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Since the "Happily Ever After" doesn't exist, is "Enlightenment" similarly just like a red dot? An illusion meant to illustrate the ephemerality and meaninglessness of goals?https://twitter.com/a_yawning_cat/status/1347769872147644417 …

Perhaps... the word is loaded with the same potential for misinterpretation as the three letters G O D so there is little point in discussing it since there's no way to define it given it's historical usage especially when used in contexts where there are *multiple* levels of it.

HOWEVER. There is a key element of Story that is an interesting takeaway. Viscerally feeling it has unexpected cascading effects across one's entire life. This is to *feel* Self as Story.

Just like it takes potentially hours of practice before you GET juggling, tennis, piano, coding, writing, etc... it takes non-zero effort to actually "grok" this sensation. Note that after grokking it, the ceiling is also unlimited. The room for mastery is infinite.

The only difference is that after grokking something the activity feels more joyful. No longer are you just going through the motions and just following the steps, you now have a SENSE of what fits and what doesn't. What's too advanced and what's too basic.

Similar metaphors include "Finding your inner child" or "You were the one you've been looking for all along." or "The polar bear has given you the Golden Compass!"

The rationalist stance may actually be an impediment to this grokking. Indeed, extreme rationalism can feel stilted. A Hyper Rationalist isn't exactly known for being good at dancing, art, music, or sex. Anything that require flow and feeling for what's "right" in the moment.

This is because the rationalist stance habitually places the self outside the story as an external observer. (Vice versa, marginalized individuals like shy nerds tend to have an advantage when adopting the rationalist stance)