Everything and Nothing: The Reality of Unreality

“All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident” – Arthur Schopenhauer

I exist as the proverbial duality of sentient existence. Inherent in me, just like all mankind, are these warring factions of divergent thought, two sides of the same definition, fighting to make their implications reign as the Truth. For example, one can see how others’ opinions of them mean very little, while in that same moment it is painfully obvious that others’ opinions of you can mean so much. Perception is the very faculty that dictates professional success, robust intimacy, and general social health. So what then? The implications of these two obvious statements are diametrically opposed, yet occupy the same space as evident “truths” to the dual, perhaps multiple, nature of man.

The key to consummate self actualization, a state of healthy being, is predicated on what one believes. Here in lies my first true foray with existential impedance, as one whose very passion is being “right”, I constantly wage internal wars against the prevailing theories philosophically speaking. Therefore, I find myself asking, what do I truly believe? The answer is a vacuous one, one that leaves me as empty as the vast space existing within the universe of the self and the universe of the cosmos. I find myself so deeply encumbered by the reality of infinity, that existence has innumerable combinations and permutations, that it ceases to move, it truly ceases to exist. I reject an overwhelming majority of the things I read from other bright minds, simply because I choose to abstain from the reality of existential limitation, subsequently imposing self inflicted limitations in the process.

This delightful paradox is one of the many extant eddies that plague my mind with endless queries and anemic epiphanies. I find myself lodged in logical fallacies, begging questions that I want so desperately to break free from. As aforementioned, I divest stock from the prevailing theories of others, while being reminded that these beliefs are truths, many of which are actively affecting my reality. The economy, the government, consumerism and so on. Our world is devoid of True meaning, yet the false meanings are just as “real” and interactive as those I wish to convey. I realize that heavy reliance on one axiom or virtue will indelibly lead to a void somewhere else. We can teach humanity, but spirituality will somehow be reduced or we can rely on spirituality an scientific inquiry will be reduced. This realm of existence is one in which deception far too often clouds the conscious mind, because it is the unconscious mind that truly wields the arsenal. We’re told to live in the moment, yet simultaneously plan for the future and respect the past. We’re told to know thyself, yet the truest bits of one’s own character are seemingly inextricably located at the base of our unconscious minds. We are told to exercise tolerance, yet fight for what we believe in. We are told to shoot for the stars, yet constantly critiqued on how exactly to do that. The earth is comprised of 7 billion interpretations on timeless, formless truths, and within those 7 billion interpretations are infinite forks and junctions in which the person can amend or adjust their perspective.

I so desperately want to change the world, but will my description of “utopia” be anymore beneficial that that already in existence? Will mankind ever not be a walking paradox? I can preach to the end of my wits the realities I believe to be self evident, but I choose to live in these interstitial worlds, these shadows. My profession in and of itself is a syncretistic blend of industries and schools of thought, I often times find myself wondering if anyone actually understands anything I try to embody. My business is not one that easily translates into an institution or society, without becoming another bastion of socially imposed limitations, assessments, and identifications that plague our world currently.

I have come to another plateau of sorts, another summit that aggravates my being in its brazen obstinance. I see the world as not truly progressing, but another bureaucratic representation of our dualistic human nature, one that fundamentally exists on the precarious platform of imbalance. We are beings whose complexity supersedes any hope for true social balance. We want degrees and credentials, but in fact no degree or accreditation can ever truly solve the multidimensional Rubik’s cube that is human nature.

Thus my frustration pervades, locked in the conundrum that is the human infinity. Because we are infinite beings who can enjoy infinite existences within the parameters of life, walking incarnations of mathematical and incorporeal principles, we exist at a state of non-movement. We merely circulate round and round seemingly growing and progressing, yet only making superficial strides at best. Society is at enmity with the individual ego. The individual ego is anathema to progression on relative levels.

We are our own greatest enemies and our own greatest champions. We are infinity and since infinity is not a true velocity, more of a conceptual oddity, our extant beings are not moving at all.

bryce

Winners and Losers

For nearly a century now, men and women have been offering various insights on the strategies that make people successful. One of the earliest, James Allen, published As A Man Thinketh in the early 1900s. The brilliantly constructed essay is a very simplistic way of understanding the nature of success, a man is the summation of his thoughts; virtuous, God-like thoughts push toward progression, whereas negative, deprecating thoughts retract towards failure. Napoleon Hill, whose iconic book Think and Grow Rich, furthered this notion, by positing that those who thought positively about accruing wealth and riches, through self affirmation and ambition, would be essentially paving the road for success. Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers, takes it a step further by stating that luck, by means of origin, age, and environmental privilege, also play a key role in the sudden success of highly affluent people. He introduces The Matthew Effect which is a sociological phenomenon illustrated by a passage in the New Testament book of Matthew. The passage, Matthew 25:29, says “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath”, it is a variation on “the rich get richer and poor get poorer”. Gladwell uses The Matthew Effect as a platform to explain his Outliers, these men were “rich” in opportunity, most of which they had handed to them by their surroundings. Lastly, Jeff Olson in The Slight Edge takes all of this and creates a mental paradigm that says that every moment time is working for you or against you, this is known as the Slight Edge. By taking fruitful thoughts, mating them with fruitful actions, and persisting without fail, you will create a windfall of success for yourself.

As a culture we are obsessed with the secrets of success. The truth is we are obsessed with any shortcut, any special path, or unique divining rod that will lead us directly to abundant futures. This psychological laziness has become the earmark of mankind’s bell curve. Recall in your math classes that test scores and grades overall tended to follow what was know as a normal distribution; that is, approximately 50% of students would score in the “middle” with 25% percent and another 25% scoring in the the high and low extrema respectively. This means that 75% of people tend to score below the highest marks, furthermore, upon closer analysis a very small fraction of that 25% actually score above a 95 percentile. That elite 5% are always seen as students who possess some preternatural intelligence that have given them an unfair leg up.

The problem really is, as aforementioned, that most people are lazy. Okay, thats not really fair. Most people are unaware of the movement they should be making, therefore the resulting display of their abilities is severely diminished. We all want so badly to achieve financial, spiritual, and intimate success, and most of us fail so miserably, that it seems like the only way to actually find such things is through magic or shortcuts.

Being a winner is really very simple and it encompasses wisdom from several different widely understood sources. First, nothing is real and therefore anything that does not violate a law of physics is possible. Want to start a business but you don’t have a degree? Do it anyway. Find someone who has a degree and collaborate if necessary. Want to build your own multimillion dollar mansion, do it. Figure out if there are any programs that you can incorporate to get things done for cheaper or free, environmental grants and so on. Second, realize that everyday contains 1,440 minutes or 86,400 seconds that you can be further progressing towards your goal. Sometimes success comes very quickly, other times it doesn’t. There is no universal shortcut or formula. Just wake up everyday and do SOMETHING, ANYTHING that puts you closer to that goal. Third, assess your current network and see what resources you may have that you may have looked over. Look at society currently, are there any waves you can ride? Any new technologies? Clayton Christensen in his book The Innovator’s Dilemma talks about disruptive technologies, those new innovations that seem to “disrupt” the status quo. Big established companies do not have the same dexterity as smaller firms, therefore, if you do have an idea you may have the necessary grace to accomplish what the Fortune 500s can’t.

Finally, and what I believe to be most important is my contribution to the Winner’s Mentality. That is an acute awareness that life is a game. It is a performance. The stage are these three dimensions that we exist within and they become a canvas for immeasurable creativity. Do not let the confines of social convention, religious dogma, developmental biases, or any other imposed limitation stunt your ability to create your legacy.

Life is tough. Today I was dealt a devastating blow that really derailed my waking hours; however, that must be expected. You must expect the hardships to come and try and dampen your meteoric rise. The key is, as James Allen eloquently points out, to understand that your internals control your externals. Therefore, YOU control your circumstances by controlling your RESPONSE to circumstances. We tend to make our lives orders of magnitude more difficult when we, already in a bind, make a series of hasty decisions, praying for the best. Robert Greene in The 48 Laws of Power describes the powerful man’s sense of Time. Instead of reactively responding to time, an illusory concept in and of itself, he slowly takes his time to analyze the situation, causing time to move more slowly. If we can come up with a rational framework that exists outside of social normalities regarding time, we adroitly control our circumstances. So even when you are dealt a crucial day or a series of unfortunate events, your performance is one of stunning grace and dexterity.

That, my friends, is how you create the life you want to live. Half of what I understand to be truth now are from extrapolations of various ancient texts, primarily the Bible. I may not be your conventional Christian, but I see so much of the Winner’s Mentality leaking through the pages of the world’s most dominate religion. We as free moral agents have the ability to create our livelihoods and using a rational framework juxtaposed on an irrational framework like spirituality, tends to give people a superhuman presence.

Hope this motivates some of you to do better tomorrow.

bryce

The Pit Viper

When it comes to most matters of life,
I am the prototypical pit viper,
More afraid of others than they may be of me…
More precisely, its a fear of the circumstances:
Fear of my image if I fail,
Fear of lost credibility,
Fear of injury or pain,
Fear of negative gossip or naysay.
So I tend to stay in my pocket,
Working the angles that I can,
Doing my job, working my plan.
Yet, deep within me lurks a ferocity,
Like a downshifted vehicle, increased velocity,
Suddenly I have no anxiety towards any atrocity,
All semblance of humanity lost to me.
I am the aggravated Pit Viper.
A beast no man wishes no meet in the jungle.
Fuck all that bravado & illusory self righteousness,
Fuck all those feelings & abject righted-ness,
It is never my intention to attack or injure,
Nor pain, nor destroy, nor offend.
It is not my nature to inflict,
Nor harm, nor tear, no rend.
No…
I am a creature that seeks harmony in his system,
I refuse to be the victor nor victim,
I feign not a vicar or pissed Him,
I simply wish to enjoy my sanctum.
Yet it seems,
Even the nimblest of beasts attracts the uncouth,
The profane man of ill name,
Who fills blanks with statements made
From nil names,
Ration flawed, Empathy broken,
They wield tokens that they swear have value,
Nevertheless stumbling upon my Lair.
I don’t mean to wound,
But I will if I have to.
I don’t mean to strike,
But I will if I have to.
The fear I feel keeps my animality in check,
Yet normality is wrecked when formalities are kicked,
How offensive your imagined rules,
How lofty you foolish words are.
The gaping maw of my insolence,
Puncturing pretentious flesh.
The crippling poison of my indignation,
Leaving wounds fresh..
I have no remorse,
For this is the chosen course of the unreasonable man.
The man who chose not to see the Pit Viper,
For just what it was.
A dormant wraith,
Waiting for new life.
Horrendous phantasm
Hungry for new strife.

bryce

Hold the glass of liquid poison,
It promises death from your current woes,
The warming sensation in your gut,
Brings you from the depths & throes,
Who knows, what lows might be skirted,
Better yet created,
When the brown toxins begin to toil.
Libation, it doth elucidate
And stagnate.
Confusion & enlightenment,
Sitting precariously close.
Do I dare flirt with higher conscious?
Although my thoughts are sloshed….
Yes.
Bring me ignorant bliss, oh poison.
Bring me elevated stupidity.
Bring me to my knees.
Take me to the sheets.