The Solipsistic Guide To Blogging
Solipsism is a fun exercise to play with. The simplest explanation being that the only part of life that we can verify is our own existence. And by extension the external world and all other life as we encounter it may only exist in our perception, or simply put, delusions.
Using a solipsistic approach as a tool for empathy could be a great mechanism for expanding ones ability in bringing home the projections we make to feel/understand those in our target audience.
Although on the surface many would ask how one could have empathy for others if we believe we are all that exists. I would put forth the argument that this makes empathy easier by expanding ones perception to encompass all of our other selves that we pretend is something else.
See, isn't this already getting fun. :)
Law of Attraction and Solipsism.
Experimenting with an open mind into the law of attraction will often find there are many seeming coincidences that begins manifesting once we alter our patterns for testing.
So much that one begins questioning if it is a rule and not coincidence as the odds seem stacked against so many recurrences.
One such practice we observe this in is in our associations. If we stick with the same crowd (remember, the crowd is being generated by us using solipsism), we get the same results.
Change the crowd to one of a different mindset and very often the results will change as well.
This raises the question of what really changed?
If we were to use Occamās Razor as a key to understanding, it would suggest that the ways of the new crowd were rubbing off on us.
Using my own experimentation when I was involved in self publishing I find myself dissatisfied with such a simplistic answer.
There was one person in a private writers group I was invited into that was obsessed with law of attraction.
Iāll admit I thought he was full of you know what at first.
But watching his growth my first couple of months compared to the rest of the group I decided despite not believing in it personally to begin mimicking his suggestions.
And without believing them, I began to see an exponential growth that even in hindsight makes no rational sense.
From outrageous price points I put on my work, to the keyword research everything fell into place and I quickly became the second highest royalty earning writer of the group.
Despite being the worst writer as far as mechanics in that group.
So how did one whose mechanics were horrible start becoming a writer who made it? Whose writing was so great that even grammar Nazis would read my stories and buy more, while begging me to please hire an editor in the four and five star reviews they were leaving me?
Commanding outrageous prices that defied reason one could get.
The others were all part of the same group, were all better writers etc.
Yet they never jumped on that law of attraction bandwagon, and focused solely on the mechanics and not the underlying energy. And the mechanics said no one would pay the high prices for our work. No one else was commanding anywhere near those prices.
I looked at it differently. I've always been of a mind if someone else can do it, then I can too. There isn't anything special about the way others put their pants on, and using a solipsistic view this suddenly becomes more rational. Law of attraction becomes much more rational.
When we embrace different aspects of ourselves, different levels of vibration, we attract our other selves to vibrate with us.
The old water seeks its own level scenario.
So now the question for bloggers (and really anyone).
How do we use this to our advantage as writers?
ļ»æNow we are going to meander a bit more into tricks of perception.
The most notable in my hierarchy of credible references would be from Carl Jung.
He referred to this next part that was a huge part of my repertoire as tapping into what he called the Collective UnConscious.
This is really the secret behind how a hack such as myself could weave tales that others loved reading.
I channeled my writing using the solipsistic approach.
ļ»æNot purposely mind you. But in hindsight that is surely the best way to describe it.
I found when weaving my stories I would get in a zone of sorts and the story would write itself.
They got much better once I began using an outline as well, to control the tempo of the story. But once I got to the actual writing it was if I was transported into being the characters in my stories. My ability to write only slowed by my typing speed.
No writers block.
None.
Sure, there were many times I didnāt feel the writing and would have to force myself to sit down and get started.
Then the zone would hit, and from somewhere not accessible a moment before when I didnāt want to write, the story was like it was already there, waiting for me to type it out.
I know, hocus pocus, hah hah.
But it is like I was and can be a conduit for something larger than myself once I get going.
And you can too!
I invite all of you reading this to test this out for yourselves.
Write out a little outline, sit down and just begin typing. Donāt overthink it and allow your fingers to just type away at what comes to mind in relation to your outline.
Do this exercise for several hours throughout the week. Donāt fight it, just type whatever is coming to you. Then assess the results, and I suspect youāll likely be surprised at how interesting and entertaining what you produce is.
If you will use this exercise Iām certain you will find over time entering this zone I think of as we are all one will become second nature to you, and you will write creative masterpieces that will fly from your fingers.
Writing that will engage your readers (how could it not, they are extensions of you hah hah) and leave them wanting more.
Thanks for reading this playful advocacy for using a solipsistic approach to your writing. Write from your essence and the essence of those reading will find their way home.
Thanks so much for reading, and any comments on this abstract exercise are welcomed.
In next weeks playful post we will take a look at how
Gƶdel's Incompleteness Theorem proves that figures don't lie, but liars know how to figure. And how bloggers can use this to their advantage to captivate folks who like to figure.
Recent Comments
24
I had never heard even the word solipsistic! I will try the outline and approach and see how I do. Quite an interesting post!
Thanks Jason.
Bill
Hi Bill,
thanks so much for reading and commitment to giving the exercise a try. I hope you'll return and share your results. :)
Regards,
Jason
Awesome, Jason!
I am not sure that I use your approach except that I do become the characters in my books and it certainly does help when writing them because I am that character in the world I created, so it was much easier to get in that zone! Well done!
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
It sounds like you may intuitively fall into such a zone naturally. I do as well, it wasn't something I had to learn. I believe others would call it a sort of trance state, although I don't due to the implications tied to it.
The speed with which you weave your stories coupled with your gift in connecting with words as you put your audience at ease as though we have always been old friends has always left me impressed.
I definitely feel there is a bit of the mystic in you, which to the mystic doesn't feel so as it's just being ones natural self, hah hah.
Thanks as always for stopping by. Always appreciated.
Regards,
Jason
Wow, Jason! Thanks for the compliment and other kind words! Hope you have had an excellent day!
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Earned words for sure. Maria started calling me stingy because I only offer edification when it's earned, hah hah.
My day is winding along dragging me with it, but have been recuperating from work and slept for many hours today. I took a nap in the early hours (3-5A) and laid back down about 10 and got up a little bit ago. Still shaking the groggy out.
Hope yours has been excellent so far.
Regards,
Jason
Thanks, Jason!
I managed to catch a decent locksmith job today, so that was a good thing, and I have also been writing some more too! Always have to be writing, it seems!
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I just came from your post. Thought I was going to be first responder but my penchant for lengthy rambling pushed me to second, hah hah.
I've never asked, but how well is your Vella writing doing?
Glad you got the locksmith job. Some of the larger complexes I've lived at in my life had dangerous policies on locks. They would only have maybe 5 different locks, meaning my key would statistically open one out of every 5 doors. I wasn't sure how that was legal, but I've lived at two complexes this was a thing at.
Regards,
Jason
The Vella writing is going slower than usual, but it is about at the half way point in the current episode, Jason. Admittedly, I am swamped, but I still do my best.
I can also guarantee that your key will work a great many locks, but that is the security in it world wide. In the same complex--not so much! But are you going to really rsik trying your key in the other doors?
Cars used to be that way too, back in the day! There are only so many Key codes!
Jeff
The issue with complexes is ones routines are more noticeable by neighbors stacked atop one another.
I actually lived in a complex decades ago where one of the maintenance men was using his passkey to steal from tenants while they were out. Because so many units were being hit with no signs of forced entry, they quickly realized it had to be an employee with access to the keys.
Police quickly became interested as guns were one of the things he was stealing.
As for the Vella, we all have our flows so at some point you will likely hit a spot where it's faster than usual. :)
I'm actually impressed you have so much energy for all of the running and obligations you share with us. I would need many naps to deal with a portion of your tasks, hah hah.
Regards,
Jason
Yes, Jason--Masterkeys will do that! We are all at the mercy of someone, my friend!
Oh, I catch some naps some days, believe me, my friend!
Have a Great evening!
Jeff
Hi, Jason
Great post!!
I take a ā solipsistic likeā approach when I write for my audience since itās just me and them communicating in our own special language of guitar lingo that no one else would understand or grasp the importance of.
As a musician, I can be a bit solipsistic, but as a scientist, Iām quick to whip out Occamās Razor.
Lol, talk about being a broken man! Hahaha š
Iāll definitely be on the lookout for Gƶdelās Incompleteness Theorem!
Rock On!š¤
Frank šø
Hi Frank,
You are an enigma, one that would give Spock fits hah hah.
Occam's razor is a perfect fit for scientists seeking to fast track solutions in a physical world of cause and effect.
Solipsistic the perfect fit for creators (artists) looking to paint (play in your case) on the canvas afforded to them.
Your mention of
"in our own special language of guitar lingo that no one else would understand or grasp the importance of."
reminds me of a book I read many years ago. It was discussing the illuminati, and suggested it wasn't that they had a secret language. It compared it more to the patient in the hospital who was listening as two doctors discussed his illness in medical language he couldn't understand. Nothing secret about it, just reference points he was unfamiliar with.
I wanted to clarify, the last part of my post on Gƶdelās Incompleteness Theorem was meant as a joke, hah hah.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Now you will be known as the philosopher music man.
Regards,
Jason
Hi, Jason
Lol, I took one philosophy class in college and drove the professor crazy by reading extracurricular books and bringing those philosophical concepts into his discussions.
I always hated it when I took a class and the teacher said skip this and that chapter of the textbook.
Isnāt all the info in an assigned textbook important, and if not, why was it included to begin with?
I always read those chapters first to see what the teacher was trying to hide from me! Hahaha š šø
Hi Frank,
You are the learning rebel.
"No, I don't believe I'll be skipping that information. You can't make me stop learning!"
Hah hah
I found many instructors to have god complexes and become irrational if questioned in a way that in the slightest way jeopardized their narrative. We were there to memorize in their view, not really examine or hone critical thinking skills.
I still feel ripped off on some of the classes I had to take for my associates in HVAC. Don't even get me started on being ripped off because no one in my age group can even get hired in that industry.
I remember for example the Excel class. Our instructor didn't even know how to use Excel. We would do exercises from the book and she had a grading paper to match our printout to the grading paper. She couldn't answer one question regarding any of the functions. Luckily there were a few students there who understood how to use it and only needed the course to prove they knew what they already knew, hah hah.
Ok, going to leave off with that so as my cynical views of the education system don't drown out the fact you are a rebel, even if you have to reverse course from the normal rebel and get some learning in. :D
Regards,
Jason
Hi, Jason
Lol, maybe a Rock Nā Roll Rebel.š
However, I do believe in mastering my studies and Iām still trying to do that, all these later, with the guitar.
When I first met my wife she took a college physiology course. Her teacher told the class they could skip the entire chapter in the book on endocrinology!
Unbelievably, there were nursing students in that class, too!
She ultimately followed my advice and read the chapter.
Later, she became my office manager and had to deal with the administrative side of endocrine problems, like explaining normal test results to patients over the phone and booking endocrinologic tests.
I teased her for years about how she made the right decision by learning the information in that chapter. š
The moral of the story is thereās never a downside to learning all you possibly can, even if youāll never actually use it.
Rock On! š¤
Frank šø
Hi Frank,
I agree. I was raised similar, and devoured my dads library starting very young.
I can remember him always telling me that they can take everything you own from you, but they can never take away what you learn.
The way you tell your story with your wife, I feel an underlying energy that she might not be a fan of the story anymore, hah hah.
Regards,
Jason
Yeah, well, I only brought it up now and again, and in a joking way. Luckily, she a good sport. š
Frank šø
My apologies for the mass editing I had to make just now to anyone who read this before I could do so.
I wrote most of this last night on Libre and it didn't look like this there or when I copied it over and began making my additions. Not really sure what happened, but fixed now. :)
Regards,
Jason
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Hi Jason,
I truly liked this philosophy of solipsism. I took that in college many years ago. It is Interesting philosophy about the focus on the mind's existence. Its existence is a form of skepticism, in other words. Iāve seen you do this, so are you a solipsistic writer? I appreciate the exercise for writing. Everyone will have a different unique writing personality style. To each their own.
Jason,
Let me correct you here as an academic teacher Jung taught the collective unconscious ( not conscious) it's the four archetypes (The Persona, The Shadow, The Anima/Anim) all represent a form of the unconscious (where the mind contains memories and impulses of which the individual is not aware) that is common to humankind as a whole and originating in the inherited structure in all cultures.
Be careful what you say it's the unconscious mind that Jung focuses on in his teachings. I know this because we studied ( my sister and I) counseling and therapy in social work for both my BA and MSW. We were trained on this.
The whole point of solipsism is about nothing else outside of the mind is exists- external world looks unsure- a skeptic or they could be idealist in in their mind. Human psychology has applied theses theories for clinical diagnostics. We had to take heavy philosophy course on these subjects.
Of course, writing on our blog can be an outlet for many to what you refer to as free writing style which many of us do everyday.
Thanks, Jason for sharing.
Hi Brenda,
Yes, I would say after spending many decades researching philosophies and religion it has left me to holding a solipsistic view.
Before I proceed, thanks so much for pointing out the error. I'm glad you didn't see this piece right after I hit publish. I was horrified at how words were joined together, dozens of them.
This however was my own mistake. I take from different areas (such as with Jung) and shape my own perceptions on them, which has no place when referencing the original work. Sometimes it does slip through in my writing and when searching for errors I miss it because it looks right to me hah hah.
I really appreciated Jung, and believe him to be more of a mystic than a psychologist. It's been probably about 50 years since I read his work, and I remember a few years later when I read the Kabbalah it seemed to fit in perfectly in some ways with the idea of instead of a separation that we were a continuum connected.
I wasn't as concerned with his archetypes despite their being such an integral part of his presentation. A personal path I took encouraged by my proclivity to indulge hah hah.
The part that resonated most strongly was this idea that we could tap into ideas and knowledge that we should have no knowledge of as the experience wasn't personal. Like a collective bank we shared with others and could channel.
I can remember wondering as I ventured into these brave new areas of thought the possibility this so called pool of perceptions maybe had a consciousness of its own.
So when I came across the Kabbalah years later, it fit that thought in the sense of being in a continuum as an extension of the creator, only in this context a continuum of other people. Like we are small cells in a larger body.
Please forgive my rambling here. I relish at times speaking of these things, although am rusty in so much of it. I've never had many peers in my life who were interested in such pursuits and it is refreshing when one comes across another who has also delved into such studies.
I could have typed so much more, but then it comes across like a lecture when in truth I was just being like a little kid in a candy store excited to talk about all the candy, hah hah.
I knew going into this post it would not fare as well as some of my other ones. Back in my days of caring more about finding peers I would often get that foggy eyed "get me out of here" look from those I would initiate such topics with.
I know I can get tiresome to others once I get going, which is why I refrained from adding how I felt Descartes dream argument also seemed to solidify all of this in a context for me, I would have rambled on another 2000 words likely, hah hah.
Thank you so much for weighing in and the help with editing. I appreciate it very much as I wondered if this would be met with crickets or polite "great post" replies.
Regards,
Jason