .
Well, why should you care?
Well, not really.
Well, yes.
Ok.
Actually, there have been many studies done by psychiatrists at well-funded institutions like Harvard, Stanford, Oxford and Cambridge to understand why having a growth mindset actually leads to more success in life.
Snap out of it, wake up!
Levels by Avicii is awesome.
LLM models.
What?
Yes.
Aah.
Aaaaah.
Oh, so that’s what Generative AI REALLY MEANS?
Yep.
It’s all a con, right?
Yep.
Or maybe not.
Maybe reality is simulation generated be an LLM model of infinite intelligence.
Right?
You’re getting close.
Snap out of it, wake up!
. . .
I have no ambition of monetizing this newsletter either.
I am hopeful that by sharing our experiences, we can develop a better understanding of Carl Jung’s western interpretation of the eastern concept of a “collective unconscious.”
Safe voyage.
. . .
Jude Christensen 
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