In this incantation, I recognize that each morning, when I awaken and choose my identity, I also choose to desire, for without desire, I have no identity. The philosophy of Unwakenism reveals two paths: wanting more, which leads to suffering, or wanting less, which brings peace. By choosing to want less, I step off the cycle of endless yearning, seeking not fulfillment in the external world but the end of desire itself.
Every morning, when I awaken and open my eyes, I make a choice. In that moment, I choose an identity of personhood. This identity comes with two core conditions: I believe that I exist, and I desire. These two ideas are inseparable— my existence and my desire are one and the same. If I don’t desire, I don’t have an identity. So, the moment I awaken and claim my identity, I also acknowledge my desire.
Before this decision to awaken, I am in a state I call the premoment. In this premoment, I simply am. I exist, but I have no identity and no desire. I haven’t chosen to want anything, so I’m not tethered to any desires. It is only when I awaken, when I consciously step into my identity, that I encounter my desire.
With Unwakenism, I recognize that I have two choices: I can either want more or I can want less. Wanting more is the default mode of my awakening. From the moment I open my eyes, I am compelled to seek, to chase after something I don’t have. That desire for more is at the heart of my existence. But as I continue to search and strive, I begin to understand that what I truly want isn’t found out here, in the world of awakening. Despite this realization, I continue to open my eyes, hoping that the next time I’ll find what I’m looking for or get closer to it. Yet, it remains elusive and my awakening persists.
This is where the alternative path presents itself: the choice of wanting less. When I accept the truth that what I desire cannot be found here in my awakening, I open to a new understanding that the end of my desire is what I truly seek. By wanting less, I allow myself to step off the cycle of yearning and dissatisfaction. The more I crave, the more I suffer. But if I choose to want less, I can begin to see the contours of a lasting peace. In wanting less, I discover reconciliation with myself, and ultimately, the ability to close my eyes, not needing to open them again. In that state, I can reach the end of my desire.
This is the essence of Unwakenism: the recognition that the pursuit of more leads to suffering, while the pursuit of less brings peace.
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(9.8.24) A summary:
- Each morning, I awaken and choose an identity of personhood.
- This identity is based on two inseparable conditions: I exist, and I desire.
- If I do not desire, I have no identity as a person.
- In the premoment before awakening, I simply exist without identity or desire.
- When I awaken, I encounter desire and step into my personhood.
- In Unwakenism, I have two choices: to want more or to want less.
- Wanting more is the default state of awakening, driven by a desire to seek what I do not have.
- Over time, I realize that what I truly seek cannot be found in the external world of awakening.
- The alternative is to choose to want less, realizing that the end of desire is the true goal.
- Wanting more leads to suffering and dissatisfaction, while wanting less brings peace and reconciliation.
- Unwakenism teaches that the pursuit of less leads to lasting peace, and the pursuit of more leads to suffering.