Intrepid Soul Press

This book is a collection of essays on topics concerning the existence of mankind on Earth. Essay authors have been chosen to write personal essays on areas of their expertise or interest. How did we get here? Why are we here? What are we/me doing here?  Where we going from here? These are the existential questions we will explore. They all have to do with our existence on Earth. Will we definitively answer them for you?

No. That’s impossible—for many reasons. But we will try to help you answer them for yourself. How we got here, why we are here, and where are we going from here, is merely conjecture. Atheists (those who do not believe in God) will say that our being here is merely the confluence of chance, matter, and time. Theists  (those  who  believe  in  God)  believe  that  we  are human manifestations in the image of God, the creator of all things. Their differences of opinion are a matter of debate for another forum, so we will leave those questions for scientists, philosophers, and religious scholars. 

We  will  focus  on  what  we  are  doing  here,  because that is the most answerable by using provable, factual data. We have a pretty good idea of what we are doing here, because our collective, human actions have historical imprints  and  attendant  consequences.  Those  actions, over time, also result in verifiable change: change to humankind, the planet Earth, and all living things on Earth. Those changes are often referred to as evolution. But, contrary to popular belief, human evolution is not on a vertical line of continual improvement, since there are periods of growth and decline over millions of years. While  scientific  evolution  is  incremental  (built  upon previous knowledge), human evolution is not, because the human experience is an ongoing experiment. 

Maybe the better question is:  Why are we doing what we are doing here? Another way to phrase that is asking the question: What is our collective purpose?  Then, Diving Deeper, we occasionally ask ourselves about our individual purpose. Our  book  is, therefore,  a Self-Socratic  Endeavor—an exploration of ourselves by questioning the choices we make in our lives. A byproduct of ”What is mankind doing and why?” is “What are the impacts of what we are doing here on Earth?” We will be discussing both— our individual purpose and impact. 

Then, we will Dive Deeper to understand collective, societal purpose and impact. 

These questions led to the idea for  this book, which  I am writing for my kids and their kids:  Never stop exploring. Always be curious. Seek adventure. Work together. 

The essays in this book will discuss those issues and components  of  human  nature,  behavior,  relationships, emotions, motivations, and contexts. While we will explore these endeavors as objectively as possible, we also acknowledge our  limitations, and that our point of view comes from a western, first world perspective. 

We want this book to flow like a metaphor of scuba ving at night. Deep Dive will be our metaphysical and quasi-aquatic journey together. 

First, as with a safety briefing on a boat before the dive, I will introduce myself:  Introduction and Biographies. 

Then  I  will  outline  the  plan  for  the  dive—what  we  can expect  to  see,  the obstacles  to inhibit  seeing  everything, and  limitations  from  seeing  it  all  clearly:  Potential Impediments 

Then, we will enter the water and descend together. We will follow my flashlight to focus on things and make new discoveries together. And you will use your flashlight to see things that I may have missed or discover them on your own: Essays. 

Near the end of the dive, we will settle on the bottom, turn our lights off, and just breathe, think, and be:  Reflections. 

Then, we will ascend together.  When we reach the surface,  the  water  will  wash  from  our  masks.  We will  be coming  from a  place  of  dynamic exploration, new discoveries, deep peace and a sense of knowing ourselves—and be in awe of the human experience, nature, and the entire galaxy as it opens itself up to our eyes like the first time:  Refreshed. Rejuvenated. Reinvented.