The Human Operating System

The description for the Aug 18, 2025 IT Live event:

Yes, it’s another tech metaphor—but let’s be clear: we are not machines, and we’re not trying to become them. Right? This is just an outline, a broad overview meant to spark shared insight into some of the key components of the human experience. We’ll begin with our foundational needs—food, rest, shelter, reproduction or intimacy (or simply touch), relationships, and belonging. From there, we’ll explore how our habit patterns, tendencies, and likes or dislikes can be consciously upgraded into something deeper: guided by core values, mindful evaluation, reflection, and contemplation. We’ll mostly gloss over the nature of “self” and the senses—both inner and outer—to focus instead on the subtle art of moving beyond unnecessary hardship and beyond compulsive pleasure-seeking. The aim is to gradually phase out lesser, more base-level pleasures in favor of higher, wholesome, and beneficial ones. We’ll touch on what it means to evolve the heart’s operating system into the immeasurable qualities of loving-kindness, compassion, vicarious joy, and equanimity. Then we’ll widen the lens further, looking into themes of freedom, power, training, observation, and awakened awareness. Finally, we’ll close by considering what it means to unify the mind, heart, and body—functioning together as a wise and integrated whole.