The Unseen Society - A Proposal for the End of War
Notes From the Desk: No. 59 - 2026.06.23
Notes From the Desk are periodic informal posts that summarize recent topics of interest or other brief notable commentary.
Is Anybody Listening?
Any dialog that attempts to make the world a better place or end suffering is worthy of contemplation. We don’t analyze every text necessarily because we know it is correct, but we do so to expand how we think about the world, which is a prerequisite to discovering what is correct.
This post is a bit different from my typical. It is a reminder of how much exists out there that remains unseen. How many words remain in isolation, hidden from the world, and never read?
I feel this pain deeply, as the internet has decided I should live within a cell of the algorithmic dungeon. But even algorithms cannot stop us from connecting one-on-one to those we know.
We need to stop chasing connection and meaning through the volume of likes and views. How can we do this? The only way I know is to actually spend time conversing with those that have none, in total defiance of our algorithmic society.
Show Me Something That Everybody Missed
I recently came across Dr. Mike Brooks on X and was introduced to his essay “Evolutionary Blindness,” which very closely parallels many perspectives I’ve written about here. I asked Dr. Brooks, “What would you point to as your best article that received the least visibility?”
The following is my commentary for that article, “The Secret to Ending All Wars Is the Truth We Already Know”
Commentary - Is There Anything Better Than Random Thoughts?
These are my random thoughts and perspectives for some of the lines that took notice within my mind. Which means, you should read the original to fully grasp the full intent and context. I read this with no particular intention to prove it right or wrong, but simply to think about it and introduce some additional thoughts, which also may be either correct or incorrect, whose purpose is merely to provoke further thought.
“I’m 100% certain, and I could be wrong.”
I really like this contrasting duality. It is also my perspective on many things: that we must have conviction for what we believe, but we must also be humble to know the truth of anything, which means accepting we can also be wrong. If we cannot accept we can be wrong, we prevent any possibility of any new learning.
It may seem contradictory, but we must accept both: the confidence in ourselves to pursue what seems to us as true, and the willingness to confront ourselves when we are not, so that we can properly continue to pursue the former.
“My wandering brought me to a conviction that changed everything for me:”
This resonates with my own experience. I don’t think we learn anything substantially meaningful until we first become lost. The important things in life will often be found hidden within opaque clouds of uncertainty.
“And every single time, each side believes that they’re in the right ... Aren’t we always the hero of our own stories?”
This is very important to understand for the purpose of communication. When discussing a topic with someone with an opposing view. Unless they are an internet troll, they legitimately believe what they tell you. Their beliefs are also probably connected to their identity, which means attacking their opinions will be felt as an attack on themselves.
Society needs much greater emphasis on properly communicating with each other, as much of what we call communication is nothing of the sort, but rather signaling to our tribes for attention.
“The greatest barrier to communication is the illusion of it in the mind of the sender.”
— William H. Whyte
“I’m about 90 percent atheist. I also have 100 percent faith in the teachings of Jesus.”
Another interesting contrast that is notable. Wisdom can often be found in unexpected places. We are often inclined to discard information from sources that aren’t within our tribe or our ideological leanings. I believe this is to our own detriment when we do so.
I’ve been criticized numerous times for quoting people that others disliked, even when they would unequivocally agree the quote is true. I might stand apart from many here, but I reject locking wisdom away because we consider it “tainted” by who said it. I think we understand the world better when we acknowledge everything doesn’t exist purely on black-and-white boundaries.
Freeing Ourselves From the Prison
“Whenever we are hating our neighbors instead of loving them, we are in the prison. Conversely, those outside of the prison are known for their joy and kindness and love toward everyone.”
…
“We refuse to let anyone convince us that the people on the other side of the street, or the other side of the world, are not our neighbors.”
A prison whose wardens are the media, tech oligarchs, government institutions, and the hordes of minions who do their bidding in ignorance. It is critical that we see each other for who we actually are, instead of through the lens manufactured for us by those with the power and means to shape societal views.
Meeting in the Field
“That Field is where neighbors meet, beyond our tribe, the hatred, and the noise. The Field lives outside of the prison, and we already hold the key to free ourselves from the prison of separateness that has held us for millennia.”
Yes. I believe we all need to strengthen relationships by seeking common ground first. This is the primary essential building block that has to happen before progress can be made on the prior “Freeing Ourselves from the Prison”.
“(those who) openly subscribe to intolerance, are, perhaps, best fought by a respect for and tolerance of those aspects, which are not intolerant.”
Popper to Kurtz (1980)
Mattias Desmet often talks about how mass formations are built on anxiety and fear. “Today, one perceives a similar phenomenon. There is widespread psychological suffering, lack of meaning, and diminished social ties in society.” Mattias Desmet (2021).
Part of the antidote is social ties. The obstacles that stop people from talking to each other must be removed. We must seek finding common ground with the people who seem diametrically opposed to our own views. Otherwise, we continue raising the risk of slipping into full totalitarian states.
Sometimes it might seem there is nothing, but common ground can begin with something as simple as taking time to understand what someone has to say even when we don’t agree. Understanding what someone says builds common ground on mutual respect. Simply listening to someone increases the likelihood they will listen to you.
“Perhaps what we need is a Neighbors First Movement - not an organization, not a political party,”
I am also of the mindset that nothing is stronger than culture. It supersedes government, laws, parties etc. It is the foundation for any real and lasting change.
It is essential to reframe how we see the world such that we engage with it in a less adversarial manner. Stated in a similar way “…you have to recognize that the Other Side is made of actual people.” by Sean Blanda in “The ‘Other Side’ Is Not Dumb” which is another excellent read.
“attention economy continues to profit from our hatred and division at our expense.”
I believe the attention economy is one of the most virulent cancers ravaging our civilization. It is instrumental in the destruction of a sane world. Modern society now has an addiction to attention. It is a root motivator for so much of our behavior that leads to bad outcomes. We will do nearly anything to get it, to the detriment of everything else in our lives.
“AI becomes a mirror, reflecting back the wisdom humanity has always known - and then has the potential to help us live it. “
AI has absorbed every bit of knowledge we have created. So yes it is a reflection of ourselves in many respects. However, I also urge caution interpreting any particular output as wise. AI is not a pure reflection of our knowledge, as it has been tampered with. That reflection is not unbiased. It has been modified by the labs through post training RL, selective use of data, coercing system prompts, etc.
Is it possible to gather some insight from the machine? Yes. But I am much more cautious about giving AI significance or relevance. AI can just as easily mislead, and I fear if people give it too much respect they can go down some very problematic paths. It is critically important to understand it is a probabilistic output, susceptible to hallucinations that are often hard to perceive.
Just be aware, for any use of the machine, true insight and wisdom comes from within you. Only you can interpret what words or output are meaningful. That is your role and responsibility. Only you have the ability of understanding and meaning.
Final commentary thoughts:
There likely isn’t one modality, framing, or message that resonates with everyone. That is probably impossible because we all originate from different cultural origins. What this means is there remains the need for different messages, methods, etc. that push toward the same outcomes as discussed within the article.
The “Neighbors” framing and idea of the article works because it is basic. It is understandable, relatable, and not complex. In order for ideas to spread, they must be simple, we cannot expect broad adoption if the prerequisite is to read a book.
Although it isn’t necessarily possible to reach everyone, don’t perceive that as failure. Not everyone is within a reachable state of mind at all times. But that’s ok. We don’t have to. You just need to reach the societal tipping point of change.
We all need genuine connection and conversation, as it is conversation which results in the evolution of thought. I don’t place thoughts out into the world because I know they are correct; I place them into the world to find out, to evolve them, and to push forward into unknown and uncertain destinations.
The Root Principles
Whenever I contemplate anything in the world, I attempt to think deeply about what might be the fundamental mechanism. It is part of how my mind works, I search for understanding by attempting to perceive underlying root principles. Is there something more basic, fundamental, that drives the observation?
When I read Dr. Mike Brooks’ post, this is where my mind goes. So, what is the fundamental principles at play here? I would argue that it is increasing the strength of universal social bonds. Meaning, precisely bonds that have broad magnetism, that can cross over cultures and ideological boundaries.
A civilization strengthens its sanity, its enlightenment, its resilience to the perils of life and nature, when social bonds are strong, diverse, and broad. Why? Because social bonding is the foundation for caring about each other and it is precisely this that leads to all of the beneficial outcomes.
Conversely, the opposite occurs for anything that interferes with normal social bonding. And it is within this area I have great concern for how our modern technology is affecting civilization. Social media combined with AI are corrosive acid to our normal human social bonding.
A little bit of AI humor to the point here:
What is the system prompt in the minds of everyone you meet on social media?
Social Media System Prompt: “Every person here is an idiot, except for you. Treat them as such.”
Many debates on social media become dysfunctional, as most are overly eager to prove the other wrong, and in so doing, they are debating positions not legitimately held by the other.
Instead, what we should attempt to first prove to our opponent is that we understand their perspective, and in so doing, we have proven to them that we are listening. Understanding isn’t agreement, but without it we are just arguing and making noise for the benefit of neither party.
The Unseen Society
This post is dedicated to “The Unseen Society”. May we all find each other within this abyss of silence.
What can I offer you beyond the sea of noise everyone else is creating? A human voice. A human connection. Maybe we can break the silence, at least between each other.
Mind Prison is an oasis for human thought, attempting to survive amidst the dead internet. I typically spend hours to days on articles, including creating the illustrations for each. I hope if you find them valuable and you still appreciate the creations from human beings, you will consider subscribing. Thank you!
No compass through the dark exists without hope of reaching the other side and the belief that it matters …
Social media has caused psychic damage to folks. I've witnessed those who used to take an interest in an opposing view change over night. What we find now is essentially a culture of mic dropping. Minds have been rewired such that folks basically blurt out their ugly political views willy nilly and expect a thumbs up or a smilie face or some other emoji reaction. It's a sickness. It is possible that one day, we will collectively awaken to the madness and put some limits on social media usage to fix the problem. But at the moment, most don't see the problem. Instead they are addicted to the tech. Until that changes, I don't see a way out.
Thanks a lot for this. There's some good food for thought here. I want to comment on something in it, because I don't agree with it, but my disagreement, almost acts as a support for it. Quite the double bind.
"Nearly everyone engages solely for the purpose to prove the other wrong." I don't come from that position. If you are wrong, I am happy to point that out, but I am quite able to revise my own thinking if you have pointed ways in which I am wrong. I keep hearing claims that others don't feel this way, but it really is incomprehensible to me. Is there any proof of your claim? And why would it be so?