I didn’t title this “Cognitive Clarity” because I am a Zen Master, a Neuroscientist, or an expert on habits and avoiding maladies of the mind.
The name is aspirational, a hope to more often enter a state of clear-mindedness that is the opposite of a malady of the present, Cognitive Cluster@#$#.
Cognitive Cluster@#%&: Not being present anywhere, ever, because you are literally or figuratively dividing your attention at all times. A feeling of internal overwhelm, confusion, and chaos that induces emotions such as anxiety and helplessness.
The Spectrum:
CC —————————————————————————————————CCF
I believe that for many, CCF has become so ingrained psychologically that they rarely reflect on the fact that due to a combination of technological, societal, cultural, professional, and personal factors, they are living in near-constant CCF.
There are a great many highly intelligent humans writing about CCF (with different names of course) with far more expertise and insight than me from their field of experience. That’s not the point here.
Ideally, Cognitive Clarity is one practice of many that helps me live less in a frantic state of CCF. I hope that by being closer to CC than CCF more often, I can take steps to take more agency in ways that benefit my “circle of control” and “circle of influence” in this world.
Ultimately, this project has nothing to do with expertise, and everything to do with experience. It is about one man fighting against friction and CCF, in an attempt to find his voice.
All writers, athletes, performers, etc. follow a pattern of practice, performance, and outcomes. The practice and performance are experienced directly by the person, however, the outcomes during and following the performance impact both the “performer” as well as others whom the performance resonates with.
The beauty lies in the symbiotic relationship between the “chef” who caringly created the recipe, curated the ingredients, and cooked the dish and the diner who will never forget the experience.
I hope through practice here to move from the PBJs like this post to a far more complex and dynamic set of dishes.
Ultimately Cognitive Clarity will not be me writing about “Cognitive Clarity” at all. It will be a project full of stories, ideas, questions, and reflections. But for now, for someone like me who has fought the resistance for decades, I just have to push through and write.
What are things causing you CCF that you could reduce or replace?
What are practices that bring you closer to CC that you could do more this week?
Take care.