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Enlightenment
Isn’t What You Think It Is It’s What Happens After
You Solve a Problem We tend
to think of enlightenment as a mystical achievement—something reserved
for monks on mountaintops or sages in deep meditation. But what if we’ve
misunderstood it all along? What if enlightenment isn’t some rare, final
state—but a universal after-effect that happens every time a system
(yes, even a microbe) solves a problem? Let the
modern druid reframe enlightenment from scratch—and in doing so, uncover a
principle that connects life, survival, intelligence, and joy across
all scales of existence. Enlightenment = Constraint Resolution + Energy Release Here’s
the idea in one line: Enlightenment
is the energy released when a system removes a constraint to its own
survival. A
constraint might be: ·
A mental block ·
A predator threat ·
A lack of nutrients ·
A faulty line of code ·
A spiritual delusion It
doesn’t matter how complex the system is. From a bacterium to a human brain, all
adaptive systems face constraints that prevent them from functioning
well. When a system overcomes that block—either by solving the problem itself
or receiving help from the outside—it releases energy. That release feels
like clarity, lightness, or sometimes even ecstatic joy. That’s
what we’re calling enlightenment. Two Meanings of Enlightenment, One Process We’re
playing with both meanings of the word: ·
More light (illumination, clarity) ·
Less weight (lightness, relief) Think
about the last time you figured something out—really figured it out. Maybe it
was an emotional breakthrough, or the solution to a puzzle, or a painful
truth you finally faced. That moment likely felt lighter, clearer,
even a bit electric. That’s enlightenment—not a mystical gift, but a
structural effect of solving a problem. Who Gets Enlightened? (Hint: Not Just Humans) This
version of enlightenment isn’t reserved for philosophers or meditators. It
happens whenever a system resolves a constraint:
This
tells us something radical: enlightenment is not a moral or spiritual
reward. It’s not a sign of virtue or wisdom. It’s just what happens
when a system gets unstuck. Internal vs. External Enlightenment Enlightenment
can come from the inside or the outside. ·
Internal: You work through the
problem, adapt, and evolve. You earn the energy. ·
External: Someone or something helps
remove the block. The system still experiences the shift—it just didn’t
generate it alone. Either
way, the after-effect is the same: new energy is freed up. That energy
can: ·
Go back into survival (new strategies, new
strength) ·
Be felt as affect (joy, lightness, “aha!”) The
second option—feeling it—is especially rich in humans. We don’t just
survive—we notice we’re surviving better. That noticing is what we
often mistake for enlightenment as a mystical event. But really, it’s a feedback
signal from your system to you: “We made it through.” Joy Is Just the
Echo of Adaptation The big
takeaway? Joy,
peace, clarity—they’re all emotional footprints of problem-solving. When the
burden lifts, we call it weightlessness. When the fog clears, we call it
insight. But underneath all of it, the structure is the same: 1. There was
a constraint. 2. Energy
was applied to resolve it. 3. That
energy is released. 4. That
release is experienced as enlightenment. In some
systems, it’s silent. In humans, it sometimes sings. Most often it’s
mind-boggling. Enlightenment, Demystified We don’t
need to retreat from the world to find enlightenment. It’s happening all
around us—in bacteria, forests, conversations, and code. Every time a system
becomes more itself by removing what blocks it, the light turns on.
Sometimes you remove a big block, and you get an ‘wow’ enlightenment whopper.
Mostly, though, you just remove little blocks a just barely feel minimal, low
voltage blips. Enlightenment
isn’t a destination. And it
belongs to all life. |