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The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

aeon.co

131–140 of 250 posts

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#131

Sanity is the ability to correctly perceive what is real. Hypersanity, then, is a nonsense term used to sell books.

The concepts of money or nations or companies are good examples of what lives between "sane" and hypersane. Those are all fictional stories, and while useful to organize humans they do not have any physical representations. Yeah I know cash, or written laws or a signed printout of the articles of incorporation are a thing. But these only matter because the story keeps being played out. How do you know test such conce…

I like the way you view these concepts as narratives and we all agree to play "pretend".

> One example test: can it be "destroyed" by someone's or some group's declaration? This is a really good test.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#132
post #2

This article talks about sanity, but doesn't really state what it is. What it describes is essentially just alternative perspectives born out of those rejecting, or rejected by, society. This state has indeed produced profound ideas, but it has also produced even more nonsense ideas. The article makes the classical mistake of the binary: There's the mainstream, and the higher "hypersane". Unfortunately things aren't…

>This state has indeed produced profound ideas, but it has also produced even more nonsense ideas

Can you say with 100% confidence what is profound and what is nonsense in this Universe?

>The article makes the classical mistake of the binary: There's the mainstream, and the higher "hypersane".

The two are extreme points so that we can see the difference, of course, there are all kinds of intermediate states as Diogen was not walking with a lamp during daylight when he was 5.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#134
post #16

My interpretation of the point the author is trying to make: The 'hypersane' are those among us who have realized, for better or for worse, that the traditional things that most in a society strive for - material wealth, social status, conformity to social structures, etc. - aren't really the keys to happiness and that when you "awaken" (and become hypersane, I suppose) you realize that along with those things come s…

As much as I have tried to internalise this over the years, all the really good stuff in life comes with worries as well. Parenthood isn't easy, working on a relationship for 20+ years isn't easy, and even if you're working nice hours from home, you're still plugged into and interacting with all the complex, aggressive and frightening processes that rule everywhere else.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#135
post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Jared Diamond belongs on your list of "rent-a-quote new-age theorists"

He got a pretty hearty serve for his last book in the reviews I read. Guns, germs & steel was long time ago now.

One weak book doesn't make the man into a Kurzweil

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#136
post #67
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet we can reject our nature.

To what end? If we accept the heat death of the universe and the fact nothing can go faster than light everything is bound to disappear. Trying to better Earth based life is useless. Then why bother trying to attain something higher? Just maximize your own pleasure until your conscience disappear. Suicide by psychedelic use is the only "hypersane" response.

Not everyone comes to this conclusion, one line of reasoning is: because there shouldn’t be a meaningless universe in the first place, it must actually have meaning.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#137
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

First of all, kudos for your nickname. A lot of what makes the society ticks -especially any society deeply rooted in materialism like ours today- is very hard to justify even when you are in a just-sane state of mind. See "bullshit jobs" for a longer treatise of that. Yes, you can focus better on the things you wanted to focus on but you would probably find it very hard to convince yourself to focus doing the work y…

So if I am starving, have no money for my interests, and yet have ambitions - and cannot find a fully fullfilling job, are you saying that I will not be able to go to a "bullshit job", because I will be under the impression that sitting at home meditating or looking at trees is more important than getting food through work? That to me sounds like laziness or victim complex, or a couple of other things, but really not…

You will be able to get a bullshit job, but you will find it extraordinarily hard to keep because your managers will find you too odd unless you are good at pretending to be normal.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#138
post #16

My interpretation of the point the author is trying to make: The 'hypersane' are those among us who have realized, for better or for worse, that the traditional things that most in a society strive for - material wealth, social status, conformity to social structures, etc. - aren't really the keys to happiness and that when you "awaken" (and become hypersane, I suppose) you realize that along with those things come s…

That sounds like a claim made by people that have enjoyed immense privilege. One could also claim that, while life is intrinsically "meaning"less, the existence of a body is all there is, and making the body comfortable is a worthwhile

Of course it is. This is Hacker News.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#139
post #16

My interpretation of the point the author is trying to make: The 'hypersane' are those among us who have realized, for better or for worse, that the traditional things that most in a society strive for - material wealth, social status, conformity to social structures, etc. - aren't really the keys to happiness and that when you "awaken" (and become hypersane, I suppose) you realize that along with those things come s…

>I dig it! I expect to see a lot of folks reject this notion outright, because, well, cognitive dissonance. If you've built your life around conforming, it might be tough to hear someone suggest it's all for naught. Be careful accepting the siren call of 'special truths' that put you in the in-group. This is the path of antivax, religion/cults, flat earthers, conspiracy theorists.

I wouldn't lump conspiracy theorists in with the others because conspiracies abound. There will be good theories and bad ones but you cannot dismiss all theories outright.

Re: The hypersane are among us, if only we are prepared to look

#140
post #16

My interpretation of the point the author is trying to make: The 'hypersane' are those among us who have realized, for better or for worse, that the traditional things that most in a society strive for - material wealth, social status, conformity to social structures, etc. - aren't really the keys to happiness and that when you "awaken" (and become hypersane, I suppose) you realize that along with those things come s…

My thought is that it is a very lonely existence.

I generally eschew most of society's social signalling. I drive only modest cars, I live alone in a sparsely furnished house (and love it!), try to eat right, keep a regular sleep schedule, try to act as rationally as possible, etc.

I realize that after my bouts of "hyper sanity," that I have to then intentionally relax some of my standards and try to selectively buy in to some of society's "insanity" in order to be happy. Because studies show that the happiest and longest lived people have strong social networks.

So while I love the idea, it's not the most fun, and it becomes counterproductive at a point.

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