I know sometimes I don't really pay attention to things. I can unconsciously walk about like a zombie that is unaware of everything. I don't know what happens to the moments that I'm not paying attention. Am I thinking thoughts? Am I completely mindless? Well, to prove to myself that I'm not totally unaware, here are some things I've noticed today that either made me smile or get upset.The first happened this morning. As I was about to leave for work, I saw my neighbor's indoor/outdoor kitty by my storm door peeping inside at my indoor yellow tabby. She likes the little visits. So does he. It's almost like a sweet little romance, but no contact. Sometimes she gets mad at him and will get all hissy, but this morning she was amiable.
Then at work, I got a paper cut. It's easy to notice something like that. It didn't bleed too much. Just a little. But paper cuts hurt horribly!
These might not seem like major events of a lifetime, but sometimes it's the little things that count. It's these things that remind me I'm alive. Some may say it's things like this that only add to the illusion of self and ego, but I can't ignore them.
11 comments:
Great job!
Yes, seeing the kitty door swing was a moment of awareness.(the story that goes along with it is an example of imagination). The paper cut is another great example. In those moments you were more awake, the rest of the time you were probably asleep. However you can be aware any time you want to by simply making a little effort, NOW for example. Feel your feet on the floor and be aware that you are here.
You are doing great!
Hi Beard,
Interesting. And this is proof in itself that I am usually asleep - I have never really paid attention to the feeling of my feet being on the floor!
I mean, obviously my feet are usually there. But I've never really taken note of it.
Wow I was sure in imagination. There was no kitty door. Just a kitty.
That is what awareness is.
Noticing things. If you want to become conscious it means having more awareness. Particularly awareness that you are. That you exist.
It is all very much simpler than we normally take it but it is hard to accept.
Our conscious mind, the cerebral cortex, is often off in a corner humming to itself. The midbrain, the cerebellum, takes care of a lot of the day to day activities we engage in. However our conscious mind can't access what happens in the cerebellum so we'd swear that we did something without thinking. eg driving, walking, catching that fly ball. It's just the way the brain works.
There was once a funny experiment regarding awareness. A researcher showed a video which featured a bunch of athletes passing a basketball around really fast. The researcher told the audience to try to count how many times the ball changed hands.
After the video finished and everyone had their count, the researcher showed the same video again, and told the audience to simply sit back and watch. It turns out that a gorilla (or a guy in a gorilla suit) had walked right through the scene, and no one had noticed during the first viewing because they were too busy following the ball.
For me, too much awareness of our environment can be overwhelming. I want to focus on the important things rather than everything. I don't need to hear every drop from a leaky fawcet. I hear it and turn it off or make a note to get it fixed and then I ignore the drips so I can focus on -- be aware of -- other more important things like my family and friends. I find that I grow in awareness when I retreat periodically to a quiet pleasant place for a period of time. For me, awareness means shutting out other people's expectations and values so that I can become aware of my life unfolding.
Hello Wonderer,
I noticed from your blog that you are often aware of nature. I enjoy reading about that.
Does hearing a drip diminish your awareness of your family? Certainly thinking about a drip could do so. I think that thinking and awareness are different things.
Yes, going to a quite pleasant place is quite helpful. I just went backpacking by myself for two nights in the wilderness and I noticed how helpful it was that I did not have any thoughts about expectations.
In my view it is self-awareness that matters most. (Socrates: "Know thyself")
In fact those with good self-awareness are usually more aware of their surroundings too.
It is such a pity that most of us are too distracted to fully appreciate what the world has to offer.
Good Point Rob,
Self-awareness is the what has value. I was just pointing out that we normally do not have any kind of awareness, let alone self-awareness.
Hi Beard!
Although, as you say,we normally have little awareness I believe it's possible, with the right help and plenty of determination, to develop it greatly. I once spent a fair amount of time with a mahatma and he appeared to me to be 'on the ball' all of the time!
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