What is Existential Phenomenological Pragmatism? The short answer is it’s the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Martin Heidegger combined with the phenomenology of Maurice Merle-Ponty Hans Jonas, and Heidegger tempered by the pragmatism of William James, and informed by Hans Jonas’ view on the Phenomenon of Life and the imperative of responsibility. What is it more specifically? From a high level it is the grounding of Human Being in the Being of Life, and how that Being has a Directionality which leads to an imperative of social responsibility. It includes such specifics as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s concept of the Power of Love which is rooted Human Being. It also includes
Marx’s dialectical/historical materialism as a means of implementing the Pragmatism of William James.

That pretty much covers Existential Phenomenological Pragmatism from a high level. If it’s ambiguous that is necessary given the limits of knowledge described by all of these separate philosophies. To deal with this ambiguity I will often use capitalization to indicate deeper meanings, and give descriptions which may be closer to poetry than prose. If none of this makes sense, practically speaking that’s OK. The overall philosophy will take shape as the conversion about specifics progresses.

I : Interviewer

M : The Mystic

I : Have you ever been in a situation when you thought you weren’t going to make it?

M : Many times, but my luck always seems to pull me through. Now of course I don’t really believe in luck. We make our own luck based on our actions. So if you’re proactive you make your own luck. Even though things seem impossible I have confidence I can get through it based on my lived experience.

I : Do you feel there is a situation you can’t handle?

M : Sure, it just hasn’t come about yet. One of these days my luck will run out and I’ll be screwed. Probably won’t realize it while it’s happening so it will come as a big surprise.

I : Do you carry a talisman?

M : Yes, my walking staff if my talisman. It’s been imbued with the ability to spark magic, so I can use it to create a wide variety of magics.

I : Do you use your staff this way a lot?

M : Dozens of times each day. It’s really defines me as a wizard, beyond just a mystic.

I : Do you have a signature piece of magic?

M : As far as I know I’m the only wizard that knows how to transport. It’s something I discovered in an extremely high energy situation and most wizards can’t control their magic in such situations. I learned how out of necessity.

I : You’re talking about the time you escaped a deep bear trap in the Dragon’s Ridge.

M : That’s right. The trap had been set for a giant bears that live on the Dragon’s Ridge. It had to be fifty feet deep, with the sides as smooth as glass. IT was obviously created by a wizard as no magicians or shamans has the power to create such a surface.

I : Well, we’re out of time.

M : I look forward to when we meet again.

I’ve been a mystic all my life. Some say the gift of truth is a blessing. But it is also a curse. For I have sight into the truth of my soul, and am unable , like others, to tell a lie to myself. This is as much a curse as it is a blessing, one I will have to suffer the reset of my days. I am only human, and all truth is relative, relative to the perspective I choose. I have chosen to be a honest person, and yet I know the truth. I lie like all people, and yet must accept this as part of who I am. Hence I must accept that what I truly am is a hypocrite. This is the truth I can not escape.

To be a truthful I must choose to accept the truth of who I am.. Only then will I be an honorable man

“I wanted to ask you, have you always had these ‘abilities’?”

“Yes and no. When I was young I had these feelings but I didn’t understand what they meant. It wasn’t until the priests found me when I was ten. When they took me to the Temple Of Truth then the exercises taught me to understand what I was feeling. But I’ve had the feelings for as long as I can remember.”

“Did the priests tell you were unique? Did you understand that you weren’t just an ordinary acolyte?”

“Ever since I can remember I knew I was a mystic. I just had the thought one day that that was what I was, and I knew it was True. It was the first and only time I understood my feelings before going through the training.”

“Mystic training is extremely rigorous. Many simply can’t keep up with the process. Did you struggle to keep pace as I’m told is to be expected.”

“No, I always felt like I could have gone a little faster, that the physical aspect could have been more taxing. I always had to do work on my own to get a real sense of accomplishment.”

“When it was time for your Truth Quest did you feel ready?”

“In this regard I was like all other acolytes. I just couldn’t imagine what it would be like, finding the Truth of your Soul. The training was intentionally vague about this, like they wanted to keep you virgin until they found the right person for you to be with. I went on my quest not having a clue how to accomplish its goal.”

“Your quest is quite famous and has been very extensively written about. Have you read some of the writings about your quest?”

“I believe I’ve read them all. The quest I feel is just like fixing your initial course. The rest of life is the discovery of where that initial course sent you.”

“You see, there is one of the unique things about you. Most discover their final destination during the quest. You sound like you still don’t know what your final destination will be.”

The mystic paused and put on a face of deep satisfaction. “Well that’s what defines the Mystic Of Cascadia isn’t it. That sense of open endlessness. That is the one characteristic that is unique to the Mystic Of Cascadia The one that sets them apart from all other mystics. “

“Yes, well, that was something I was hoping to get clarity on in this interview. Unfortunately I’m out of time. Hopefully we can flush this out more in future interviews.”

“I would like that.”

Thus ended the firs official interview of The Mystic Of Cascadia.

keep

Late afternoon the mystic rode into the garrison. All those on duty at the time stared at him as if he was a ghost. The garrison commander rushed out to greet the mystic. “is it true, are you the only one to survive.”

“It is true,” the mystic said. getting down from his horse and bending a knee to the commander.

“How is it that you alone survived,” demanded the commander.

“Because I’m not a fool,” said the mystic. “Are you a fool commander?”

With that the commander turned and stormed up the commanders residence stairs. Once again the mystic had dominated the commander. His last time, he thought, as he saw the assassin taking aim at the mystics back. The assassin let the arrow fly. Just before the arrow reached it’s target, the mystic spun, drawing his sword, and then blocked the arrow, redirecting it into the center of the commanders back. The commander died instantaneously.

The mystic then got back on his horse and rode to the back of the garrison where his residence lied. No one would see any of him for several days.

They entered the cave all bunched together. Marching into the depths of the mountain, they came across a massive cavern. An iridescent stones in the walls of the cavern bathed the cavern with light. The light revealed many branches of the cave reaching out into the bowels of the mountain. It was decided to randomly pick one branch, and then all would explore the branch. Truth is, it wouldn’t of mattered which branch they took because each housed a different sub-clan of a clan of ferries… each one as deadly as the other.

But before they could enter a branch, a dressed to the hilt ferry appeared, and addressed the mystic, “Ye may not enter here. Begone before I annihilate the lot of you.”

“We need refuge in this cavern to weather out the storm. Surely you can allow us this small courtesy .” said the mystic.

“Only if you all promise, pledge on all your lives, to not enter a single branch,” said the ferry.

But it was too late. Two of the platoon had already started walking down a branch. The ferry facing the mystic emitted a screech to rival a banshee. One by one the heads of the soldiers began too explode. All perished in a matter of seconds, all except the mystic. He simply smiled at the ferry, and the walked back out of the cave.

This is the story of how the night time patrol vanished one storm drenched evening… all but The Mystic Of Cascadia, who was protected by the mountain… a mountain in the Cascade mountain range.

Suddenly the rain started coming down in buckets, drenching all in the party.

“We must find shelter, or we’ll all catch our deaths of cold,” said the lieutenant. “Get the mystic up here.”

A private peeled out of the column and ran to the back of the formation. When he returned he said, “He’s no where to be seen. The last in he column said a short while ago the mystic left saying he was going to do some scouting.

Just then the mystic came out of the forest a hundred yards or so in front of the column, carrying a giant torch in his left hand.

“This way,” the mystic yelled. “The cave is a quarter of a mile this way.” With that he disappeared back into the forest

Someone in the middle of the column mumbled under his breath, saying “Damn mystics, always a big mystery about everything.”

Thus began the journey of the lost column led by the mystic to their salvation out of the rain, and also to their complete annihilation in the cave. Of course, everyone in the column disappeared except for The Mystic Of Cascadia.

[ From this point on describe the destruction of the column caused by the many branches that lead into the mountain from the mouth of the cave. ]

The mystic represents the next level in human evolution. The purpose of being able to “See the Truth” is to allow the mystic to reach the next level of empathy toward it’s fellow human beings. It’s why mystics excel at the medical arts, be they western, eastern, or that which only a mystic, able to “See” they other, can.