This piece is filled with Ideas of the sort that strike a chord so true that they vaporize when I try to look at them directly. It’s not easy for me, but it’s worth letting some favorite questions hang in the air in the periphery and see what happens in my creative life. You’ve done such an amazing job with this, Kathleen. Many thanks.🌿
When you consider the stages of consciousness and the fact that effectively we are all creating our own realities, it's amazing that we humans manage to interact as well as we do. We are constantly taking in data, interacting with other creatures, interpreting it all and then, in the case of writers, using this, plus such skill as we have, to try to create something truthful. It is truly mind blowing. I am reminded of the film "Iris" when Iris Murdoch, lost in the wilderness of her dementia, has a moment of clarity and says to her husband "I wrote". The recognition of that loss is like a body blow. That brilliance and creativity, philosophy, supreme skill as a communicator, all lost because the organ that facilitated it all had malfunctioned. It's the combination of the tangible (the brain) and the intangible (the mind) that enables us to create in our own unique way. When one is missing the result is silence. That is why I am driven to write when I can, even if I doubt my skill or relevance. It took me years to find anything to say, and I don't know how much more I will be able to say, so I write to plant my flag and say "I was here", regardless of whether anyone reads it. Sounds very narcissistic come to think of it, but really it is an attempt to connect with something or someone.
Thank you for another major brain workout, Kate! That's quite enough thinking for one day!
Thank you for sharing these thought-provoking reflections. Your post serves as a reminder that these philosophical inquiries are not confined to any particular time period or culture; they are questions that touch the core of our existence and reflect the shared human journey of seeking understanding and meaning.
Superb post, Kate. I need to return to this a few times I think. Consciousness and the emergence of consciousness are utterly fascinating topics, and ones I'm sure not we'll ever truly understand. As I've begun to meditate more over the last few years, it's also something that I question more and more. Not in a negative way, but increasingly have moments of stopping and thinking and asking myself the likes of "what is real? What is now? What am I truly looking at? Etc. That sounds pretty wanky when I write it out 🤣
Anil Seth is brilliant. Listened to him a fair bit.
Have you listened to any of Joscha Bach? He came up on Lex Fridman podcast recently ... 🤯
Wow, a lot of deep thoughts in this piece, Kate! It's one I need to read a couple of times. A few initial thoughts: I love the idea of having the power to change our existence, and how we experience difficult situations. It really gave me pause for thought...as well as trying to focus on what's around us rather than the inner mind (a trait I struggle with!) I also think your observation that your writing self may be more 'real' than that which you present to others is interesting, and I get that. I often think the page is where I part with the whole of myself, somehow, whereas I may be more reserved in 'real life'. So much food for thought here! As always!!
This piece is filled with Ideas of the sort that strike a chord so true that they vaporize when I try to look at them directly. It’s not easy for me, but it’s worth letting some favorite questions hang in the air in the periphery and see what happens in my creative life. You’ve done such an amazing job with this, Kathleen. Many thanks.🌿
When you consider the stages of consciousness and the fact that effectively we are all creating our own realities, it's amazing that we humans manage to interact as well as we do. We are constantly taking in data, interacting with other creatures, interpreting it all and then, in the case of writers, using this, plus such skill as we have, to try to create something truthful. It is truly mind blowing. I am reminded of the film "Iris" when Iris Murdoch, lost in the wilderness of her dementia, has a moment of clarity and says to her husband "I wrote". The recognition of that loss is like a body blow. That brilliance and creativity, philosophy, supreme skill as a communicator, all lost because the organ that facilitated it all had malfunctioned. It's the combination of the tangible (the brain) and the intangible (the mind) that enables us to create in our own unique way. When one is missing the result is silence. That is why I am driven to write when I can, even if I doubt my skill or relevance. It took me years to find anything to say, and I don't know how much more I will be able to say, so I write to plant my flag and say "I was here", regardless of whether anyone reads it. Sounds very narcissistic come to think of it, but really it is an attempt to connect with something or someone.
Thank you for another major brain workout, Kate! That's quite enough thinking for one day!
Thank you for sharing these thought-provoking reflections. Your post serves as a reminder that these philosophical inquiries are not confined to any particular time period or culture; they are questions that touch the core of our existence and reflect the shared human journey of seeking understanding and meaning.
Superb post, Kate. I need to return to this a few times I think. Consciousness and the emergence of consciousness are utterly fascinating topics, and ones I'm sure not we'll ever truly understand. As I've begun to meditate more over the last few years, it's also something that I question more and more. Not in a negative way, but increasingly have moments of stopping and thinking and asking myself the likes of "what is real? What is now? What am I truly looking at? Etc. That sounds pretty wanky when I write it out 🤣
Anil Seth is brilliant. Listened to him a fair bit.
Have you listened to any of Joscha Bach? He came up on Lex Fridman podcast recently ... 🤯
Wow, a lot of deep thoughts in this piece, Kate! It's one I need to read a couple of times. A few initial thoughts: I love the idea of having the power to change our existence, and how we experience difficult situations. It really gave me pause for thought...as well as trying to focus on what's around us rather than the inner mind (a trait I struggle with!) I also think your observation that your writing self may be more 'real' than that which you present to others is interesting, and I get that. I often think the page is where I part with the whole of myself, somehow, whereas I may be more reserved in 'real life'. So much food for thought here! As always!!
Thank you for the inclusion 💕
I love the Unbearable Lightness of Being so much