Am “I” “privileged”? Totally! I’m the luckiest motherfucker alive!! An entire multiverse is given to me in every nanosecond and I don’t have to do anything to earn it. It simply spontaneously appears. A literal infinite playground on which to dance whatever dance I wish to dance appears spontaneously every nanosecond. In perfect clarity, with [...]
I made a comic! For the first time ever. It involves an angst-ridden human and a sorta-Zen tortoise and plenty of strangeness. I’ll leave it at that. I hope you enjoy. A version of this essay was first published at HighExistence. Refine The Mind is now on Patreon. For the cost of buying me a [...]
“Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.” ― Ai Weiwei In the wake of publishing my recent piece on the sociocultural dysfunctions of the United States, a few people have criticized me. More specifically, a few Internet-folks have suggested that my emphasis on the need for change in our present global situation is [...]
Reflections on the “cosmic perspective” and what to remember when feeling powerless to change the world. I finally started watching the new Cosmos series the other day. You know, the remake of Carl Sagan’s classic 1980s science documentary-show? The one about science and the universe with Neil deGrasse Tyson as intergalactic guide? Yeah, that one. I’m [...]
The Tao Te Ching is one old book. Like older-than-Jesus old. Written around the 6th century BC by the poet-philosopher Lao Tzu, the relatively short work is the fundamental text of Taoist philosophy. It’s also a stirring and delectable little read, 2600 years later. Taoist teachings (along with other Oriental philosophy) seem to calm, stimulate, and refresh me, [...]
“I am soon to become an emperor-ha-ha-ha-ha! I am destined to be a lousy beggar – ha-ha-ha-ha! It’s all a game. Any part will suit me fine.” For thousands of years, Eastern sages have taught a method for reducing or eliminating suffering — in a word: non-resistance. The idea is this: As humans, we possess [...]
If mankind were contacted by an alien race, how would the world react? How would people change? In his novel, Contact, the late, great astronomer Carl Sagan explores this fascinating question. I recently had the pleasure of reading Contact, and one of the aspects I most admired about it was Dr. Sagan’s humble suggestion that communication [...]
“You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.” Everyone reading this probably recognized that opening sentence. It’s the snappy little catch phrase thrown in at the end of every Men’s Warehouse commercial. These types of ostensibly encouraging messages are a staple in the world of fashion and beauty product advertising (You can be [...]
Recently, I read an extraordinary collection of letters written by Rainer Maria Rilke, the renowned Bohemian-Austrian poet who passed away in 1926. Between 1903 and 1908, Rilke penned a series of responses to a would-be writer, offering advice on poetry and on being a sensitive individual in an often cruel and unforgiving world. These letters, [...]
I was thinking about Banksy the other day. You know of Banksy, right? He’s that notorious, enigmatic England-based serial street artist. He’s produced countless iconic works of satirical graffiti, and his art often contains subversive anti-capitalist or anti-establishment messages. He’s also a writer, painter, and film director (his documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, is [...]