“We have an instinct as humans to pattern meaning into the cosmos. It’s a way of looking at an otherwise random or undifferentiated series of things so that some parts get to be meaningful and some parts have to be left out…We have to ignore certain things as much as we have to focus on others.” Jeremy Lent


EPISODE 21 – JEREMY LENT ON PATTERNS, INTEGRATION AND MEANING

HUMANITY’S PATTERNS OF MEANING


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About this interview:

 

Why and how do we create patterns of meaning out of the vast expanse of existence?

 

In this episode, Amisha sits down with author and integrator Jeremy Lent. Jeremy’s recent book ‘The Patterning Instinct’ explores the way humans have made meaning from the cosmos from hunter-gatherer times to the present day.

Jeremy shares the story of how he became so curious about man’s search for meaning. From psychedelic awakenings in Cambridge student squats, to fleeing Britain for California to “see something great”, Jeremy followed a deep knowing that there was something much more to life than what he was experiencing.

After riding high on the dotcom boom of the late 90s he came crashing to earth when everything that he held dear began to crumble around him. It was during the darkest times of his life that Jeremy found his spiritual practices and began a trial by fire to embody their teachings under immense personal challenges whilst being a carer for a loved one. 

Jeremy’s current research, writing and teaching is driven by the desire to integrate his intellectual understanding with what he feels in his body to be true. He combines traditional wisdom with rigorous science to come to an integrated understanding of the organising principles of our universe.

Jeremy gives an impressive whistle-stop tour of our evolving worldview over time, tracking our gradual separation from nature, the rise of the conquering mindset which has brought us to the present hedonic treadmill of consumerism and expounding potential futures.

Amisha and Jeremy explore the world history of our separation from nature, the human instinct to bring meaning and pattern into life, and how we work with the emotions that arise from this, so we can create a flourishing, beautiful sustainable future. 

“Optimism and pessimism are both cop outs, but hope is a state of mind that things can change. Whether we think they will or not there is that possibility. Hope is not an idea but it becomes a verb.” ~ Jeremy Lent

Jeremy Lent is an author whose writings investigate the patterns of thought that have led our civilization to its current crisis of sustainability. He is founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering an integrated worldview, both scientifically rigorous and intrinsically meaningful, that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the earth. 

 

To find out more about Jeremy, visit www.jeremylent.com

To connect or work with Amisha Ghadiali, visit www.amisha.co.uk  


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