hygienic dark retreat

profound rest for the self‑healing psyche

a book by andrew durham

formerly darkroomretreat.com

meta-ethics of darkness

2009 November 8

On the metaphysics of self-preservation: “Consciousness, for those organisms which possess it, is the basic means of survival.” –Ayn Rand

This idea is one of the roots of the darkness conjecture. Our lives are so thoroughly screwed up because our consciousnesses is comprehensively impaired.

Generally, we try to use will—the most delicate part of the very faculty that is so damaged—to fix our problems. How is it working out for us? As a designer of the Los Angeles freeway system would later put it, “Each and every problem we face today is the direct and inevitable result of yesterday’s brilliant solutions.” If I were the left hand, I’d say the right hand’s bluffing.

Which is why I think it would be better to use will to provide the organism, including consciousness, the conditions it needs to heal itself autonomically, to do with ourselves as Rockefeller did with his company: “All I did was hire people who were smarter than me.”