Understanding Icarus as a State of Consciousness
The idea of Icarus in this context isn't about the mythical character but represents a particular state of mind many of us experience. Think of it as a moment where you 'pop out' of your routine life and start considering big, life-altering decisions.
This 'Icarus' state is like clearing up space in your mind, similar to freeing up RAM in a computer, which allows you to think more broadly about your future. It's when you take a step back to survey the landscape of possible life paths you could take.
During this phase, you're not just thinking about your next steps but also deeply introspecting about what matters most to you. It's about figuring out the best way to use your most valuable resources: M.E.A.T, which stands for Money, Energy, Attention, and Time.
Imagine you're at a point where you're considering starting a new venture, like founding a startup, without a clear guide or mentor, such as a boss or professor. Success in this path isn't measured in traditional terms but in more personal and direct outcomes, like customer satisfaction, investment, or recognition in your field.
In essence, 'Icarus' is that moment when you're standing at a crossroads, deciding on a path less traveled, a path that's uniquely yours. It's about choosing a journey that may not be well-trodden or standardized but is deeply personal and potentially more fulfilling.
translate this to be more understandable to more people
icarus the intended audience
is actually a state of consciousness
it's a "popped out" or "popping out" state
where people free up their "RAM" and have more time to survey the landscape of possible futures they could commit to or introspect on what they care about and evaluate options for where they could allocate m.e.a.t (acronym for money energy attention time)
a close analogy might be 80000hours.org
where they provide guidance/writing/support when people are making career changes or switches
however if one is founding a startup
or doing something that has less of a clear "boss" or "manager" or "professor" etc.
and is markets based for what is "success" (e.g. paying customers, investment from investors, citations for published papers, purchased books for authors, bids on a work of art, etc.)
then there's a set of experience and knowledge that is more foreign
and less standardized
so icarus represents a state of consciousness
when one is wondering what to do next
that is "off the beaten track"