Letter to a colleague (it's not all in the head, but it is)

You know, one's views may always be partial.. insofar as they are one's views, which are particular. But maybe this speaks more to one's understanding of wholeness. What if your thoughts are complete in themselves? What if what you're missing is not a "view" but an ontology, a Being which is satisfactory? What if the pursuit of a more complete view only compounds the issue by nurturing this existential incompleteness through intellectual grasping (which has an infinite field to draw from). Perhaps this isn't the answer. People in the academy are often stuck in their own heads. This isn't a bad thing or unnatural. Human beings are capable of high rationality, but they are also capable of rolling around in the grass laughing for no apparent reason at all. It is not a matter of one or the other. I think the more one ignores the other, the more one is missing out on humanity. There is a richness of experience here that should not be overlooked. I say this sincerely. Human experience is not a zero sum game, but involves a rich intermingling and potential for a variety of experiences.

If it's not you, it's not you... but at least consider the possibility. Try experiencing something without thinking about it. Do not consider your inability or ability as a failure or a success. Instead, consider it a practice, an immediate way of life which cannot be defined in terms of pass or fail. Allow your head to try working in a different way. You may be surprised what you find when you stop looking...