Imagine

A lifetime travelogue of self-discovery set in Texas, India, and New York covering spirituality, political economics, science, and law. A first hand account of issues more often approached through the protective guise of a fictionalized protagonist or mystical shaman. Utilizing his experiences from youthful middle-class republicanism to New York investment banker, with side excursions to the Louisiana oil fields and India's Hippie Trail, the author explores...
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A lifetime travelogue of self-discovery set in Texas, India, and New York covering spirituality, political economics, science, and law. A first hand account of issues more often approached through the protective guise of a fictionalized protagonist or mystical shaman.

Utilizing his experiences from youthful middle-class republicanism to New York investment banker, with side excursions to the Louisiana oil fields and India's Hippie Trail, the author explores issues both proper and proscribed. He seeks to understand the underlying beliefs that form the communal spirit which he refers to as the Ethos.

The Ethos is defined by a finite number of Foundational Questions and Concepts. Foremost is whether human Essence precedes human existence, whether humans are born with a Personal Soul or accumulate their Essence through experience. He identifies three Axial Ages, periods during which commonly accepted ideologies are no longer sufficient to meet people's needs, and discusses how the current Axial Age is characterized by Convenient Delusionism

While he acknowledges that answers to most Foundational Questions are unknowable, societies are defined by the Concepts they create to avoid facing these Questions. He believes that the Ethos is neither magical nor mystical, it does not provide purpose or design. Nor is it inherently balanced or benevolent. We live our lives in a whirlpool believing we are under the control of an overwhelming force driving humanity's universal spirit, unaware that the spirit is of our own making.

Autonomy is the capacity to act independently based on a rational assessment of available information. Rationality is the ability to discern the effect of a cause. When ideologies define the effect based on their desired outcome, intellectual autonomy is lost. With due respect to John Lennon, simply imagining a better world is no longer sufficient. This is a call to confront Convenient Delusionism by standing up against prejudice, inequity, and misinformation.