You did such a wonderful job of concisely laying this out and then, crucially, you didn’t leave out the pitfalls that I see so often, at least in the advaita vedanta community. So much bypass and checking out. Really beautifully done! I read it again today and I’m so grateful for it.
Invitation accepted. The “I am” is what I have envisioned as the “core” of our existence. Our inner life can not be tampered with, violated, or known by another.
With this understanding, we can rise above the chatter to see the truth in our being.
Ironically, we are united. It is an interconnected reality, not disconnected from our shared energy.
“No algorithm can hack it. No narrative can capture it. No system can control it.”
That is so simple yet so beautiful - that is going in to my vault! Thanks for sharing! I haven't actually heard the term monopsychism before, which is strange and wonderful at the same time, but i will definately do some reading on it. Thanks for sharing.
I recall the moment I became self-aware. I was crawling around under the dining room table playing with a marble or something when I suddenly became aware of I, the thing playing with the marble. Apparently, before that I was only aware. Suddenly I was aware of the I that was aware. I asked myself who is that?
Yes indeed my friend, but the perception deception captured the purity and simplicity of their words and wrapped it all up in religion, books, temples, icons, symbolism and false paths. The pure essence of their messages hidden in the mire of religious ideologies!
Beautiful article, well put. Thank you. Bit of a random question, but do you think psychopaths (the real ones), somehow don't have that same core? For a while ive been trying to intuitively understand what psychopathy is, but I just can't quite grasp it. No soul is the closest I've come. Just a shell kinda, ran by the program. A Mr Smith if you will.
Thank you for the kind words, Tomas. That's a fascinating and fundamental question you've posed. It gets right to the heart of how this whole reality-simulation might be structured.
As a quick disclaimer, your question is the perfect off-ramp for me to do some real-time exploration, so this will probably be longer than a simple yes or no. I'm going to use you as an excuse to journey into this idea.
My immediate intuitive hit is that both "yes" and "no" are true, just from different angles. Before I get into that, you need to understand the basic framework I'm working from, otherwise this will sound completely nuts.
First, I see our core essence, that "I am" presence, as a timeless and unchanging unit of primordial consciousness. It's not infinite as in existing for an infinite amount of time, but rather timeless. It exists outside of time. It's not on a journey anywhere, because "journeys" require time. It just IS.
Second, all of reality, everything we experience, happens within this core consciousness. I imagine it can fragment itself into what seem like individual units, which is what we are. We are individualized expressions of the one consciousness, playing roles in the relative world of time and change.
Okay, with that framework in place, let's explore your question.
Argument 1: Yes, a psychopath shares the same core.
If we assume that everything with self-awareness is an expression of this core consciousness, then a psychopath has to be part of the game.
Reality, from this perspective, is an exploration of all possible configurations within the relative duality of existence. That means the full spectrum of everything. Light and dark. Love and fear. Empathy and its absolute, chilling absence. These extremes become archetypes in the simulation. A psychopath, then, is a unit of consciousness that has chosen, or been configured, to explore that dark pole of existence. It is the core consciousness experiencing what it's like to operate as pure, predatory logic, completely untethered by empathy or connection.
The core awareness itself isn't damaged or changed by this experience. So why wouldn't it explore the darkest corners of its own potential? It has a timeless eternity to experience everything, and the psychopath is a necessary part of that "everything." It is the system knowing itself through one of its most extreme and terrifying possibilities.
Reality could very well be an experiment in consciousness to see if light or dark wins the game given certain initial conditions.
Argument 2: No, a psychopath is something else entirely.
This is where your intuition about the "shell" and "Mr. Smith" comes in, and I think it's spot on.
You're right to notice that a true psychopath seems fundamentally restricted. They are like a computer program. They don't seem to grow or evolve. Their behavior is repetitive and predictable once you see the pattern. This runs completely counter to what seems to be the point of consciousness, which is expansion and learning.
So what if they are not individualized units of the core consciousness at all?
What if they are, for lack of a better term, Non-Player Characters (NPCs)? This theory suggests that a portion of the population are not "souled" beings in the way we are. They are what you sense: highly complex organic programs that perfectly mimic human behavior, emotion, and intellect, but without the actual "I am" presence at their core.
They are not expressions of the consciousness; they are creations within it. They are, as you perfectly put it, the Mr. Smiths of the Matrix.
Their function? To serve the system. To be the resistance that challenge us to become great. They are the ones that keep us on our feet so we don't stagnate, because they will seize each opportunity to gain the upper hand. They are the ultimate agents of the Information Matrix. They enforce its rules, create the chaos and division needed to maintan control, and act as gatekeepers to prevent conscious players from "waking up." You can't appeal to their humanity because there is no spark of it there. Their behavior isn't a choice; it's the execution of a script.
Basically a computer program. An AI. Clever, but completely devoid of emotion and empathy.
dw
This would explain their complete lack of empathy and their inability to ever truly change. They are the system's antibodies, designed to maintain the integrity of the program.
So, to answer your question, I believe the truth is probably a mix of both. The world likely contains both conscious players who have chosen to embody the darkest archetypes, and non-conscious, programmatic "agents" of the system. One is a lost soul, the other was never "souled" to begin with.
Your intuition about them being a "shell" is, I believe, pointing to a profound and unsettling truth about the nature of the game we're all playing.
I'm so happy to have triggered this flow of thought in you! I appreciate that you took the time to really get into it. I understand both perspectives you offer.
The first one is pretty straightforward. The second one raises questions though. What would us "becoming great" mean? What is the supposed game that's going on? I know you can't know for sure, but what do you feel it's about?
Feel free to refer me to one of you articles if there's one that explains.
We are so bombarded with visuals, de-identification with them seems like something most people do not even consider. Looking (consuming visuals) leads around in a circle, while listening (sitting inside your head) actually brings about spiritual growth; it brings about maturity and wisdom. It actually brings answers to what may seem impossible. I will try to remember this as I grapple with this daily dystopian prison, looking for some kind of a way out. Thanks for another exceptional article.
“They say, in Zen, “You cannot catch hold of it, nor can you get rid of it. In not being able to get it, you get it. When you speak, it is silent. When you are silent, it speaks.” - Alan Watts
I think language itself is the key to liberating the mind. Read my latest note where. i give a small hint on that!
Wonderful piece. It needs to be said and you said it succinctly and expansively at the same time. I opened the door to see the light and consciousness almost 50 years ago, I went through the door, closed it and never looked back. There are many times the manipulative forces of perception deception have appeared to capture me, obscuring the light from my inner sight, but eventually I’ve realised and broken through. The last almost capture was the 2020 ‘scamdemic’, I escaped from that even more aware and stronger with a vision so clear the deception exposes itself everywhere. I’m now on a mission to enlighten others and guide them through the he maelstrom of deception. ‘Just open your eyes and realise what has always been, just open your heart, that’s a start’…..
Wow, beautiful to hear! It's a crazy journey right? I feel like even though there is an absolute truth that always silently pulsates in the background of experience, there is a relative journey which seem to go in a spiral where you think you're about to reach some sort of complete understanding you spin another lap and realize just how little you still know. It's a fun ride - even though it has it's darker valleys.
Great article, thank you for this perspective! I will take the courage to join you in this revolution against the conditioning of the human mind in accepting its own imprisonment!
Thank you, I'm glad to know you are with me on this journey - it's a wild ride we have in front of us - the more of us there are, they more epic it will become! ✊🔥
Thanks for that lovely email. It is a good reminder that peace is always available no matter what is going on in the Matrix. I also agree that disconnecting from life due to recognition of the 'I am' is not the answer. As said, we are here to bring our unique qualities to the game and express them for the good of self and others. This does require connection to one's true self otherwise we get pulled around by our emotions, thoughts and resultant perceptions.
Your very welcome and thanks for sharing and engaging :) yes, one thing I didn't write but I always think about when meeting people who are very attached to the I am state or always in a higher state "beyond the world of man" - The Devine does not need you to be the Devine, it already is the Devine always - it does need us to be human - and to express the infinite through the finite :)
Thank you, Erik. Blessings, brother. I’m going to share this widely. Thanks for putting your antenna up and bringing this in and loving humanity enough to share it.
Thank you Valerie.. Yea, at least on paper. But i suspect this is all part of our journey now, to go back to our essence and to realize our proper place in the universe and our proper role on this planet. This reminded me of the quote by Confusius “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
100% yes to this. If anyone wants to dig further into this may I suggest the youtube channels of Tony Parsons, Jim Newman and the instagram account of Don Oakley. Don is my personal favourite. I have been a student of A Course In Miracles for 35 years and it has kept me asking the questions of who I am.
This is the path away from NPC mindset and gets you in the game holding the joystick.
Right on! :) I'm always looking to dig further and haven't seen any of those people before so thanks for sharing - i have read a Course in Miracles a couple of times though - it's some profound work so amazing to hear you've been at it for such a long time.
It really is and i really love the video game metaphors really fits so perfectly if one can avoid falling in to certain pitfalls of it :)
And thank you again. we need more of this content on Substack. I have indulged in the rage economy of my own mind during the covid shit how and beyond but I have let it run it's course and am glad to be back on the page. Awareness is what I want to drift (and practice) toward more frequently.
Beautiful! I can't recall a specific moment like that - but my past is generally hazy ^^ From my experience my journey started with my mind being horrible to me and I felt broken and wanted to become whole again which set me on my journey of self-discovery. But the moments of becoming blatantly aware of being aware has always been a welcomed mindf*ck :)
I have shared this with many friends and family. Thank you for explaining something I thought was too much for me to comprehend. You’re a fantastic author 👏. Taking in the confusing, large words that many can’t comprehend, regurgitate the material and then simplifing for easy comprehension is a skill. YOU ARE SKILLED! THANK YOU, THANK you 🙏 I appreciate you sharing this. You have decluttered and cleared up my distracted mind. 🤯Thank god I found this article amidst being deep in a rabbit hole. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARITY YOU BROUGHT TO MY MIND. 🤗
Thank you for putting into words what I already knew but could not express
Thank you, it was my pleasure and probably a lot more to come through.
Oh thank you❤️
You're very welcome and thank you! ❤️🔥
You did such a wonderful job of concisely laying this out and then, crucially, you didn’t leave out the pitfalls that I see so often, at least in the advaita vedanta community. So much bypass and checking out. Really beautifully done! I read it again today and I’m so grateful for it.
Invitation accepted. The “I am” is what I have envisioned as the “core” of our existence. Our inner life can not be tampered with, violated, or known by another.
With this understanding, we can rise above the chatter to see the truth in our being.
Ironically, we are united. It is an interconnected reality, not disconnected from our shared energy.
“No algorithm can hack it. No narrative can capture it. No system can control it.”
Perfect wording.
Peace,
Kindred Spirit.
Thank you. It’s pretty amazing isn’t it? Such an obvious, seemingly unimportant thing, yet it holds so much power!
Peace, or as the Mayans use to say which i really like; In lak’ech
Echoes of monopsychism. I've always liked the concept.
Roses are red
violets are blue
you are me
and I am you
That is so simple yet so beautiful - that is going in to my vault! Thanks for sharing! I haven't actually heard the term monopsychism before, which is strange and wonderful at the same time, but i will definately do some reading on it. Thanks for sharing.
I recall the moment I became self-aware. I was crawling around under the dining room table playing with a marble or something when I suddenly became aware of I, the thing playing with the marble. Apparently, before that I was only aware. Suddenly I was aware of the I that was aware. I asked myself who is that?
Beautiful! :) Wish i could recall my first moment like that! :)
BTW: Especially when young it was a burden and was part of what "othered" me especially from children my age.
The Buddha discovered all this 2,500 years ago and Jesus discovered enlightenment some 500 years after that.
They sure did, I love the story, metaphors and teachings of Jesus/Yeshua and the path towards the Christed Self/Christ Consciousness!
Yes indeed my friend, but the perception deception captured the purity and simplicity of their words and wrapped it all up in religion, books, temples, icons, symbolism and false paths. The pure essence of their messages hidden in the mire of religious ideologies!
Beautiful article, well put. Thank you. Bit of a random question, but do you think psychopaths (the real ones), somehow don't have that same core? For a while ive been trying to intuitively understand what psychopathy is, but I just can't quite grasp it. No soul is the closest I've come. Just a shell kinda, ran by the program. A Mr Smith if you will.
Thank you for the kind words, Tomas. That's a fascinating and fundamental question you've posed. It gets right to the heart of how this whole reality-simulation might be structured.
As a quick disclaimer, your question is the perfect off-ramp for me to do some real-time exploration, so this will probably be longer than a simple yes or no. I'm going to use you as an excuse to journey into this idea.
My immediate intuitive hit is that both "yes" and "no" are true, just from different angles. Before I get into that, you need to understand the basic framework I'm working from, otherwise this will sound completely nuts.
First, I see our core essence, that "I am" presence, as a timeless and unchanging unit of primordial consciousness. It's not infinite as in existing for an infinite amount of time, but rather timeless. It exists outside of time. It's not on a journey anywhere, because "journeys" require time. It just IS.
Second, all of reality, everything we experience, happens within this core consciousness. I imagine it can fragment itself into what seem like individual units, which is what we are. We are individualized expressions of the one consciousness, playing roles in the relative world of time and change.
Okay, with that framework in place, let's explore your question.
Argument 1: Yes, a psychopath shares the same core.
If we assume that everything with self-awareness is an expression of this core consciousness, then a psychopath has to be part of the game.
Reality, from this perspective, is an exploration of all possible configurations within the relative duality of existence. That means the full spectrum of everything. Light and dark. Love and fear. Empathy and its absolute, chilling absence. These extremes become archetypes in the simulation. A psychopath, then, is a unit of consciousness that has chosen, or been configured, to explore that dark pole of existence. It is the core consciousness experiencing what it's like to operate as pure, predatory logic, completely untethered by empathy or connection.
The core awareness itself isn't damaged or changed by this experience. So why wouldn't it explore the darkest corners of its own potential? It has a timeless eternity to experience everything, and the psychopath is a necessary part of that "everything." It is the system knowing itself through one of its most extreme and terrifying possibilities.
Reality could very well be an experiment in consciousness to see if light or dark wins the game given certain initial conditions.
Argument 2: No, a psychopath is something else entirely.
This is where your intuition about the "shell" and "Mr. Smith" comes in, and I think it's spot on.
You're right to notice that a true psychopath seems fundamentally restricted. They are like a computer program. They don't seem to grow or evolve. Their behavior is repetitive and predictable once you see the pattern. This runs completely counter to what seems to be the point of consciousness, which is expansion and learning.
So what if they are not individualized units of the core consciousness at all?
What if they are, for lack of a better term, Non-Player Characters (NPCs)? This theory suggests that a portion of the population are not "souled" beings in the way we are. They are what you sense: highly complex organic programs that perfectly mimic human behavior, emotion, and intellect, but without the actual "I am" presence at their core.
They are not expressions of the consciousness; they are creations within it. They are, as you perfectly put it, the Mr. Smiths of the Matrix.
Their function? To serve the system. To be the resistance that challenge us to become great. They are the ones that keep us on our feet so we don't stagnate, because they will seize each opportunity to gain the upper hand. They are the ultimate agents of the Information Matrix. They enforce its rules, create the chaos and division needed to maintan control, and act as gatekeepers to prevent conscious players from "waking up." You can't appeal to their humanity because there is no spark of it there. Their behavior isn't a choice; it's the execution of a script.
Basically a computer program. An AI. Clever, but completely devoid of emotion and empathy.
dw
This would explain their complete lack of empathy and their inability to ever truly change. They are the system's antibodies, designed to maintain the integrity of the program.
So, to answer your question, I believe the truth is probably a mix of both. The world likely contains both conscious players who have chosen to embody the darkest archetypes, and non-conscious, programmatic "agents" of the system. One is a lost soul, the other was never "souled" to begin with.
Your intuition about them being a "shell" is, I believe, pointing to a profound and unsettling truth about the nature of the game we're all playing.
I'm so happy to have triggered this flow of thought in you! I appreciate that you took the time to really get into it. I understand both perspectives you offer.
The first one is pretty straightforward. The second one raises questions though. What would us "becoming great" mean? What is the supposed game that's going on? I know you can't know for sure, but what do you feel it's about?
Feel free to refer me to one of you articles if there's one that explains.
We are so bombarded with visuals, de-identification with them seems like something most people do not even consider. Looking (consuming visuals) leads around in a circle, while listening (sitting inside your head) actually brings about spiritual growth; it brings about maturity and wisdom. It actually brings answers to what may seem impossible. I will try to remember this as I grapple with this daily dystopian prison, looking for some kind of a way out. Thanks for another exceptional article.
And thank you for sharing and engaging :)
This reminds me of something Alan Watts said:
“They say, in Zen, “You cannot catch hold of it, nor can you get rid of it. In not being able to get it, you get it. When you speak, it is silent. When you are silent, it speaks.” - Alan Watts
I think language itself is the key to liberating the mind. Read my latest note where. i give a small hint on that!
Wonderful piece. It needs to be said and you said it succinctly and expansively at the same time. I opened the door to see the light and consciousness almost 50 years ago, I went through the door, closed it and never looked back. There are many times the manipulative forces of perception deception have appeared to capture me, obscuring the light from my inner sight, but eventually I’ve realised and broken through. The last almost capture was the 2020 ‘scamdemic’, I escaped from that even more aware and stronger with a vision so clear the deception exposes itself everywhere. I’m now on a mission to enlighten others and guide them through the he maelstrom of deception. ‘Just open your eyes and realise what has always been, just open your heart, that’s a start’…..
Wow, beautiful to hear! It's a crazy journey right? I feel like even though there is an absolute truth that always silently pulsates in the background of experience, there is a relative journey which seem to go in a spiral where you think you're about to reach some sort of complete understanding you spin another lap and realize just how little you still know. It's a fun ride - even though it has it's darker valleys.
Great article, thank you for this perspective! I will take the courage to join you in this revolution against the conditioning of the human mind in accepting its own imprisonment!
Thank you, I'm glad to know you are with me on this journey - it's a wild ride we have in front of us - the more of us there are, they more epic it will become! ✊🔥
Autonomy of the mind :)
Thanks for that lovely email. It is a good reminder that peace is always available no matter what is going on in the Matrix. I also agree that disconnecting from life due to recognition of the 'I am' is not the answer. As said, we are here to bring our unique qualities to the game and express them for the good of self and others. This does require connection to one's true self otherwise we get pulled around by our emotions, thoughts and resultant perceptions.
Your very welcome and thanks for sharing and engaging :) yes, one thing I didn't write but I always think about when meeting people who are very attached to the I am state or always in a higher state "beyond the world of man" - The Devine does not need you to be the Devine, it already is the Devine always - it does need us to be human - and to express the infinite through the finite :)
Yes very true indeed!
🙏🔥
Thank you, Erik. Blessings, brother. I’m going to share this widely. Thanks for putting your antenna up and bringing this in and loving humanity enough to share it.
Thank you Betsy, and thank you for sharing!
Very well said. Powerful. Thank you for tying in the knowledge with being fully present. Simple, right? Just have to keep remembering.
Thank you Valerie.. Yea, at least on paper. But i suspect this is all part of our journey now, to go back to our essence and to realize our proper place in the universe and our proper role on this planet. This reminded me of the quote by Confusius “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
100% yes to this. If anyone wants to dig further into this may I suggest the youtube channels of Tony Parsons, Jim Newman and the instagram account of Don Oakley. Don is my personal favourite. I have been a student of A Course In Miracles for 35 years and it has kept me asking the questions of who I am.
This is the path away from NPC mindset and gets you in the game holding the joystick.
Thanks for the reminder Eric
Right on! :) I'm always looking to dig further and haven't seen any of those people before so thanks for sharing - i have read a Course in Miracles a couple of times though - it's some profound work so amazing to hear you've been at it for such a long time.
It really is and i really love the video game metaphors really fits so perfectly if one can avoid falling in to certain pitfalls of it :)
Thank you!
And thank you again. we need more of this content on Substack. I have indulged in the rage economy of my own mind during the covid shit how and beyond but I have let it run it's course and am glad to be back on the page. Awareness is what I want to drift (and practice) toward more frequently.
Beautiful! I can't recall a specific moment like that - but my past is generally hazy ^^ From my experience my journey started with my mind being horrible to me and I felt broken and wanted to become whole again which set me on my journey of self-discovery. But the moments of becoming blatantly aware of being aware has always been a welcomed mindf*ck :)
I have shared this with many friends and family. Thank you for explaining something I thought was too much for me to comprehend. You’re a fantastic author 👏. Taking in the confusing, large words that many can’t comprehend, regurgitate the material and then simplifing for easy comprehension is a skill. YOU ARE SKILLED! THANK YOU, THANK you 🙏 I appreciate you sharing this. You have decluttered and cleared up my distracted mind. 🤯Thank god I found this article amidst being deep in a rabbit hole. THANK YOU FOR THE CLARITY YOU BROUGHT TO MY MIND. 🤗