"Dear Reader—
I have been waiting for more than a decade to write Waking Up. Long before I saw any reason to criticize religion (The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation), or to connect moral and scientific truths (The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying), I was interested in the nature of human consciousness and the possibility of “spiritual” experience. In Waking Up, I do my best to show that a certain form of spirituality is integral to understanding the nature of our minds.
There is no discrete self or ego living like a minotaur in the labyrinth of the brain. And the feeling that there is—the sense of being perched somewhere behind your eyes, looking out at a world that is separate from yourself—can be altered or entirely extinguished. Although such experiences of “self-transcendence” are generally thought about in religious terms, there is nothing, in principle, irrational about them. From both a scientific and a philosophical point of view, they represent a clearer understanding of the way things are.
My hope is that Waking Up will help readers see the nature of their own minds in a new light. A rational approach to spirituality seems to be what is missing from secularism and from the lives of most of the people I meet. The purpose of this book is to offer readers a clear view of the problem, along with some tools to help them solve it for themselves.
I sincerely hope you find it useful."
Sam Harris
* * *
It's Monday morning and I am having a hard time waking up... so it's not a big surprise that Sam's book sparked my attention this morning when I went into my Books on my Mac to see if I could download it. I think my Apple "Books" is having a hard time waking up too. I can't get the book downloaded even on my Iphone. Oh well. I am still in the middle of reading Abby Hafer and Neil DeGrasse Tyson's books. I guess Sam will have to wait.
I get to confess this morning that I haven't read a single book from any of the Four Horseman... Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris. I have no excuses to present at this time... but maybe I can eventually get around to getting a book from Sam on my read (as in past tense) list. Out of those four, Sam Harris has been the most inspirational for me. The whole idea of spirituality still intrigues me. I don't want to toss that baby out with the religious bathwater. I like the idea of still being able to connect with the universe... maybe not in a ritualistic way, but in a thoughtful meditative way.
I just had some bacon and eggs and feel a little more rejuvenated. I pulled out a spring inspired puzzle and am separating the pieces. I just listened to Sam Harris talk about secular spirituality and mindfulness. I think I am ready to take on the day!
"Consciousness is the one thing in this universe, including the universe, that cannot be an illusion." Sam Harris
Day 41: 2023 - "Finding Figment"
