Skyscraping for Knowledge

When a paradigm rejects the Infinite, it can only go so far before the forces of the universe will topple it over. Your perception of what is possible must be Infinite if you are to discover true knowledge. Your mental foundations must be planted deep into Mother Earth, or else you will never explore the majestic secrets in the skies.

Everything you can ever know has prerequisite knowledge. One level of knowledge is needed to build the next. The current layer forms the foundation for the next layer. Knowledge is strongly sequential, it goes step by step. You can’t teach someone advanced math and then basic math. A person must understand why two plus two equals four before they can understand multiplication and division. The layers must be gone through, of Basic Math, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, and whatever else may be needed along the way. You must start with the basics, and work your way up from there. This is true of any and every subject.

Some say that Algebra should be taught before Geometry, and some say that Geometry should be taught before Algebra. And that’s a good example of a vital lesson about learning. Often times subjects are interwoven with each other, meaning to learn about one is to learn about another. While learning does require a step by step progression, there is also plenty of layer-bluring, of one level leaking onto another, of bleed-through.

You’ll find every story of your skyscraper contains many different subjects. No one level is going to be purely about only one subject. Allow every subject in, no matter how outlandish, and learn about all of them. As you learn about one, you’ll discover understanding about the others. Contrast works wonders. Make use of it. As you learn about lies, you will discover truth. As you unveil deceptions, you’ll pull back the curtain on reality. As you peel back the layers of what you are not, you will gain understanding of what you are.

The skyscraper you will need to climb hasn’t been built yet. Because you are building it. But it’s even more daunting: there are no blueprints to build it with ether. You, and you alone, are tasked with all of it. Others can be guides and inspirations, of course, but it’s your ass that has got to do the tough work. This is not about “following in the footsteps” of others, track for track. This is about trekking where you need to go. This is not about copying somebody else, this about creating your own unique Self. This is not about obedience to an established path, this is about spontaneous generation of your own path.

If you’re still depending on following a system, a movement, or a person, rather than simply leading yourself, you are part of the problem. Do not depend on sporadic societies, depend on the spontaneity of spirit. Do not obey the programs of profit and control, operate in the information from your personal loving-awareness. Your heart is whispering to you—are you paying attention to it?

Learning takes time. It will eat up how you spend your time, and what you pay attention to. The construction project is a big one. This can’t happen easily. Titanic levels of energy are required. I’m not interested in giving you a lolly pop when you ass needs to hit the gym, hit the books, and take a good look in the mirror. In Latin, the word for both freedom and book is “Liber.” The stories will be unique to you. The ground needs to be cleared of all lies first, so the foundation can be established. I suggest explosions—they are quite useful for clearing the way.

Once the dust settles, and the foundation called “all possibilities” is found, it can begin. Many of the materials used in your building of truth will be the remnants remaining in the wreckage of your lies. You must realize your lies before you can realize the truth. There are no quick n’ easy shortcuts, this isn’t a race to first place. There are no instant-downloads into your brain, this isn’t the Matrix. There are no ten-step programs, this isn’t a freaking self-help seminar. Knowledge isn’t for entertainment, it’s for survival and peace. Remembering words and understanding reality are two totally different things. Knowing the name of something and knowing something are not the same.

There is a difference between knowing what the path of knowledge is, and actually walking the path of knowledge. Knowing is not enough, actions must be taken. The books must be read, the documentaries must be watched, the long walks in Nature with deep thoughts must be taken, the wild fringe conversations must be had, the behavior changes and habit changes must take place and be established in your life, and the time and attention must be paid in whatever form that takes, however long that takes.

And then the knowledge you’ve gained needs to be expressed back out unto the world, to help others gain knowledge and be inspired to change, or else you’ve wasted your time. All the wisdom in the world is worth nothing if no attention is directed at it.

Building up your skyscraper of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, is a journey that no one can take for you, and no one can spare you. And the key word is your skyscraper, not mine, not the dude’s next door, not anyone else’s in the entire world. Despite appearances, you are not climbing the stairs somebody else has already built, you are climbing the stairs you yourself are creating. Bruce Lee said it best: “All knowledge is ultimately Self-knowledge.” Remember who the real teacher is.

Nobody wants to be known as an idiot. And nobody wants to be known as boring. There is a healthy balance each person must find between getting entertained, and getting educated. (Please divorce the word “educated” from the school system. Again, remember who the real teacher is.) Yet, countless people are spending vastly more time getting entertained than they are getting educated. Hence… the idiots. The buildings keep falling over because their builders keep forgetting to stabilize the other side.

Nobody wants to be known as “no fun,” “too serious,” or “uptight.” But nobody wants to be known as “stoopid,” “thoughtless,” or “clueless” ether. So there’s a healthy balance between entertainment and education. Sway and swing between the two as needed, as the universe unfolds before you, but do not get stuck in ether one. Don’t be stupid or boring, be smart and fun. The real Magic of life works from the middle, making use of all the ends, surfing in the full spectrum of possibilities, where humility and confidence work together. The darkness is in getting stuck. Move through the difficult stuff, rather than seeking a way around. Tears are irreplaceable. Evolution cannot be circumvented. Stories can’t be built up any other way.

There’s a concept I’ve given a silly title, one I’m particularly found of, called “The Chicken Enchilada Philosophy.” Can you make a delicious, flavorful, and unforgettable chicken enchilada dinner with only the chicken? What if you didn’t have any enchilada sauce? Without cheese, would it still be true chicken enchiladas? It’s not the same without the holy guacamole. In order for this dinner to “work properly” and be freaking delicious, all the parts must be present. Every element must be there. Take any one element out, and it all falls apart. In order to build a proper foundation, every individual component must be there. Any one part goes missing, and the entire ordeal won’t work.

This is why I said back at the beginning this site needs to be taken as a tapestry, as a whole picture. Every single concept related to learning is needed for legitimate learning. Ignore any one, and the rest might as well be thrown out as well. The part cannot be understood outside of the whole. You will hear me say it over and over again: keep it in context or you’re not keeping it in truth.

The next lesson in the series is, in many respects, the core of learning. There are dark reasons why it’s not taught in the public schools, but I’ll let you investigate that on your own. If I had to choose any one subject off this site to teach to the world, it would be, without a doubt, this next lesson. In many ways it’s what I’ve already been talking about, it’s what I’ve been leading up to. What I’ve done so far is to ensure this next lesson will be understood as clearly as possible. It is the core of learning. For while every concept is needed, this next lesson is the “chicken” of the meal.

Lesson 5
Enter the Trivium