The Mission of the Mind
Some people say our content has changed. Some people think we aren’t doing our job unless we’re walking. Some people think that our work isn’t “real” and that it doesn’t have value. We’re both learning to let go of being inundated with these misunderstandings, so now that we’ve had some necessary reflection, it’s time to elaborate on this big mission we’ve undertaken. It’s very unique. Not the walk or the content creation or any one of its ideas, but the true mission underpinning it all.
People say these things about work and value, because of the idea that “real work” conforms to certain parameters which are often vague, appeal to authority or the bandwagon, or exclude invaluable forms of work which we must have for society to function optimally. Quite often, the idea is that those things which have value can be represented materially in some way. These are bad ideas, because they misunderstand the nature of our world.
The world you look out at is built out of ideas. (I’m not arguing for idealism here, that’s a whole nuther conversation to unpack). Everything man has made is first born from the seed of an idea. Fire, weapons, agriculture, clothes, cars, bars, and movie stars are all the product of our ideas.
But ideas don’t merely govern the construction of our material goods. They are the foundation underpinning the whole of humanity. Our social dynamics, communities, cultures, religions, politics, trends, interests, priorities, what we do with our time, the quality of it, wars, genocide, and most of our suffering are all the result of the ideas we have fostered.
Because of the prioritization of the materials which follow the ideas, rather than the ideas which first precede the materials, and because of our lack of education on discerning what constitutes healthy, rational ideas, we have collectively fostered some of the worst ideas, priorities, and thought patterns.
Now let’s recall our mission statement. “The quality of our thoughts determines the quality of our life and the lives of those around us. Our mission is to deliver the kinds of content and tools which help retrain healthier thought patterns. If together we can change the inside, together we will change the outside.”
Our content is as on point as ever, and the mission couldn’t be more valuable. Throughout our career as the Walking America Couple we have discussed: the way the mind works, conditioning, behaviorism and contemporary cognitive psychology, neuroscience, Stoicism, Taoism, spirituality, why we don’t believe in the Bible (series), the utility in service toward something greater than our selves, the illusory nature of the self, the you know nothing series (and the many ways we know we don’t know what we think we know), using this info to humble ourselves so that we might alleviate so much of the judgment we place on each other, the fitness series (learning exercises, macros, calories, and micros), the consciousness series and the false dichotomy of physicalism vs dualism, lots about meditation, lots about love, lots about treating each other better, and now we’re back around to one of the biggest issues facing society: the food we eat.
The topics will continue to shift, but the mission remains the same. Deliver healthier ideas aimed at minimizing the suffering of as many beings as possible.
We certainly don’t do it in the best way possible every time. We too are learning as we go. But THIS is the mission. Not walking around to snap some cute selfies that make ya feel good. We want to challenge you and everyone else in the world to think better. Think better for yourself, so you can be happier and healthier. Think better of others, so they can too. Think more of your position as a contributing member of this deeply interconnected ecosystem of ideas that sway the world toward moral atrocities or toward understanding, reason, and love.
When we are wrong, you will learn to better reason against the wrong idea. When we are right, you will either learn something new or strengthen your argument and resolve. Win win. The most likely loss is that of your egoic and hedonic desires and pleasures. We don’t care so much about them. We want to open your eyes to them.
The topics will continue to change, but the mission remains: help them think healthier thoughts.
