Aphorism 1
Whether our lives fathom hell or soar angelic is decided by how we as spiritual beings are able to deal with the awesome responsibility of actualizing our birthright and becoming the masters of our boundaries. Aphorism 2
Reality has been and always will be a story of boundaries. This has been true on every scale, on every level, and in every dimension of reality: microscopic, macroscopic, physical, metaphysical, social, emotional, intellectual, ethical, political, ecological, economical, technological, sexual, spiritual, etc. As space and time have expanded outwards, so have our boundaries. There has been and will continue to be a general trend of moving beyond former states of complexity into greater states of complexity, a process that is more than just the mere acceleration of novelty and creativity—it is the overcoming of boundaries. The universe went from being an amorphous soup of chaotic heat and energy to being a collection of galaxies, solar systems, and planets; the earth went from Pangaea to the United Nations; the evolution of life went from inanimate mud and slime to multi-dimensional beings capable of the sublime. Aphorism 3
As agents and instruments of separation, boundaries are instances of limitation, demarcation, and definition. They are instruments of action that attempt to remove ambiguity from reality and force us to into very specific categories. The more boundaries that are present in a system—any kind of system: ecological, social, anatomical—the more robotic, mechanical, and automatic that system can run. Chaos is replaced with structure. Freedom is replaced with determinism. Reality conforms to the boundary, not the boundary to reality…Aphorism 4
Boundaries propagate comfort, security, and stability. Boundaries can come in the form of physical objects, such as walls, fences, windows, rivers, oceans, and such. But even intangible things like cultures, beliefs, desires, knowledge, ethics, language, jealousy, laziness, and fear are boundaries. Boundaries are trans-dimensional. And overcoming them requires a trans-dimensional effort. Boundaries are useful as instruments of action until the accumulation of boundaries becomes too stifling and suffocating and until the actions are no longer desirable. Once we become too enclosed and encapsulated by our boundaries, and once our actions become deleterious to our physical, emotional, ecological, and spiritual health, it is time to overcome our boundaries by dissolving them. Aphorism 5
Most of the weight and pressure of boundaries goes unnoticed because their constant presence on our being anesthetizes us to them: when this occurs, a drastic boundary dissolving experience is required to remind us of their presence. This experience, which is always traumatizing, is a coin flip between liberation and debilitation—some fly where others fall. But if not for these glimpses beyond boundaries, they remain invisible to us. Rarely, if ever, do we notice the pressure of air—unless we are ten feet from the surface of the water and struggling for breath. Rarely, if ever, do we notice the cultural biases that dictate our thoughts, tastes, and actions—unless we find ourselves in a different country with different ideas, foods, and mores. Rarely, if ever, do we confront the reality of our mortality—unless we or someone we know falls terribly ill. Rarely, if ever, do we reach our creative and powerful potential as human beings—unless we are thrown into a dire situation against our will. Rarely, if ever, do we become aware of our boundaries—unless we deliberately (and radically) step outside of them. The comfort that boundaries provide us with has blinded us to their inimical side-effects. If we are too scared to step beyond our boundaries then we will stagnant and remain frozen in time while all about us reality continues to move forward. Aphorism 6
“The revolutionaries of any decade will become the reactionaries of the next decade, if they do not change their nervous system, because the world around them is changing. He or she who stands still in a moving, racing, accelerating age, moves backwards relatively speaking.” R.A.W., Prometheus Rising, 214 Aphorism 7
The greatest tragedy is the blindness that we all have toward our own boundaries. It is easy to see how others are limited, biased, and narrow minded—but it is infinitely harder to see that of ourselves. Aphorism 8
Our personal (collection of) boundaries form the basis for our ‘reality tunnel’ through which we interpret reality. But just like other boundaries, we forget that these intangible barriers are imposed upon reality and may not coincide directly with reality—we forget that our map is not the territory. Our minds function in a way that reinforces whatever reality tunnel we currently have. Whatever the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves. There is not a single individual—not Jesus, not Einstein, not you and especially not me—who is not guilty of confusing their perspective of reality for reality itself. Our concepts through which we interpret reality are as real a boundary as any brick wall is. The nexus of particular beliefs, assumptions, morals, truths, experiences, and environments, forms the structure of each individual’s reality tunnel. And the first step to moving beyond the narrow boundaries of one’s reality tunnel is becoming aware of it. Aphorism 9
As human beings, we are defined by the boundaries that we submit to and that surround us. When we merely inherit those boundaries from our parents, from our teachers, and from our culture, we become tools for others. When we take those boundaries into our own hands and create our own, we become spiritually fulfilled human beings. Inheriting boundaries means living as a tool for others—others who usually do not have your best interests (emotional, intellectual, and spiritual fulfillment) in mind. Creating boundaries means independently living for one’s self.Aphorism 10
How do you choose to live your life: as a camel or as a child? Aphorism 11
The origin of our spiritual, existential, and social tension and dis-ease comes from boundaries. I know because I witness their effects first hand. Boundaries—fear, shame, and timidity—plague my life on a daily basis. They provide me with comfort and stability at the expense of my mind’s sanity and my soul’s integrity. But I would trade the comfort for pain and the stability for abandonment if it meant that I could be liberated. I am looking for something radical to dissolve my boundaries—I am not content to change things one at a time—I seek no ember—I seek a conflagration. I sense, though, that I am not the only one who feels this way. Faintly, I can hear the muffled voices of others. I sense that I am merely echoing the lamentable chorus of many. I sense that I am not the only caged bird that sings. Aphorism 12
“It is by invisible hands that we are bent and tortured worst.” Nietzsche, Thus Spoke ZarathustraAphorism 13
It takes courage, real courage, to move beyond boundaries and to move into yourself. All of our lives we have been conditioned to follow orders, to be normal, and to submit to the authority of others. But the truth of the matter is that there is no greater authority than yourself. You are a beautiful being filled with limitless amounts of potential. Do not let yourself be brought down. Do not let yourself be limited. Take reality into your own hands, weave a reality-tunnel that makes you happy, and embrace the person you were always meant to be.
Aphorism 14
“Finite players play within boundaries; infinite players play with boundaries.” James Carse, Finite and Infinite Games, 12Aphorism 15
We must overcome our boundaries. Overcoming our boundaries means becoming their masters and not their slaves. We cannot continue to consume boundaries. We must create our own boundaries.
