The Etymology of Manifestation+ Celebrating Dubai

We too often fall into the trap of asking

“Is this belief true?”

instead of asking

“Is this belief useful?”.

Manifestation: the act or process of making something visible, evident, or clear.

A belief in manifestation, or at-least a familiarity with it, has become extremely widespread. It has also become slightly controversial or worthy of ridicule in some cases.

Despite my positive views on the practice, it’s important to highlight the two undesirable conditions for its rise. Firstly, is the growing popularity of the spiritual-not-religious sentiment in which amorphous “build-your-own” spirituality replaces structured traditional beliefs. Secondly, is our unprecedented culture of comparison (because the internet). Under this regime we tend to be far less satisfied with our own lives/statuses and feel compelled to manifest our way to a higher place.

So is manifestation true? Is manifestation useful? I find no better way of understanding these questions then by exploring the etymology (ετυμολογία) of the word.

The word "manifestation" has its origins in the Latin “manifestare” meaning to make visible or reveal. Further, it is comprised of two roots:

"Mani-" meaning "hand"

"-Fest" meaning:

1. "do" or "make"

2. "celebration"

3. "to attack" (as in "infest")

So three literal interpretations are -

1. Doing of the hands.

2. Celebration of the hands.

3. Attack by the hands.

These definitions are beautiful, powerful, and cohesive. The visuals implied- our hands attacking our goals, or celebrating our hand’s capabilities are quite inspiring. However, they all emphasize (and literally celebrate) the physical component- the hands.

This serves the purposes of the boring and imagination-less critics of manifestation- who ridicule the non-concrete aspects. The common critique is cold, “Things don’t just happen by themselves, you need to take action”. There’s a tragedy in this world view. This line of thinking is far too focused on the mechanism at work rather than the demonstrable utility and spiritual experience. Just because we understand the process by which a baby is conceived does not make conception or life any less spiritually relevant. So to speak- don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

Yes, is by our hands which the unseen- our ideas, vision, and goals, become revealed as actual. The immensity of the spiritual relevance of this process cannot be understated. The sacredness of creating something out of nothing is emphasized by the Creation myths of virtually every culture. How fitting is it that God in Genesis created the man and woman by hand? Creation- the successful transition of an idea into reality is as close to to the supernatural and to God as can be achieved.

While the supernatural aspect here cannot be proven or disproven. Manifestation’s metaphysical strength is undeniable. Proper manifestation- vision, belief, and focus- will doubtlessly increase the likelihood that one’s vision will be realized. A gorgeous process which weaves the conceptual and material together.

The metaphor- the power of the mind in painting on the canvas of reality. Is demonstrably true and useful. If a metaphor is useful, then it must be real.

Praise to Dubai

Dubai stands as a testament to manifestion.

Within a few decades, the Emiratis transformed a modest desert fishing village into one of the premier cities in the world. Yet many of us dismiss this staggering accomplishment, simplifying it just as a byproduct of oil money. This belief is dangerous to human progress and must be discredited entirely.

The UAE's wealth isn't unparalleled—numerous nations boast greater riches. By per capita GDP, the UAE ranks 20th. And contrary to popular belief, they aren't the most oil-endowed either. Saudi Arabia produces nearly four times more oil, and Norway's output rivals the UAE. Notably, Norway's sovereign wealth fund is substantially larger, almost double per capita compared to the UAE's.

Yet, today, Saudi Arabia finds itself racing to match the economic strides made by Dubai. Norway is unambitious and irrelevant.

The United States government spent about $6.3 trillion in 2022. It is said that it cost about $100 billion total to build Dubai over the course of 20 years. Which investment goes further in driving positive cultral and economic outcomes? What would it look like if the United States invested in the development of its cities?

What led to the existence of Dubai was not simply the material but the immaterial. It is the metaphysical. The creativity to have a vision and the valor to manifest it into reality.

In closing- the Parable of the Talents from the Gospel of Matthew feels relevant.

Jesus tells of a man who entrusted his wealth to three servants before going on a journey.

To one he gave five coins, to the second two coins, and to the last, one coin.

Upon his return, the first two had doubled their money through investments. The third out of caution, buried his coin and had no gains to show. The man praised the first two for their initiative and resourcefulness.

The third was ridiculed for wasting the opportunity.

No matter our blessings. No matter how much oil is in our backyards. Our lives and legacies are defined by how we utilize the resources and opportunities presented to us.

We are constrained only by our vision.

Sisyphus and the Cyclades

Joy is not found in I did it but in I am doing.

The Sisyphus myth portrays the harsh and unique punishment of a Greek king who betrayed the Gods. Sisyphus’s fate was to perpetually push a boulder up a hill, only to see, as he reached the top, the rock roll back downwards in vain. The relatability of this torture explains its fame. The daily rhythm of life can often feel repetitive, mundane, and fruitless. We so often labor only to see little tangible gain.

Thankfully, in his essay ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’, French philosopher Albert Camus reconciles this discord between existence and futility.

"The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart.

One must imagine Sisyphus happy."

It is the process that fulfills our purpose. It is not achievement but endeavor that scratches our itch. Refer no further than to the stereotype of the struggling sports champion, war hero, or retiree. Joy is found not in I did it but in I am doing.

Romanticizing Paint on the Ground

I yawn. The caffeine crash from the midnight espresso martini has hit me hard.

I check the time -04:57. Battery 4%. Time to find the driver.

Half daydreaming, half drunk I pace through the winding lopsided paths of the Mykononian Old Town. Turn the corner and I stop.

There’s a man on the ground. He’s wearing all white- not atypical of the island’s fashion but-

He’s repainting the lines between the pavement stones. Every stroke purifies the worn lines into a bright white glow. A season’s worth of steps washed away. Despite the mundanity of the task itself, this strikes me.

It’s an act of tradition.

It’s an act of storytelling.

It’s an act of branding.

It’s an act of pride.

But it’s also seemingly an act in futility.

It’s a Sisyphean labor- repetitive, dull, endless, cyclical. Ultimately though, we do not seek to end the task, but rather pursue different ends. Maintaining the beauty and magic of the island is an end in itself. We can imagine Sisyphus happy.

In closing- the cluster of islands which are famous for this white-washed architecture are called the Cyclades- Greek for cycle or circle. So how fitting, how poetic is it that they in turn require a constant cycle of painting to maintain their aesthetic?

Aesthetic Determinism+ Why Architecture Matters

The fruits of beauty are nourishing.

No understanding of human nature is complete without understanding nature, or the environment. One phenomenon that is uniquely human is the interplay between our environment and ourselves. While evolution is understood as the organism adapting to its environment, we are able to consciously and deliberately design our surroundings. In doing so we change ourselves.

Interestingly, we only tend to do environmental engineering paternalistically for others. The most famous example of course being parenting. Good parents take care in curating their child’s social and informational environment (school), which is obviously important in ensuring the kid develops well. The cause and effect relationship here is established and easy to see.

But counterintuitively, while the impact of intangibles such as a curriculum or social circle are easily understood, the effects of the tangible physical environment are less obvious.

For reference here are two phenomenon (w/links)-

1. Classrooms with more daylight exposure improved student learning rates by 21%.

2. People have improved cognition and creativity in rooms with higher ceilings.

While these effects of course make sense, we are not actively conscious of them. This is not to advocate for the dissemination of all esoteric best practices for interior design but only to say that our physical environment strongly affects our attitudes and emotions, often on a subconscious level. We feel and behave differently in a forest than we do a city.

Now onwards to the thesis.

When we see Versailles we can't help but feel a sense of opulence and hierarchy. When we see the US Capitol we can't help but feel a sense of stoic order. When we see La Sagrada Familia we can’t help but feel a sense of reverence and the ineffable.

These are intentional effects by the architect. In designing the building they design our emotional response. Aesthetics are functional!

Once we realize this, the question becomes- Given the power of architectural design, why do we not use it to our advantage more broadly? It is limiting to only consider aesthetic mind control when designing major buildings. Is there not so much potential in taking the same approach in designing the rest of our communities because.-

When your neighborhood is beautiful, you can’t help but think more highly of your neighbors. Just like the atmosphere of our own homes is significant in how we view ourselves. The appearance of our neighborhoods and cities is significant in forming our attitude regarding the collective.

In living around beauty we are instilled with subconscious connections to past, future, and neighbor. If our goal is to enhance wellness, aesthetic design must play a part.

This is not to overlook that architectural possibility is a function of economic abundance. Apartment buildings should not be as ornate as a palace. I would like to simply point to some low hanging fruit which enhance emotional perception.

The post image I used contrasts a Victorian in Chelsea, London to low income housing in Brooklyn. Two brick structures with completely different emotional impacts. The difference lies simply in the presence of ornamentation in the British building. It would not have been prohibitively expensive to incorporate some of the same into the design of the Brooklyn residences, but we cannot understate the magic those ornamental exterior details bring to a community. These are not antiquated but rather deprioritized by architects whose priorities have outgrown them. (We will detail each specific ornaments by name Part 2)

Economic forces lead real estate designers to design beautiful buildings in order to attract tenants but there is much untapped legislative and cultural potential to promote beautiful design in our communities.

The fruits of beauty are nourishing.

Abundance by Personal Brand + Clout

Update 12/28/22- SEC counsel Dan Berkowitz resigns after being found to have taken bribes from SBF/FTX. Wining and bribing is essential to the SBF playbook.

So SBF probably bribed the journalists.

The archetype of a tech nerd usually includes not caring about personal appearance or public perception. So there’s this massive ironic intrigue when Sam Bankman-Fried revealed himself as a Machiavellian personal brand and PR architect.

How was this unveiled?

Following his fall, puff pieces from huge publications like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and others spun Sam as an Icarian victim of his own ambitions. The headlines lamented over the lost potential of his patented altruism.

They were too coordinated and strangely neutral to be authentic. There were two implications from this.

1) Journalists can be bought (duh)

2) Sam understands The Clout Game.

After seeing the pretty obviously purchased media, the complete picture of his obsessive PR awareness came together for me.

• (Update 12/16) He paid famously skeptical Kevin O’Leary $15m to be a spokesperson.

• His interest in Media companies. He wanted to partner with Elon to buy Twitter. He invested in news site Semafor. He tried to start a Substack competitor by attempting to recruit two of the most prominent journalists in the country in Matt Yglesias and Nate Silver.

• Months ago a coworker mentioned to NYT that Sam told him his unkempt curly fro was important because “People need to think I’m crazy”

• The huge political donations in retrospect. This is a two for one deal because it buys you political clout while also making you a darling of the media.

• The constant media promotion of his Effective Altruism philosophy. (more on this in another post)

But to what ends? Sam’s 3D Chess move was successfully portraying himself as a quirky unassuming vegan who should be left unchecked because he was donating everything to charity and politicians anyways. Most importantly, his persona and political donations made him unthreatening to the status quo while being the face of a young industry in crypto that threatens to change everything.

So the actionable advice derived from Machiavellian Sam

1. Develop personal and financial relationships with Politicians and journalists.

2. Develop reputation for being altruistic.

3. Doors open.

Good PR is taking advantage of the virtuous cycle of the snowball effect. Once you develop a little bit of goodwill and momentum in the public eye (maybe you have to pay at first ) more and more people will like, help you, and write about you.