MelonCave is about caving in the melons of those personal demons which drive the bad habits of being ourselves. Caving in these melons is an absolutely serious attack or war for our souls ... although we may defend them, rationalize them or try to ignore them, those personal demons aggressively hold us back and condemn our spiritual being.

Maybe you just want to start by reading some of the notes on our thinking captured in the daily journal of MelonCave podcastering process. Or, maybe you will find that to be pointless or a view not worth the climb or possibly overwhelming ... and probably just plain useless to use ... but the point of opening the kimono with the full journal is err on the side of being open and transparent.

Cognitive fitness: So That We May BETTER Train Ourselves

Philippians 4:8-9 admonishes us to diligently ponder “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, . . . excellent, or praiseworthy.”

Cognitive fitness is primarily about overcoming the bad habits of being ourselves ... to help us in accomplising that we develop Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) systems which also helps us with our overall powers of critical thinking and informed, self-aware cognitive fitness improvement. Our PKM systems are focused upon knowledge that managed for a particular purpose in self-improvement or at least a degree of self-maintenance. Specifically we try to improve our PKM systems to PRIORITIZE better intelligence gathering, improve information resources and generally obtain better awareness of knowledge and tools like AI assistants to drive improvements in optimized portfolios of time/resources.

Constantly-Redoubled Focus and Intelligent Discipline

Genuine well-being and legitimate wealth arise from what gives one meaning and purpose. There is no substitute for FOCUSING one's life EACH DAY on one's BIG WHY. This BIG WHY is not discovered accidentally and it is never completely understood. Daily discovery and re-centering requires:

Gratitude — to see clearly what already matters
Prayer — to align with purposes greater than ourselves
Reflection — to discern the counterfeit from the genuine
Disciplined Action — to make each second count toward eternal ends

1. The Purpose Principle

Wealth follows meaning—never the reverse. Know your WHY or spend your life filling the void with what others value.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
— Matthew 6:33

Christians perfect their lives through adoration and emulation of Christ. We become what we worship, so it is imperative that our life is not about worshipping material success or building our goals around any sort of materialist agenda. Jesus could not be any clearer in commanding us to prioritize God's kingdom above material concerns. When we align our lives with divine purpose, provision follows. Reversing this order—chasing wealth hoping it will produce meaning—leads only to emptiness. Of course, our lives feel empty without meaning -- that's how humans are wired. The pain of emptiness is a sign that we are off the optimal path and we need to re-double our focusing efforts to adjust our discipline and actions. Finding meaning is about an intelligently-disciplined effort to discover even more genuine well-being and even legitimate wealth. Programming oneself is not simply about chasing goals as an automaton or being a slave to some SMART objective or New Year's resolution, but by living a focused life each day, seeking first to understand the Creator's purpose and then building the day in way that is more well-focused to the Big Why. "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

2. The WHY Imperative

Purpose precedes prosperity. Without clarity on your BIG WHY, you'll consume what you worship—and worship what you're sold.

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
— Luke 12:34

What we value determines what we pursue. If we lack clarity on our purpose, the marketplace will happily supply false substitutes. Our hearts follow our investments—not the other way around. This is why consumer culture is so insidious: it offers ready-made identities and pre-packaged purposes to those who have not done the hard work of discovering their own. Every advertisement whispers, "This is what you're missing. This will complete you." But treasures on earth rust, fade, and fail to satisfy. The man who accumulates possessions without purpose finds himself owned by what he owns. Clarity on your WHY acts as a filter—it helps you distinguish between what serves your purpose and what merely distracts from it. When you know where your true treasure lies, your heart follows with singular devotion. "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

3. The Meaning Mandate

You become what you consume; you consume what you lack. Find your WHY, or your wallet will find substitutes.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
— Romans 12:2

Transformation begins in the mind. Without intentional renewal of our thinking toward God's purposes, we default to worldly patterns of consumption—filling spiritual voids with material substitutes. The world constantly presses us into its mold, shaping our desires, defining our needs, and dictating what success looks like. Paul's antidote is radical: a complete renovation of how we think. This is not passive—it requires active resistance against conformity and deliberate cultivation of a renewed perspective. When our minds are transformed, we develop discernment. We can test what is truly good, acceptable, and perfect versus what merely appears so. The person with a renewed mind sees through the hollow promises of consumerism and recognizes that no purchase can substitute for purpose. Your wallet will always find something to buy; the question is whether those purchases serve your WHY or merely medicate its absence. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind."

4. First Principles of Purpose

Genuine wealth is downstream of genuine meaning. Everything else is expensive distraction.

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."
— Proverbs 19:21

Human schemes multiply, but only God's purposes endure. Aligning our pursuits with His eternal design produces lasting fruit; everything else is costly deviation from the path of true prosperity. We are masterful planners—our minds constantly generate strategies, goals, and ambitions. Yet how many of these plans arise from genuine discernment of God's will versus our own restless striving? Solomon, the wisest of men, understood that human planning divorced from divine purpose is ultimately futile. The plans that stand are those aligned with the LORD's counsel. This is not fatalism but freedom: when we surrender our compulsive planning to God's greater purposes, we find ourselves working with the grain of reality rather than against it. Expensive distractions abound for those who plan without purpose. Every side venture, every shiny opportunity, every "can't miss" investment becomes a drain on resources that could have been directed toward what truly matters. Return to first principles: What is God's purpose? Let that question filter every plan. "Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand."

5. The Focus Doctrine

No gratitude, no clarity. No clarity, no purpose. No purpose, no peace—only purchases.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
— 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Gratitude is the gateway to clarity. When we fail to cultivate thankfulness, we lose sight of what truly matters. Without gratitude, we substitute consumption for contentment, purchases for peace. Notice the chain: gratitude produces clarity, clarity reveals purpose, and purpose delivers peace. Break any link and the whole chain fails. The ungrateful heart is perpetually dissatisfied, always scanning the horizon for what's missing rather than recognizing what's present. This dissatisfaction clouds judgment and obscures purpose. Paul's instruction is striking in its scope—give thanks in all circumstances. Not for all circumstances, but in them. Even difficulty, rightly received, can sharpen our focus on what matters most. The discipline of daily gratitude—naming specific blessings, acknowledging provision, recognizing grace—clears the fog of discontent that keeps so many wandering from purchase to purchase, searching for a peace that can only come from purpose. "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

6. The WHY Before the What

Chase meaning and wealth follows. Chase wealth and emptiness compounds.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."
— Jeremiah 29:11

God's design for our lives is purposeful and prosperous—but in His order, not ours. Those who seek His purposes first discover that genuine flourishing follows. Those who invert the sequence find that emptiness only multiplies. This beloved verse is often quoted out of context as a blank check for personal prosperity. But notice: these are God's plans, not ours. His definition of welfare, future, and hope may differ dramatically from our wish lists. The Israelites receiving this promise were in exile—hardly their preferred circumstances. Yet God was working His purposes even there. When we chase wealth directly, we often sacrifice the very things that make wealth meaningful: relationships, integrity, health, purpose. The emptiness compounds because each acquisition raises the bar for the next, creating an endless escalator of desire. But when we chase meaning—when we align ourselves with God's purposes—we discover that genuine provision follows. Not always in the form we expected, but always sufficient for the purpose He has called us to. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

7. The Consumption Trap

Without a WHY, you'll fill the void with whatever's marketed to you—and mistake the craving for the cure.

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."
— Colossians 3:2

An earthward gaze makes us vulnerable to every passing temptation. Without a transcendent focus, we become perpetual consumers—confusing the symptoms of spiritual emptiness for needs that money can meet. The consumption trap works through a subtle deception: it reframes spiritual hunger as material need. Lonely? Buy something. Anxious? Buy something. Purposeless? Definitely buy something. The marketplace has a product for every void, and sophisticated marketing ensures we feel the craving acutely. But here's the trap: the craving is real, but the cure is false. Buying things to fill a purpose-shaped hole is like drinking salt water to quench thirst—it only intensifies the need. Paul's prescription is a radical reorientation of attention: set your minds on things above. This is not escapism but proper ordering. When our minds are fixed on transcendent realities—on God's kingdom, on eternal purposes, on things of genuine worth—earthly cravings lose their grip. We can enjoy material blessings without being enslaved by them. The consumption trap only catches those whose gaze is fixed on earth. "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

8. The Purpose Premium

Meaning isn't found in what others value. It's forged through reflection, discipline, and relentless focus on your own WHY.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
— Philippians 4:8

Purpose requires disciplined attention. We must actively direct our minds toward what is excellent and praiseworthy—not passively absorb whatever culture celebrates. Your WHY is discovered through intentional focus, not borrowed from others. Paul provides a filter for our thoughts—a checklist of qualities that should characterize what we allow to occupy our minds. Notice what's absent from this list: what's trending, what's popular, what everyone else is doing. The world constantly broadcasts its values, and without deliberate resistance, we absorb them unconsciously. Someone else's WHY becomes our default operating system. The purpose premium—the added value that comes from living with genuine meaning—cannot be purchased or borrowed. It must be forged through the hard work of reflection: What is true, not merely popular? What is honorable, not merely successful? What is just, not merely profitable? This forging requires discipline, the daily decision to direct attention toward what matters rather than what merely demands attention. Your WHY is uniquely yours; no influencer, no advertisement, no cultural consensus can discover it for you. "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable... think about these things."

9. The Void Economy

Empty purpose creates endless consumption. Know your WHY or pay the tax on not knowing.

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity in their hearts, yet so that man cannot find out what God has done from beginning to end."
— Ecclesiastes 3:11

God has wired eternity into the human heart. When we ignore this transcendent longing, we create an insatiable demand for temporal fixes. The void economy thrives on purposelessness—extracting endless payment from those who refuse to seek meaning. Solomon's observation is profound: eternity is embedded in our hearts. We are built for transcendence, designed for purpose that extends beyond our brief years on earth. This is not a bug but a feature—it draws us toward our Creator and His eternal purposes. But when we ignore or suppress this longing, it doesn't disappear; it metastasizes into endless temporal craving. The void economy is the system that profits from this displacement. It offers an infinite array of products, experiences, and distractions—each promising to fill the God-shaped void, each failing to deliver. The tax on not knowing your WHY is paid in wasted resources, squandered time, and the quiet desperation of a life spent consuming without ever being satisfied. Those who acknowledge the eternity in their hearts and orient their lives accordingly escape this tax. They still participate in the economy, but as purposeful actors rather than desperate consumers. "He has put eternity in their hearts."

10. The Clarity Covenant

Your WHY demands daily attention—gratitude, reflection, disciplined action. Neglect it, and you'll worship whatever numbs the neglect.

"The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."
— Ecclesiastes 12:13

After all his searching, Solomon arrives at life's irreducible purpose: reverence for God and obedience to His commands. This is the BIG WHY that anchors all others. Daily attention to this covenant protects us from the false gods that promise relief but deliver only deeper bondage. Solomon tried everything—wisdom, pleasure, wealth, achievement, relationships—searching for meaning "under the sun." His exhaustive experiment yielded an exhausted conclusion: apart from God, everything is vanity. But the Teacher doesn't leave us in despair. He points to the one foundation that holds: fear God and keep His commandments. This is not religious drudgery but the whole duty—the complete purpose, the BIG WHY that gives coherence to all lesser whys. The clarity covenant is a daily commitment. Purpose is not discovered once and then possessed forever; it must be renewed each morning through gratitude, prayer, reflection, and disciplined action. Neglect this daily renewal and you will inevitably drift toward whatever numbs the growing sense of meaninglessness. The false gods of our age—entertainment, consumption, achievement, pleasure—are always ready to receive worship from those who have abandoned the true one. Keep the covenant. Daily. "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man."

Without meaning, life feels empty. Of course, our lives feel empty without meaning -- that's how humans are wired. The pain of emptiness is a sign that we are off the optimal path and we need to re-double our focusing efforts to adjust our discipline and actions.

"Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
— Matthew 6:33

Caving In The Melons of Personal Demons