Consciousness
"
The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware." - Henry Miller
Consciousness is what vanishes every night when we fall into dreamless sleep and reappears when we wake up or when we dream. It is also essentially what we all are: when we lose consciousness our self and entire world dissolves into nothingness.
Present day science views consciousness as generated by complex interaction of neuronal cells in our brain. Attempts to pin down the neural correlates of consciousness is ongoing, but even with more and more data there is little consensus on an overall theory. Studies on religious experiences, deep meditation, flow, and psychedelic substances suggest that it is possible to modify consciousness significantly by various methods that shift the complex dynamics of neuronal firing in the brain.
According to preliminary theories, the function of consciousness is to serve as a global workspace that integrates information. Because we have a single body, whenever we act, consensus must be reached to avoid initiating conflicting bodily actions. For instance, if we pick up a cup of coffee that is too hot we may have to decide between two impulses, either get rid of the pain and let it break or keep it from breaking and endure pain.
In our own perspective, consciousness seems to be the medium through which we gain intimate knowledge not only of the external world, but also our internal world of thoughts, feelings and emotions. When consciousness is fully functioning we are aware of who we are, where we are, what we are doing, why we are doing it, and where we fit within the social environment.
In sum, consciousness lets us integrate our whole being and form a consensus, resolving conflicting impulses. Through this and related functions, consciousness can shine a light on our 1) intelligence, 2) emotions, 3) behavior, as well as our 3) fellow human beings and 4) ourselves.
It is important to realize that we can have massive control of our own consciousness, and that we have a great opportunity to shape the contents of our mind. To help enhance and shape our consciousness in everyday life we here focus on the four realms listed above that we encounter and struggle with day to day. So, without further ado:
#1 Be Conscious of Your Thoughts
Consciousness allows us to be aware of our thoughts, observing them as if they are not obsessively our own. Thoughts spring to mind like flowers in bloom, and watching them without judgement is one way to practise meditation. What we find is that after the initial bursts of random thoughts, we are free to be inspired, choosing and guiding what we want to think about.
As an experiment, try asking yourself several times each day,
Where shall I focus my thoughts right now. If you are like me you will find that usually thoughts are unproductively fretting away at things that from a higher vantage point are trivialities not even worth paying attention to at that particular point in time.
#2 Be Conscious of Your Emotions
How shall I feel right now? This is also a question you should try asking yourself several times a day. Taking control of what to feel at any given moment is crucial to be in the right mode at the right time. Sometimes it is productive to be pumped, at other times curious, and at yet other times joyful. On a day to day basis, how we feel is often decided by trivial factors, but by making a conscious choice we can lift our emotional energy to the task at hand productively.
#3 Be Conscious of Your Behavior
When our behaviors are “off,” we tend to feel terrible. If we don’t take actions that we know we should take in our personal life, we feel guilty and frustrated with ourselves. By being aware of our behavior we will notice when our behavior diverges from what we want. If our behavior is lacking in integrity or respect for others, we can notice and realize the deeper reasons and impulses that drive us to act out of tune, and take steps to remedy and improve the situation.
#4 Be Conscious of Others
We can reach higher consciousness in our relationships by consistently asking ourselves,
How are others thinking and feeling in this moment, and how would I like to interact with or influence them?By being aware of our empathy, our sensing others’ perceptions and feelings, we can develop our empathy to new heights, developing social intelligence and getting insight into others’ lives.
#5 Be Conscious of YourSelf
Am I managing my thoughts, feeling, behaviors, and relationships in ways that help me progress, grow and contribute? Am I moving forward in life at the speed I wish to? Am I taking the necessary actions to do so?One way to visualize everything so far is by using Brendon’s dashboard: Imagine 5 instrument panels, all with needles that move like a speedometer. The instrument panels are headed “Thoughts,” “Feelings,” “Behaviors,” “Relationships,” and “Speed of Progress.”
These compose five questions that the observant mind can use to keep track:
- Are my thoughts fueling a happy existence?
- Are my feelings in tune with how I want to feel and where I want to go?
- Are my behaviors making me agile, helping me move ahead, and influencing the world in a positive way?
- Are my relationships reflecting who I am and what I want to be?
- Am I in drive right now and speeding ahead to my full potential?
Other Ways to Increase Consciousness
Contemplative practices of different stripes may enhance consciousness in various ways. Some emphasize the divine or transcendental while other focus on simply being in the moment, or being open to love and wonder. According to fMRI scans by modern science, contemplative practice can alter the dynamic of neuronal firing as much as psychedelics or flow-tanks, and are likely pushing the conscious mind into similarly altered states of consciousness. The same may be true of flow-states that we discussed in an earlier motivation Monday.
These activities and perhaps others all seem to be similar in at least one positive phenomenal sense and one negative empirical sense. In the negative empirical sense they deactivate what has become known as the Default Mode Network - generally known as the energy-sucking black hole of our cognitive dynamic that deals with ego, and narrow worries associated with it. In the positive sense, all reports from practitioners of these states report elevated or enhanced states of consciousness that lead them to insights that often gives a whole new meaning to life.
Topic: Motivation Monday #16 (Read 1138 times)
