Early last year, I came across an American philosopher that was touted to be “the most conscious man alive.”
His name is Ken Wilber.
I bought a few of his books, like “A Brief History Of Everything,” and was instantly hooked.
His teachings on holism, consciousness, and integration helped me understand the world from a high level. A cosmic lens. Wilber answered my burning questions that other philosophers couldn’t.
As I researched, I found one interesting thing:
David Deida and Mark Manson (the authors of The Way Of The Superior Man and The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fck*) were former students of his.
Deida went on to use the integral model to help explain sexuality and masculinity in his books.
My writing had a significant uptick after reading Ken’s work as well. This philosophy stuff is a lot more practical when you are building your own thing (as you’ll find out).
But Mark Manson… he had an interesting encounter.
Manson saw the rise and fall of Ken Wilber. He was an adamant student. He loved Wilber’s insights.
But one day, out of nowhere, Ken “turned” on his audience and disappeared.
Mark’s summary of Wilber’s momentary downfall was this:
No matter how conscious the human being, they are still human.
Ken is now back in action after some time off and is making appearances on some more niche podcasts.
While Ken did disappear out of nowhere and made some questionable remarks, there is still a lot we can learn from him. Especially when we don’t jump to conclusions. His disappearance is rather refreshing, as the modern spirituality industry is just as bad as the modern fitness industry.
Hidden flaws that don’t give the full picture.
Similar to how Alan Watts is a library of anxiety-soothing knowledge, he was a victim of alcoholism. Which does not contradict his philosophy. In fact, it shines light on the deceptive nature of the spirituality industry.
Watts is one of the few that was true to himself.
I recommend reading Ken’s work to get the full picture, but I want to introduce you to what he calls a “holon.”