A Dialectic With Myself: Practical Yin Yang Approach to Coincidentia Oppositorum

 

Following a long outdoorsy day on the Red Sea it was time for a nice hot — then cold — shower. Upon entering the bathroom, I caught myself in the middle of a mental chatter that turned out to be quite illuminating, let alone entertaining. By the end of those five minutes, which felt like aeons, the workings of my psychonautic mind became crystal clear. I was offered a glimpse into the very fabric of our world and the true [enough] nature of reality. 


• Coincidentia Oppositorum
• Yin Yang
• The Trap of Black-and-White Thinking



This isn’t the first time a mundane act inspired a deep dive. My earlier piece, Theory of Mind: Thinking About Thinking and the Benefits of Observing the Observer was triggered by trimming my nails. 

Now, let us entertain the novel perspective together — whether you take it as philosophy, logic, or just a simple story.





The Bath Mat Dialectic



As I stepped out of my flip-flops, I found myself sidestepping the blue towel I used as a bath mat. I had placed it there because it was softer than the rough rug (left in the below photo), yet I was actively avoiding it.


Why? Because my feet were sandy, dusty, and blackish from a day spent barefoot on the beach. After all, I do reside on the beach.  


At that moment, a sarcastic voice erupted in my head: “Uhm, pretty sure this is not how bath mats work! The whole point is to step on it while barefoot.”


Then, the second voice — using the Sandwich Method — responded: 
“I see what you’re saying. However, if we step on it now with unclean feet, it won’t be clean when we come out of the shower. We’d be rendering our newly-cleaned feet unclean. Aha!”





The Infinite Loop


The first voice doubled down on the “sandwiching”:

“True. Though this is precisely what mats are for: We use them, then we wash them. Use. Clean. Repeat. Ad infinitum — until the mat deteriorates in 37 years and becomes a rag. It’s a constant process. Use. Clean. Repeat — mats as well as feet. Teet Teet!”  





The dialectic spiralled deeper:


• Voice A: “You don’t even step on it with slippers nor flip-flops. I see you taking them off. I was there. We were there.”


• Voice B: “Because the soles are dusty from outside!”


• Voice A: “Ridiculous. Mats and rugs are made to be stepped on and get dirty.”


• Voice B: “Fine. But if we can postpone the dirtiness with a quirky antic, why not? Less laundry. More convenience.”



The Conclusion:


“Fine. Agree to disagree and disagree to agree.”
“Likewise, agree to agree and disagree to disagree.”


Dialectically yours.

 

Bath rug left and bath mat right

The Aha-Moment: A Googillion Suns



While standing there naked-ready, staring at the floor, it suddenly dawned on me with the force of a googillion suns: This is Coincidentia Oppositorum in action. Or, more simply: Unity of Opposites in motion.


Literally translating as “dark-bright” or “negative-positive,” the ancient Chinese concept of Yin Yang describes how seemingly contrary forces are actually complementary and interdependent.

The poles are different, yet never separate. They are like quantumly entangled particles in a cosmic dance — interacting, vibrating in unison, and remaining connected even if a whole universe separates them. In this equation, everything is in constant while the interaction is always metamorphosing.


• Dark and Light
• Sinner and Saint
• Hot and Cold
• Theory and Practice


From Abstract to Applied


While the concept might seem like high-level abstraction, our bathroom story is purely practical. It deals with decision-making and our fundamental perception of reality.


As with all philosophy, if we don’t learn how to integrate the knowledge into our daily lives, it remains mere “information”.

Theory is abstracted practice, just as practice is applied theory.


It is the experience of application that catalyses true wisdom—that glimmer of light within the darkness. This is the cornerstone of the mystical experience and the heart of mindfulness.


The Soul of the Story


Why tell a story about a bath mat? Because the easy way out is to sit on a mountaintop with eyes closed, staring at the void. But the real work is the integration— making ourselves better versions of our “selves” through the quality of our thoughts.


I use storytelling because stories help us make sense of the chaos. They provide coherence through:





• Metaphors & Analogies
• Allegories & Similes
• The dance between the general and the specific


Stories have the power to either warm our hearts or shatter our brains — often both. As a species, we are wired to think in narratives; we don’t just tell them, we become them.


Remember: Everyone has a story if we are willing to listen. Never judge the book by its look.





Throughout the ages, the art of storytelling has been our most trusted and inspiring endeavour to present our ideas out there for the world to see. Yet, when dealing particularly with philosophical or metaphysical matters — as we are doing herein — the step of telling a good, entertaining, and educational story may only be achieved after knowing the topic inside and out, which means first grasping the conceptual theoretical. That said, here is the excerpt taken right out of the book… before going back to the non-blather chatter-patter.

Here are two other articles mainly about storytelling, For The Love Of Storytelling, and Connecting the Dots — a Storyteller Way of Seeing the Big Picture.

The Healing Powers of Storytelling: A Personal Experience (2026) is a later manifesto. 

 


To the untrained eye the principle of Yin Yang may seem like duality on the surface. Once, however, one gets a clearer understanding, the notion of oneness beneath the non-duality becomes apparent. The listener and the speaker within your head are one and the same. But to come to terms with this insight, you need to rise above both and become the observer of the observer.

When this step is achieved you will notice that you’ll often be able to hold two opposite ideas in your mind simultaneously. This is the concept of Coincidentia Oppositorum, which is Latin for Coincidence of Opposites or Unity of Opposites. Those two components — the poles — are not antithetical, incompatible, or incongruent, but they are in fact complementary. One is needed to provide contrast for the other. Both are necessary to the balance of the ‘system’. For the road up and the road down are the same road.

The concept was first suggested by the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Then in the 15th C. German polymath, Nicholas of Cusa, coined the neoplatonic term Coincidentia Oppositorum. In On the Vision of God, Cusa described the concept as “The wall of paradise, beyond which is God”.

In modern philosophy, the Coincidentia Oppositorum doctrine is sometimes regarded as a metaphysical concept, a philosophical concept, or a scientific concept. However, the interpenetration, interdependence, and unification of opposites is considered as one of the fundamentals of mystical thought rather than philosophical thought. 



 

Unity of Opposites is equally the central category of dialectics. Also known as the dialectical method, it is basically a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a subject yet wishing to establish the truth through reasoned methods of argumentation. In philosophy, it is the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions; as it is an inquiry into metaphysical contradictions and their solutions.

The Western dialectical forms include Classical Philosophy — Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle — Medieval Philosophy — Boethius and Thomas Aquinas — and Modern Philosophy — Hegel and Karl Marx. There are also Theological dialectical forms as in the Baháʼí Faith, which advocates a form of dialectical science and religion. 

With that, there is also the conceptual triad: Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis. The thesis (a proposition) is challenged by an antithesis (a contradiction or negation), leading to resolving the conflict through a synthesis, which forms a novel and more complete proposition by reconciling the truths contained in both poles.

Having just mentioned Hegel’s dialectic, the man however used a different language when developing a dynamic process of development described as a progression from an abstract idea (thesis) through its contradiction (antithesis) to a more concrete, unified concept (synthesis). A process known as Aufhebung or “sublation” involves preserving the truth of a concept while overcoming its limitations, leading to a higher and more complex cognisance.

 

From a psychological perspective, the union of opposites was one of Carl Jung’s fundamental principles for understanding the psyche and maturing into wholeness and reconciliation. He held that reaching this state has philosophical as well as religious implications, which eventually leads to psychology if one wants to understand the psyche dynamic behind it. 

Jung called the cooperation of conscious reasoning with the data of the unconscious Transcendental Function. “It is a process and a method at the same time. The production of unconscious compensations is a spontaneous process; the conscious realisation is a method. The function is called ‘transcendent’ because it facilitates the transition from one psychic condition to another by means of the mutual confrontation of opposites.”


From a human perspective, fathoming said polarity and coming to terms with it is how we understand things. For our language is dualistic in nature. This is therefore how our minds have learned to reason, to justify our own conclusions, and to classify and conceptualise situations: through consciously holding opposing choices, ideas, and concepts, and comparing between them. In fact, our species have been conditioned to perceive the world through binary lenses. We therefore also learn by means of opposites. This ability to see through contradictory elements can lead to true — or true enough — and often complex knowledge. As Terence McKenna succinctly put it: “If you don’t at least occasionally contradict yourself your position isn’t nearly complex enough.” 



Plenty of other mammoth souls throughout the ages entertained the concept and philosophy — be it mystics, visionaries, scientists, or authors. Among them is American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald who in 1936 noted: 

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” 

 

This quote was kindly shared by a reader commenting on the excerpt, which happened to have been shared hundreds of times on Facebook — mainly through a Terence McKenna page as well as a “Psychedelics and Philosophy” one. 

 

 

Now back to our bathroom conversation and the nature of reality...

What may first appear like duality on the surface may not really be that polar. Rather than plus vs minus or with vs. without, it is plus and minus as it is with and without. Rarely is it an either or situation. Both coexisting sides are, in fact, complementary. Both are needed to define each other while none is ever absolute. Instead of reactively choosing one side over the other, as winner and loser, one can come to recognise then accept the validity and legitimacy of both seemingly conflicting, contradictory views. As such, we end with a more wholesome, balanced, bigger, and fuller picture to suit the agathokakological universe in which we live.

Oftentimes, after accepting the existence of both supposedly conflicting ideas and weighing the available options, the observer of the observer then integrates and reconciles by deciding to side with one pole over the other. That’s how decision making is accomplished. Some close cases even to the extent of having 51 percent from one side and 49 percent from the other. 

Most of times, however, it may be around 40-60 or 30-70 depending on how much of the equation or of the Big Picture you get to essentially “see”. 

Something to remember whenever feeling ambivalent, inconclusive, stuck in a quandary, or torn between certain choices or courses of action. As Jung would suggest, do not choose yet... until a third more agreeable option appears. That is by keeping both truths and the tension they represent in your awareness long enough for the deeper self to work on it. 

 

This work is oftentimes accompanied by either mere fortune or through what seems like a cosmic Orphic intervention. We can then find ourselves walking along the Path Of The Razor’s Edge — the periphery. This psychospiritual state entails seeing the full picture, both sides of the coin, including the little good in the bad as well as the little bad in the good. Exemplified in the black dot in the white and the white dot in the black of the Yin Yang symbol, there exists a balance between the two opposite poles; by having a portion of the opposite element in both sections. 

 

Baltering, faltering, coddiwompling, and skedaddling freely along that circular periphery one gets to simultaneously perceive the light and the darkness, the black and the white, the in and the out. Then, the sage and the lunatic and the ongoing dialogue between them are transcended by the one who rises above, revealing a deeper, fuller truth. Illumination at last! Enlightenment. Awakening. Soul Liberation. Nirvana. Satori. The Source of Being. The Kingdom of Heaven. Eternal Bliss. The Quintessence.

 

This razor’s edge is what I anticipate Cusa had called “The wall of paradise, beyond which is God” when describing Coincidentia Oppositorum.
 There truly is no greatest poetry than being nothing and everything at the same time.

 

A different example I use in the book is taken from none other than nature. Let us consider a cheetah mother killing an impala to feed herself and her young one. This situation is good for the cheetah and her cub while bad for the impala and her fawn. Or is it?

In reality, this hunter/hunted situation is neither good nor bad. It is simply what it is: Neutral. It is actually part of the circle of life. That is how nature functions. We are nature; hence this is how we function. The scenario could be what we choose to look at. It is solely a matter of perception. Now, what if the fawn was infected with some deadly disease and was about to transmit it to its mother, who, in turn, was going to transmit it to the whole herd causing them to all die at the end? So when the mother antelope is killed, the fawn won’t be able to survive which will save the herd. Who knows, really. We humans are not omniscient like that; we don’t possess this capacity to know all or to see the much larger picture all the time. So judging by labelling people, situations, and things good or bad remains but a subjective experience — the easy way out. Good and bad for whom exactly? The cheetah or the impala? The cub or the fawn? The herd of antelopes or the cheetah population? What about for you, the observer?   

In Taoist metaphysics, distinctions between good and bad shown in Yin Yang, along with other dichotomous moral judgements, are considered perceptual rather than real; hence the duality remains an indivisible whole leading to true oneness... of the circle. 

 

The problem with black-and-white thinking is that you never get to see the rainbow.

Now, when further contemplating the matter we realise that while in the bathroom example we’re dealing with what seems like two choices, in reality there are usually more than just two options, as it is rarely ever limited to two absolute extremes. Consider in politics when they slyly corner you with a box-choice by offering “The lesser of two evils”, like it is some kind of absolute necessity to vote. In truth, though, not choosing is clearly a third option. Echoing with Jean-Paul Sartre’s choisir, c’est encore choisir; not choosing is still choosing, you see. That is transcending the apparent duality. 

In actuality, when people think in such a binary way they fail to simultaneously incorporate both positive and negative qualities of themselves and of others in order to form a realistic whole. This tends to lead them to think in terms of extremes — widening the dichotomy in-between both poles while making it more rigid and harder to bridge. It becomes: With or against me, us vs. them. Extremism is a suicidal attitude to have in life, which brings upon fear, hatred, and lack of empathy among other detrimental qualities. As such, neither reconciliation nor wholeness can be accomplished.

 

In psychology, Black-and-White thinking is called “Splitting”, which is a common defence mechanism some people use.

 



In logic, Black-and-White thinking is also a fallacy called “False Dilemma”. It occurs when something is falsely claimed to be an “either/or” situation, limiting the number of alternatives available when in fact there is at least one additional option. At least. Certainly a not-deep-enough way to perceive reality.

Once, then, we are to able see the oneness beneath the dance, the marriage — reaching the balanced “Yin-Yang” insight — one can entertain this dialogue between both opposites, learn from them while rising above what misleadingly appears like absolute duality. This is achieved through the mystical experience; by becoming the observer of the observer and embracing the Oneness beneath the polar juxtaposition. This is where we find truth, yet rarely ever it would be absolute. Mayhap truth finds us just as well.

Then other times in life Coincidentia Oppositorum as well as Yin Yang become practical in reflection and contemplation without the need to make any choice. Like the case of the cheetah and the impala. Mere observation suffices. Along with experimentalism, observation can be the best of teachers. Remember that the observer of the observer is the one with the vantage perspective. 

 

 

Whether you look for the good in others or the bad you will find it.

Balance

As we have seen, Coincidentia Oppositorum deals with the possibility of achieving balance by having the apabicity to perceive both sides of the same coin. Showing how not only is it fine to be able to hold two opposites ideas in our minds at the same time, but also how it actually seems like the wisest of approaches. Apabicity, by the way, is one of 176 words and their definitions which I have come up with, conveniently defined as: The state of having the ability, capability, and capacity all at once. Uhu. 
 

Wisdom aside, we still find that many people are only able to process reality in a binary way, as in “with me” or “without me”. “This or That”. “Fight or Flight”. No Rainbow.
 No various colours or shades. No full spectrum. No big, full picture. No different hues or distinct angles. No nuances, degrees, spices or flavours. No subtlety nor even sensibility nor sensitivity. Not even grey. Just black, and white.

 

Beside helping us in our decision-making, this balance can also be applied when dealing with the outside world. Consider those times when you are exposed to that which goes against a certain belief or conviction you hold and it triggers an emotional reaction. Acknowledging both sides of the spectrum offers you a chance to re-examine the belief. It does not matter if you may or not not agree with the novel or different view at the end. But do take the chance to explore the novelty and the difference. Because you will likely end up learning something or two from the experience. It would either strengthen your argument or offer you a whole different perspective. Perhaps a bit of both if you are lucky. 



 

As follows, fear not to understand things, or to entertain ideas, that clash with your own beliefs, traditions, and privileges.

In our case here, after reasonably observing the dialogue between the inner voices and the two different courses of action they propose, I eventually chose to carry on not stepping on the bath mat with unclean feet, but on the floor instead before jumping into the shower. Smoothing hot water then 20 seconds of significantly cold water until I moaned out a loud and invigorating “Ahhhhh”. The instant shock makes you feel like being electrocuted and your brain lightens up in flashes. How refreshing hot and cold showers are. Both: Synthesis. 

Then once all cleansed, it was time to step on the still-clean bath mat. Yes, in a few days it will need washing; because that’s how towels work and that’s what shall happen.


 

The hot-and-cold shower appears to have reset something up and in there as I was struck with yet another epiphanic moment: The inherently pristine, immaculate beauty of this Oneness we’re speaking of; of the essence of being able to look at things, with impartial eyes, and wholesomely see them for what they really are; not as we want them to be or think they should be. Opening the Doors of Perceptions and entering... without conceptualisation, condemnation, expectation, or prior prejudice or judgement. O’ the Reconciliation. The Union. Yoga. The Mental Peace. The Soul Dance.

 

The final verdict was to keep the bath mat for when barefoot before and after showers, as this time, while removing the bath rug completely. For any other use of the bathroom, especially when wearing something I use outside the house, the actual floor works fine. Sounds good to us. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how it’s done. That is how we fundamentally deal with that which appears different, whether inside our heads or in the outside world.

 


At the very end, it seems safe to ascertain that if one is capable of integrating their inner polarity, by rising above it and hopefully reaching a certain degree of reconciliation, they will also be equipped to deal with anything different residing outside of them. Calmly, wisely, and with the quintessence of equanimity.

 

À la prochaine conversation with myself. I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as we did. Salute to your Souls. 

 

Et Voilà. The End (Thank you, Seif)

ALSO VIEW:

 

 

Theory of Mind: Thinking About Thinking and the Benefits of Observing the Observer

 

Who Are We? 

My Journey Towards Self-Transcendence

The Intertwining of Genius and Insanity

The Intertwining of Music and Sexuality ― A Djembefola’s Tale 

The Intertwining of Pain and Pleasure

 

Connecting the Dots — a Storyteller Way of Seeing the Big Picture

The Parable Of The Cow: You Are Not Your Thoughts

Why We Should Not Fear Death

Change Is The Only Constant

Why I Share Stuff

For The Love Of Storytelling

 

20 Things Learned From a 48-Minute Terence McKenna Talk on Hermeticism and Alchemy

The Significance of Letting Go

Unfollow the Crowd

The Art of Approaching Women

Why I Choose to Remain a Non-Dad for Now — Reflections on Being Childless

When Selective Men Reject Women

 

Theory of Mind: Thinking About Thinking and the Benefits of Observing the Observer

The following piece emerged during the two and a half years spent alone on the beach. It was a time of utter solitude and quietude, of deep reflections and of processing the entire previous decade spent On The Road in North America.  

One day some weeks back I spent an entire 55 seconds on my knees in the bedroom looking for a single nail clipping after it flew and landed somewhere. “Why?” would be a reasonable question to ponder, especially that this is no one time thing; for I had repeatedly done the same in the past while cutting my nails outside the bathroom. In fact, I sometimes do it in the bathroom as well. Why not let go of finding that microscopic human claw, one may wonder. You know, it vanished, now life goes on. But non, Monsieur. Oftentimes the decisions our minds make are not as simple, straightforward, or black-or-white. For there is a vast grey area in which they roam. 

While the nail clipping is an example, the following is a thorough psycho-philosophical, psychonautic investigation into the enigmatic and formidable tool we call the human mind, by none other than one of its own kind. That is what’s mind-boggling in the equation: Can the brain attempt to fathom itself and the very fabric of the thinking process as objectively as possible, away from all judgements and preconceptions, or a bias of some sort will likely always exist?

This line of thinking resonates with the witty words of Emerson M. Pugh: “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t”

Until that one day a different race of beings produce writings about the human mind, we can certainly have a go at it — trying to answer one of the most fundamental question there is: What makes us think, act, and behave in certain ways? What are our choices built upon? In other words, what is the thought process or strategy(ies) adopted by the brain whenever it chooses one option over another? Find the nail clipping versus forgetting about it and carrying on with my day. An existential question with no simple answer.  

Looking for answers to the above queries, I added herein several quotes by some mammoth spirits who have mastered the elusive quest of understanding Human Nature as well as the Human Condition, giving us a unique chance to reflect upon them. Many of which are by none other than mastermind Carl Jung.

By the end of this exposé you may look at your own mind in a different light. Hopefully, adding you, too, with one or more novel perspective or self-insight to help you be better acquainted with yourself, while also sharpening your decision-making skills. Simply by digging into this fascinating asset of ours.




Before diving in, let us first identify that which we are discussing herein: Theory of Mind. 

Now, Theory of Mind is defined as the ability to think about mental states to predict behaviour, those of others as well as our own. Not only does it include attributing mental states, emotions, desires, beliefs, intentions, knowledge, but also refers to understanding that the mental states, emotions, desires, beliefs, intentions, knowledge may be, and most probably are different from our own. 

Theory of Mind is likewise regarded as the innate potential ability to put ourselves in people’s shoes. While some are born slightly more attuned to their fellow brethren, it usually takes a significant amount of inner work but also life experiences in the form of social and emotional interactions to be able to do so. 

Apart from the psychological aspect, this “Observing the Observer” is what mystics and philosophers often speak of, highly. For it is regarded as the most advanced form of wisdom.

As for Thinking about Thinking, known as Metacognition, it is the ability to monitor and regulate one’s own thought processes. Recent neuroscientific and psychological research identifies it as a foundational and highly sophisticated form of intelligence. This is because it enables the individual to consciously observe, understand, and intentionally improve their own cognitive processes, rather than merely using raw mental power. Hence wisdom — which transcends intelligence and lies beyond mere IQ. 

Metacognition represents a shift from just knowing facts to managing how knowledge is acquired and applied, directly impacting learning speed, decision-making, and emotional resilience. By enabling us to pause, reflect, consciously steer our thoughts, it catalyses adaptability as well as emotional intelligence. It also allows us to make decisions that break old patterns, hence improve and evolve.

Anyone can think about their thinking. Though it takes practice to translate the awareness and observations into something tangible and practical to be applied to one’s life, for the sake of enhancing it. Wisdom after all is essentially applied knowledge. 

So while Theory of Mind and Metacognition are related cognitive processes, they remain distinct concepts. The first is more about understanding others’ mental states, focusing externally on social cognition; while the latter is about reflecting on one’s own thinking processes, focusing internally on self-regulation.


Consider those times you “catch yourself” doing something — as I just did — then proceed to wonder, ponder, and reflect upon the action or the moment itself. Observing the observer, then, means to become aware of our own awareness, which entails thinking about our own thinking.



Note that some of our actions operate on the subconscious level. Given the subconscious, the intuitive emotional mind, is in charge of the brain during a staggering 95 percent of the time, while its conscious counterpart is in control of only five percent, becoming aware of how it operates becomes imperative if we want to lead a balanced and wholesome life. Simply noticing our breath during breathwork exercises is an example of one such activity that enables us to be aware of one autonomic aspect of our existence. 

Another closely related concept is Empathetic Awareness. While Theory of Mind is cognitive perspective-taking, empathy is considered emotional perspective-taking. You can read about it in length in my previous exposé: Dealing with High Awareness and Empathic Accuracy.

When fully developed, a healthy combination of both Theory of Mind and Empathic Accuracy allows one to relate to others on a much deeper level; for it involves “reading” people’s thoughts as well as emotions. It is like seeing their naked self; beyond the mask, cloak, persona we all tend to wear when dealing with the outside world. 

Objectively observing how we think and feel — our state of being — leads to become aware. Observing through impartial eyes without prejudice, judgement, condemnation, evaluation, calculation, expectation, justification, or conceptualisation leads to awareness. This “Unprejudiced Objectivity”, as named by Carl Jung, is the essential point behind practices like meditation, yoga, and again, breathing exercises among other meditative, psychotherapeutic activities: Awareness. 



With awareness and observation we come to learn how to detach from the thoughts and emotions; how to simply BE. We learn how to allow them to flow through unobstructed before letting them go. As observers, this detachment, this equanimity is a fundamental preliminary for mastering the mind. 
Because if we don’t master it, we will identify with all the pollution it is constantly generating, hence the mind ends up mastering us; or someone else may do it for us.

The same goes for the emotions: Choosing not to be led by yours does not mean you’re cold or heartless; it means you’re wiser. Be reflective, not reactive.

May you always value and cherish the simple little things in Life. 
For they make a significant difference and hence are the most essential. 
Simplicity, in actuality, tends to be deeper than complexity. 
‘Tis the reason why that which is simple often passes unperceived by the complex. 
If we look around us, we’ll find that the more one masters a certain domain, 
the more simplification they will strive for.

Now, it appears that the voice of my conscience is loud and has obsessive-compulsive tendencies. So the part of me that knows I shouldn’t have been trimming my nails while dancing naked to Janis Joplin kind of wants to prove to itself — or to the other parts, also of myself — that it had been ‘right’. It does so to please the status quo; to fit into a preconceived mould of how things are or are ought to be done, which has been ingrained into our collective consciousness and subconscious since childhood, through parents, school, culture, society, and the establishment. I think this need to be right and conform, along with the lack of flexibility it entails, remains unhealthy and causes significant amount of suffering in life. Even when the source is one part of the self.  

Thankfully, you know what else is also loud? My other rebellious “Fuck it. I do what I want.” part. Most of us spend our entire lives flickering between these two poles. However, and I can only talk about myself here, the rebellious counterpart still bases his stances and choices upon certain calculations. In our featured example, what’s the worst that could happen? A single nail clipping forgotten behind a desk, possibly for weeks or even years. Since it is not food nor something valuable, there is no substantial damage. Yet, I was still on my knees looking for a minuscule organic specimen. In fact, not just that, but I caught myself a different time quirkily counting ten nails before picking them up from the sink so they don’t block the drain... because they do, especially when mixed with long hair. Again, this had transpired almost fully subconsciously until I caught myself in the moment. 

Other times, higher risks are involved, as different possibility-probability rates. The following question we should ask ourselves is: Is it worth it? That is to inquire if it would support the kind of life I am manifesting. For at the bottom of it all, it remains vital to remember that: We are not responsible for the conditioning we were exposed to during our childhood. But as adults, we are fully responsible for fixing it.



This is where it gets even more interesting...

The human brain is known to consist of about 100 billion cells — neurones — each connected to 10,000 others, leaving us with a staggering 10 trillion nerve connections. Recent research in cognitive neuroscience has shown that this brain’s physiology is directly affected by our inner belief systems. All facts, ideas, and actions take the form of networks of neurones in our brain. While the left hemisphere is responsible for preserving, even pleasing the old model — the existing paradigm, our reality tunnel — the right one is constantly challenging the status quo. It is the attitude of “Do now and worry about it later”.

When the creative right hemisphere cannot convince the analytical left one to change its views, it ends up by causing narrow-mindedness, almost literally. In essence, it is our neural connections that physically define our belief system. And beliefs can be so limiting, that calling them the death of intelligence by Robert Anton Wilson wouldn’t be a stretch. “As soon as one believes a doctrine of any sort, or assumes certitude, one stops thinking about that aspect of existence.” You carry on with your life taking it for granted, believing that what you know must be right and correct. But you know what: The biggest fool of all is he who cannot change his mind. 



The good news is, nothing is cast in stone. Through transformative learning and Neuroplasticity we know that the wiring between said networks of the brain can indeed be altered.

Neuroscience shows that when we repeatedly perform a certain activity, learn a new fact, or practice a skill the corresponding neurones consistently keep stimulating each other. Over time, the wiring between them becomes stronger, which can make the connection last an entire lifetime. The neurones become more sensitive to each other and are more likely to synchronise their firing time in the future. All this takes place in the brain to support learning. In other words, whatever we do we are always physically modifying the brain to become better at it. What a remarkable feature that is. 

So, practising usually leads to improvement; the reason being is that our brain changes physiologically to adapt to the novelty. Change your thoughts and you change your reality.




Neuroplasticity has equally shown that it works both ways: Neurones and connections which are not used stop being hardwired.

Changes can also be induced through Epigenetics. For a similar fluidity can be said about changes in our gene expression. Once the long-held beliefs and values — reality tunnel — change, the psyche and entire body open up; again, almost literally. 


As explained by developmental biologist Bruce H. Lipton in a video titled Your Body Is An Illusion, the brain is through which we perceive and interpret the signals coming in from inside as well as outside the body. It then sends the processed information to the cells to dictate their behaviour and genetics. So it is indeed our own thoughts that create our reality. Saying like that may sound like New-Age Hocus Pocus, but it’s not. One example Lipton mentions in the same video is the queer phenomenon that is the Placebo Effect; how our brain — and perception — have a profound effect on our body chemistry, and hence on our physical health and reality in general. 

Speaking of, in his book titled “You Are The Placebo” author and researcher Dr. Joe Dispenza shares that from the 60-70,000 thoughts we get in our brains each day, 90 percent are the same as the day before. As such, thinking the same thoughts leads to making the same choices; same choices means same behaviours; same behaviours lead to same experiences; same experiences translate as same emotions; and same emotions then leads to same thoughts again — back to completing the loop. What does this mean? Well according Dispenza, our biology, our neural circuitry, neural chemistry, neural hormones, even as previously mentioned our genetic expression reflect how we think, act, and feel — that which constitute our personality, which in turn creates our personal reality.

Further, without letting go or healing from the past, including all the unwanted thoughts about it — that which we had labelled ‘negative’ — every time we think about it/them our body responds by producing the very same chemicals as when it first happened. In other words, we simply keep physically and emotionally reliving the experience while becoming neurotically fixated on, and consequently stuck in certain thought patterns. This is essentially the basis of most mental health issues people suffer from. 

This actually happened one day, hick

To create a new personal reality, a new life, one has to think differently. By doing so we change the chemistry of our very brain, literally. A new insight or perspective or a novel angle can indeed help us get there. Where to get those from? Look no further than your own being. That is precisely what I am sharing with you herein: Observing our unconscious thoughts in order to wake up — as much as possible — from our automatic existence. 

Once you start training your mind by catching yourself in the act regarding the little things, when the big things arrive you will be able to have a clearer outlook before making a decision instead of [re]acting on your impulses like you did in the past. The very awareness tends to disrupt old patterns.

In life, the decisions we have to take on daily basis are often deeper and more complex than trimming nails in the bedroom — or not. 

Consider this other example: The “fuck it” right hemisphere wants to partake in something daring, like have unprotected sex with multiple partners, say in a debauched orgy. Lucky fictional you. But its left status quo counterpart is saying: Look, you’re really gambling with our luck here, buddy. It’s actually ‘life’, our life, mind you. Statistically speaking, by doing that your chances of contracting an STD are much higher. So what’s the alternative? Ah, “protected sex”. Alright, I can live with that, one voice says. Let’s have fun! Or, decide that you will not go for it. 

You simply sort it out with yourself — possibly through an inner dialogue. You convince yourself using certain methods, as with arguments, reasoning, patterns deciphering. It goes without saying that being able to do so as efficiently as possible takes some mastery.

A thing to remember whenever delving into your own thought-process: We must be honest with ourselves when dealing with the polarity of those two wolves. That is, if we wish to integrate the right and left sides while reconciling the polarity. Can mind and heart coexist peacefully?

The thing with the cunning mind is that it so wickedly imaginative, it is capable of using a wide variety of elaborate excuses, comforting justifications, and bullshit stories to try to convince us with whatever it wishes. As such, many of us choose to tell ourselves lies — often in the form of elaborate stories — to justify our inability, inaction, or lack of courage. Therefore feel better about the actual reality of certain things. Nevertheless, more often than not, down deep inside in our inner being, at the soul level, we usually know the actual truth; for inner truths are universal. Yet, if it is uncomfortable or inconvenient, wilful blindness may occur as a defence mechanism.
 

A related term used in modern psychology for this one mischievous trick the mind plays is Cognitive Dissonance. It is used to explain the feeling of disorientation and discomfort resulting from holding two or more conflicting cognitions; ideas, beliefs, values, or emotional reactions. It’s a sort of wilful blindness, one could say. For it entails lying to oneself, often by using a quagmire of logical fallacies, confirmation biases, and cherry-picking to justify certain aspects of one’s reality.

Another equally important piece of information to note is that it is not right-side of the brain or left-side; as in reason vs emotion, or mind vs heart. But rather, it is right-side and left-side; as reason and emotion, mind and heart. Both elements exist, and are not antithetical or incompatible. For they constitute the very essence of our inner being. To the realised individual, the relationship between both poles is not based on fighting, but it is more like dancing.

Determining someone’s personality or character appears to be much more complex than labelling a logical number person “left-brain dominant” and a creative free-spirited one “right-brain dominant”. While indeed each side of the brain specialises in specific tasks, the whole functionality is not that simple. For both hemispheres tend to connect, cooperate, and intermingle in many more ways than previously thought.

In actual fact, this infamous dichotomy of being either right-brained or left-brained has been called a myth by science — largely thanks to brain imaging technology. Because one can simultaneously be creative as well as analytical, emotional, and reasonable. These characteristics are not opposites, and can indeed coexist. Personalities are multi-layered and more complicated than to be classified as black-or-white. Remember the first paragraph: There is a vast grey area.

Speaking of common brain misconceptions — which I one day used to believe — is the myth that we only use 10 percent of our brains. We don’t. We use the entire 100 percent. In truth, we use it all the time, even while sleeping, just different parts of it.    
 
 

Get into yourself and you’ll discover wonders

Now back to the nails...

So, the moment I caught myself on the bedroom floor looking for a single clipping, I instantly reckoned it was great “writing material”. Interesting one, too. Because everyone thinks. But despite having the ability, a significant number of people are not used to thinking about their wandering minds or even pay attention to what goes on inside — its very essence in the form of “Why and How?” questions. As a consequence, they often act by repeating certain irrational habits and behaviours almost mindlessly, without ever pausing or reflecting upon their choices. Needless to say, this results in an automatic kind of existence; similar to being in a hypnotic trance, during which the choices made are rarely the best nor most optimal. They become impulsively dependent on their reflexive senses rather than logic or reason, or even intuition. 

You see, when people are not conscious and self-aware their minds are not present. Their actions then become impulsive, which makes then live in deep torpor. They become groggy and numb and unquestioning as if they are sleepwalking through life. Even when busy, they don’t seem to be ‘aware’ of the moment, just like they were hypnotised. “Consensus Trance” is a term which describes this automatic state of consciousness.

According to the Philosophy of Mind and Perception, another term to describe people living in such modes of existence is a “philosophical zombie” — or p-zombie —  which is a hypothetical being that is indistinguishable from a normal human being except in that they lack conscious experience, qualia, or sentience.

While not everyone is plagued by a philosophical mind or destined to become a psychonaut, understanding our own thinking is a step forward towards our evolution and illumination. What we do with such knowledge differs from one person to the next. Yet it remains knowledge.

Whenever dealing with situations that require us to make a choice and decide, the fascinating mind remains flickering between the two aforementioned hemispheres. Echoing with Carl Jung’s famous words: “The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.” 

 

So whenever facing life ask yourself that one question: Does it make sense? Is saying “Fuck it” worth it? Be it your well-being, health, energy, time, and sometimes even your very Life.

As noted, if not mastered, the monkey mind will be the one mastering us — controlling our lives in the process. In Buddhism, Taoism/Daoism, and Neo-Confucianism, the monkeys are a metaphor for the source of all our restlessness, confusion, and lack of control in life.

One of the insights learned through self-observation is that there really is no need to prove anything, neither to yourself — your own brain — nor to others. There is also no need to convince anyone with anything. Once you liberate yourself from the confines of these attachments and expectations, the world shall be transformed before your eyes. 


In terms of behaviour, the way we handle ourselves and our minds with all the circus going on up there naturally affects how we interact with the outside world and everyone in it. It also dictates the type of relationships we have with that world. Whether within our own family, between lovers and friends, at work, even with how we deal with people on daily basis. So it remains imperative to understand why we think, say, and act as we do; what are the drives and motives which often have their roots planted in the subconscious. With the Big Picture in mind, it is only through thoughtfulness and self-observation — along the self-knowledge they bring about — can we begin to ameliorate from ourselves; that is in order to evolve as a species. Resonating with the words of the Russian mystic and philosopher George Gurdjieff: 


“Self-observation brings man to the realisation of the necessity of self-change. And in observing himself a man notices that self-observation itself brings about certain changes in his inner processes. He begins to understand that self-observation is an instrument of self-change, a means of awakening.”


Without radical and psychological change on the personal level, we cannot expect to change the world, our world. 

For anyone looking to learn, grow, and evolve by enhancing and self-potentiating their quality of life, I suggest you read up upon Theory of Mind. The vital benefits of getting into yourself seem endless.

Lastly, there is no such thing as knowing yourself too much. Truly. Observing the observer remains a higher step in the conscious experience, which allows you to zoom out and see the bigger picture of things, while also stopping you from acting out on impulses — like a restless child who’s in a constant state of reaction to all that which has been ingrained into them ever since they were teeny tiny toddlers through “the system”: Parents, school, society, culture and so on.

A mindful state of existence, including Metacognition, offers you the chance to pause and reflect; to “come to term with things” and to “reach closures”. So they don’t keep floating on the horizon of your subconscious mind as a background noise, possibly forever. Because whether you’re aware of it or not, any undealt-with issues will keep repeating themselves through your psyche as toxic, cyclical patterns while directing your relationships and entire life to a considerable degree. And you will likely keep projecting it all on the outside world, by blaming it for whatever happens to you.  

Resonating with another of Jung’s quote, which is the introduction of one of the sub-chapters in my book: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

With that being said, many people seem to go about their lives having absolutely no idea why unpleasant things keep happening to them or why they tend to be attracted to dysfunctional relationships. The simple answer lies within their own thought patterns along the vibrations they produce. It is them who attract that which aligns with the frequencies they emit — especially those originating from the subconscious. Because unless they come out from the darkness toward the light, they will remain unknown to us and hence will keep materialising as recycled experiences. Time after time after time. Until we get it.  

If, for instance, we see ourselves as victims who need to be saved, we’ll likely keep attracting people offering to help. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, but it keeps us depending on others; hence stuck in a disempowering cycle of the victim mentality.

Truth is, once you save yourself the universe will somehow conspire to help you out. The work, however, must be ignited from within. The person you will become will always be the one you decide to be. We do have that choice. When it comes to accepting instead of resisting and reflecting instead of reacting, we always, always have a choice. Taking a deterministic approach and leaving it all to “fate” or “destiny” is nothing but the easy way out, as it’s a disempowering way of thinking.  

At the very end, we are our own victim as well as our own saviour... the rest are mere excuses.


Observing our own mind and the thoughts it generates results in pure awareness, which in turn leads to self-realisation. This includes transformative Aha-Moments of clarity and illumination; of waking up; of wait a minute... . Reaching conclusive statements like: So that is why I have been getting into relationships that are bound to fail. Or, that is why I’ve changed jobs 14 times in the past 20 years. Aided by the novel, enhanced perspective, only then can we do something about it and modify that which has not been working for us; that which is pulling us backward. Time to do the inner work and to recognise that following the same neural pathways will not get us very far. Time to let go of whatever does not serve us or serve our evolution. Time to modify and refine, to become better versions of ourselves. For Change Is The Only Constant.  

Truthfully, there is no moving forwards without letting go. We do so by unlearning and relearning, which results in changing the pathways our brains have been repeatedly using. Hence our views, values, beliefs, and behaviour also change. As we have seen, it is through neuroplasticity that we know the brain has a remarkable capacity to alter existing pathways as well as create new ones. And it is through epigenetics that we know our gene expression can likewise change. We, with our very fabric made of neurones and genes and consciousness, do have that power.

Speaking of, The Significance of Letting Go is an earlier piece showing the benefits of doing so. Mind you, letting go follows self-observation. Because otherwise we have no way of knowing what is it that needs discarding.

The more we understand this dynamic between the different counterparts of our inner being, the more we’ll reconcile the seemingly different polarity into Oneness. Bringing our inner darkness to the light, we therefore become a more balanced, centred, grounded, and wholesome individual. Someone who knows their true worth and what they deserve as much as they know their wants and needs; for whom decision making is actually fun rather than anxiety-provoking. Naturally, this all translates into a better, more refined quality of life. The key lies in being a witness to the voices without ever allowing them to drag us along the chatter they are constantly having. Because with intensive digging one can easily go mad. And by mad here I don’t mean the fun, creative, ingenious craziness; but rather, losing grip on reality with confusions, illusions, delusions. 
 
The truth of the matter is, You Are Not Your Thoughts. What you are is a sage as well as a lunatic. You are also the One who rises above both and chooses which to side with the most.

Much more to this eery relationship is explored in The Intertwining of Genius and Insanity.

Further reading about Theory of Mind in less theoretical terms is A Dialectic With Myself: Practical Yin Yang Approach to Coincidentia Oppositorum.



Now that you know the power of that mystifying tool you carry within your own skeleton — with all with its colourful nuances and subtle characteristics — time to inquire and to get into yourself: only to find a plethora of mesmerising wonders awaiting your heightened awareness to discover them.

By become aware of your true inner self on such a deep level, following others’ experiences will then seem futile. Through direct experience, self-knowledge becomes the journey during which our inner truth is found and owned. Other than being educational, the ride is also highly entertaining. Of course, it all depends on our perception of life and the outside world, which in turn stems from our conception of it. That is why each and every experience is unique.

Beside all the self-knowledge you’d likely amass, you’ll get to better understand your fellow brethren and the Human Condition. In that regards, learning about ourselves and others, including the thoughts and emotions, makes it incredibly hard to ever get upset from anyone. Since you understand their reasons for doing whatever they do, perhaps even relate to some degree. And for that, we must be grateful for psychology and philosophy for enlarging our circle of empathy and compassion. 

With knowing oneself also comes loving oneself. The deeper you dig, the more falling in love with yourself comes naturally. Without self-love we are not equipped with the proper capacity or tools to love others. Even if we do fall in love it will never be actual love; but rather, attachment. Because we will always be trying to compensate our lack of self-love and self-acceptance, by seeking their love and acceptance. Again, by projecting it on the relationship and the partner, affecting our choices and disrupting our behaviour in the process. So love remains another major benefit of digging into oneself and following the inward journey.

I will end this enticing piece with a final reminder: Know that the inner work has no end. For the Rabbit Hole is a bottomless pit, an everlasting endeavour guiding the soul as it keeps spiralling closer and deeper towards its inner core. For the only way out is in, my Dear Ones.

 

 
ALSO VIEW:

Who Are We? 

The Parable Of The Cow: You Are Not Your Thoughts 

The Intertwining of Genius and Insanity

The Intertwining of Music and Sexuality ― A Djembefola’s Tale 

The Intertwining of Pain and Pleasure

 

A Dialectic With Myself: Practical Yin Yang Approach to Coincidentia Oppositorum 

 

Connecting the Dots — a Storyteller Way of Seeing the Big Picture

 
Why We Should Not Fear Death

My Journey Towards Self-Transcendence

Change Is The Only Constant

Why I Share Stuff

For The Love Of Storytelling

 

20 Things Learned From a 48-Minute Terence McKenna Talk on Hermeticism and Alchemy

The Significance of Letting Go

Unfollow the Crowd

The Art of Approaching Women

Why I Choose to Remain a Non-Dad for Now — Reflections on Being Childless

When Selective Men Reject Women   
 

Connecting the Dots — a Storyteller Way of Seeing the Big Picture

“The best way to convince someone is by making him realize that
what you speak came from his own mind.”
— Alan Watts

Like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, sometimes a wide array of seemingly random dots connect and organise themselves in certain ways to form the cornerstone structure of a story. The process of seeing a bigger picture could take hours or it could take years. For a storyteller psychonaut, this completion, this closure is nothing but la créme de la créme of the art of writing. That is, if one is fortunate enough to go through such experiences during their lifetime.

You see, some people rarely ever connect the dots in life. Others do connect them but end up being overwhelmed by the amount of information. Then there are those who simultaneously connect the dots and are able to make sense, and use, out of them. For the latter group, patterns become the real guru, which help them understand the relationship between different ideas and experiences. Hence perceive the Big Picture while enjoying the more broad, overall view it offers us. 

The more knowledge, the more points to possibly connect. Since everything is interconnected, keen awareness remains all that is needed.

One example is the following introspective, Theory-Of-Mind type of Post I’ve recently written about the essence of being a storyteller; about how I use my stories in a way that could — hopefully — inspire others. Wittily, mind you, or so I like to think. Yet, without sounding preachy, authoritative, or like a know-it-all pretentious dude; as also without forcing my way of seeing things unto others. Why? Well, keep reading. 

To be able to write said words I had to dig down deep inside my mind and soul. I had to take a step further away from my autonomic existence, a leap more likely, just to be able to “catch myself in the act” before analysing the findings. This is when altered states of consciousness come in handy. And to a significant degree this time I had been successful. Truth is, frequently playing Observing the Observer, one gets better with time. The result are the below words shared along an image with the John Lennon quote: 

“My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.”

   
This is the original:

When we care about people we naturally feel inclined to help them through any troubles they may face. Some, however, are not ready to be helped, and their reasons vary.

Through the years, the Messiah Complex I’m plagued by has developed indirect ways to be of assistance in such situations. To convey the message said folks are not ready to receive I create a story out of it; in which I incorporate the message in a story form that is easier to digest. This way avoiding any defensive reactions which may arise if they were to sense that you are addressing or “lecturing” them directly. Obviously I have been there enough times to be able to establish a pattern. 

Now, by incepting the thought on the go in such a way you play the role of the facilitator, allowing them to connect the dots by themselves and figure it out. Simply by playing a little game of suggestion. This is a more efficient and convincing way to reach a solution or truth than for it to be revealed or taught by someone else. It is also more empowering; hence the terminology The Power of Suggestion. Because the discovery becomes part of their own inner truth — while in many cases remaining oblivious to the fact that the thought was initially planted in their minds by someone else.

In psychology, suggestion is the process by which one person guides the thoughts, feelings, or behaviour of another. The idea was incepted in the 1800s along with hypnotism and trance. 

Oftentimes, the subject of the story is myself. Simply because I found out that it is easier, let alone much more genuine. So let’s say the person I’m trying to reach has a drinking problem: I open up about how I was hooked on heroin for years and how I overcame it. Also how the experience has been the most enlightening of my life; since “You overcome yourself and [hence] become fearless”. And that is that. This is all the empathy and hopefully inspiration I offer the troubled, without haranguing or telling them how to live their own lives.

While I acknowledge their willpower and ability to make the right choices — when their time comes — I treat them as such; as free, capable individuals. I also do not use “You need to, you must or should” among other authoritative ways of communicating. Rather, I seek connecting with them on a more intimate, empathetic level. Through showing them that I relate to their sufferings because I, too, have suffered; that essentially we are all each other’s reflections. From then on, how they may or may not decipher the story along the suggested message it contains depends on them alone.

Period. A few Instagram hashtags followed the words, including artist, poet, inception, storytelling, psychology, philosophy, Theory Of Mind and published it was. And that was it, right until... last night.

Check this recent exposé if you are interested in delving more into the topic: Theory of Mind: Thinking About Thinking and the Benefits of Observing the Observer.

Another piece to the puzzle

As previously shared, I indulge in occasional sleepless productive all-nighters which leave me looking like a Picasso the next morning. Several months after said post I was enjoying the quietude of one such nights, working on editing my book and surfing the net looking for novelty and inspiration and downright ridiculously weird things. Then, Lo and Behold, I see the featured caricature of none other than one of the wisest cats on the block whom I deeply cherish, Alan Watts, dropping that additional piece of the puzzle like freakin’ Salt Bae. I had to rub my eyes and reread the sentence to make sure my sleepless mind wasn’t playing some kind of subconscious confirmation-bias trick.

“The best way to convince someone is by making him realize that what you speak came from his own mind.”

Wait! So Alan Watts thinks the same thing I had already deducted on my own? I may not be that full lunatic after all, huh. Now take that, society. This was certainly a sobering reminder that all ideas are indeed second-hand — as Mark Twain wrote in 1903 to his amiga Helen Keller when she was accused of plagiarism.

The following puzzle piece came from the mouth of wily Jiddu Krishnamurti, who said: “When it becomes necessary for humanity to receive in a new form the ancient wisdom, someone whose duty it is to repeat these truths is incarnated.” Well Aha!

Speaking of, do you have an idea that Jiddu ( جدو ) means grandfather in Arabic? As you can see, one must remain careful not to follow too many dots all over the place. Because some of us can keep going ad infinitum. Then when too many branches are drifting out of the frame like they are trying to escape your mad mind, it’s not a story anymore, mon cher ami. But rather, it starts to appear and sound like the ravings, rantings, and ramblings of a non compos mentis who has too many browser tabs open. Focus, therefore, remains key.

 

The natural consequence of having the jigsaw puzzle extended just out of the blue was to create another fuller, richer story, which will incorporate the latest nugget of truth piece from the Zen Head himself. In addition to few other pieces that happened to free-associate themselves into this body of writing.

Subsequently, just as I finalised the piece you’re reading herein, another dot just materialised out of thin air right there in the midst of my mind’s eye. This time, a reflection of mine which conveniently came at the right time, brilliantly fitting the narrative:

If you are doing your best while not seeking approval or validation, affirmation will still come to you in different forms. Oftentimes when you least expect it.

When Alan Watts expresses that which you already — somewhat ‘originally’ — had in mind, you know your philosophical thinking as well as logical reasoning are doing alright. For me, there is nothing more fulfilling than this type of affirmation. 


To more dot-connecting, pattern-decyphering, and the ability to always see the bigger, fuller picture for all of us. There is always one. At least.

ALSO VIEW:

Theory of Mind: Thinking About Thinking and the Benefits of Observing the Observer

Who Are We?

For The Love Of Storytelling

My Journey Towards Self-Transcendence

The Intertwining of Genius and Insanity

The Intertwining of Music and Sexuality ― A Djembefola’s Tale 

The Intertwining of Pain and Pleasure

Different Shades of Passion

How Do We Know We Are Good at Something?

Why I Share Stuff

From English as a Third Language to Author — How I Expanded My Vocabulary
 
Selective Hearing Among Men and Women

What The Heck are Vocal Fry and Upspeak?  

Artists Between Mindset and Motivation

The Writing Process and the Creative Block

On Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing

The LSD Experiments of the 1950s and 60s [Videos & Documentaries]

Out-of-Body Experience and Ego Death on a “Heroic Dose” of Mushrooms

Surviving the Madness of Sakarana — Hyoscyamus muticus