Friday Book Pitch: Becoming the Blank Slate
I’m the type of creative person who has more ideas in a day then I could execute in a lifetime, but I have no idea which ones are good (if any). So every Friday I am going to throw out a little book pitch, some will be serious, others satire. If I find one that resonates I’ll put it on the “good” list. That list is currently empty.
I recently wrote a essay for Michael Pollan’s Medium submission call asking for stories documenting the way a psychedelic trip meaningfully changed your life. Ever the contrarian, I titled mine “Psychedelic Drugs Won’t Save the World,” so for that reason alone it may get it rejected. In it I wrote this line referring to my first trip:
That day I knew I wasn’t born a blank slate — there are endless genetic, social, cultural, societal and evolutionary forces pushing my sails in every direction, every day. My ultimate goal was now to end up a blank slate, a consciousness unaffected by the unseen and unintended.
I’ve spent the last few years operating under that notion, trying to remove all of the unseen influence from my thoughts and actions and be reborn with a mind that’s truly a blank slate.
That’s the book pitch in a nutshell. A non-fiction book that details how epigenetics, culture, biography, society, evolutionary biology, nature, nurture, the freaking universe influence your every thought and action and what you can do to deprogram and start being the admiral of your own vessel, because most of us aren’t.
Example: How many people would cheat on their spouses if they separated the deep need their consciousness had for connection and love from the animistic imperative of their body to make babies with every healthy, beautiful person that comes their way? Some people tacitly accept this behavior as “human nature” but maybe we’re just assholes who don’t take the time to understand what’s really going on behind our eyes. Maybe.
In the above quote I was referring to the recognition that my bizarre and dysfunctional childhood informed most of my decisions in early adulthood. The past can create a viscous cycle of self-imprisonment, this book suggests a method for breaking that I suppose. People who weren’t traumatized would benefit as well but fortunately they don’t exist. Sally’s being abandoned by her father is Jesse’s getting the wrong color Trapper Keeper is Raphael’s only being able to afford Silestone instead of the natural rock his heart desires. We’re weird creatures.
Is that a book you would read? I think it’s an interesting concept so long as I make it hell of a lot more funny than this pitch and keep it light and interesting. My truth is not your truth but the truth is out there somewhere between us.
All of the images of this medium post were made by me, feel free to use them for whatever you like as long as you watermark them with my name. They are all real, physical pieces of art. I’m happy to sell them to you or make an illustration just for you. Contact me for details (rates reasonable).
