Post-transhumanistic call for better introspective Shamans

The post-spiritual alan-watts-inspired-ish jobless phase is nearing its end today as I sit typing this facing the Sorbonne University in Paris after receiving a best experimental short film award through an overly indulging experience at the Cannes Film Festival. All these mixed feelings and contrasts intensify my fish-in-a-sea feeling that varies between owning the see with ineffable freedom, and the ephemeral transient feeling of no anchors or points or reference that challenge time, memory and even existence. Finding the perfect balance between these two extremes has been a life challenge.

In the meantime and at shorter introspective patterns of existence, when I consult google auto-complete for existential questions that I have not thought of asking, I wonder how much have we lost through the confidence we have given to the machine and its artificial intelligence that is a collective but not necessarily additive or adequate form of intelligence.

I often find myself praising my preYoutube and preGoogle creativity and the sense of satisfaction it offered. It now feels as if I have become aware of a box that I must think outside of it when there has never been a box.

Those who had the privilege of good schooling, traveling and did not have to worry much about anything to do whatever they wished, will one day find themselves in a midlife crisis asking existential questions about who they are and what keeps them going...

Terrence McKenna and Jason Silva (among others) refer to technology  and transhumanism as some kind of a shamanic entheogenic drug that could guide us spiritually to answer and ask more questions. But our very confidence in the machine of a collective artificial intelligence  with oracle predictive powers hinders our introspective soul-seeking explorations leaving us with a few voiced choices that we get to compare and choose from. In the long run, fewer and fewer media-imposed approximations dominate the fast-responding Oracles for impatient soul-seekers until one day we will become so impatiently eager to know about ourselves that we will be getting the same ever converging answer, that is we are one network of selves consisting a higher self of a collective intelligence interfaced through our big-brothers: google, facebook, amazon, microsoft, apple.

I wonder, I wonder, when this becomes known to everyone, what kind of questions will we be curious to ask and answer in the future. Will we continue to play hide and seek with reality to keep us entertained and surprised?

This has been a GREAT year

This has been a GREAT year.

Indeed, so great I am not looking forward to bid it farewell tonight.

This has been a GREAT year on so many levels.

On a professional level, I "survived" a long PhD roller-coaster and accepted a postdoctoral position in Paris, where life is promising and the morrows are bright.
On an artistic level, I had two successful exhibitions, one in the States and another in Paris. Needless to mention the crazy photoshoots and the 1001 faces project that will be completed and announced next year.
On a soul-searching level, I traveled for more than 4 months in 4 continents to finally find a couple of places to accommodate my restless soul, arts and science -- a place that welcomes both sides of the brain and all races, backgrounds and beliefs. The US and its folks will always be remembered and missed.
On a soul-union level, I was reunited with family and good friends and it feels so great to spend time with them.

This has been a GREAT year.

It will be hard to beat it by the years to come. However, if there is something I learned from the previous years it is that life can be lived by the imposed social norms and traditions but much more so when these limits are pushed and redefined. So I invite you all to have a dream if you do not already and dare pursue it till the very end. Otherwise, do what you are best at until your vision becomes clear. Do not let others tell you what is impossible. Associate with positive people and dissociate with the rest.

This has been a GREAT year.

Thank you all for contributing to its success. I hope to be seeing more of you this year.

This has been a GREAT year.

I hope the same for you and wish you GREATER forthcoming years of joy and success.

PS. I made a calendar  based on my photography exhibit in Paris, "Couleurs de mes Voyages" if interested in marking it with splendid days and traveling each month to memorable places.