Intellectual Ecstasy: Part II – Connections for the Soul

In a previous blog titled “Intellectual Ecstasy”, I mentioned how I was in a state of somewhat “forgetfulness.” A forgetfulness that seemed to be contradictory. I was mesmerized by the subject of my fascination while at the same time realizing my own aching desire to analyze the provoking meanings of the subject. I was, at that moment, being myself, while being ‘out of myself’ and observing myself. It was as if my spirit was watching my physical being perform mental tasks. Simultaneously, I was engaged in the state of thinking about thinking, connecting ideas between the world and the universe, and struggling to grasp my own brain activity. This is what Antonin Sertillanges called “Intellectual Ecstasy” as is explained below:

“Every intellectual work begins in a moment of ecstasy; only in the second place does the talent of arrangement, the technique of transitions, connection of ideas, construction, come into play. Now what is this ‘ecstasy’ but a flight upwards, away from self, a forgetting to live our own poor life, in order that the object of our delight may live in our thought and in our heart?”

To me, that is deep. And “depth”, one might say, has its moment, or does it? Recently, I was in an interaction that brought that question into perspective as well as compelling me to rethink what intellectual ecstasy is/was. It made me think about how much “depth” many people can withstand or endure. Additionally, it also made me question what exactly was meant by “depth” as I thought about how culture, time, place, and experience among other things play a role in the answer.

When it comes to depth in thought, there are thresholds; and these thresholds or new state of mind/ feeling/ attitude and so on all of us face in our lives on a continual basis. And with each threshold, there is a challenge we must partake in to go beyond a current threshold, that check mark, to reach to the next level. When I was in college, a superficial conversation with a close acquaintance suggested, though I did not take note of it right away, that considering “why the sky is blue?” was not an important question. I laugh at it in this moment. And while I understood her point, my perspective was not on that question exactly – it was in that moment a break in communication had risen between myself and her. She looked at it from a literal angle as it seemed. My perspective was on, as I realized years later, the very freedom that curiosity brings us from the rules of the world. I was thinking about it in a sense of what color is the sky, and the intense separation between the sky in the day and night and so on. A Stephen Hawking quote implies this well:

“remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t give up.”

And very much so. When it comes to thinking, and especially as I have seen in my students, it is a hard activity to do when we take experience, among other things, as the basis of their capability. A painful activity as it appears and this is the case for all of us. Many times, I have come across solid connections with people who assert that “depth” in conversation is a good thing, but too much depth can be deadly. Yet, really, it is not that it is deadly, but rather, the depth level between the two individuals are levels apart. As a result, the connection between the two people begins to break down. Thus, it begins to struggle to go beyond a seemingly superficial or simplistic connection. A basic connection that would build to where important matters beyond the physical world are discuss at length sporadically. Perhaps, it is in those irregular discussions of the infinite, of the universe, of your finger print, or even about the patterns in a single leaf, that the threshold of thinking begins to change. It is in such a moment, when you begin to grow mindfully that the true test of intellectual ecstasy becomes apparent. However, one must remember, we are all growing forward just the same in our own way.

Consider this quote: “Remember this on your way up, the biggest dog was once a pup.”

And that quote is important here, not everyone will enjoy “depth”. And this is not a result of some lack of ability, but simply an interest. We are all dealing with life. Connections between people, no matter how big or small, in depth or not at all, all hold value in how and why people become who they are. Simply, you must appreciate the connections being made, be impeccable with your words, do your best, don’t take things personal, and value research over assumptions. Don Miguel Ruiz did not lie!