A Working Hypothesis

Participating whole-heartedly in the whole messy adventure requires a framework that makes sense to you on a deep level.

People don’t agree at all about what life is; there is no single answer, no clear proof. However, each of us have suspicions, intuitions, and private stores of evidence.

Why were you born? What are you here for? What happens when you die? Why bother? 

When I’ve asked these questions of my clients, they’re usually puzzled. “I don’t know. I have no particular belief” is often the answer.

“No belief” feels fundamentally insecure. You might think: “If someone else’s belief sounds appealing, does that mean they know something I don’t? What if they aren’t credible in other ways? Some people say, “All the beliefs I’ve ever heard of sound dreadful, one way or another. I won’t accept any of them.” 

You might have been told that your birth and the birth of everyone you know is random. And so is your death. It follows logically that in between birth and death you are vulnerable to all kinds of random events that might derail any efforts you are making to create or enjoy your life.

If your small self is pitted against vast random forces that have no sense of order or purpose, you are pretty much fucked right from the beginning. So why even bother? 

It’s useful to clear this up. 

My friend Jimmy, when he was around five years old, asked his mother “Where do you go after you die?” His mother thought for a moment and asked him, “Where were you before you were born?”

Young Jimmy thought for a moment and said, “Oh, okay!” He knew. 

Grown up Jimmy says, “I can’t explain what happens after I die, but I’m not worried about it.” He smiles. 

That quiet inner knowing exists for each of us. 

I’m not going to tell you What Life Is, except to say that I do know what life is on a deep level of being. And so do you. 

To find your own working hypothesis, use your interest, curiosity and desire to guide you. To listen, settle into a quiet, internal focus on your inner territory.

The answers will come from the You of you.  You know, the You you have always been. That quiet voice of knowing that doesn’t change with external focus. Like the clear tone of a handmade musical instrument, one of a kind. That original part of you that is happy when you’re doing what you love the most.

 Ask within, knowing that the You of you is listening and wants to answer.  Take the time to hang out and explore what you notice, even if it seems chaotic or fragmented. It probably won’t be what you expect. The important thing is to be respectful of what you do notice, especially since it’s likely to be subtle and fleeting to start with. 

What you’re viewing is a glimpse of your associative web, the kaleidoscopic sweep of your extraconsious mind. You can never button it down or freeze frame it. Every time you explore, it will be different. Keep listening and keep asking questions. The You of you has a wide view across all your inner territory, the whole swarm of your Being across all time, pulsing, glowing, intermixing with what you love. You dream with the You of you; the territory is more familiar than your own breath. 

There will be pleasure in the discovery and comfort in the knowings you gather in this practice. You may not be able to explain it to anyone else. You may not be able to explain it to yourself. Know that that window into your inner experience is always open. There is no right way or wrong way to be alert and curious inside yourself.  

 A working hypothesis of what this life is, and a growing capacity to experience spectrums of pleasure and enjoyment will serve your sense of inner security, the springboard for your growing creative engagement with your own purpose in life. 

The You of you showed up for this life adventure; there has never been and will never be another you. 

This is why you need a working hypothesis for life.