Identity is a lie, and Intuition is trustworthy
“We do not think in thoughts, but in shadows of thoughts” — Vladimir Nabokov, Pale Fire.
When a person finds their identity under threat they become terrified. Common ways this happens are that they fail a big exam, a spouse cheats on them, they lose their job, or they read ‘Spiritual Enlightenment’ by Jedd McKenna. The voice in their head is abandoned by its teleprompter.
Living for so long with anything makes a person see that thing as essential. They say it is psychologically necessary to believe in role models, political ideologies, religion, a better future; yourself. A quick but honest examination of these things shows them all to be frankly silly. That is why people want to think of them as an inevitable part of being human. One wants to see them as eternally existing, rather than the confabulations of a non-clinically delusional mind.
These delusions, supposedly protective, cause a lot of pain. It is by failing to see people as they are that a person develops attachment, the need for a person to be a certain way rather than accepting them as they are. Love then comes by a kind of mental fiat, instrumental and debased, rather than arising from a person’s nature. Belief is an addiction: one is constantly needing news stories, science, history, friends and acquaintances to reaffirm one’s beliefs. But if you…
