And so here it is. We're close to the end of the book—a book that some of you may have found interesting or exciting, or perhaps others may have found rather odd. You may have thought, quite justifiably, what kind of strange book is this? We have a book primarily about Greek mystical philosophy with an autobiographical intro that includes nightclub stories, recollections of all sorts of nocturnal candy along with a story about death and transformation and some explorations into new science. What gives?
Well, in many ways, writing this book was the culmination of my very own twenty-year odyssey; the synchronicity of seeing that old boat named The Odyssey when I was at a crossroads was quite powerful for me. The universe kept calling me back to my ancestral roots; I just felt compelled to turn people on to some of the ideas of the world's great thinkers, which had helped me to experience the world and the universe in such a fuller and more satisfying way than I had before. My rather extreme personal story was the honey to lure people into the book, so I could then expose them to the wondrous, consciousness-expanding ideas of people like Pythagoras, Plato, and William James.
And why do I think that's important? While the old axiom “you are what you eat” may be true, the ancient Greeks and I believe that you are also what you think. Contemplations on things such as math, music, philosophy, and cosmology have a way of elevating one's level of consciousness in ways more permanent than any mind-altering substance could ever achieve. It's my contention that the contents of our mind, as well as the subject of our thoughts, inform who we are, so that we indeed become what we think.
Think about this: if you immerse yourself in playing a violent video game like Grand Theft Auto for four hours a day instead of listening to classical music while engaging in informed discussions on the evolution of the universe for those same four hours, what might the impact be?
I suggest that the content and focus of our thoughts and intentions does more than impact us; they actually inform us and, thus, actually shape who we are. We are either elevated or debased by our thoughts and endeavors.
And what I'm talking about here is more than just molding our behaviors. We all know that kids who are desensitized to violence are more apt to engage in violence. What I'm talking about is actually affecting us on a cellular, spiritual-DNA level. To use Pythagoras's Music of the Spheres vibrational language, our thinking tunes our frequencies and causes us to resonate in an entirely different way. We, thus, actually vibrate differently. So we really do become what we think. In fact, Pythagoras believed that if you contemplated something like infinity, you would actually become infinite. So what do we become when we contemplate something ugly or debasing?
Certainly in a culture where most people's thoughts are focused on the empty preoccupations of shopping, or video games, or American Idol, a society where most people tend to be anxious and angry, there may be a need for the voices of the longdead ancient Greek philosophers to come alive again to help us understand that what we think matters—that ideas and beauty and ethics and philosophy both form and shape us.
Let's nurture our thinking so that it elevates not only us as individuals, but also the larger collective soup that we're swimming in.
Can I prove that thoughts impact the world? Not exactly, but the evidence and data for those who choose to look at it seems to support that, in statistically significant ways, there does seem to be something interesting going on. And while some may question whether thoughts can impact the external world, I think there's little doubt that one's thinking can certainly affect one's own life.
As for me, I'll choose to hitch my beliefs to the wagon of some of humanity's greatest thinkers: Pythagoras, Plato, Parmenides, Plotinus, William James, Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, David Bohm, Huston Smith, Ervin Laszlo, and Joseph Chilton Pearce, amongst others. What else can I say other than I'm very grateful these days that I can look in the mirror and not have to avoid eye contact. Today, I can look into my twin sons' eyes and know that I'm living the kind of life that they can be proud of. I know that my journey has been pretty extreme. In fact, I think that I might be the only person that's ever gone from being a Manhattan nightclub owner to becoming a Ph.D. and college professor. It's strange; in writing How Plato and Pythagoras Can Save Your Life, I kept having this odd feeling that the only reason I survived all my close encounters with death was so that I could complete this book. I really hope that it can provide some tangible, practical ways that people can use if they genuinely want a more engaged and meaningful life. I know that I try to the best of my ability to embrace the Bios Pythagorikos that I've described in the book: I don't drink or smoke. I eat well. I exercise regularly. I try and live as ethically and honestly as I can. I do contemplative meditations and am constantly looking up at the night sky in wonder. And, in the process, my life is amazingly full, and I'm a truly happy camper.
So if you're not happy with certain things in your life, why not change them? If you're not happy with yourself, then change that too! Apply the alchemy of Pythagoras and Plato as I did to transform yourself and to elevate your game. As I mentioned, the Greeks may have had a bit of a preoccupation with death and death rituals, but that was so that they could transform themselves into their fullest, most actualized self.
So may the universe be with you, as I hope that you join me in the Alchemy Survivors' Club!