Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work in Building a Second Brain

Mar 17, 2017 Tiago rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Important

The sociocultural importance of this book far outweighs the depth or technical accuracy of its commentary. You can find much more extensive and precise descriptions of each of the fields it covers, but what this book brings together is a holistic portrayal of a movement spanning many communities and activities. I feel this is an extremely important milestone on the path to gaining widespread acceptance of non-ordinary states of consciousness.

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Apr 25, 2019 Marius 膶ernu拧evi膷ius rated it it was amazing

This book just made so many clarifications about that FLOW - bliss state - altered states introduced so many angles and understanding whats all about. How it can be used, how it's used, it has many different examples.
I think why most people get disappointed about this book is that there is no straight practical do this in the morning do that approach with specific examples it's not action orientated. Sure its guide how to sort out whats your flow activities in life are and take conscious planni ...more

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Oct 23, 2017 Joshua rated it it was ok

Shelves: culture, non-fiction, 2017, history, business, economics, american-history, sociology, technology

So what? That鈥檚 what I ask of books. I judge a book by what the author intends and what the Bible teaches. And then I ask, So what?

This book didn鈥檛 pass the So what test and I don鈥檛 think it past their purposes intentions.

Here is my takeaway. I want an iPhone X, but its difficult for me to get. It might be near at hand, but it鈥檚 going to take a lot of my resources as well as patience. And it鈥檚 not even hear yet for us average folk. I don鈥檛 have the ability to fork over one grand. Unless you ha So what? That鈥檚 what I ask of books. I judge a book by what the author intends and what the Bible teaches. And then I ask, So what?

This book didn鈥檛 pass the So what test and I don鈥檛 think it past their purposes intentions.

Here is my takeaway. I want an iPhone X, but its difficult for me to get. It might be near at hand, but it鈥檚 going to take a lot of my resources as well as patience. And it鈥檚 not even hear yet for us average folk. I don鈥檛 have the ability to fork over one grand. Unless you have connections of some sort. So, yeah, pretty cool stuff. But I really need to get back to focusing on what matters most: not chasing dreams of shiny objects. But seeking after the joy found in what we, rich or poor, have free access to already such as friendship and sacrificial love and hospitality, etc.

The authors want to teach us how we can lead a better life. And he brings that to us through...what is near at hand for the middle class? Hardly. This stuff he says will enhance lives has been researched for the elite and the select. About the only thing that has trickled down to me and you is drugs and meditation. Who here has the money and time to be a dare devil and fly around? Not me. Who here has the money to go out in a desert and do whatever they do at Burning Man? Not me. Who has the privilege to get into these selective 鈥渘etworking retreats鈥�? Not me. Who wants to wait 15-20 years for this to trickle down to us? Not me.

So, I don鈥檛 think the authors did a solid job at what they aimed at, helping us see how we might live fuller lives. But, if you want to know how the elite and chosen few live, then this is a pretty eye opening book. In that respect, this book was phenomenal.

Here is where I see the book fall short. It doesn鈥檛 live up to its hype. The only within reach 鈥淔ire鈥� is meditation, yoga, music, and drugs. And these are the ones the author says are most limiting. They share that Buddhists work for years to get to 鈥渢hat special place鈥�, and only then is it only for a few seconds. Which leads me to the second short. It鈥檚 this. All these things are fleeting even when you are within reach of it. You have to work tiredly to get it....physically, financially, socially. And when you get there, it鈥檚 gone. You seek ecstasis, but then it eventually leaves you. You need to keep this up.
And here鈥檚 where I pop the balloon. Folks, if we are reaching higher states of ecstasis, and we don鈥檛 know where the ceiling is, than we currently are not at the ultimate level. Thus, we are in a place of limitation. So, think of this, if those in the past were not as full of ecstasis as we are able to be today, then we know are in a limiting way compared to those 50 years from now. You know what today is like, would you take the option to be sent back 100 years? Probably Not.
That鈥檚 the point. How we are thinking about ecstasis is an illusion. You do realize that most likely 95% of those reading this only have the ability and access to take part in the bottom of the barrel things that bring ecstasis.
I get excited about all the fancy new gadgets that come out. But then I realize that I don鈥檛 have the ability to get access to it or own it.
鈥淏ut it is coming!!鈥�, you say. 鈥淵es, that鈥檚 exactly my point. You are not there yet!!鈥�

Most of all, we have the best forms of ecstasis right in front of everyone, rich or poor. They go by the terms Friendship, Sacrificial Love, Hospitality. You want ecstasis, work on being more hospitable. Trust me, you will get higher levels of joy than any Burning Man event will ever offer you.

This is the carrot on the end of a stick that you will most likely never reach. And when you do, the person holding the stick will most likely pull it away.

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