Although never described as such,
a man’s desire for the conscious part of his brain to,
"wake up" from a state of, “lethargy & dreams” 
can been seen as a longing to be original-of-mind 
while living in a world of total mimicry and plagiarism.

Life has arranged that habit is the most efficient
approach to physical survival for all creatures,
and has chosen same as its method of 
sustaining man’s mental world as well.

Ordinary men are made to brag about 
the originality of their ideas, 
but not allowed to notice that 
their intellectual activity consists of nothing more than 
either sycophantic support, 
or vacuous criticism of ideas already expressed by others.
(As an additional insult, 
they are coerced into offering as proof of 
their intellectual prowess, 
their ability to quote the thoughts of others.) 

Physical life on this planet obviously changes
in a quite gradual, and coherent manner; 
so too does mental life, but not so apparent is it
to the creatures who are its medium.
From a mortal perspective you would conclude that 
such a conservative approach must be the safest course -- 
--  physically speaking,
but it is this same caution-of habitual mental behavior that impromptu infuriates the few,
and causes them to give this dull repetitious operation of consciousness such names as, 
“sleep walking," and, "living in a dream.”

Men accept the fact that the functioning of their 
heart, lungs, and liver is habitual, 
but with the brain’s consciousness, 
it seems to be otherwise;
there seems to be at least some room for movement;
some room for  originality and deviation from 
strictly automatic operations.
In practice this proves to be much more a matter of,
“seems-to-be”
than  --   “is.”
For even though the mental world of man does morph,
it does so on a most leisurely and collective level,
affording no actual, real-time, freedom of thought 
to the individual. 

I would waste my time attempting to preach this 
to ordinary minds, 
for they cannot be converted to its reality.
I say it to you people reading these daily writings,
and you either realize it or you don’t.
Under the ordinary, commonly experienced conditions 
of being a conscious human,
the thoughts that endlessly appear in your mind 
are not original with you;
they are not products of your independent thinking;
they are in no wise examples of your creativity,
and are merely a few knots 
out of a billion-trillion others,
tied on a rope of infinite length.

As is always the case, the truth of a situation 
ne’er troubles the minds of the few,
but you do need to clearly realize for yourself that 
what is accepted as, 
“thinking for yourself” in the everyday world 
is patently, no such thing. 
The routine intellectual world & life of mankind is one of 
nothing but mimicry and cannibalism.
In the overall picture,
individual originality of thought has no place –
--  has no value.
When the intellectual, second reality of man undergoes change,
it does so in the medium of mankind collectively,
(or in some sizable segment thereof.)

Men have an inexpressible, yet,
irrepressible awareness that their normal intellectual
life is confined to one of duplication, quotation, 
and plagiarism, 
and they in fact indirectly struggle therewith by
attempting to display some originality in the
form of acceptable rebellion in the physical realm,
through such modes as the clothes they wear; 
their manner of walking, talking, standing;
all told, their so-called --  “life style,”
(as though): 
“Since I have no freedom in the way I think, 
I will exercise some in the way I dress;
the drugs I take,
the customs I flaunt.”
This is the appeal of, “The life of the artist.”
Men long for the actual mental freedom that 
thought has always promised, 
but never delivers on  --   collectively speaking.

Thought’s inherent difficulty in directly comprehending itself presents a situation almost beyond its ability to realize.
How can you make the walls that comprise a closed room 
aware that they are the confined area?! 
During normal operations and conversations
men go along with the pretense that they are 
capable of original thought,
after all,
under normal conditions, what choice do they have?!
Men do not ordinarily take note that 
no individual creative thinking is involved in them saying that 
they do not believe in Jack Frost to someone who does.
 

There is no plate for originality when you dine at the table of collective cannibalism.

What creative response is possible to that which itself is mere impersonation?!
 

Neither agreeing, nor dissenting with ideas that were not 
original with their source 
is in any way a form of originality on the part of the one 
doing the agreeing or dissenting,
but by engaging in such behavior you reinforce your
glutinous seating at the common table of spurious,
intellectual cannibalism. 
 

You can’t keep debating the color of Santa Claus’ eyes 
without it supporting a haunting suspicion that he may exist.

If you are thinking about the things that 
everyone else is thinking about ,(pro or con)  -- 
--  you are asleep, 
and your intellectual life -- 
merely part of man’s collective dream.

That covers it – 
there is no where else to look,
and nothing else to say about the matter:
If you are thinking about things that 
the rest of humanity thinks about -- 
you are not individually thinking –
there is nothing at all creative going on in your mind,
and none of your ideas are original.
Ordinary life operates quite well under these conditions, 
but if your hunger is to get-to-the-bottom-of-things,
leaving your mind totally in the hands of the 
mimicking, plagiarising thoughts that magically appear there
will keep you forever traipsing along the 
tinfoil plated path without ever getting backstage 
and seeing the real wiz who’s really paving the road.

Having an original thought is close to impossible,
but what you can do immediately that will 
take you nearer thereto than humans are meant to be, 
is to --
not entertain the thoughts that are already out there.
 
 

When it comes to the ideas upon which 
mankind dines --  take no seat at the table.
 

As regards the ideas over which other men wrangle:
neither a supporter, nor critic be.
 
 

If you undertake this course of action 
what you can quickly realize is that 
what the thoughts in your brain say they believe & don’t believe 
is of no interest to you personally. 
This may sound squirrely,
for how can you have a certain thought, 
or belief about a matter that you don’t  have an interest in?!?
If you didn’t have an interest in the subject
you wouldn’t have any opinion or belief about it!

Yeah, I know --  that sounds right -- 
but look into what I have today described 
without the “benefit” of 
your own thoughts’ running commentary thereon, 
and you can joyously surprise your own neural pants off,
and unexpectedly find yourself 
mentally cut loose from a gigantic, invisible, sticky ball of 
meaningless mimicry, and wearisome plagiarism.

Rather than thinking of the goal as: 
“I am trying to --  ‘Wake-up’,” or, 
“I am seeking Enlightenment,”
say to yourself instead:
“I long to be --  original-of-mind,
but I live in a realm run by mimicry & plagiarism.
This is what past unoriginal men have called:
’Man’s state of sleep,’ 
but I now see it for what it is.”
 

That to you, 
is my very best recommendation for the day.
 

                                                       JAN