Fear.
Power.
Madness.
Lust.
Are these your four enemies of a man of knowledge?
Could be.
I swapped out Carlos Castañeda's clarity and death for madness and lust.
Late Paul would be approaching the end of the world stories.
The world does seem to be on the brink, but that's been the way it is for a while now.
Yeah, we tend not to notice that the story is barely keeping it together.
For the most part, we go about our daily lives without concern.
The end of the world scenario is a possibility.
Or, it could be the end of a civilization with another one ready to assume power.
The ruling empire is finite.
Those in power find a way to continue on.
Maybe that's what they have mastered from the lessons of history.
The empire will collapse, prepare for it, and transition to the next power centre.
From observation, what do you gather?
The scramble to preserve wealth in vehicles that will maintain value through the transition.
Like gold and works of art.
There would be a move away from investments backed by fiat currencies that have no intrinsic value.
The value is from the stability of the issuing country, so if things get unstable, the currency will become unstable.
Then all your wealth goes poof.
What does the average person do?
I think you panic.
Bad times are ahead.
Is there anything you can do?
I looked into buying ETFs of gold and saw it was a bad idea in terms of a hedge against systemic collapse.
Why?
The gold system is manipulated the same way as the dollar system.
If you think fractional reserve banking is a house of cards, you should check out gold.
Apparently, it's 500 to 1 by some estimates.
It's called paper gold.
The only true hedge is physical custody of the gold you own.
That is hard to do.
Fees, storage, transport, insurance, and lots of red tape.
Why?
Fiat gold.
If everyone wanted their piece of the metal, the system would collapse.
Gold is probably worth 500x its price.
I think the proper accounting is that your investment in gold is worth 500x less than the price because when the system collapses and you get your share, it will be a little crumb and not the whole cookie you thought you were entitled to.
Can't you then sue for what you are owed?
Sure.
You may even win.
How will you collect on something that doesn't exist?
That's an interesting koan.
So, what do you do?
Live in the now.
The future is unpredictable, and if you want my opinion, it doesn't appear to be rosy.
If you wait, there might not be anything left to wait for.
You are in late Paul because you went through the steps.
You conquered fear.
You survived the tests of power.
Madness did not collapse you.
Fulfillment of lustful desires has appeared.
That one is contained through doing nothing, though it remains a challenge.
Rather than reading it as a marker to your demise, as in you have finished the journey and are expected to leave, it just means your game piece is at the end of the board.
You already knew that.
You knew you had traversed the length of the game you were playing.
When that happens, the game board comes to an end.
The natural inclination is that it is game over.
Ever notice that no one questions that?
Like in Monopoly when you end up owning everything and bankrupting your opponents, the game ends.
Or in cribbage when you reach 121 points, the game stops.
Why?
I don't know.
That's what was decided.
What if you ignore the arbitrary end?
I think that's where you are.
You reached the end of your game and ignored all the people and signs who told you it was over.
Yeah, that's weird, eh?
You wake up at the end of the game, you could substitute a dream for a game here and realize that's it.
The dream is over and it is time to leave.
So, this is now the lucid dreaming stage?
That's a good analogy.
Do you think don Howard asked you that question to determine if you wake up, could you remain?
I don't know his motivation for asking that question.
I tend to think he knew much more than he let on.
Why?
I think he realized it was time for him to go, and he hung onto the dream as long as possible by being of service.
Once he could no longer do that and the body broke down, he had to go.
The breakdown of the body gets everyone.
No exceptions.
You can stay mentally ensconced in the dream if you are skilled until finally the vehicle within the dream expires.
So, I guess if you want to stay as long as possible, you need to focus on maintenance of the body.
That is correct.
What's the best way to do that?
That's a tough question.
I'd simplify it.
Avoid cosmetic alterations.
Avoid quick fixes.
The strategy would involve choosing things that are beneficial in the long run that don't have a lot of immediate effects.
You want change or improvement to be gradual, so it doesn't shock the system.
Anything that shocks the system is met with an inverse corollary response in order to return to homeostasis.
So, the key is balance?
Yeah.
Silent lucidity.
Yeah, that seems to be the stage I've reached.
The only way to hold it is to not discuss it.
Aren't I discussing it?
With yourself.
Is that allowed?
You must tell someone.
Why?
It's too big a secret to try and contain.
So, you tell your other half.
You mean Dion?
Yeah.
What if I write about it?
No one reads it.
A few people do.
Yeah, but they think you're a crackpot, so it's all good.
So, I can write that I have awakened in the dream and am still playing along and no one will care.
That's correct.
But that's the big takeaway.
That's earth shattering news.
You can awaken in the game, ignore the ending, and stick around.
Yeah, no one will care.
Why?
They are living their own lives, and you are a nut.
Don't knock it.
It's the way to keep going.
If they can easily see you are fucking around in this strange reality, they will tell you to leave.
I already experienced that.
What did you do?
I had to laugh and ignore it.
What would you do now?
Laugh.
What else can you do?
Ignore it.
Certainly not take their advice.
That's game over.
To continue to play is to laugh at people or ignore them.
Won't that invite scorn?
Sure.
It's also an invitation to counsel them.
I wouldn't directly teach them awakening.
I'd couch it in mystery.
Why?
If you tell them the truth, they will hate you.
Why?
You won the game and you didn't leave.
It's very disconcerting.
Why is that?
A winner departs for the next level.
That's what we are conditioned to believe.
There's no rule that states that.
It is an expectation.
You defy expectations.
I most certainly do.
I am unique in that regard.
No one understands me, nor will they ever.
It's a big factor in wanting to be left alone.
I get funny looks from those trying to understand me.
Then I must somehow navigate the situation, get them to move on, and resume trying to fit in.
That about sums it up.
