Absolute sobriety

Have you ever considered that your quest for something extraordinary might be the very thing holding you back? We're often told that freedom comes through some grand realization or peak experience. But what if liberation is much simpler – and much more challenging – than that? Let's talk about absolute sobriety. Not the kind that avoids substances, but a deeper, more fundamental sobriety. I'm talking about freedom from all beliefs, even the belief that there's something fantastic waiting for you around the corner.

Now, this might sound disappointing at first. I know it did for me when I first heard it from Emerson. After all, aren't we all chasing some form of transcendence? But the thing is this sobriety isn't about giving up on a dream and feeling let down. It's about waking up from all dreams, including the persistent one that life is somehow going to be radically different "when we get there." Think about it. We're addicted, every single one of us. Not to substances, necessarily, but to dreams and thoughts, to concepts. Like the idea that there's some ultimate state we need to reach. We chase altered states, spiritual highs, moments of bliss. We build elaborate belief systems around these pursuits, and in doing so, we miss what's right in front of us.

The way out? Let go of all dreams and beliefs. Yes, all of them. Even – no, especially – the belief in some ultimate awakening or realization. This is where it gets tricky. We might be willing to question a lot of our assumptions, but this one often feels too precious to release. Yet it's precisely this belief that keeps us trapped in a cycle of seeking.

When we drop all beliefs, something shifts. We're left with the ordinary here and now. And paradoxically, this is where true liberation happens. It's not flashy. It's not otherworldly. It's just... this. Life as it is, without the overlay of our concepts and expectations. Let me assure you though, that nothing feels more freeing, more natural and more dumbfounding than this.

This isn't about giving up in despair. It's not about resigning ourselves to a dull existence. It's about seeing clearly, perhaps for the first time. When we let go of all our dreams – including the dream of being someone special or going somewhere extraordinary – we open ourselves to the fullness of life as it's happening right now.

Now, I'm not saying we should stop thinking altogether or become passive. That's just another belief system. What I'm pointing to is a radical openness to what is, free from our preconceived notions of what should be. In this space of no answers, where even our questions are seen through, something extraordinary yet utterly natural occurs. We find ourselves fully present, fully alive, without needing life to be different than it is.

This absolute sobriety might seem scary at first. We're so used to our dreams and beliefs that the idea of letting them all go can feel like falling into an abyss. But what if, instead of an abyss, it's an opening into a life more real and vibrant than anything we've imagined?

So here's an invitation: Can you, just for a moment, let go of every last belief? Can you drop the search, not out of frustration, but out of a willingness to see what's already here? Can you be absolutely sober, free from all concepts, including the concept of freedom itself? In that space of not knowing, of not seeking, of not trying to get anywhere... that's where life in all its fullness reveals itself. And the beautiful irony? It's been here all along, obscured only by our relentless pursuit of something else.

Remember, this isn't about achieving a special state. It's about recognizing the inherent completeness of this moment, exactly as it is. No beliefs required.