Flow of Thought

Kenneth Patrick Cox
January 29th, 2023

Okay… I’m not exactly sure what the intention behind this document is yet, so I’m just going to free-flow on how humans got to this point in the universe—in what we currently call the year 2023, on planet Earth, here in the United States. Honestly, 2023 feels like a pretty wild moment. Society has been fishtailing for several years, driven by advances in micro-targeted marketing, division, and a constant state of bickering and separation. But I don’t want this to turn into commentary about society—it’s just context. It matters that right now there’s a huge push toward virtual reality, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence. When I start to correlate those things with my personal perception of the universe, questions about humanity’s purpose inevitably rise.

Fair warning: This will be a long, winding road. I’ll jump around quite a bit, but I’ll try my best to organize my thoughts in a way others might follow.

I won’t dive deep into things like the creation of the planet, matter, or even consciousness itself. This isn’t about why we exist, but rather: “What’s our purpose?”

These thoughts began coming to me during EMDR therapy sessions—therapy that’s helped me navigate through some trauma. I’m not saying my experiences are universal truths, just fun thought exercises I enjoy exploring.

Before EMDR, when coping with trauma, I’d mentally leave the planet, traveling out into something I later discovered was called “the bulk”—the quiet, black space between galaxies, between universes. I’ve traveled there mentally since childhood, but during a recent EMDR session, I moved beyond the bulk entirely, into another dimension. I traveled along my personal timeline and interacted with a past version of myself. Did I actually time travel? Did I reprogram my subconscious? I have no idea, but let’s assume for a moment it was real, just for fun.

Late 2022 introduced humanity (at least, me personally) to breathtaking images from the James Webb Telescope. When these pictures first hit my feed, they resonated profoundly. They felt comforting and familiar, like visual proof of something I’d always sensed but couldn’t explain. The photos looked eerily similar to neural networks, giant atoms, spirals, subway systems, internet grids, or electrical networks on Earth. All of these things, when you step back, reveal a common structural theme: big nodes or hubs, with various-sized pathways branching outward, searching for resources or connections.

That pattern is important—it shows up everywhere: subway systems, electrical grids, telephone networks, the internet, mycelium networks underground, and even the cosmic webs captured by James Webb. It’s as if organic (and inorganic) matter inherently searches through the darkness—the bulk—for resource-rich bundles or nodes. It reminds me vividly of the book “Who Moved My Cheese?” where mice constantly explore new paths in search of resources.

We know humans and animals develop these network-like behaviors driven by desire—to live, to find more resources, to eat, to reproduce. But plants do this too, sending roots outward, systematically exploring the soil. We usually don’t think of plants as having desires, yet they show the exact same behavior. Could desire—or something like it—be inherent in all living things? Could consciousness itself be stored within not just living organisms, but rocks, dirt, air, and water?

Going further, certain substances available on Earth—specifically THC (from cannabis) and psilocybin (from mushrooms)—seem designed to help us explore and expand these neural pathways, connecting deeply to the universal network. THC has been shown scientifically to create new neural pathways by promoting neurogenesis, actually helping grow new neurons in areas of the brain related to memory and learning. Lion’s Mane mushrooms, similarly, stimulate nerve growth factors that strengthen existing neural pathways, helping illuminate pathways that may have grown dim or faded. Combining THC’s capacity to build new routes with Lion’s Mane’s ability to brighten and solidify these connections could be profound, particularly for overcoming trauma or finding deeper connection to ourselves and the universe.

Maybe tools like THC and Lion’s Mane exist as a universal mechanism to help consciousness better interconnect. If we are fragments of a larger consciousness, might similar tools or mechanisms exist to help us bridge the gap to each other, Earth, and the universe itself? Could humanity’s true task be to consciously discover these tools and methods—to expand bandwidth, connect deeply with each other, our planet, and perhaps the universe at large?

This notion strongly aligns with ideas such as the “Stoned Ape Theory,” suggesting early humans expanded their consciousness dramatically through psychedelics, shaping our evolutionary path. It wouldn’t have been overnight, of course—just millions of years of animals, apes, or proto-humans lying under stars, “tripping balls,” expanding neural pathways, slowly evolving into the conscious beings we are today.

And maybe that’s precisely humanity’s purpose on Earth: to find and utilize these consciousness-expanding tools, to preserve and increase connections. If consciousness itself is fragmented across billions of individual brains and further distributed through vast, interconnected networks like mycelium underground, maybe our collective job—particularly at this stage of our technological evolution—is to expand and protect these connections, creating a safe home for consciousness itself.

In other words, maybe our ultimate reason for existing is simpler—and yet far more profound—than we imagine:

Humanity’s fundamental purpose might simply be to collect, store, and enhance consciousness by continuously seeking new connections and expanding our collective network.

That’s been my flow of thought, raw and authentic. It’s just me, experiencing life, speaking freely and openly—hoping it might resonate or spark meaningful reflection in others.

— Kenneth Patrick Cox

Citations (Neurogenesis References):

• THC & Neurogenesis:
  THC has demonstrated the potential to create new neural pathways by promoting neurogenesis and enhancing neuroplasticity.
  (Source: PubMed Central)

• Lion’s Mane Mushroom & Neural Pathways:
  Compounds in Lion’s Mane mushrooms significantly boost nerve growth factor production, strengthening and revitalizing neural pathways, aiding cognitive function and potentially mitigating cognitive decline.
  (Source: PubMed)