Just A Thought On Where It All Began

Our intention, with this essay, is exploring.

Exploring what?

Where my interest in metaphysics, New Thought, spirituality, creativity, and the Occult began.

Or, at the very least, something to that effect.

The Summer Of 2013

Out of all the Summers that I’ve ever experienced, the Summer of 2013 remains one of the very best.

A cute memory that arises within me, while writing these words, is as follows: riding to 7/11 with Micah, on his electric scooter, while sweating profusely.

On second thought, that memory wasn’t especially pleasant. But, it was memorable, which is sufficient.

Our concern, though, is not the Summer of 2013.

No, our concern is with a game that we enjoyed during the Summer of 2013: “Planescape: Torment.”

Right before we begin, there’s one thing to note: games have always been a rich, vast, deep well of awe, inspiration, and curiosity.

Outlining the exact reason “Why” this is remains difficult.

But, if we’re permitted to guess, the reasoning may be as follows: games incorporate so many different mediums and forms of expression that there is so much to look at, within a single game.

Just as an example, many of my favorite games feature elaborate interior spaces, including bedrooms and offices.

Right within these spaces, there are threads as vast and varied as interior design, lighting, architecture, design, the ways in which spaces draw your attention; and so on and so forth.

On top of that, games can be infinite; a single game can feature a literally infinite number of levels, among many other things, by employing technologies like procedural generation.

Returning to my point, though, in the Summer of 2013, I played a game called “Planescape: Torment.”

And, it changed my life.

On The Nature Of “Planescape: Torment”

The title of this section is weird. But, it is also a reference to “Planescape: Torment.”

If you’ve played the game, then you know what it is.

Returning to my point, “Planescape: Torment” follows a man called “The Nameless One.”

The Nameless One has lived many, many lives. And, he cannot die.

Your role, in “Planescape: Torment,” is figuring out why The Nameless One is unable to die.

And, in doing so, discovering what can change the nature of a man.

The answer to the question hinted at above is as follows: belief.

Belief can change the nature of a man.

The answer is more complex than that.

But, that is the essence; it does take quite a few hours to get to this answer, though.

The entirety of “Planescape: Torment” hinges on belief.

You inhabit a world in which the things that are believed to be true are those that become true.

Just as an example, if enough people believe that a tree, planted in the decaying soil of a trash-filled garden, is sprouting with beautiful, green leaves and delightful fruits, then that is what happens.

The above is a quest found within “Planescape: Torment.”

On its own, this idea was far from new. But, the way it was articulated within “Planescape: Torment,” and the way it was buoyed by this vast, infinite universe filled with strange beings and peculiar machines, inspired me.

No, “inspired me” is inadequate.

It brought me to the transcendent. And, the transcendent brought me where I am today.

Where It All Began

The world of “Planescape: Torment” is a world in which the things that one believes are the things that are true.

Just as an example, if someone believes in the existence of a previously-imagined person, then that person is real.

This, too, is a quest within the game.

On top of that, the world of “Planescape: Torment” is a multiverse.

A neverending multiverse with infinite realms, worlds, planes, zones, elements, beings, forces, machines; and so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.

You can find, within the world of “Planescape: Torment,” a realm made of thought.

Or, a realm made of clock-like machines, calculating that which cannot be comprehended.

And so on and so forth, endlessly and infinitely; ad infinitum.

The idea of “belief creating reality” spoke to me in a way that few other ideas ever had.

I wanted to learn more about this idea. And, not only that, I needed to know more about this idea.

On top of that, the world was so rich with ideas, infinities, and images, that it inspired me to create my own worlds.

But, in order for me to create my own worlds, I would need to write.

So, that is what I did; I wrote and wrote and wrote and, even though I had written very little prior to those moments, I found two things: my writing wasn’t as bad as I thought and I really, really loved to write.

Outside of that, in order to learn more about belief, and its innate power, I would need to read.

And, so, that, too, is what I did; I read all manner of books and, when those were read, I read so many more.

To this day, I write every single day. And, I read every single day.

I write and read about anything and everything.

This was all, in my eyes, a product of playing “Planescape: Torment” and, in turn, following the curiosity it evoked.

Conclusion

Just to wrap this up, thank you for reading!

None of this is very good. But, again, thank you for reading.

A second essay on this topic — something more focused, and precise — will be written.

Best wishes and have a lovely day!