1 - If we are indeed getting better, it highlights just how far behind we were in our development before the last 250 years of technological advances. Our new philosophies, psychology, medicine, architecture, biology, math, physics, construction, food procurement, childbirth practices, and more—all these fields have evolved, yet none have ever been perfect. It’s hard to say if we are truly becoming more relaxed and organic in our approach. Are we genuinely reconnecting with nature? Do we, as a species, truly love our planet and hold all life as precious? I’m not so sure.
It seems like we've scaled up like an unprofitable business. Yes, we've opened more stores and grown bigger and more impressive, but we've also scaled up our problems alongside our achievements.
2 - When it comes to understanding reality, nearly any reasonable explanation of consciousness could be true simultaneously. Whether we say consciousness is this or that, both could hold some truth. But what does this mean for humanity? How does it help us live better than the ancient cultures that existed over the last 150,000 years—cultures that maintained a deep, conscious, and intentional relationship with the planet, their communities, animals, the skies, and the stars? These cultures had ideas about reality that conveyed many truths, and even if they were slightly off mathematically by today's standards, they honored their home, themselves, and all of life. They understood how to breathe and likely lived with a profound presence.
Where are these people now? They are scattered, but their influence endures. They likely taught or influenced the Rishis (Sages) of the Vedic period, the San people of Southern Africa, and the shamans of ancient Siberia, Mongolia, and Central Asia. These lost tribes still exist today in remote parts of the world, keeping the torch glowing for humanity. All great philosophers have been influenced by those who came before them. We must continue this tradition. Keep writing. Keep trying to find the right words to touch the hearts of someone—or many people—capable of amplifying positive messages. The benefit of this effort is that we flood our own minds with positive messages as we express them. We practice becoming better by learning from others and teaching others, without the pursuit of monetary gain.
3 - Humans are a tough lot. Even the least of us possess incredible intelligence. We have free will and the power to break from any lingering instincts to chase after our desires.
Yet, we are also fragile—easily damaged, both mentally and physically. In the grand scheme of things, we are delicate creatures. Our greatest defense is coming together, working things out as a collective. And our even greater instinct is to follow the principles of compassion and non-harm, to avoid conflict and suffering altogether. Imagine that: a true stroke of genius.
4 - I feel I have studied enough Eastern and Western philosophy and religion to understand that many of these philosophies offer profound insights into the nature of reality, including the intricate workings of the universe and the origins and essence of consciousness. However, I find it unfortunate that religions have often been derailed by human influence. While there are valuable teachings to be found within religions, I am more intrigued by philosophies that **do not** speak of God in absolute terms, leaving room for growth and expansion through time.
The ancient philosophers understood this thing called "Fear." They saw what it did to all creatures: fight or flight. We are designed to recover from sudden shocks—traumas, losses, disrespect, humiliation, jealousy, self-doubt, depression—the gamut of negative emotions we encounter. However, if we dwell in these negative emotions for too long, if fear’s sensations persist or grow too strong, we lose our ability to relax. We shift into a state of hypervigilance, a constant anxiety. The ancients called this Suffering. Negative emotions are meant to pass if our inner mechanisms remain intact through childhood, if we are nurtured and given what we each need to grow into loving beings.
Yet humanity still often fails to recognize how vital a loving environment is to the development of a child’s mind. Without love, the first casualty is the Present Moment. And from there, all of reality becomes distorted. When we live in any landscape other than Now, we inhabit a fictional reality—one that is self-perpetuating. In this state, life seems dangerous, and creation feels unforgiving. We become hair-trigger creatures, ready to explode at any moment.
The way back from this state is to become aware of our shifted consciousness. To slow the restless mind—always thinking, always solving, manipulating, calculating, judging, desiring, predicting, protecting, and comparing. This mind, of course, is a valuable tool for survival. It’s how we discovered fire, the wheel, planting seeds, and how we escaped countless perils throughout history. But it is also the source of our worst nightmares: other humans. Nothing kills more of us than we kill of ourselves. A strange creature indeed. Such is the result when instinct is cast aside.
We kill not just for survival, but for sport, pleasure, vengeance, power, perversion, and greed. We kill for territory, resources, and psychopathic impulses.
5 - We struggle in our pursuit of happiness.
The science of happiness is what the great ancient philosophers and practitioners were trying to convey through all their intricate studies, names, logic, theories, and awakenings. They never nailed down the explanation of consciousness except to state the obvious: no one truly knows what it is. Period. We have thousands of theories. It could be as simple as brain matter and neurons generating what we experience as awareness and consciousness. In a body with a brain and other vital organs, we perceive time and space, experience sensations from moment to moment, and thoughts arise naturally within us. Yet, in our anxious states, we lose something. We lose the homeostasis of our entire being. We lose the present moment. We often lose ourselves on the path to expanding consciousness, seeking joy, love, gratitude, and the present moment.
We are complex puzzles, both mentally and physically. Somewhere in our youth, we become scrambled, and we spend much of our lives trying to reassemble the mind and its profound connection with the Now.
6 - The era of chastity as the only option and the renunciation of society is over. Humanity must prove it can function as a cooperative, humble, non-destructive species if evolution is to favor us, allowing us a chance at longevity, like sharks, turtles, and other long-surviving creatures.
Today, we can address our troubles by understanding the fight-or-flight mechanisms versus the relaxed brain state. We can now describe anxiety from a deeply nuanced perspective. Science confirms that breathing exercises are vital for reducing stress—a truth the ancients knew, recognizing the rewards of a relaxed mind and a longer life. This was at the core of many of their teachings.
7 - Many great teachings have exclusively focused on philosophy over methodology, while others have relied on poetry. But we need more than Haikus to awaken this modern-day crowd of over 8 billion—a "semi-hooligan, semi-crazy" species. The ancients lacked what we have today to supplement philosophy: unbiased studies on the effects of trauma on the developing brain. Throughout history, recorded and unrecorded, great philosophers have contemplated the mental disturbances and distractions we face, capable of driving us to brutality. We can be horrific creatures, the terror of the innocent world.
Too much philosophy without direct instruction on methods to achieve relaxation is pointless. In many ways, it becomes part of the problem because it generates more anxiety. When we teach people the specific words "anxiety" and "relaxation," we are imparting an incredible spiritual truth. We identify the problem, and we see the goal.
8 - The most effective method is to teach why meditation works. We go straight to the point: practicing sitting with skepticism, boredom, scattered thoughts, and taking deep breaths trains us to relax from the physiological effects of anxiety. This practice helps the mind to step in, redirect negative thoughts, and allow painful feelings to pass through us. Through breathwork, consistent practice, and guidance from good teachers, we develop our skills. We learn to bring ourselves back to a relaxed state of mind, and over time, we return to the present moment.
There is no time to waste on those who resist self-improvement. When we work with such individuals, our goal should not be to gain power, popularity, or create a following. Our aim is to help them, to set them free into the world. We shouldn’t take credit for their self-development, as that would distract us from our own growth. Remember, fame and popularity can also become distractions.
9 - Whether it’s physical pain, fear of financial insecurity, being stuck for hours on a plane, screaming children, inflation, car payments, bad news, or our own chemistry, there are countless distractions. We have five primary senses bringing these distractions into our awareness. The distractions that trigger anxiety are the ones we need to address. Chronic anxiety and addictive behavior patterns are what we aim to fix. We don’t need to explore the cosmos or unravel the nature of consciousness to achieve this. In fact, overthinking these philosophies might keep our minds active, pulling us out of the present moment and back into anxiety.
10 - I define enlightenment for myself as being in a state of mind that is fully present and completely relaxed. Through my personal work, when I reach that state, I feel blissful. In that mindset, my creativity and natural talents rise to the surface, allowing me to be of service to the community.
Now that I think I reach this state but then fall out, I can spend more and more time there, deepening my awareness without turning enlightenment into a goal that I strive and struggle to achieve. I know that this state will come naturally. The more I practice, the more it emerges, and the deeper it becomes. It’s value to me is that I can improve my character and my morality and be a better and better person to all others.
I won’t try to explain exactly what I gain from it, except to say that I find relaxation and peace of mind. I feel accepting of what is. I feel compassion coming naturally. When I see others suffering, I now feel empathy.
11 - My contribution is through writing about these things and improving myself, reducing my transmission of poisonous philosophies to the next generation, that were handed down to me. It makes me feel better to explore what's going on in my mind and see if simplifying the problem can lead to solutions that help others. This, I believe, is the secondary objective of our lives. The first is to survive; the second is to help future generations survive. We should conserve our energy to learn how to relax and help others do the same, so we can stop destroying the planet as we progress. From a game theory perspective, one could argue that humanity is improving, and there is some truth to that, as our collective investments have yielded progress.