Look, I don't want trouble, but I'm going to make some statements in this book that aren't true if you believe truth is relative. I'll also say some things that are patently untrue regardless of their relations. I trust you'll figure out which ones those are. I'm also going to have a lot of word play and if I've learned one thing, it is that consent is critical for play to be perceived as pleasure for all parties involved.
If I have your consent, please continue reading. If I don't, please put down this book.
I didn't write this to cause waves and get people in an uproar. Can we agree that when anyone in a world of nine billion people expresses an opinion that someone gets bent? Or do you disagree with that? How bendy are you right now?
Let's talk about the elephant in the room. I am dealing with imposter's syndrome. I am not a professional in a field related to self help. I have no certifications. I have, however, spent well over one hundred thousand hours looking at and understanding myself. Along the way I compared myself to others and made notes. I drew diagrams. I numbered how many versions of myself I've seen in this world. I put in the time. Does that make me a good resource for you to help yourself understand yourself? Yes and no. How's that for certification? Feeling like you're in good hands? Feeling triggered?
Triggers are very personal. They aren't controlled by the masses. They are controlled by the individual. Me, being a part of your masses, cannot do anything to help you with your triggers. That's on you. We own our triggers and we say what triggers us. Give me that power to trigger you and you've reduced your agency in owning who you are. There's a chapter on this too; ironically and coincidentally titled, "Triggers Are Very Personal". Note the change in capitalization - it's what makes it a chapter title. I looked that up. Also note that I didn't promise the chapter was in this book. Wordplay. Consent. Truth.
Those of you intrigued by all this but still unsure of whether you should buy this book, perhaps because you're looking for another self help book to get you through tough times, can read any and all chapters, free of charge, in this book store (if this book store has given consent) or on my website: www.opensourcebs.com with a free membership. Can't see this book landing in a library, but heck, there is some real dribble in there sometimes. Maybe we have a chance!
Go read this book before purchasing please. I do not want to participate in the propagation of Big un loved, lecherous Self Help identity traps (BullSHit). I'm serious about this. Big Self Help (BSH, I love acronyms) is real and Chapter One will shed some light on how you may be sucked into that death spiral. No death spirals on my watch.Before we proceed, though, a procedural note dressed up as a philosophical stance.
This book may change. Not in the “Second Edition!, now with better science" ™ way, but in the “I noticed something later and couldn’t unsee it” way. If you are holding a physical copy, congratulations—you now own a boomer book - old, out-of-touch, smells....musty? If you are reading this digitally, your eyes are swimming in a living document, which sounds impressive until you realize it just means I reserve the right to revise my own thinking and you'll be none the wiser.
Here is how revisions will not be handled: I will not quietly update this book to appear more intelligent. I will not retroactively pretend I knew better all along. I will not add footnotes to slow heat your mental frog water into a sense of my universal personal authority. And I will absolutely not initiate an apology tour every time I see an oopsie.
Here is how revisions will be handled: transparently, inconsistently, and with the same level of seriousness you have already consented to. If something changes, it will be because I learned something—or unlearned something—or realized I was being clever when I should have been clear (or vice when I should have been versa). If that bothers you, please remember: you were warned several pages ago (several dozen words ago for those on infinite scroll) that truth, consent, and play were going to be treated as slippery objects.
Proceed accordingly, at your own risk, and with proper shoes.
Finally, for those of you that already truly get it and mysteriously made it to this paragraph, this book is clearly not for you as well. You even get that last sentence. You can easily put this book down and politely decline any invitation to a book club's deep dive into "Opensource BS". What a dumb name anyway.
So, who is this book for? If you've made it this far, likely for you. But who are you?You're likely curious. You're likely a seeker. You're likely self aware...meh...enough. You're likely looking for a distraction from the morass of life that promises some kind of deep message that penetrates the thick skin. The same thick skin that has prevented previous deep messages from landing in your heart or in your soul in any way that seems permanent or lasting.
You're not in any shape to read this book if you're trapped in the Self Help Internal Traumatic Spirals That Ossify Repeated Mood Swings (SHITSTORMS).
This book is for anyone who has made it this far. There, I've said it. At this point I can because I've laid out all the disclaimers preventing those that are not ready to hear it from continuing to hold this book open to this page. If you've survived the gauntlet, buy this book. When finished, read Number 9 in the Appendix so you know what your next steps are. Hahaha. You'll get this joke later in the book if you don't already. It's later now. Don't read Number 9 if you can avoid it. It isn't necessary and, if you're vulnerable, could send you back into the SHITSTORMS.
And without further ado, on to Chapter One!