Golf-Ball Consciousness

Why Some Conversations Are Just... Golf-Ball Sized"

There’s a saying often attributed to Jean Cocteau that I’ve come to deeply understand: “Never argue with an idiot, because being an intelligent man, you will argue with them on their level, and on their level, they’ll beat you every time.”

It’s not just a witty observation—it’s painfully true. When I try to discuss ideas I’ve spent 15 years researching with someone who hasn’t walked that path, the conversation collapses. It feels like a 12th grader trying to explain calculus to a first grader—there's no common ground, only assumptions.

Most people don’t want to learn. They already believe what they were taught—and that belief is so deeply ingrained it becomes their reality. To question it would be too much to bear. They aren’t wrong; they’re just operating from a place of comfort and certainty.

This idea echoes David Lynch’s powerful metaphor: “If you have a golf-ball-sized consciousness, when you read a book, you’ll have a golf-ball-sized understanding… when you wake up in the morning, a golf-ball-sized wakefulness.”

When we speak to people with narrow or limited perspectives—those operating from a "golf-ball" level of awareness. The conversation doesn’t progress; it repeats. And yet, instead of frustration, I know to see this not as failure—but as truth.

Here's a quick example or two of (you guessed it) golf-ball people. I've heard people say that they could have never imagined a globe-earth in olden times. In my head I'm like... go on.... the next response should have been and therefore today I could never imagine it anything but what I'm told it is. And all at the same time saying they aren't even sure their is a God, and so you would think, if that could be a possibility then maybe other things can be as well...? Are we getting it yet? Probably not. I've also heard around 8 different times in one particular place alone, from different people say, "I heard a lot of people lost a lot of money on bitcoin" and so therefore it must be true. I'm thinking to myself, wow, that is so not how that works at all. It also sounds so parroted in the same manner, as if all the 8 people did it unsconsciously.

That’s not logic—it’s pattern recognition. It’s repetition disguised as insight. And when it happens again and again, across different people in the same place, I realize something deeper: we’re all wired to accept what we’ve been told—because questioning it feels like a threat to our identity.

So here’s my lesson:

Don’t fight for understanding. - The examples I mentioned were not even remotely fully explained, I'm keeping this short, otherwise I'd have to get into Science vs Scientism, the occult versus the every day and many other things, and well it's a short blog (I'm rambling again).
Instead, plant seeds—offer ideas gently, without pressure.
And when the response is small or parroted, don’t take it personally. Just observe. Accept. Grow.
Let automatons be automatons. Let conversations end where they must. But keep your own consciousness expanding. Because in the end, only you can know what’s true—what you’ve lived through, researched, and deeply believed in. And that truth remains yours, even when others don’t see it. (Also the 1st Grader will be thinking what a dummy you are as well, as they don't understand your 12th Grade calculus). lol.

Wisdom isn’t about winning arguments—it’s about staying grounded in your journey.

Thank you to Cottonbro, pexels.com for the photo.