Stuart Wilde, TikTok, and My Existential Dance With Time

Let me tell you a little something about Stuart Wilde, the late, great metaphysical maverick who didn’t just march to the beat of his own drum—he invented a whole orchestra that played in dimensions most of us can’t even spell.

Wilde was the guy who took spirituality out of the temple, shook off the incense, and plopped it into a dingy pub where you could sip on an overpriced pint while debating the mechanics of quantum reality. He was irreverent, brilliant, and a touch mischievous, kind of like the love child of Lao Tzu and George Carlin.

One of Wilde’s most intriguing (and ironic) concepts was “TikTok.” No, not the app where millennials go viral for doing questionable dance moves or filming their cats knocking over expensive lamps. His TikTok was about time, that relentless rhythm keeping humanity trapped in a cycle of work, sleep, stress, repeat.

It was his metaphor for the soul-crushing grind of the nine-to-five, the tick-tock-tick of a clock that doesn’t care how tired you are or how much you’re yearning for something more.

Now, here’s where the universe gets cheeky. Fast forward a couple of decades, and TikTok the app emerges, a virtual playground where millions of people lose themselves in 15-second bursts of something vaguely entertaining.

As someone who’s no stranger to falling down rabbit holes (hello, YouTube conspiracy videos), I find the parallels hilarious and a bit unsettling. Stuart Wilde’s TikTok was a warning to wake up. TikTok the app? It’s the snooze button we can’t stop pressing.

When Wilde’s TikTok Met the App TikTok

So what would Wilde think of TikTok the app? My guess is he’d be both horrified and amused, much like I am when I see someone filming themselves lip-syncing in a coffeehouse while I’m enjoying my customary dirty chai.

He’d probably call it the perfect symbol of humanity’s enslavement to distraction—a dopamine-fueled hamster wheel where we scroll endlessly, waiting for that one clip that feels like it was made just for us. But Wilde was also a realist. He’d recognize the app’s power as a platform for creativity, expression, and, dare I say, enlightenment.

But here’s the thing. TikTok is not inherently evil. It’s just a tool. Like fire, it can cook your food or burn down your house, depending on how you wield it. Wilde would probably say something like, “Don’t get hypnotized by the screen, darling. Use it to hypnotize yourself into waking up.”

And isn’t that the whole game? Finding moments of presence in the midst of chaos? Using the frenetic energy of TikTok to realize that time—and all the stress we attach to it—is just a construct? At least that’s what I tell myself when I’m three hours deep into watching videos about cats wearing sunglasses.

Enter the I Ching: What the Oracle Says About TikTok

Now, let’s mix things up and throw in the I Ching, the ancient Chinese book of wisdom that’s been helping people make sense of chaos for thousands of years. If Wilde’s TikTok was about escaping the tyranny of time, and TikTok the app is about getting lost in it, the I Ching is the compass that helps you navigate both.

Picture this — you sit down, cast some coins (or use an app, because we’re modern like that), and you get Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart.

Sounds ominous, right?

But stick with me here — This hexagram is all about breaking things down, letting go of what no longer serves you. TikTok—the app—is a perfect metaphor for this. It’s disintegrative by nature. Trends explode one day and die the next. Attention spans shrink to the size of a gnat’s heartbeat.

The I Ching would probably tell us to beware of losing ourselves in the ephemeral and instead look for what’s real beneath the surface.

But then there’s Hexagram 24, Return, which is all about cycles and renewal. It’s a reminder that after every distraction, there’s an opportunity to realign.

That’s how I like to approach TikTok (on good days). Instead of letting it suck me into its endless scroll, I use it as a mirror. What am I drawn to? What am I avoiding? And how can I use these tiny moments of reflection to come back to myself?

At the time of writing, the irony of this entire discussion is about to reach its climax: TikTok, the digital platform, is officially shutting down on January 19th. Whether it’s due to government bans, lawsuits, or the inevitable implosion of overhyped tech, the app’s demise feels like a cosmic wink from the universe.

Stuart Wilde would probably have a good laugh, pointing out how this collapse is just another example of the ephemeral nature of all things. The digital TikTok will fade, but the metaphysical TikTok — that relentless tick-tock of time and our obsession with it — marches on. The question is, will we finally wake up, or just find another app to lose ourselves in?

TikTok, the Tao, and Me

At the end of the day, TikTok (both Wilde’s concept and the app) forces us to confront one big question: are we in control, or are we just dancing to someone else’s rhythm?

Wilde believed you could break free from the tick-tock of the clock through discipline, detachment, and a healthy dose of humor. The Tao, in all its mystical simplicity, says the same thing: flow with the rhythm, but don’t let it own you.

For me, the lesson is this: TikTok is both the problem and the teacher. It’s a trap, but it’s also a tool. Whether I’m watching a 15-second clip of someone explaining quantum mechanics with gummy bears or reflecting on Wilde’s metaphysical rants, the real challenge is staying awake.

To not get lost in the noise. To remember that beyond the tick-tock-tick of time, there’s a stillness, a timeless Tao that we can access anytime—if we’re willing to pause.

So, the next time you find yourself mindlessly doom scrolling, think of Stuart Wilde, smirking in the great beyond. Ask yourself whether you are just killing time or using this moment to wake up? And maybe—just maybe—put down the phone and go dance to a rhythm that’s entirely your own.

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