Choosing hope and the search for meaning

    Hi, my name is Zach Sheets, and I am here to share with you, dear reader, the wise words of William James. In the subject I chose John Kaag examines William James's theory of transcendence and consciousness in Chapter 4 of Sick Souls, Healthy Minds. He views it as a means of facing pain in a meaningful way rather than as a means of escaping it.  In a world that frequently seems chaotic and overwhelming, James's concepts are incredibly helpful.  His ideas on consciousness, the value of personal experience, the function of religion and spiritual ties, and the strength of choosing hope in the face of adversity are all covered in this blog post.

What is consciousness? 

Famously, William James compared consciousness to a "stream"—a constantly shifting, flowing river of ideas, emotions, and experiences.  It is something we are constantly a part of rather than a fixed object or steady entity.  Isolating a single moment of consciousness is like attempting to grasp a handful of water, according to James.  This metaphor pushes us to see life as fluid, lived, and ever-evolving rather than searching for strict definitions of who we are or what is true. I believe this loose approach to viewing our own consciousness teaches us to let go and not worry too much about the nature of all things, our own understanding of life is constant and even somewhat beyond our control.

In this helpful video, the creator explains James' philosophy and his view on consciousness:

https://youtu.be/7pc_eQ99kTI?si=kFHHX-yN0-dX6bQc

Reality is Personal Experience

James did not think that truth was limited to an objective reality.  He maintained that each of us defines reality according to our own views, feelings, and experiences.  Truth is not merely noticed; it is lived.  At this point, his worldview transforms into something very human and departs from conventional rationalism.  It allows for subjectivity, grief, and uncertainty—things we frequently experience but find difficult to explain. Everyone experiences life differently, and therefore we all have radically different views on life and our own consciousness, personal experience, both through the bad and the good, can be the key to finding true understanding of the world around us.

Transcendence is not an escape from reality

Most people view transcendence in a strange escapist sort of way, whether it be escaping with philosophy, distractions, or religion. Although James saw things very differently, transcendence to him wasn't escaping pain and reality, but rather it was embracing pain and reality, making an attempt to fully live through the many experiences of life to truly transcend. This does not imply that everything is alright.  It means facing life's bad and saying, "Even this matters."  In this way, transcendence is not a passive retreat but rather an active process.

Religion has value

James was critical of religious beliefs at times, but he had a great respect for religious or mystical experience regarding transendence. He went on to say that it could lead individuals to feel connected to something greater, something divine that he saw as "more." The medium to carry out this feeling of something greater could be anything, whether it be God, the universe, nature, or more; this feeling could ground people who are caught up in the chaos of our world and our understanding of it. They give hope, not by offering answers, but by expanding our sense of meaning.

According to Google, "He emphasized God's role in providing meaning and purpose to human life, rather than focusing on a metaphysical or abstract concept of divinity."

Here is a very brief video that elaborates on William James' beliefs and ideas concerning religious experience or something greater:

https://youtu.be/LWnOO6o-fVM?si=WR9LR68dmOxAFTeC

Choosing Hope despite Suffering

The greatest takeaway from this chapter is James' idea of choosing hope, like I said earlier, he didn't block out his suffering or deny it, but rather he fully lived through it, going through deep depression and suicidal thoughts. Though he was saved by his idea of choosing to have hope despite suffering, this literal act of choosing hope became a form of transcendence in itself. John Kaag then goes on to argue that belief in hope isn't naive but rather is a courageous choice to make. It means acknowledging how bad things can get and still saying, “I want to keep going." This is especially inspiring to me because I like many others have gone through rough times in life, but here on out I will always be reminded of the idea of choosing hope. There is a strong emphasis on the word choosing. I see it as a decisive act to have hope because you literally choose to have it, almost like you are demanding it from the universe. A lot of the most revered and inspiring characters from fiction are people who were beaten down, counted out, and who had no reason to have hope, but despite all of this, they chose to believe in themselves and have hope that things would get better with hard work and dedication

    William James teaches us to live through and experience life fully, both the good and the bad. Learn from your personal experience and let it shape the way you view the world, finding meaning in everything. His philosophy encourages us to connect with something greater, be honest with ourselves, and persevere through difficult times. Don't leave the world behind but exist in it, do the good things that you genuinely believe in, the things that you assign value to in accordance with your own self-experience. Personally, my view on the self-experience part is that William James is telling us, the readers, to not live life on autopilot; most people seem to cruise through life without a second thought, which is not only ignorant but also puts you in danger of not being able to handle certain situations. Examine the deeper meaning of your life, not just what is happening around you, but primarily through your own actions. 

Thank you so much for reading my blog post. This class has been an honor to be in and has definitely impacted my worldview and taught me to look into life just as William James did, and to never abandon hope, no matter how bad suffering gets.