Journal – Trance Blackman

Here you’ll find my philosophical meanderings in the form of articles, essays, and occasional poetry. My interests and curiosities are broad, but the central focus remains the pursuit of what is authentic, real, and true.

Lux et veritas

Journal Entries / critical thinking (11 Posts)

Showing posts tagged “critical thinking”. Clear filter

What Matters Most

02 June 2026 ~ 3 minute read

We have limited time and attention. The modern world is exceptionally good at capturing both. Whether we pursue mastery, general competence, family, travel, career, self-sufficiency, or something else entirely, every choice carries an opportunity cost. The challenge is not choosing the “right” path, but choosing consciously rather than being swept along by inherited expectations, cultural narratives, or manufactured priorities.

The First Principle of Healing

09 April 2026 ~ 6 minute read

What if the body never makes mistakes — and neither does life? A reflection on healing, perception, and the deeper pattern connecting individual wellbeing to the collective human experience.

Signals in the Noise: Stagecraft and the Space Narrative

03 April 2026 ~ 5 minute read

A familiar pattern is taking shape again — not loudly at first, but consistently enough to notice. Across film, television, and headlines, the same themes surface: space, contact, crisis, and revelation. The question is not whether these stories are being told, but why they are being told now, and what they are preparing us to accept.

Trash or Treasure

13 March 2026 ~ 6 minute read

Time is the only resource we truly spend without knowing the balance. Most of us were trained to accumulate information, credentials, and distractions, yet very few of us were ever taught how to recognize what actually matters. In a world overflowing with noise, the real skill may simply be learning how to tell the difference between trash and treasure.

Symbols and Reality, Act III: Reclaiming Agency

31 December 2025 ~ 6 minute read

After exploring the hidden costs of technology and the symbolic power of modern saviors, this essay examines how to reclaim human agency. It delves into discernment, ethical action, and the philosophical and psychological tools needed to navigate hype, myth, and narrative manipulation — empowering readers to act consciously in a world dominated by spectacle and symbols.

Laziness of Mind and Spirit: Outsourcing Our Souls

30 December 2025 ~ 7 minute read

There is a particular kind of decay that does not announce itself through violence or ruin, but through forgetfulness. It is the forgetting of how to listen inwardly, how to sit with uncertainty, how to sense truth without being told what to think. Over time, this forgetting hardens into habit — reliance on systems, experts, devices, and doctrines that promise clarity while dulling discernment. The events of recent years did not create this condition; they merely revealed it. What we are facing is not a crisis of information, but a crisis of mind, spirit, and attention.