If you were to map out a healthy mind, it would look something like this: 

Some thoughts are thoughts of stone. They are highly resistant to change. They are, appropriately enough, the bedrock beliefs for the rest of the consciousness.  

For a wise person, these thoughts are few in number but great in wisdom. They might be thoughts like seek to serve the highest Good or never murder. 

Then there are thoughts like water. You hold them loosely, for there’s not a lot riding on them. They can’t bear any weight so you don’t put any on them.  

Folks need more of these. Too many opinions about things you dpn’t understand are bad for you. 

Between these thoughts are thoughts of ice. These are robust and resilient, right up until you apply some heat. 

For me, atheism was ice. It seemed indestructible until the Holy Spirit arrived with tongues of fire. 

You don’t want to be too open-minded, like a wokie – screaming intensely about the exact opposite of what they were screaming about ten years ago. 

But you don’t want to be too stubborn either. 

Flexible, not floppy. 

How, though? 

How do you build the right sot of resilience into your points of view? 

This is how: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

It’s a common observation: 

Hollywood has run out of creativity. Every new project, so it seems, is a sequel or an adaptation. 

Why can’t anyone think of new ideas any more? 

The first explanation is both correct and generous: 

Movies are expensive gambles. They can’t just do well – unless they have a very modest budget, they have to sell a lot of tickets to turn a profit.  

That was hard enough even during the heyday of cinema. Now, it’s a taller ask. 

Sequels and adaptations are more likely to do well. They’re safer bets, so movie studios make more of them. 

Simple enough. 

But a new problem has emerged recently. 

I got to thinking about this with recent rumours of a remake of one of the greatest movies in cinema history: 

Fight Club. 

The plan to make it an all-girl reboot is beyond insane. The movie is an exploration into the primal side of the male psyche, one that festers in darkness in a modern, civilised and suffocating society. 

But it doesn’t matter. 

The reboot could be all men and it would still miss the point because Hollywood doesn’t know how to write for or about men anymore. Modern script writers would churn out a bad joke. 

The irony is that Hollywood was part of the problem the original Fight Club rallied against. It was part of the culture that strips men of their masculinity and then wonders why they seek it from dangerous places. 

Fight Club was a criticism and celebration of itself.  

It’s complex, smart and layered. 

It’s well beyond anything a studio would greenlight today. 

Oh well, we’ll always have the original. Maybe we’re all due for a rewatch. 

And maybe it’s time we explored the hidden corners of our masculinity together. 

This, in its own small way, will help: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

Truth is often invertible.  

The opposite of Truth is often Truth. 

“Do or do not, there is no try” and “stop trying to hit me and hit me!” are both excellent advice. 

I like the way Yudkowsky phrases a similar idea: 

“Shut up and do the impossible!” 

Stop thinking about it, stop explaining why it can’t be done – just do it. 

It’s quality stuff. 

So is the inverse. 

Forget about doing anything. 

Forget about hitting Morpheus.  

Show up and made an earnest effort. If failure isn’t fatal, then that’s often enough. 

Because if you keep doing that, then eventually you’ll succeed. 

And when you do, you’ll be a master, a titan with plenty of experience under your belt. 

Whenever the Truth is invertible, you can combine both halves into a greater whole. 

Imagine showing up every day and doing the impossible. 

Imagine training consistently as Neo trained in the start of The Matrix. 

You would transform yourself faster than you think. 

Practice whatever is useful to you.  

Whatever you strive for, that’ll include this: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

For some of you, success means having strong, close relationships with your friends and family. 

For others, it means fun, freedom and living life on your terms. 

Others see it as being a Good person, following the rules and serving others. 

Others see it as serving others by breaking all the rules. Innovate, explore and find new opportunities to make the world a better place. 

Still others see success is about love, harmony and community – creating a world where everyone feels seen, safe and whole. 

Still others see it as the ability to learn, explore interesting ideas and create something unique. 

Success to you might mean allowing life to thrive. 

Or it could be something else not covered above. 

Whatever it looks like, certain skills are essential. 

You can’t do any of that if you’re weak, indebted, selfish, short-sighted, foolish or oblivious. 

Your success relies on self-mastery and on other people. 

That’s why, no matter what success looks like to you, you need this: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

Recently, a tweet did the rounds on X. An actual woman wrote this, though she’s a journalist so not quite endowed with a brain and spine: 

In high school, any boy who casually was like ‘Oh you got ur period? I stashed a pad from the bathroom in my backpack in case one of my friends needed it’ — that boy would be king stud. That boy would be drowning in prom invites. 

I pity the high schooler who believes this. 

Any guy who’s all, “hey, I noticed you’re hungry so I got you a snack” is a major simp. Any woman who gives him attention is stringing him along because he’s useful. She’d never actually date him though. 

Change the context to tampons and periods, and he’s no longer just a simp. Now he’s a creepy freak. 

The thing is, that tweet isn’t a lie. A lie is intentional dishonesty. It’s wrong but only because the author is ignorant. 

Women say they want nice guys but rarely date them.  

They say they don’t care about looks, wealth or status, but that’s not who they go out with. 

This isn’t dishonesty, but they are wrong. Women really have no clue what they want. 

And this is a Good thing. 

It’s a Good thing for women because they’re unshackled by masculine virtues like precision, following evidence and introspection. Those are useful when building a bridge or overcoming your flaws, but it’s sterile and flat.  

Men and women need each other. Without men, women spiral into self-destructive chaos. Without women, men live adequately but with limited access to the transcendent.  

There’s a reason we’re two halves that form one whole through marriage.  

Together, a strong family is the bedrock of a civilisation that is Good and Beautiful and True.  

But you don’t get there by asking women what they want.  

You also don’t get there by ignoring what they want. 

Instead, you have to be the strongest and wisest man you can be. From there, the Truth will emerge. 

Here’s your next step: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

Yesterday, I got around to listening to RFK Jr’s speech where he endorsed Trump. 

It’s mostly brilliant – a lot to study for anyone interested in influence and persuasion. 

His biggest challenge? 

He’s a filthy traitor in the eyes of many. He’s a Kennedy – a member of a family famous for its support for the Democratic Party.  

First he ran as an independent, then he endorsed the Republican candidate. 

Being a traitor is a rough image to shake. The folks you betray don’t like you and the folks you betray them for don’t trust you. 

RFK Jr handles it extremely well. 

Right from the start, and at many points throughout, he makes a solid case that he’s the reasonable one. He describes his father and uncle in detail, then compared them to modern Democrats. In everything from policies to campaign style, he’s true to JFK and RFK, but modern Democrats aren’t. 

It doesn’t matter whether that’s accurate or not. It’s a compelling argument.  

Maybe I’m sympathetic because it speaks to a Truth I noticed a while back: that left-wing in the ‘90s meant being anti-big business, anti-war, anti-corruption, pro-worker and pro-equality. Now, though, being left wing means being the opposite. 

Anyone who was a Democrat in 1994 and is a Democrat in 2024 has changed all their core values. 

I hope they did so through reasoned consideration and not blind tribal loyalty.  

Anyway, RFK Jr’s speech was great. He had a difficult message to convey and a range of audiences to persuade. Handled poorly, he could have turned off both his loyal supporters and Republicans.  

Psychology is useful. 

It’s hard to write a speech like that without mastering your own state and knowing what others think. 

That’s why this is so useful: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

There’s a quaint British program called Escape to the Country. 

It’s a reality show where middle-aged Britons try to buy some old, enormous estate in the English countryside.  

After living somewhere like London for years, I’m sure the countryside is a literal breath of fresh air.  

I don’t hate this. 

In fact, I think more folks should live like this. 

That said… 

There’s a YouTuber named the Redeemed Zoomer who talks a lot about retreatism.  

It’s the idea that many conservatives – political or religious – embrace. 

Is your church pushing a trans-friendly agenda? Find a better church! 

Are universities indoctrinating people into Marxism! Drop out! 

Is your city a festering mass of crime and blue voters? Leave for the countryside! 

This is Good, to a point. By all means, protect yourself and your family. 

But don’t think the wokies will hate this. 

It’s like all those memes where ugly women threaten to without casual intimacy. That threat is no threat and that punishment is no punishment. 

Wokies want to hijack established churches, the education system and the cities. They want their enemies to flee to their own spaces. That gives them free reign to do whatever messed up things they want. 

See what they’ve done even with limited influence. With total influence, things would fall apart fast. 

So we need to make choices here. 

Some of us need to retreat from these corrupt systems. This is the safer option, but by no means easy. It’s a choice that requires sacrifice and hardship – one that allows families to thrive and children to grow up in the best environment. 

And some of us need to counterinfiltrate education, entertainment and governance. We need to return to the centres of power and reestablish Truth, Goodness and Beauty to the heart of culture.  

I wonder how many of us are braver, clever and hardworking enough to counterinfiltrate. It’s not for the delicate. You need to work so hard and be so likeable that you keep your influence despite the pressures to go woke.  

Whichever path you choose, this will help. 

In fact, you might look back on this and see how essential it is: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

Full disclosure: 

I’m a Christian who believes in the theory of evolution. God using evolution to create humans fits His character, plus it fits the evidence better than Young Earth Creationism or Natural Selection. 

But if you are a creationist, I have no beef with you.  

However… 

I hope you have better arguments to back you up than this. 

Overheard recently, someone was talking about all the reasons they think creationism is the Truth. 

Their mate pointed out a… uh… “flaw” in evolution: 

“If life evolves from rocks, then why isn’t their life on Mars?” 

Instead of the first guy appreciating the spirit of his argument but calling it brain damaged to the point of physical pain, he said that was a great point. 

No. 

No, that’s a terrible point. 

Saying “life can evolve from rocks under certain conditions” is a plausible (if simplistically worded) claim. Saying it evolves from every rock in the universe is different, wrong and something no one suggests. That’s such a ridiculous category error that no one would make in any other context: 

“People can build skyscrapers!” 

“What, so you’re saying that EVERYONE can ONLY build skyscrapers?! How ridiculous!” 

Being right isn’t enough. 

Siding with the Truth isn’t enough.  

You can’t use bad arguments to defend your position and you can’t accept it when lunatics happen to be on your side. 

Just because someone is on the right side, that doesn’t make them a Good and skilled soldier. Incompetent allies can be worse than talented enemies. 

Unrelated: 

If you care about Truth, Goodness and Beauty, then you’ll want to check this out: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

If you’re brilliant, then congratulations. Well done on putting in the work to cultivate your antural talents. 

If not? 

I have Good news. 

There’s something that beats brilliancy and it’s something you can control: 

Showing up. 

Consistency is king. That’s why I have such a long streak of writing these emails – well over 400 days and counting.  

Consistent writing, consistent conversations, consistent prayer – they all beat bursts of activity.  

As I said, that’s Good news. 

Unless it’s not. 

After all, it’s only a positive thing if you can cultivate discipline. 

If you have a calling great enough that it feels like it’s consuming you. 

I don’t know. Not everyone has that.  

Not everyone even wants to find that. Some folks are happy to just run out the clock, enjoying each moment while impacting nothing at all.  

That’s fine.  

A planet where everyone is ambitious is a chaotic planet where nothing gets done. 

If that’s not you? 

If the thought of you getting to your death bed with a life that like that makes your skin squirm? 

Well, whatever you do to stave that off, this skill is essential: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay

If you’re feeling stuck, depressed or overwhelmed, it could be a question of scale. 

You might be thinking too big. You look at all the problems in the world and it’s all too much. 

Or you might be thinking too small. You’re playing it too safe, making questionable improvements when you could rewrite the entire system. 

Thinking at the wrong scale causes many problems  -and it’s not always from thinking too small. 

That’s a simple psychological tool for you. Choosing to think about things at a different scale is easy enough. 

Then again, maybe you want something more sophisticated. 

Maybe you want to entrain your mental flexibility. 

In that case, you’ll want to check out this: 

https://christianhypnotism.com/ysiay