Good Morning!

Happy Thursday, everybody. The boulder is almost up that hill.

Today, we’re going to discuss attention and reality with the help of Michel de Montaigne. Burning that off, we’re going to do the Attention Check. Wrapping it up, we’re going to look at a quote from Montaigne’s Essays.

Let’s dive in. Thought Breakfast is served!

We’ve talked about truth distortion, freedom denial, and over-rationalization. Montaigne approaches the idea of illusion differently than anyone we’ve talked about. He doesn’t accuse, but he observes. He would hold that most of our illusions are not dramatic lies, but small refusals to look closely.

Montaigne writes about himself constantly. He writes about his moods, contradictions, weaknesses, and inconsistencies. But he does not write in order to perfect himself. He writes to see things more clearly. That’s the discipline. Not self-improvement or self-justification, but honest attention. Illusion thrives where attention is lazy.

Montaigne doesn’t demand heroism. There is no triumphant overcoming of illusion. He simply suggests that we notice irritation when it arises, notice pride, notice fear, and notice how quickly we defend ourselves. Illusion doesn’t dissolve through force, but through observation.

He says that we avoid looking honestly at our motives, envies, insecurities, and inconsistencies. Further, he teaches that clarity begins quietly. To see yourself without flinching is already progress.

Ask yourself:

Notice one reaction without correcting it. Just see it.

“We are all patchwork, and so shapeless and diverse in composition that each bit, each moment, plays its own game.”
— Michel de Montaigne, Essays

Montaigne reminds us that we are not unified, polished selves. “Patchwork” means that we are inconsistent, shifting, and layered.

Illusion often comes from pretending we are more coherent than we actually are. Self-deception begins when we cling to a single story about who we are.

Honesty begins when we admit: I contradict myself. I change. I contain tensions.

Munch on that for today. Try to be as honest with yourself as you can. Have a great day, and come back tomorrow when we wrap up this week of Thought Breakfast!

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Remember to stay mindful, smell the flowers, and take it easy.

Chef Ricky - Thought Breakfast