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

aeon.co

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

#71

Post by Erlich_Bachman »

foxylad wrote: post #49
nlh wrote: 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 I get older, the blindingly obvious principle that we're all different seems to get more profound. In this case we all have different drivers, and different definitions of "sane". Some people love being part of a bigger whole, so to suggest these conformists aren't sane is as patronising as calling the non-conformists insane because they don't get with the program. An important corollary to this principle is that…

> and different definitions of "sane"

It's even so to a point that it is funny that they use this word in such an argument. Who in their right mind would assume that "sane" (and "hypersane") would be an objective enough of a concept to even dedicate time discussing? Neither science knows what is sane, nor does spirituality teachings use that word often.

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

#72

Post by oroeo92k »

Erlich_Bachman wrote: post #68
oroeo92k wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s possible to encounter a concept and not emotionally “get it.” It’s one thing to hear about something on TV and another entirely to change your entire life. If it were “gotten” by the masses via Disney shows, we’d all stop chasing it at all. Social ties and bonds existed before money, achieved via other means. So yeah we don’t all “get it” in the same way. As someone with enough to retire on at 40, money feels pr…

> If it were “gotten” by the masses via Disney shows, we’d all stop chasing it at all. This is such a common thing to think, but why, where is it based on? Why would you think that most people are still "chasing it" disproportionately? If you become enligthened (for the sake of simplicity, let's equate enlightenment with realization that material wealth is not the source of happiness and not the meaning of life) - if…

Edit: I’m too tired to debate, it’s not coming out how I intend, and tbh I don’t really feel any obligation to satisfy you.

Getting into a back and forth online in a no stakes social forum is asinine.

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

#73

Post by Erlich_Bachman »

ggm wrote: post #58

aeon web write ups feel like an attempt to be super-informative which just .. misses. They always seem to riff on things making a HUGE DEAL about THIS ONE THING which the authors feel WE ALL MISSED and I feel like I am watching a 1960s movie of stoned people.. grooving on the pattern the coffee cup makes on their hand, man.. its all one hole man.. one hole, the hole is not the cup, the hole is .. the HANDLE.. is it j…

> The two line take-away is: care less about material things. Gee.. nobody said that before, 2000+ years ago. Did they?

Yes, seriously, how is this news? Every single spiritual teacher, every religion, even every motivational coach will tell you this in the first hours of their teachings. How is this new?

Yes, it takes time to integrate it, it is not enough to just read about but what the article is going to integrate it for me? It is just more reading. There are thousands of readily available sources for this "profound truth", it is literally everywhere.

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

#74

Post by dnh44 »

dmwallin wrote: post #18
slowmovintarget wrote: post #14

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

I would say this article is making the case that sanity is the ability to correctly perceive what society conceives as real, while hypersanity is the ability to correctly perceive things outside of societies norms.

That leads to the idea that society and the sane people within it cannot distinguish between the insane and the hypersane.

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

#75

Post by Erlich_Bachman »

checktheorder wrote: post #22
motohagiography wrote: post #13

The point of diminishing returns on sanity occurs sooner than almost everyone expects. Surprised nobody has yet mentioned Douglas Adams' "Wonko the Sane," who built an asylum turned inside out to house the whole world. Many comedians would qualify as this as well. I know a few people I would consider "hypersane," and you can't have too many of them around because they are immune to the various arbitrages that create…

>Surprised nobody has yet mentioned Douglas Adams' "Wonko the Sane," who built an asylum turned inside out to house the whole world. Many comedians would qualify as this as well. I'm also thinking of the Terry Pratchett concept of being "knurd". On the Discworld, the opposite of being drunk isn't being sober - sober is the middle ground on the drunk/sober/knurd scale. To be knurd is to be so completely aware of every…

Why would being completely aware of everything not allow one to function in a society if one wanted to?

Does it imply that you can't selectively focus on things?

Right now if I am to do the dishes, I am already aware of thousands other things and concepts and deep truths about reality, and sciences, etc. etc, but I can focus on this one task, it doesn't matter what I am aware of, if I choose to do it I can do it. How would being aware of more things put a dent in that?

If so, then call it for what it is (perhaps "attention deficit disorder"?), but it has nothing to do with the amount of awareness.

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

#76

Post by koonsolo »

nlh wrote: 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…

> material wealth, social status, conformity to social structures, etc. - aren't really the keys to happiness

So what makes you think not having those things will make you happy? Material wealth can make you both happy and sad, and so do all the other things.

For all I know, it seems pursuing happyness is not the best strategy to become happy.

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

#77

Post by Erlich_Bachman »

benj111 wrote: post #69
motohagiography wrote: post #13

The point of diminishing returns on sanity occurs sooner than almost everyone expects. Surprised nobody has yet mentioned Douglas Adams' "Wonko the Sane," who built an asylum turned inside out to house the whole world. Many comedians would qualify as this as well. I know a few people I would consider "hypersane," and you can't have too many of them around because they are immune to the various arbitrages that create…

"the cure for hypersanity was either hemlock, or crucifixion" Are you making reference to Jesus here? Hypersanity doesn't seem to sit well with certain other.. traits.

What do you mean? (assuming it's about Jesus)

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

#78

Post by sifar »

madaxe_again wrote: post #65
sifar wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Fear holds shut the doors of perception, because to even deeply consider, never mind act upon, the idea that we live in a consensual hallucination, presents the illusion of being capable of devaluing one’s entire existence, and therefore one’s identity. Well said. Yes people are afraid to question themselves and are actively discouraged and distracted from it. Any PKD book you'd like to suggest regarding this ?

The VALIS trilogy and his exegesis are probably the most philosophical but almost most impenetrable of his works. Some of his intermediate period stuff, like Flow My Tears the Policeman Said and Radio Free Albemuth is a softer landing, as you can see the ideas that lead to his later work building from his earlier more facile metaphysics. I re-read his corpus last year in the order he wrote them -and finished feeling…

Thanks. I have the first book in VALIS - will start on it. It does take some effort to track things as one is unraveling it. But the feeling of realization and a new way of looking at things that you get at the other end of such works is worth it.

The problem is keeping those insights. One has to hold on to them, ensure they don't get lost in the ever increasing sea of information. To revisit them periodically and imbibe in oneself. Another problem is not knowing if you are the only one to see it this way. It shouldn't, but it is.

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

#79

Post by [deleted] »

oroeo92k wrote: post #72
Erlich_Bachman wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If it were “gotten” by the masses via Disney shows, we’d all stop chasing it at all. This is such a common thing to think, but why, where is it based on? Why would you think that most people are still "chasing it" disproportionately? If you become enligthened (for the sake of simplicity, let's equate enlightenment with realization that material wealth is not the source of happiness and not the meaning of life) - if…

Edit: I’m too tired to debate, it’s not coming out how I intend, and tbh I don’t really feel any obligation to satisfy you. Getting into a back and forth online in a no stakes social forum is asinine.

[deleted]
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