Dear Luv Doc,
When I blow my mind, is that a selfish or perverted act? It used to be accepted back in the Sixties, but today, I’m not sure. And what are the repercussions or consequences, if any? I began to wonder if Republicans were the result of parents who experienced too much reality or if they just had a natural/unnatural block to reality.
– Can’t Stop Touching Myself
You seem to be confused about what it means to have your mind blown, which leads me to believe your mind has never been blown at all. That’s a shame. There is so much to be learned by having your whole belief system obliterated. The most important thing you learn is that your beliefs are simply that: beliefs. They’re not the result of some personal pipeline to an infallible divine (sorry, Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, and anyone else guided by voices), they’re just the best current response your relatively simple noggin has to an annoyingly unknowable universe. Don’t take that as an insult. I’m sure you’re smart as a whip, but even the most insanely brilliant minds humanity has to offer all concede their ignorance with abject humility. You can’t know everything. Thinking you do is a very special kind of stupidity shared by Democrats and Republicans alike. It cuts across generations, and it most certainly blocks reality.
Here’s a question to consider: Even if for some reason you had the ability to know everything there is to know in this apparently infinite universe, would you really want to? Do you really want an infinite amount of knowledge swirling around in your head? Do you really think you can handle the whole truth? I don’t know about you, but I want no part of that shit show. I want my mind blown in much smaller, less devastating increments. I’m still getting over watching Carli Lloyd pull a hat trick in the WWC finals by scoring a goal from the halfway line … and don’t even get me started talking about President Barry busting out a respectable a capella kick start of “Amazing Grace.” As my New Jersey friends would say, “Hoofa canoe?“
Regardless of whether you’re dragging the whole Judeo-Christian ball and chain, the sentiment of “Amazing Grace” is profound. It’s about the utter wretchedness of the human condition and the sweetness of enlightenment – in this case spiritual, but it works equally well from an intellectual perspective. It’s about humility and gratitude: humility for knowing you don’t have it all figured out, gratitude for being allowed a chance to try. Seeking knowledge – even (and especially) knowledge that expands your mind and breaks down your pre-existing prejudices – is not a selfish act. It is fundamental to the human condition and essential for its survival. Minds were made for blowing.
This article appears in July 17 • 2015.
