You Can Only Think About External Things
The following recordings are from Jan’s final years, when his voice was diminished and he spoke in a low whisper. Some listeners may find these tapes hard to listen to, or difficult to understand. Thus, as another option, transcripts are being made and will be posted.
Otherwise, turn up the volume and enjoy! Those who carefully listened to Jan during this period consider that he spoke plainly and directly to the matter at hand, “pulling out all the stops,” as he understood that these were to be his last messages to his groups, and to posterity.
Summary = See below
Condensed News = See below
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Summary
12/29/04:
Notes by TK
Thinking v. belief (feeling). These take place in separate parts of the brain. Focus on the external environment engenders thinking and is based on comparisons of externals (e.g., science). Comparisons of externals to internal states, shift of attention to feelings = belief (e.g., religion, psychology). People do not notice that these two modes of consciousness are distinct and continually, instantly alternate in their normal activity.
There is nothing to think about internally; you can only think about external things. But people believe they ‘think’ about internals. In fact, they believe—a very distinctly different thing. You don’t ‘think’ about your dead mother, you feel about her; ditto, religion. (29:45) #3243
Jan’s Daily Fresh Real News (to accompany this talk)
THE REAL PRIVATE EYES/I’s NEVER SLEEP
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The Chronicles That Stay On The Case ‘Til It Cracks
DECEMBER 29, 2004 © 2004: JAN COX
Third Themberrium Theorem Of Man’s Intangible Reality:
Things continue to become more complicated, and the more complicated things are – the harder it is to make them work.
(Theorem That Comes After That One):
If things were still simple – they wouldn’t BE working.
(The next Theorem in this progression is what you’re living in now.)
Everybody knows what’s best for everyone else —
which is the primary motivation of all human conversation and publication.
(“And thank god for it!”)
Many things (it may be noted) in the singular world of man’s cultural activities
are irrelevant; this includes the exceptions (of which there aren’t any).
In a stroke of what he cautiously suspected to be perverse-genius
one man began to explain his sometimes erratic behavior by saying that he was
in actual fact, two different people.
To his surprise, no one questioned this, and in fact many nodded knowingly.
In his desire to show the kid how much less there can be to second reality affairs
than those involved ever realize the ole man said:
“You can take what appears to be a most complex matter and approach it in a manner so simple that no one ever considers it (take for example, fame):
if you tell enough people that you’re famous and enough of them believe you –
Voila! – you’re famous.”
(The lad later said that sometimes the ole man’s ideas scare the shit out of him…..
then after a brief pause, laughed, trying [it appeared] to make his comment seem like
it was meant as a joke. [Some families are funnier than others.])
Vocational Encouragement Of The Day.
Remember: If you’re king – you’ve got everybody’s number.
One fellow maintains a Rhino Preserve – in his own consciousness.
(The sign says: “Keep Windows Closed & Do Not Feed The Thoughts.”)
The paramount myth of one world is that all myths actually happened.
(Which ‘tis rumored, even began to freak out the guy responsible for it.
“It almost makes being alive worthwhile: hearing about a poisonous snake that
accidentally bites itself. Don’t know why I so enjoy that kinda thing.”)
Inspirational Thought Of The Day.
Anyone who writes their own epitaph – deserves to die.
One of the downsides (though unrealized) of being of ordinary consciousness is that Chapter Four comes only after Chapter Two (at least that’s the way it seems).
(“Well I’ll be damned! After thirty years of trying, I now suddenly understand
that what kept me from going from here-to-there was not untraversable space,
but uncomprehended time: the lewd logic of seriality.”)
In that you can’t actually jump off: the way to debark de jure the train-to-nowhere
is by an unnatural, lateral movement from one car to another.
(“Don’t you love it when someone apparently tells you how to do something that
you’re interested in, but you don’t understand what they’re talking about.”)
And Mister Lister rolls out this refresher:
“Remember kids: every idea has two meanings – and this isn’t one of them.”
Additional Notice: A flurry of activity can certainly hide the lack of same.
One man (whenever returning to his place in the city) just before he gets there,
always gives out a loud shout (just to give his self advance warning).
The latest craze in one city is: low-impact-thinking.
(They’ve actually been doing it for a long time — just never had a name for it before.)
Just as a joke, right before they’re about to land, this one pilot will sometimes announce: “Ladies & Gentlemen — We’re about to land.”
(Some members of the traveling public find this more humorous than others.
[Oh yeah: he previously tried this with: “taking-off” but no one seemed to enjoy that one.])
Sign in front of one metaphysical teacher’s cabin:
“I May Not Be Able To Wake You Up,
But I Can Stop You From Worrying About Being Asleep.”
Overheard.
“People who try to sound like they know what they’re talking about, are pitiful.”
“There there, pa pa.”
A newly active special-detective observes that a particularly nice feature of
trying to solve the case is that the more you understand about it,
the less you have to tell others about it.
Not long after arriving in the new place, he decided to try a completely different approach: he would go ahead and pay the piper – and then not dance.
An acquaintance back home upon hearing of this (and giving the matter considerable thought) came to the conclusion that some things probably can’t be exported
(and that proper timing may be one of them).
One man’s thumb is so close to his index finger that he can only make a fist when
his hand is in someone’s else’s pocket.
(He notes that this condition has about narrowed his vocational possibilities down to that of Angry Spiritual Teacher.)
(“One of the benefits of being part of religion,” notes a priest, “is that you have
the ready-made enemy of satan on whom to take out your verbal bile
instead of the parishioners.”
Everyone has a similar arrangement in their consciousness –
but few take advantage of it.)
Then being momentarily overrun with the folk-song-rash, he began to sing:
“I’m goin’ down that road feelin’ bad,
goin’ down that road feelin’ bad,
goin’ down that road feelin’ bad, lawd lawd,
‘cause that road turned out to be me.”
Laying blame on man’s institutions lets everyone off the hook —
(‘cept from a rebel’s view: no one was on a hook to begin with).
As he slowed down the truck, he leaned out the window and said:
“If you won’t listen to other people’s talk – you won’t be as dumb as they are,
(well, at least not in the same way they are).”
The sign on his door read: “The Brothers: Simple & Direct: We Deliver.”
A father offered a son a new view:
“You could look at it like this:
First everything was real –
then that wasn’t enough –
so everyone began to pretend –
and soon pretending became so real that they forgot what it was and IT became real;
but soon – that wasn’t enough – so! (and you can take it from there).”
(The sign on the delivery van read: “We Can Take It From Here,”
and behind it ran a man shouting: “Hell – anyone can!”)
As he was testing out coffins in the showroom, one man said not to worry about him: that he’s pretty sure now he’ll die happy – just as soon as he learns to live happy.
There are places where unicorns, wizards and holy men actually exist.
(And an email just in: “Are you trying to be cute by sticking in the word: actually?! – if so: I don’t see it ?!?
Sincerely,” etc.)
Urbanality & Finality.
You can’t BE a city-thinker AND get-the-point – they’re mutually exclusive.
(“Man! – that’s a relief to know!”)
That is one of the undervalued features of being of ordinary consciousness:
first you’re pressured – then you’re relieved;
then you’re pressured again – then relieved again;
then pressured again, and on like that, in a process which men of routine mental wherewithal do not find to be intolerably annoying.
(And a man mused: “Could that be the real story of those who seek enlightenment – they’re just people who’re too easily pissed?”)
At the age of twelve, one man laid out the plans for the rest of his life:
Until the age of thirty, he’d think about sex;
for ten years after that he’d think about other people;
for the next ten years he’d think about his self,
and for the twenty years after that he’d think about his consciousness,
and for the time after that — (he didn’t want to think about it).
After certain matters had come to pass, one god told his wife:
“I’m going to sleep now – wake me when it’s ALL over.”
If you have a way out – you’ll take it — hell! —
if you have a way out – you’ve already taken it.
J