Thought for the Day

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

As noted last week, I am taking olmelleon as a new word that is meant to name the utter destruction that is ubiquitous across cultural, political, economic, and social landscapes as well as the ravages of climate change and the unseen dynamics of the sixth extinction. While nihilism gained prominence in the late 19th century (particularly under the influence of Frederick Nietzsche), it never gained ground in the halls of power as a way of dealing with the sense of meaningless which is at the heart of nihilism. However, as post modernism gained footing and relativism gained ground, the potential for developing personal meaning not dependent on the essentialism of philosophy, morality, or religion began to emerge. This is where the deep psyche in the form of dreams from “the other” becomes crucial as a meaningful way to engage olmelleon. So far, dreams seem to be free of the destructive effects of olmelleon as if protected because they are so deeply internal and so ignored by the powers that be. I believe that the ways of consciousness focused in typical ways for solving global problems will not work. Dreams from the depths offer the possibility of something new and unique and not only that but are likely to have a deeper sense of what the threats are than even consciousness knows. In next week’s Thought for the Day, I will try to illustrate this more fully.