As I read your essay, I found myself nodding in agreement, and occasionally frustration (at my memories) of undergrad days while transitioning from biology to philosophy ... as well as current events happening now from the world level to my personal community. Intuitively, I knew that the unnameable processes were more fundamental than provisionally labeled structures, but I usually remained passively silent, observing lectures, careers, and entire education systems built on provisional social constructs and ideologies that were defended with their last breath ... though I had not sussed out how the grease of money is a poor proxy for the river of process.
I remember squirming uncomfortably in the lecture room when one professor after another extolled the virtue of one structure or ideology after another ... while the books I gravitated to did the opposite. Such books were usually iconoclastic — mostly philosophy and literature drawing on the mystic traditions of Far Eastern philosophy or 'rogue' STEM specialists —, challenging the dominant structures and ideologies with narratives showing that the moment we stop to analyze a part of the river, we have extracted ourselves from the flow. And then, there are the charlatans who understand that and use that knowledge to weaponize for predatory purposes.
One book I remember fondly because it was so filled with possibility and optimism that it did not need a confrontational tone was the rogue mathematician Alfred North Whitehead's 'Adventures of Ideas'.
It was about 5 am when I woke up, skimmed my mail, and found your essay. Before heading back to sleep, I thought I would watch one podcast which had popped up in my feed ... and thought it synchronistically dovetailed so eerily perfect with what you had written, that I thought I would share the link with you. It is only about 15 minutes long, and shorter when listened at 1.5 speed.
Both your essay and the podcast will have some influence on a workshop I will be holding at a cafe in the local ward office here in Japan next month ... tentatively aimed at raising awareness of options for personal identity that do not depend on traditions, institutions, or authority.
Much thanks for this well-thought-out essay, Paul.
As I read your sub stack, on how morals are shaped by money. I wonder if that applies to businesses in the precious metals industry. Let me share my story with you, I was watching a show on YouTube. DeVory Darkins, he had a man named Paul Stone on and was interviewing him, this man was you. I could relate to your thought process, so my wife and I took part of her 401K and invested in gold and silver though your company Colonial Metals Group. That was mid June of 2025, we were told it would take 4 to 6 weeks to complete the transaction. Four months have now passed and nothing has happened, but our money has disappeared and no one at Colonial Metals Group will return our calls or answer the phones. No emails, no returned calls, we have gotten through exactly 2 times. On the first call they told us that you were no long with Colonial Metals Group, nor were any of the other people we talked with, there was a new CEO. My wife and I, can get no information on where are purchased gold and silver is or how long it might be, before her retirement IRA is funded with the metals. I do hold you and every commentators show that you were guest on partly responsible. It is time you do the moral thing and help all of YOUR CUSTOMERS get their products purchased from you and Colonial Metals Group. I thank you for your time, and I assure you we will be talking again if you don't man up and take care of your customers and do what is morally right. Don Elkins
Hi Paul.
As I read your essay, I found myself nodding in agreement, and occasionally frustration (at my memories) of undergrad days while transitioning from biology to philosophy ... as well as current events happening now from the world level to my personal community. Intuitively, I knew that the unnameable processes were more fundamental than provisionally labeled structures, but I usually remained passively silent, observing lectures, careers, and entire education systems built on provisional social constructs and ideologies that were defended with their last breath ... though I had not sussed out how the grease of money is a poor proxy for the river of process.
I remember squirming uncomfortably in the lecture room when one professor after another extolled the virtue of one structure or ideology after another ... while the books I gravitated to did the opposite. Such books were usually iconoclastic — mostly philosophy and literature drawing on the mystic traditions of Far Eastern philosophy or 'rogue' STEM specialists —, challenging the dominant structures and ideologies with narratives showing that the moment we stop to analyze a part of the river, we have extracted ourselves from the flow. And then, there are the charlatans who understand that and use that knowledge to weaponize for predatory purposes.
One book I remember fondly because it was so filled with possibility and optimism that it did not need a confrontational tone was the rogue mathematician Alfred North Whitehead's 'Adventures of Ideas'.
https://annas-archive.org/md5/65af18d052b6624fa517a9915f941301
It was about 5 am when I woke up, skimmed my mail, and found your essay. Before heading back to sleep, I thought I would watch one podcast which had popped up in my feed ... and thought it synchronistically dovetailed so eerily perfect with what you had written, that I thought I would share the link with you. It is only about 15 minutes long, and shorter when listened at 1.5 speed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc0kNnYgImg
Both your essay and the podcast will have some influence on a workshop I will be holding at a cafe in the local ward office here in Japan next month ... tentatively aimed at raising awareness of options for personal identity that do not depend on traditions, institutions, or authority.
Much thanks for this well-thought-out essay, Paul.
Cheers from Japan.
steve
Great so great! to hear from you again Steve- much thanks for your time and thought!
Paul
As I read your sub stack, on how morals are shaped by money. I wonder if that applies to businesses in the precious metals industry. Let me share my story with you, I was watching a show on YouTube. DeVory Darkins, he had a man named Paul Stone on and was interviewing him, this man was you. I could relate to your thought process, so my wife and I took part of her 401K and invested in gold and silver though your company Colonial Metals Group. That was mid June of 2025, we were told it would take 4 to 6 weeks to complete the transaction. Four months have now passed and nothing has happened, but our money has disappeared and no one at Colonial Metals Group will return our calls or answer the phones. No emails, no returned calls, we have gotten through exactly 2 times. On the first call they told us that you were no long with Colonial Metals Group, nor were any of the other people we talked with, there was a new CEO. My wife and I, can get no information on where are purchased gold and silver is or how long it might be, before her retirement IRA is funded with the metals. I do hold you and every commentators show that you were guest on partly responsible. It is time you do the moral thing and help all of YOUR CUSTOMERS get their products purchased from you and Colonial Metals Group. I thank you for your time, and I assure you we will be talking again if you don't man up and take care of your customers and do what is morally right. Don Elkins