Unknown artist
A person believes he plans and directs his own life. In other words, he sees himself as the car's driver, not the passenger.
But here’s the hitch—he often ends up somewhere he never intended to go. When that happens, he blames bad roads, misleading signs, other drivers, or his own unpredictable car.
That last part is interesting. What does it mean for a car to be unpredictable? If the car won’t obey you, maybe it doesn’t belong to you. Or maybe this mechanical metaphor doesn’t fit, because what’s moving forward isn’t a machine—it’s a living organism. It has its own needs, goals, and life.
In other words, the one you think you are is riding on the back of a giant serpent. The serpent slithers along a path only it knows. And you? You’re just along for the ride. Hiding behind the illusion of control, the passenger imagines himself the driver.
It’s like a scuba diver declaring himself the Master of the Ocean.
Here, the swimmer is the mind, and the water is the body, nature, people, and the cosmos.
If you see yourself as only the mind, you’re trapped in a dilemma: surrender or conquer the non-mind—all the unpredictability of the world.
But what if, just for a second, you entertained the heretical thought that you’re far more than the mind? That you’re something completely different, and you just don’t know who you are yet?
What if you are the very force that’s been frightening you for so long? What if you are the serpent, confidently carrying the rider toward a destination he cannot see?
Unlike the mind, the serpent is deeply connected to the earth and everything around it. It knows without knowing. It sees truth without needing to reason. That’s why both of them—the serpent and the mind—are alive to this day.
Even more, they don’t have to fear or fight each other. The task is to overcome this split and restore wholeness. Your unpredictability can become a source of creativity as a result.
Yours sincerely,
-Alexander
About me:
As a business therapist, I help tech founders quickly solve dilemmas at the intersection of business and personality, and boost company value as a result.
How can I help you?
If you've long been trying to understand what is limiting you and/or your business and how to finally give important changes a push, then The Catalyst Session is designed specifically for you. Book it here.