Second Order Associations (podcast $)

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit mindstrengthbalance.substack.com “I never read. It prevents me from thinking.” — Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac, physicist Dreams exemplify what I’m calling first and second order associations. Dream #1 I’m touring a factory-like facility with my son and ex-wife, but it’s the first ex-wife and the son of the second ex-wife. With us is the ex-partner in my original software business. The son is 15, my separation from my first ex happened 25 years ago, and my first software business concluded 40 years ago. The factory involved assemblies of some sort. It was disorganized and maze-like, and the overall structure or purpose was unclear. It was as if all questions had been resolved—though I don’t know what the questions were—and the dream was all about keeping the group together. My son was running around erratically. I had to follow his many detours to make sure I didn’t lose him. At first he was a child, but then he became a small toy, then a small fly, and then he disappeared entirely. I searched through cluttered halls calling his name. After passing through half a dozen strange environments I realized I’d have to go home and wait for him to be found. I thought I should hire a private investigator to help find my son. I recall looking through the Yellow Pages under “P” but could not seem to find the right section. “Perhaps ‘detective’ would be the right category,” I thought. I found the “D” section but found no listings for “detective.” At that point, I ran out of ideas and the dream ended. I awoke with the dawning knowledge that I should wait for more information. • Dream #2 • First Order Associations • Second Order Associations • Fear • Grief • Interpretation • Actions • Be Skeptical • True Ignorance is Greater Than False Knowledge