Overview
In Platonic Surrealism, we talk about people in four general categories.
This is not meant to be exact or binding, and people are often transiting between the categories.
No category is ‘better’ or ‘worse’.
Hiders
Your ‘true self’ is hiding within you, and you do all you can to keep it hidden. There is nothing wrong with this, and in fact for some, the ‘true self’ is still quite active and doing useful things, but the ‘conscious rational mind’ just isn’t aware of it.
If you are ‘hiding’, and feel no urge to be more, to know more, or to know the answers to the big questions; and just want to live quietly, and barely even have fun, then Platonic Surrealism is not for you. A large percentage of people these days are hiders. They stick their face in the phone, and let life pass by.
Now, if suddenly a loved one dies, or you suffer some trauma, then the pain will ‘wake you up’ and you will likely transition to a ‘seeker’. (You seek to understand/resolve/transcend the pain).
Seekers
Seekers JUST KNOW that there is something ‘sacred’ or ‘wondrous’ ‘out there’ and that it can be found. It calls them. If you’ve ever had a paranormal experience, seen an up-close ‘UFO’ (that’s also just a paranormal experience), or if you just have a burning desire to ‘know and see ‘god’), to become ‘enlightened’ (‘god’ and ‘enlightenment’ are disastrous words that aren’t used in Platonic Surrealism, but our cultures don’t have the correct words, so sometimes they still have to be referenced) or anything of that nature, then you are a seeker. Also, if you are suffering horribly, say ‘alien abductions’, or ‘harassment by spiritual entities’ or anything of that nature, then you are a seeker. Or you are so full of love, and you feel your ‘soul’ (another word that Platonic Surrealism only uses in a comparative way), in short if you ‘feel the call’ and want to answer. Or you are a mad philosopher who burns for metaphysics, and are willing to dabble in ‘metaphysics’, then Platonic Surrealism is definitely for you. It has less bullshit in it than most frameworks, and can really help.
Helpers
Helpers don’t necessarily want to learn anything, except perhaps as a way to ‘help others’. Now, in Platonic Surrealism, others’ is a complex topic, that in fact all love is ‘self-love’ or ‘love of the larger Human Self’, and ultimately nobody ‘needs’ help, but everybody generally enjoys help. If you are a helper, if you want to ‘re-enchant the world’, or reduce suffering, to make a difference, but you don’t feel much or any need to ‘work on yourself’, then you may well appreciate reading Platonic Surrealism, if you think others would benefit from it, but you yourself are perhaps so healed, so wonderful, that you don’t NEED anything from the framework. Or maybe you are sacrificing your own personal enrichment to help ‘others’. I’m not saying that there aren’t ‘others’, but it’s much more complex than one might think.
Helpers often have no time for ‘philosophy’ or view themselves as ‘spiritual duds’, but merely wish to use their position or power or just persistence to ‘open doors’ for ‘others who promote or embody something that the ‘helper’ loves.
Some of the most wonderful people in the world are helpers, and the fact that they are not on some grand ‘quest for meaning’ may mean that they already know most of the answers subconsciously and just love people and make positive things happen.
Some helpers can benefit from knowing some Platonic Surrealism, while others won’t.
Players
Really all that exists is ‘divine’ play (nothing is either divine or not divine in Platonic Surrealism).
Really all hiders, seekers and helpers are playing. Now some people identify with play most strongly, and they may have attributes of any of the categories.
If Platonic Surrealism seems fun to you, sure thing Hoss! Play with it.
Kevin Cann
11/21/2024