Hello!
Today, I'm excited to share the journey of my book, The Idea Space: The Science of Awakening Your Non-Self, from its conception to its near completion. If you've ever pondered the idea of penning your own book, this sneak peek into the process might spark your curiosity.
In a nutshell, the line-by-line edit of The Idea Space is complete. I am now diving into the finer details of copyediting to ensure every comma, period, and semicolon is in its rightful place. Once this meticulous process concludes, the book will be formatted for various platforms including eBook, paperback, and hardcover. Our projected publication date is October 10th, 2023.
But let's take a step back and venture into how this all began.
Breaking Free
In January of 2020, I decided I needed a break. I had finished driving the sales presentation of a $10 billion cloud deal for the NSA, and I was gassed.
During this time, I was listening to a lot of Naval Ravikant and he said some magical words, "You have to do something that will make you money while you sleep, so you can free your time."
This quote coupled with the legendary quote by Confucius changed my life.
Everybody lives two lives, the second starts when you realize you only live one.
I could code, but it wasn't my passion. I read a lot, so I decided to write a book. I wrote an outline for a book called A Framework for Understanding: Science, Evidence, and Anecdotes, but soon realized it's impossible to fully understand something. As John Wheeler, the father of black holes said, "We live on an island of knowledge surrounded by a sea of ignorance. As our island of knowledge grows, so does the shore of our ignorance."
So, I decided to continue my pursuit of knowledge by reading graduate-level math and physics textbooks, while simultaneously expanding and deepening my meditative practice. I went on week-long silent retreats to explore what it really means to be human.
I came to understand there’s more to this world than what today’s math and physics can explain. For how great modern physics is, it had yet to provide a sustainable model for consciousness.
The combination of meditation and the exact sciences was like the merger of two neutron stars: the creation of a supermassive black hole.
What happens if one takes the basics of mathematics and applies them to thoughts? Namely, what if there was a space that consisted of thoughts, emotions, sensations, and perceptions—an idea space? What would the properties of an idea space be? What would the identity of an idea space be? How would an idea space fit within the world around us? And how could the concept of an idea space benefit humanity?
Thus, The Idea Space was born.
Version 0
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then an idea is worth 1,000 pictures.
That's the motto of the brand and drives the spirit of the book, which is littered with illustrations. Below shows the first picture of an idea space (left) I made and the evolution to what it looks like now (right). The first picture wasn't perfect, but it got the point across and was all I needed to keep moving forward.
Figure 1. The evolution of an idea space (shout out Onur and Tea for the great graphics!).
By the time I finished version 0, it was ~750 pages and ~500 illustrations. The goal was to write about content that had withstood the test of time, so the book was split up into three parts:
- Math
- History
- Physics
The conundrum is I went too deep. Some parts were too technical, providing a thesis on how spacetime was simultaneously disconnected and connected. It was too much and needed to be trimmed down to a book people would enjoy and made sense.
Threading The Idea Space
There's a saying in writing, "The real writing begins when you edit."
Editing is demoralizing as you feel like you're starting all over from scratch. But, it's worth it.
I kept editing and editing. The first round was to make sure content was right and properly cited. The second round was to make sure the flow was good. From there, I started cutting for seven more rounds of edits based on the inspiration from Rick Rubin, who said something along the lines (paraphrasing):
When you have a project, like an album, identify the top four tracks that are core to the album. Then, only add in content that bolsters that core.
So, I cut 3/4 of the book and completely changed the layout to find the underlying thread between Math, History, and Physics. Funny enough, that underlying thread ended up being consciousness, and so the idea space went into full swing.
With the help of Hal Clifford, I was then able to further refine my manuscript until the current version, which is around 230 pages with 230 illustrations. Who doesn't love a picture book?!
Today, the layout of the book is based on threading the veils of illusion, which is a term I coined for when an Unknown Unknown enters your mind, or your idea space. For example, think of the idea of gravity before Isaac Newton proposed it. It was an Unknown Unknown. Similarly, the idea of an idea space was an Unknown Unknown before you heard about it.
With this in mind, the veils that thread the book are listed below. The goal is to awaken your Non-Self. In other words, introduce new concepts to your idea space so you can have a truer understanding of the world so you can better understand what the world isn't.
Figure XX. The veils of illusion that thread The Idea Space.
Moving Forward
As we move forward, the finishing touches on the book are what await us now. Tasks such as formatting, securing an ISBN, and cataloging the book with the Library of Congress are part of this concluding phase. Once done, I will be ready to introduce The Idea Space to the world.
The Idea Space is more than a book; it's a mission to make consciousness as tangible as gravity. It guides readers on an intriguing scientific and mathematical journey into the realm of consciousness, reshaping conventional understanding of the mind. The infinite expanse of our mind, mirroring the boundless universe, is ripe for exploration. Lessons drawn from one can illuminate the other, and by delving into The Idea Space, we can lift the veils of illusion that obscure our true selves.
The book aims to inspire those seeking the hidden truths of our world to uncover a genuine, sincere, and harmonious purpose to life. The beauty of these truths is they are hidden in plain sight.
All you have to do is look.