Stealing Fire: Roadmap to Ecstasy and Creative Flow

What do Navy Seals, Burning Man devotees and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have in common? Though it may sound like a bad set up to the classic “walk into a bar” joke, in their book, it is that they all take a different approach to reach the same goal – Flow State

In Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy Seals, and Maverick Scientists are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work, Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal come to the conclusion that the one thing these three groups have in common is reaching an elevated, focused and creative state of mind. 

To be specific, Kotler and Wheal devote Stealing Fire to their pursuit of the enlightened and elusive state of mind otherwise known as “Ecstasis.” Plato characterized ecstasis as not only an enlightened state of being, but also as a state of deep euphoria and stronger intellectual capabilities. 

Stealing Fire is a close exploration and detailing of altered states of consciousness. Kotler and Wheal further delve into how altered states of consciousness can enhance creativity and improve problem solving skills in order to benefit all-around performance aspects in day-to-day life. Kotler and Wheal also found that the enlightened consciousness of “ecstasis” often allowed for an ease and increase in collaboration, sociability, and productivity. 

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Focused primarily on the pursuit of ecstasis, Stealing Fire maps the many, varied routes to conscious enlightenment. Kotler and Wheal focus on the primary four ways that people are known to achieve ecstasis which is through psychology, neurobiology, pharmacology and technology. While coffee, exercise, and cannabis all fall into one of these categories, any of these primary four ways can be used to work through Stealing Fire’s consciousness progression. 

Stealing Fire depicts the natural evolution in which people’s minds undergo as they first experience shifts of consciousness. The beginning state for the common individual is as a socialized mind. People with a socialized mind are often dependent on the opinions of others. These types of people frequently make their decisions based on the expectations of others. 

The next level is commonly known as a self-authorized mind, in which people are independent and make decisions in order to benefit themselves. Lastly, the state of mind that Kotler and Wheal suggest people should strive towards is known as a self-transforming mind. People with self-transforming minds are more than independent as they are also highly empathetic. A self-transforming mind allows people to work towards personal goals while actively seeking to make a difference or be of service to society.  

In Stealing Fire, Kotler and Wheal go beyond the average closing advice one would come to expect from a self-help book. Instead, Kotler and Wheal offer up a formula in order to help their readers determine their best route to ecstasis. The formula reading: Value = Time x Reward/Risk is meant to reflect how much time one has to accomplish their goal, how much risk one is willing to take, and how great a reward one is seeking. All these variables come together to present an opportunity to better understands one’s surroundings and circumstances.

Stealing Fire is a close roadmap to conscious enlightenment. Kotler and Wheal want nothing more than for their readers to somehow improve on their own skills in order to succeed in such a competitive, modern age. Stealing Fire can be a guide to improved creative functionality and social awareness.