What Bubble Are You Living In?
The art and practice of seeing through the trance of misperception
Last week, I had the chance to visit Yosemite National Park with my partner Madeleine. We hiked through a ponderosa pine and California black oak forest and ascended the bare granite slopes of Sentinel Dome, where we looked out at the breathtaking views of Yosemite Valley, including Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. This experience stirred up a deep yearning for my cherished Rocky Mountain foothills in Boulder, Colorado, where I lived before moving to Austin, Texas, two years ago. This experience wasn't merely about the scenic beauty; the profound connection with nature touched my soul. There's not much new to add to the discussion of how nature benefits us. Countless writers and wisdom traditions have praised the benefits of spending time in nature, and scientific research confirms its positive impact on mental health.
But as we returned from the hike, something happened. I gained clarity on things that needed to be clarified. I didn't just think this realization; I felt it. It felt like I had broken free from a couple of bubbles that had confined my thinking. I realized that I had been trapped in specific points of view, unable to think my way out. I saw the situations that had been befuddling me from outside my normal point of view, from the other side of these bubbles.
This made me contemplate how we are all trapped in one trance or another throughout our lives. I've experienced darker trances, such as childhood-trauma-induced trances of shame and unworthiness, as well as enthusiastic trances, such as the giddy, grandiose trance I lived in as young, successful adventure writer and, more recently, the ecstatic highs one can feel during the early phases of the spiritual path. We become consumed by a subject, and our egos inflate around it, making it difficult to see that we are trapped. However, as my spiritual journey matured, I broke free from that trance, resulting in a deeper and more realistic connection with myself and the Divine. I began seeing God as reality, encompassing both the good and the bad—It All. A more practical spirituality is now my path, not shielding my ego from discomfort or bypassing life’s challenges that require my attention and effort as simply "meant to be." And yet, I still make plenty of room for mystery, the mystical, and those life-changing moments when the universe wows us to the point of exaltation.
We all are products of our past, viewing the world through the lens of our families and cultures. We all learn childhood beliefs that we need to let go of. Some of us puncture our childhood bubbles sooner than others. For me, it took nearly five decades to pop some of the cloudier bubble membranes of my youth.
Groups of people and entire societies can fall into trances, too. This couldn’t be more obvious in our nation’s polarized political situation. We immerse ourselves in belief systems and ideologies influenced by the information we consume and the company we keep. I believe we all are in a Trance of Logic. We have become so engrossed in logic, science, and medicalized, deduction-based psychology that we overlook the mystical aspects of life celebrated by poets and mystics throughout history.
As the Buddha and the great yogis said, there is an external reality, but our world is shaped by our minds and how we view the world. And so much of this is unconscious to us. David Foster Wallace discusses this in his famous 2007 Kenyon graduation speech, later published as "This is Water." An older fish approaches two younger fish swimming. The older fish asks the two younger fish: “How's the water?”
As they swim off, one of the younger fish naively asks the other: “What's water?”
We are like these fish swimming around, oblivious to the water of our conditioned minds. We see a rock here, an octopus there. But we are rarely conscious of the water itself, the particular rose-colored tint of our unconscious beliefs.
To bridge the gap between our experiences and interpretations, I've found solace in spiritual practices, such as meditation, yoga, journaling, and repetitive chanting. Writing about my life in memoir form has also provided a valuable gap between experiences and interpretations, giving me the power to make choices independent of my conditioning.
Creating this gap empowers us to burst the bubble-like trances that we are living in, ultimately allowing us to perceive reality closer to its true nature. For this reason, I'm careful about what I expose my mind and body to. We all live in trances shaped by our unique cultures and experiences. I humbly strive to see beyond them and remain open to growth and change.
We will always find ourselves in some trance, but we can choose which trance to inhabit - one that aligns with reality, fosters personal growth, and seeks a deeper understanding of the world. I'm committed to breaking free from mass culture bubbles and embracing a life enriched with profound and uplifting experiences. I may not always do it, but I prefer trying to stay conscious of the tint of the water I'm swimming in and try to move as often as possible in more truth-filled waters.
I’m appreciative of the many emails and letters I’ve received from readers of my new memoir, Into the Soul of the World: My Journey to Healing. I’ve even emails from therapists who are referring my book, which chronicles my lifelong struggle to understand and heal depression and addiction caused by childhood trauma, to their clients. Please keep sending me your letters. Your words mean the world to me.
Nice insight, Brad. And glad you had the experience at that amazing place in the world.
well said!