The Art of Being Alone (Pt 8): Metamodern Man's Search for Reason & Soul Making
The world is hot fucking mess. And maybe it always was. But do our hearts and minds have to be? Is there not a better way? For each of us and the world to be?
Alone at sea, these questions pillage my mind. My spiritual journey has brought me greater equanimity, but sometimes I feel as if I am simply drifting in a fog. Drifting and drifting in cool peaceful waters, watching the raging fires burn ashore.
In practicing the Art of Being Alone, at some point, you can naval gaze for only so long. A 20 year retreat may be salvation to your Samsaric soul, but it won’t save the global sinking ship of stress, pain, inequality and destruction.
Instead, Wisdom and Compassion must be put into action. And that brings us to a classic spiritual paradox: the battle between equanimity and compassion on the path.
Eros, let’s get ready to rumble.
FIRE & WATER:
COMPASSIONATE FIRE vs THE POOL OF EQUANIMITY
Equanimity is often falsely seen as being like a Stoic rock — cold, hard, and unshakable. However, it is more of a calm and clear pool in harmony with whatever comes, surrendering control to go with the flow. A mental state of vivid and vast openness, peacefulness, and acceptance of blissful highs and shitty lows of life. Instead of a contracted rock, you’re liberated water flowing with the uncertainty, chaos and an impermanent world that swirls around you.
But there is a dangerous trap in only floating with your swimmies in equanimity.
Just look at Asian cultures with treasures of meditation technologies and ancient wisdom. Tibet in all their riches has none of the spoils of modern science and medicine. Or other Buddhist countries who historically have passively accepted what is — including oppression, injustices and military dictatorships. Spiritual progress, cultural progress and technological progress are all different siblings of growth.
Only naval gazing or simply accepting what is in equanimity - doesn’t create vaccines, help malnourished kids in Africa, or fuel Elon Musks to send rockets into space. It doesn’t fight to build better worlds — it simply accepts it.
For better or worse, neurotic ego maniacs and workaholics — more often than not — don’t accept the status quo. They don’t pray for a better world with mantras, they dream of a better world — and then they build it.
And this is where equanimity clashes with cuddly compassion.
The Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism, vows to attain awakening for the benefit all sentient beings. A deep rooted compassion to minimize the suffering of the world and awaken all beings.
This view (Shamanic Periscope) often assumes this one spiritual dimension of awakening is a panacea for all the world’s problems. Just wake up everyone and all will be fine. Simple enough, but I think history shows otherwise. The blessed Dala Lama has deeply rooted wisdom and compassion, but does he possess all pervasive truths? His insistence on (debunked) Astrology before making important decisions probably shows that.
Is there not a middle way? A better way of looking and growing our hearts, minds and world? Is there not room for respect of tradition and progress?Better Shamanic Periscopes for each of us to cultivate and see the world through? Not because we want to, but because we may have to in an increasingly complex world?
This conundrum, is why Eros and I long for a metamodern periscope — one of transcendental truths and scientific truths. Enhancing the spiritual and material planes with all the 21st century tools at our disposal: developmental psychology, sociology, ecology, politics and institutions, economics, medicine and science. For the technologies of antibiotics and birth control liberate people from suffering too. Yet most technology doesn’t speak to the heart.
This is the lonely metamodern search to transcend and include it all. Instead of resting in equanimity or the polarities of extreme views, the metamodern lens longs for a progressive view of spirituality and science to raise the boats of well being of humans, animals, and the planet.
Yet the desire to transcend and include multiple perspectives often leads to tensions and status quo resistance. Why can't I have it all? Ohh whisper sweet nothings into my ear Eros, why can’t I have it all?
OHH EROS.....CAN’T I?
Can’t I have the Bhudda's pragmatic Dharma —pragmatically for the 21st century?
Can’t I have deeply subjective meaning AND broadly objective reason?
Can’t I have mysterious graciousness — AND not literal superstition and archaic mythology?
Can’t I have science and rational modernity AND not flatten everything in life to bits and quarks?
Can’t I have modern progress AND sustainability?
Can't I respect Dharmic tradition AND leave room for art and innovation?
Can’t I have sacred rituals AND not the woo woo metaphysics?
Can’t I experience the divine, AND not take every manifestation in consciousness 100% literally?
Can’t I have the wisdom of the sutras AND the wisdom of consciousness research?
Can’t I have conviviality of connection, love and community— but not simply retreat from the world to monasteries and hippie dippie communes?
Can’t I accept the valid postmodern critique — AND not embrace all the moral relativism and hysteric woke call out culture?
Can't I admire the love and wisdom of the guru, AND not be deluded into thinking they are fully developed and perfected super beings?
Can’t I have the simplicity of Zen AND the beauty of emergent complexity science?
Can’t I have Karmic interconnection and habits of mind AND not perceiving every pattern of coincidence as some eternalistic karmic destiny?
Can't I see patterns in the world AND also have the discernment to see their emptiness and nebulosity ?
Can’t I wake up with dharma AND integrate and clean up my shit with western psychology?
Can’t I hold multiple perspectives and truths AND not be shamed, silenced, and deplatformed?
Can’t I acknowledge everyone is right, AND not equally right?
Can’t we have greater equality AND recognize we are not created equal or exactly the same?
Can’t we collectively grow our hearts and minds AND grow mother earth?
Can’t I continue to grow to benefit myself and the world AND not be an arrogant self-absorbed ass?
Can’t I have Love, Truth and the Beauty?
Ohh eros, why can't I? Tell me why....
I know I know, a bit demanding. No wonder I am single at sea. Sometimes you take the road less traveled, other times there seems to be no road. Doh, we are in a hackneyed lost at sea metaphor after all. A sea where I am stuck in the riptide of equanimity with what is, and the compassion to make it better — all while a tsunami is barreling towards us.
Eros, get the life rafts and metamodern Shamanic Periscopes! Shit is going to get rough.
TSUNAMI OF THE MILLENNIA
I long for humanity to think higher and feel deeper. Not out of self-righteousness, but because I believe our current trajectory as a civilization demands it.
Better ways of thinking. Better ways of feeling. Better ways of conversation and dialogue. Better ways living and playing. Better Shamanic Periscopes to make sense of the world. Better ways to progress and grow.
In our current dynamic 21st century — whether we like it or not — a great tsunami of change and destruction is brewing. Status quo modernity is only exacerbating our problems and strengthening the storm.
But will the yogis or New Age hippies’ awakening of collective consciousness save us? I wouldn't hold my breath.
I don't see how these axial age and new age tools and traditions are up to a 21st challenge of transnational cooperation, climate change, systems change and exponential technologies of AI and biotech?
Our hearts are screaming for more meaning and purpose. Yet if we simply retreat to our caves to meditate all day most of us will likely die.
If we say fuck it (like part of me feels) and hideout in peace and solitude on our hippie dippie organic permaculture farms dancing in the mountains and playing with goats — most of us will likely die.
If we all continue the status quo games and paradigms that innovation can always outrun supra exponential growth demands of our current closed loop resource system (basically non-sustainable exponential growth) a collapse is mathematically inevitable — and you guessed it —most of us will likely die.
Nerd Note: As the corona virus remind us, exponentials get crazy quickly. Our consumption of finite resources and production of waste is accelerating supra-exponentially. Like any model, pick your time horizon, but with enough time, our current trajectory and resource usage rates translates into requiring an industrial revolution like paradigm shift every couple of years to increase our population carrying capacity, all to avoid collapse. (Geeks please see the book “Scale” by G. West and “Overshoot” for fascinating reads)
These historical times is why I think we will need all the wisdom of the past, and all the innovation to come, just to save our asses and hearts. We need more refined ways of looking at the complexity of modern life ( Shamanic Periscopes) to make sense of the world and enhance our well being in the world. To live lives rich in consciousness coins.
Carl Jung spoke of the Modern man’s search for a Soul due to the Enlightenment ‘killing God’. In Post-Modernism, they critique science’s sole grip on truth and rightfully highlight the role of culture forming and constructing much of life (often with no proposed solutions). Stealing from Jung, I now believe there is a new struggle. A post, Post-Modern struggle: Meta-Modern man's search for Reason & Soul Making.
This metamodern middle way of spirituality and science — harmoniously growing culture and nature — is my metamodern fantasy. A pragmatic path of development and growth. Growing our hearts. Growing our minds. Growing our communities. Developing racists and conspiracy theorist cults. Nurturing the addicted, underserved and white privileged hipster.
Cultivating the depth and breadth of our experiences while enhancing our understanding of ourselves and the world with better periscopes. Surrendering polarities of black and white oversimplifications, for the metamodern complexity that works under the hood.
Taking multiple perspectives, considering multiple factors: culture and genes, the mystical and cognitive psychology, systems change and soul making. The complexity of science and the simplicity of loving open hearts. To not shame and silence — but to listen to all and transcend and include them all.
Instead of denying the (biological, cultural, systemic etc) games of life, or simply accepting them as how it is, we can change and enhance the games (e.g. #gameB). This struggle of polarities is the metamodern struggle for a better way.
Developing and Shifting the individual, we can collectively create better worlds. Worlds with equanimity, compassion, and and that needed cliche of wisdom and discernment.
Nothing and No one is perfect of course. But cultures, science, religions, individuals, and nature ALL grow and evolve.
Our challenge, is that we must choose how.
This is my bold, and maybe narcissistic spiritual fantasy of growth. And it’s a fantasy I can't shake. Ironically — the itchiness that brought me on my journey is pulling on me again.
That sexy demanding Eros again in her black little dress, whispering, there is a better way. Not out of lack of equanimity with what is, but a compassion for a better world.
Lonely at sea, I can’t go back to the old world and its naively shallow and destructive ways. Nor the simplified moralism of the woke world. It seems I am a spiritual heart and rational mind with no where to dock, drifiting In a metamodern current.
And that’s why I long for a 21st century vessel of wisdom to bring us to a new world.
I dream of a different game, a #gameB, a dream of Batlantis.
Batlantis: Ditching Naive Utopias for Pragmatic Eutopias:
Maybe I am naive in a romantic rebellion against capitalist consumerism. Or maybe the modern status quo is naive, stuck in a false paradigm accelerating towards a cliff of collapse. And maybe we are all naive while learning and growing.
But in my metamodern fantasy, I dream of a better world; Growing the cognitive complexity and operating system of memes we all run to try to understand the world. While also growing the modern spiritual buffet, empowering us to grow our hearts and fill them with deeper meaning in an age of bullshit.
We need a metamodern politics of personal development and cultural development. A pragmatic and compassionate politics filled with better conversations. Rational economic growth and sustainability — all while wisdom steers us towards Batlantis
Where it goes, I don’t know. But it’s my fantasy and I know I must die trying. I may be lost at sea alone, but in time we shall see what will emerge at sea. This is a lonely and love filled metamodern quest, floating in equanimity with the grey of life and compassionately dreaming of a better world.
Yet encouragingly, I see other ships sailing to the horizon too. Many dreams and many experiments. For we will not build a Utopia (no place in greek) but instead a pragmatic Eutopia (a better world) — one heart, one experiment and one shamanic periscope at a time.
If you want to join the #gameB cult, come aboard. I don't know the destination — but then again as our current times show — no one fucking does.
But I know we need a better way, a metamodern way, otherwise with complacency and equanimity — the bankers, technocrats, hipsters, monks, moms and hippies all may die happily ever after. Ohh Eros, can't I have it all? Expanding our hearts and minds, there must be a better way.