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Fall In Love With Taking Care Of Yourself - Mind, Body, Soul.
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Even though panpsychism is one of the oldest philosophical theories concerning mind, reaching far back into pre-Socratic times, it is paramount to highlight the fact that this “new wave” specifically deals with the mental aspect of it all — covering only a tiny fraction of the spectrum of consciousness. Therefore, it is unfortunate that with the rise in interest in the “hard problem of consciousness” in Western science, it has misleadingly become synonymous with consciousness, resulting in a lot of ensuing confusion and misunderstanding. You see, the claim is that “I — the body am conscious,” and because “I am composed of physical matter,” therefore also the physical universe (matter) must be conscious. Panpsychism is often considered to be equivalent to the Non-Dual understanding of consciousness, which entails that consciousness pervades everything; and herein lies both the problem and misunderstanding. You see, the core of this misunderstanding lies at the very beginning of the statement — the mistake is: “I — the body am conscious.” And so you see, when you build on this ground, every other step also contains this initial misunderstanding.
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Synchronicity - Gateway to Interconnectedness.
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This perpetual cycle of interconnected and interrelated chain of lives is caused by a lack of knowledge, lack of awareness, and most of all, ignorance that is caused by our desire for fulfillment outside of ourselves, grasping at fleeting experiences. Now, let me ask you this: Is it not true that we all want the same things in life: health, happiness, and love — very much in that order, and most of all, contentment and fulfillment? Is it not also true that none of them are dependent upon external factors such as money or belongings? Yet, the peculiar thing is that most people seek these things from the world outside themselves through various means, methods, and activities. And so you see, when people are looking outside, they never have to look inside.
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Alive, Blessed, Grateful (Inspiration Vibration).
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All this leads us to conclude that, it is, indeed, possible to Awaken From the Dream of Life; it is, indeed, possible to realize our True Self, and it is, indeed, possible to become free of suffering. Awakening from the dream of life is simply becoming aware; and being aware, each moment, of what we are doing as we are doing it, of what we are thinking as we are thinking it, and how we are feeling as we are feeling it, you see? Remaining aware each moment is Self-Mastery, which can eventually lead to Self-Realization and Self-Actualization. Thus, if we awake from the illusory aspect of life (dream — unconscious, unaware state), the quality of our consciousness is elevated; likewise, the quality of our mind is elevated, and in turn, the quality of our thoughts, words, and actions is elevated.
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Love Is Like Playing The Piano - first you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your Heart.
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It is only by becoming more aware, more conscious, of ourselves and our surroundings, which will lead us to grow and evolve, realize our true potential, and fulfill the telos of human existence. This is something that can only be achieved through awareness, and hence it is important to highlight the following truth: all development and progress, growth and maturation — whether spiritual, mental, or physical, comes from within the individual. This goes on to say that spiritual development is a process like any other — it arises from discipline and continuous self-improvement. Mindfulness, meditation, concentration, and contemplation are the keys through which, and by which, one can make real progress — see?
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The Best 6 Doctors Are Sunshine, Exercise, Water, Rest, Diet, Air.
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More broadly, Self-Awareness means of being aware of the things one should be aware of and paying more attention to that — this allows one to see where their thoughts and emotions are taking them. When individuals are aware of themselves, they are more calm and responsive to what is happening. To be conscious of who we are, how we think, and what we do — is invaluable because it leads to Self-Knowledge, and in turn, to change that could eventually lead to Self-Mastery, to Self-Realization — realizing one’s deepest desires and capacities, fulfilling the possibilities of one’s potential, and to Self-Actualization — expressing one’s creativity, quest for spiritual enlightenment, pursuit of knowledge, and desire to give to society. And so you see, when one becomes realized and actualized, one does not simply know Life — one is Life, one is existence, one is awareness, one is knowledge, one is wisdom.
~ ∞ ~ Masters of Storytelling – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~
In the previous chapter, we touched upon the truth that the stories we tell build up our world. The context in which this was brought up involved something called the human condition, from which the false sense of self originates and springs. You see, the human condition is basically a collective story, an unstructured narrative we buy into and believe in. This collective condition, or story, if you will – has shaped not only the individuals themselves, but also our culture. This is because stories are the foundation of our lives and character, and because our lives are influenced by the stories we tell, they have the power to create our reality. This brings us to an important point: if there’s anything we humans excel at, it is most definitely storytelling. We make stories for everything, and this is why stories are how we learn and remember – they provide a way of understanding our place in the scheme of things by structuring our understanding of events. Stories are how we make sense of life because they root us in an on-going stream of history by providing us with a sense of belonging and helping establish our identities.
For thousands of years, we have used the art of storytelling to enlighten, to inform, to provoke, and to entertain. And so it can be said that at the very core, our shared reality is based on stories – the stories we tell build up our world. Indeed, every culture is built upon stories and beliefs passed on by its leaders, family members and elders. All cultures have stories about the beginnings of the universe, and thus all religions have stories at their heart explaining our existence and purpose here on Earth. Stories are our interpretation of reality – they describe to us how we believe the world is. Indeed, our entire worldview and memories are created out of our stories.
Stories are clearly a double-edged sword. You see, at best, stories can encourage, inspire, and inform; they can also be healing and cathartic for both the teller and the listener alike. At worst, stories can be harmful in several different ways: they can express falsehoods, half-truths, attitudes and dispositions that can lead people feeling and behaving differently than they would otherwise. This, in turn, can have much greater consequences and impact than most realize, even long-lasting, civilization-wide consequences. You see, unfortunately, often times, we adopt our stories as truth, and because we believe in them, stories become our reality – they create the world we perceive and inhabit. This leads to the creation of an agreed-upon concepts of reality – more specifically, a social construct*1 called “consensus reality.” It refers to an agreed-upon concepts of reality which people in the world, or a culture or group believe are real (or treat as real), usually based upon their common experiences as they believe them to be.
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*1 A social construct is something that exists as a result of human interaction – it exists because humans agree that it exists; some examples of social constructs are countries and money.
In this type of consensus view of reality, we are often involved not only with our representations of the world, but with our representations of those representations. This is why we humans believe that there is a real world “out there,” but in all actuality, the “real world” is always interpreted by our mind and filtered through our senses, which goes on to say that what we see and hear are merely interpretations of reality through our minds and bodies. In other words, based on our beliefs we create representations of what might be out there in the world — see? It is against this backdrop that we can understand the following: each moment everything is happening on the canvas of Life, which is being painted with non-material things like awareness, consciousness, feelings, emotions, experiences, memories, thoughts, and will, but also with material things such as particles, cells, neurons, and endless other interconnected pieces that come together like the colors of the spectrum. It is precisely through our stories how we make sense of it all, you see?
Although storytelling has evolved along with our language, communication and technology — the basic premise remains intact — stories (narratives) communicate ideas, and thus we teach and learn through story. In so doing, we learn to perceive the world around us through the stories we tell each other. And because the stories we tell create our future, it is paramount that we learn to tell better stories. To begin to break away from the old, outdated and outmoded, limited narrow view of the world, which is colored by the human condition — we need a new collective story, that of empowerment, equality, compassion, and unity — see? Hence, it is reasonable to ask ourselves: What would our life be like if we would include the storyteller into our stories? Not as some external unspecified entity narrating the story, but as an intrinsic part of the story — the listener, the story and the storyteller becoming one intertwined symbiosis of Living Life; we humans ourselves being active storytellers of our collective human story, you see? Now, let me ask you this: What could we accomplish if we truly cared about each other and each others’ well-being? What could we accomplish if we really took care of the whole world — allowing people to think clearly and express themselves in creative ways instead of suppressing every non-conventional creative endeavour?
Because stories are the foundation of our lives and character, they have the power to create our reality, and this is precisely why the stories we tell ourselves can make or break our future. This realization has many implications that have not been fully recognized. You see, without awareness, we give our personal power to the story, and in so doing, the story writes itself. But with awareness, we recover the control of our story, and in so doing, we can choose what stories we believe, and in turn we can change the old story to better fit our needs and values. Should we choose to reclaim our personal power and recover the control of our story is entirely up to us, is it not? Should we choose to learn from one another and help each other along the way, is once again, up to us — both individually and collectively. Now, take a moment and imagine the endless possibilities we could achieve, dream, envision, and create together.
What will our future hold and what will it look like is but anyone’s guess, what matters most is the truth that our future is ours to envision, discover and co-create together. We are the ones who write our own destiny, with how we choose to live our lives, with what we choose to learn, unlearn, and relearn, with what we choose to let go and leave behind, with what we choose to envision and create, and what we choose to cherish and value — see? Should we choose to use our free will to rewrite our story and redefine how we do things — is entirely up to each and every one of us. Is it not, indeed, up to us to choose our path? The decision is ours, and ours alone, and has been so from day one. Should we choose to acknowledge it, is once again, up to us. Whichever path we choose, it will surely determine the fate of our species for a long time to come.
Extra Material:Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"
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The Moment You Start Acting Like Life Is A Blessing, It Starts Feeling Like One.
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Self-Awareness is developed through practices in focusing one’s attention on the details of one’s personality and behavior, in focusing one’s attention on the present moment, you see? It is through mindful awareness of the present moment that we can become aware of thoughts, emotions, feelings, physical sensations, behaviors, and speech. The practice of mindfulness is therefore more important than ever before — it is the aliveness we bring to our everyday lives that makes all the difference. Having a developed sense of Self-Awareness allows us to understand other people, how they perceive us, our attitude and our responses to them in the moment. Self-Awareness allows us to sense that we are separated from each other, resulting in the perception of individuated consciousness, which goes on to say that while consciousness is being aware of one’s environment, body, and lifestyle, Self-Awareness is the recognition of that awareness. Therefore, Self-Awareness is the ability to recognize oneself as an individual and separate from the environment and other individuals.
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You will be amazed at how things fall into place once you let go of the illusion of control.
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Awareness is the state or ability to feel, to perceive, to know, and to be conscious of our own existence — within and without. As such, awareness is closely linked to, and intimately connected with consciousness that makes us conscious of our body and mind, our environment and the world around us. This, in turn, makes us aware of our beingness as a living and breathing expression of life. The physical level of awareness is represented by the body and its sensations of the world. Although our sensations are experienced through the body, this awareness is distinct from awareness of sensation within the body itself, which goes on to say that there is more to awareness than meets the eye — a spiritual dimension or component, if you will. The spiritual level of awareness goes much deeper than the ordinary everyday states of wakefulness — it can be said to be a direct connection to all that is — knowing reality, knowing existence, knowing one’s being, and ultimately, knowing God, you see?
~ ∞ ~ Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 4/4 – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
And with this, we arrive at a conclusion of profound importance: when we exploit nature, we exploit ourselves – as individuals, and as a species. From this, the question arises: If we are doing all this, can we call ourselves civilized? Oh yes, most certainly we call ourselves civilized alright – how could we not, after all, we are humans, not animals, are we not? But now the question becomes: How civilized are we? If we are civilized, which by definition means to be at an advanced stage of social and cultural development, would it not require us to treat all living things with respect? What would it take for us to see that we as a species are on borrowed time? Needless to say, for those who have eyes to see, it may come as a bit of a shock to realize that our lives are intimately bound up with the fragile organism of life on Earth and the interdependence of all species.
This is where we face the inevitable: you see, there’s no gentle way to say this – the survival of our species is threatened as never before by an ethos that seeks dominance and control of nature. This ethos reflects a vicious and brutal desire to conquer and master nature for our own purposes, shows no respect for the Earth, and disregards the perils of our present interference with the intricate web of relationships upon which life on Earth depends. We are an integral part of this great web of life, and cannot survive without respecting all aspects of it. If we destroy our habitat, whether inadvertently or deliberately by continuing on our present path – we may risk destroying ourselves. What we leave behind for those who might survive is but a fable of a highly advanced race of beings called humans – who in their naivety allowed themselves to be destroyed by their hubris.
Here we can but imagine how this fable might be told several thousands of years from now; how there might be a myth of once great, highly advanced race of beings, but the archeologists and scholars of that time would dismiss as complete nonsense; how there was a myth that told of a time when there was an advanced civilization living on Earth. Their level of advancement was so incredible that they could harness and control the forces of nature. They were so advanced that they were almost gods – they had supernatural powers – you see, they could look at the little device in their hands and speak to one another, even see one another on opposite sides of the Earth. They could fly around the Earth; they could even send people to the moon, but they became corrupt; they became cruel; they became conceited and arrogant; they imposed their powers on other less powerful people around the world. And so it happened that this once great species faced their own demise, and only few lived to tell the tale.
From the previous, it becomes clear that the human story unfolds against a backdrop of deteriorating conditions of the Earth – the only habitat for human life in the universe. On that note, nowadays there are people in the scientific community who have come to the conclusion that maybe we have messed up this planet; but worry not, because these people think that they have a solution. You see, they have suggested that we should go find (or perhaps create) a new one. These people think that with the aid of technology, we could export life from Earth to other planets, and someday perhaps even leave our solar system. This has to be the ultimate delusion of a throwaway society*1, don’t you think? What does it tell about us, if among other things, we are ready and willing to throw away our home, as well?
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*1 The materialistic worldview has resulted in excessive production of short-lived and disposable items, and thus the Western society has become a “throw-away society” where consumerism is being worshipped. This area is explored in more detail in the chapter The False Sense of Self.
From this, the question arises: Are we really so disconnected from everything that we truly think that the only way to solve our problems is to relocate – so that we could mess it up all over again? The reason we are having problems on Earth in the first place is because we have ignored what nature is capable of giving us when we live with nature’s principles rather than against them. Hence, yet again, we should ask ourselves: Why is it that we are geared towards the destruction of life – rather than nurturing and preserving the Gift of Life itself?
It is against this backdrop that we begin to see the absurdity of our current situation. Therefore, one should be inclined to consider whether we deserve to live here on Earth. If we are incapable of respecting and caring for it, do we really deserve to live here? Even more importantly, we should be asking the question of whether humanity is worth saving, and at what expense? The honest truth is that it’s no one else’s responsibility but ours to change our ways, which brings about the question: Are we capable of saving ourselves from the path of self-destruction we are on?
And if we are incapable of saving ourselves – who’s to save us? Aliens? Well, I would not count on that, and I bet you wouldn’t either. What about Angels and other Celestial Beings of the Divine nature? Or perhaps God? Maybe, who knows? And if so, is it probable? It is here where the reader of this book is called to use their faculty of reason and inner knowing, for you see, it is up to us individually to arrive at a conclusion whether there is a greater plan for humanity or not; whether or not there is a higher power that guides us.
But let us suppose, for a moment, that somewhere out there in existence there would, indeed, be such beings. So, let us entertain this idea for a brief moment, if not for any other reason than to illustrate just how obnoxiously absurd our present day situation in all of its paradoxical absurdity is. Well, then, what purpose could it possibly serve to save a species that is naive, irresponsible, and immature? And to what end? So that they could repeat the same mistakes all over again? And if some kind of Divine intervention were to take place, how would it affect our free will? Is it not, precisely, through our free will, by which we are permitted to be ignorant in the first place, repeating our mistakes? Is it not, precisely, through our mistakes, and by the difficulty and suffering they cause that we are eventually able to see, realize, and acknowledge the error of our ways, and through this process, in turn, change?
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
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Freedom Is A State Of Mind (Inspiration Vibration).
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This direct connection increases our overall energy frequency levels, and thus we can become even more aware of the pure Living Awareness within Living Life itself. This kind of awareness, or pure presence — has immense practical value. Expanded awareness takes us into a deeper relation with the underlying pattern of life, it takes us beyond the limitations of linear mental thinking — into a place of greater wisdom. When we enter into a deep relation with our own awareness, we go to the heart of the universal pattern which connects all things — seen and unseen. We find ourselves part of a set of relationships, in which whatever happens is connected to everything else. This is how our perspective changes, and our inner understanding (Innerstanding) deepens.
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Living Awareness is the creative ground of intention and intuition, and at the same time, it is the source of the sparkle, joy and vitality that we enjoy when we are in touch with our own being; it is our bridge to the creative ground, in which all things abide and from which they spring. Living Awareness is shared with every particle within All Life, and thus Living Awareness is the Heart of Living Life — this eternal, Infinite Awareness observes every part of the Creation by utilizing Living Consciousness as the means; consciousness arises when awareness observes the Creation or any part of its many emanations — so in this sense, Living Awareness is also aware of itself as the other (mirror). In order for the Infinite to know itself as something that is finite, it has to pretend to be separate from itself — this is the way in which the Living Awareness creates consciousness through which we perceive the world around us.
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Love Yourself Enough To Live A Healthy Lifestyle.
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By virtue of the aforementioned, it can be said that embodying the present moment by being a fully conscious witness is the same as Living Awareness — it is a pure state of being in this direct experiencing, you see? When Living Awareness embodies our existence — we feel truly alive, in harmony with ourselves and with the world around us; we know who we are, and what we should do in any given moment; we are balanced and effective in ourselves, and hence others appreciate our coherence. When we are open to Living Awareness, everything we experience is fresh and full with new possibilities. Living Awareness brings into balance the conflicting needs of the different parts of our life — feelings and emotions, mind and body, Soul and Spirit. This type of pure presence aligns all parts of ourselves and takes us to a place where we discover with absolute certainty exactly what is appropriate for any given situation — with greater awareness we can make better choices, picking options that genuinely enrich our life. It is quite interesting that although this should be our normal state of life, our normal state of being, we mostly settle for less. Intriguing, isn’t it?
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Have A Beautiful Day (Inspiration Vibration).
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The only reason why people feel the need to return to Living Awareness through these various methods is because they think that they have left from somewhere as Spirit. In all actuality, there is no distance between Living Awareness and itself, nor time where something can occur; Living Awareness never becomes anything else than Living Awareness, it never leaves anywhere — Living Awareness just is. If the individuated self could comprehend this on a conscious level — that realization alone would set it free. You see, knowing that you have never been anything else than pure Living Awareness — is true peace and happiness; the clear, deep inner knowing that I am whole, all experience is made out of myself, I need nothing but I am everything — is fulfillment in and of itself — see? This we can call an “Awakening,” which is something that takes place within each of us whenever we are ready to remember our eternal nature, whenever we are ready to take that first step in remembering who we are at the deepest level of our being, whenever we are ready to know our core essence as Spirit.
~ ∞ ~ Humanity – The Pinnacle of Evolution? 3/4 – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
And with this, we arrive at another aspect of the same. We may be sentient – yes, but truly intelligent – no. To be truly intelligent is to be able to make the realization that we may not be truly intelligent; to be truly intelligent is to recognize and acknowledge the interconnectedness and interdependence of all life – human, animal, plant; and the responsibility shared by all not to exploit natural resources. For sure, we are intelligent on an individual basis, thus being highly advanced in cognitive terms, which has allowed us to achieve many technological wonders, but whether that sets us totally apart from other animal species (whom also display cognitive powers of a lesser but related kind) is a debatable question; and when it comes to being truly conscious*1 – it is highly debatable.
As we continue this discussion of evolution, it is worth pointing out the obvious: the problem with us humans is that we always seem to be thinking in terms of physical evolution – forgetting or just simply ignoring the spiritual aspect altogether. In truth, it is not only important, but necessary component in this process – one could even argue that it’s the sole purpose and reason for our existence. You see, it seems plausible that intelligent life in the universe is so incredibly rare that it only happened once. If this is indeed the case, then what does it say about us human beings? That we are special beyond imagination? Now, if we are to suppose for a moment, that we humans are, indeed, the pinnacle of evolution – would it not then mean that consciousness is the end goal for evolution? Furthermore, wouldn’t that mean, then, that the telos of mankind is to achieve Self-Awareness through inner exploration, awareness and insight?
And now, if we can see evolution as a spiritual path, we must then see that consciousness is the most spiritual thing there is, and therefore we must be willing to surrender to the spiritual process – the process of fulfilling the telos of human existence, if we are to evolve further, you see? When we consider that most of us believe in the idea of a Soul or Spirit – the part of us that makes us who we are, would it be so hard, then, to imagine that much like our physical bodies change and evolve over time – so do our Souls? Wouldn’t it make perfect sense, then, that Souls get stronger as they gain experience and grow wiser as they learn through experience; eventually remaining Self-Aware of their True Essence? But, alas, because we are incapable of consciously recognizing the spiritual aspect of the whole evolutionary process, we are quite desperately seeking materialistic solutions to escape our inevitable, impending death – as if it would somehow solve the dilemma of impermanence*1.
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*1 This area is explored in more detail in chapters 1.) The Existential Paradox, 2.) The Fear of Annihilation (Non-Existence), 3.) Change Is the Only Constant.
Let us go deeper, and explore this more. Universe in its entirety can be regarded as one gigantic process of becoming, of attaining new levels of existence and organization, which can also be called a genesis or an evolution. In other words, universe can be seen as a continually transforming living system, one gigantic process of passing down information that life needs to expand, develop and unfold. Because we human beings are an inherent part of the universe, part of nature, we too are in process of becoming – the human being as a species is constantly attaining not only new levels of existence and organization, but also new levels of consciousness and awareness.
We have evolved to our present human level collectively, but further progress requires a concentrated effort on the part of individuals. Next, there is the point at which self-consciousness or awareness emerges – most of us are still a little below this point, though some are a little above it. In a way, these two can be said to represent lower and higher evolution – what separates these two is the level of awareness. The higher evolution is distinguished from the lower by the fact that it takes place in and through awareness. It follows, therefore, that progress in the higher evolution is at the same time a progress in awareness – becoming aware of awareness itself, you see?
It is noteworthy to mention that not every individual is going to go through this process of further evolution – spiritual evolvement, if you will. You see, higher evolution involves individual’s use of their free will, and hence it would be better to call it Conscious Evolution, or Involution, which means transformation, i.e., a process that follows the completion of evolution in the human form – the process of fulfilling the telos of human existence. Should one choose to utilize their free will to rewrite their story, and consciously take part in their future growth and expansion, integration and transformation – is entirely up to them, and them alone. This, in turn, can lead to the emergence of a collective awakening, which holds the potential for a balanced world where humans are conscious participants in the evolution of their cultures, and even of the entirety of human society, you see?
By virtue of the aforementioned with regard to awakening, it is worth highlighting the following: awakening is something that takes place within each of us whenever we are ready to remember our eternal nature, whenever we are ready to take that first step in remembering who we are at the deepest level of our being, whenever we are ready to know our core essence as Spirit. Therefore, awakening is connected with free will. It is through our free will that we develop spiritually and refine our ethical faculties; and this is where it gets interesting. You see, as mentioned earlier, the experience of free will is closely connected and related to the experience of self-awareness, which means that we can only apply free will to that which we are aware of, to that which we have “control” over; only if we are aware of ourselves, and thus of our actions – is it truly possible to experience that which we call free will. If one chooses to utilize their free will, and consciously – with dedication and effort, strives towards higher evolution, then there is the point at which transcendental awareness begins to emerge, and with it, awareness of Reality emerges – this is the point of no return, on a path toward Self-Actualization – see?
Although we seem to be incapable of recognizing that there is, indeed, a spiritual aspect to our evolution as human beings, we have come far in our journey to understand ourselves and our relation to our environment. Our understanding of evolution has grown to such an extent that we are finally able to recognize that evolution is a product of cooperation and altruism among organisms living in close association. We are just beginning to learn that sustainable life is the property of an ecological system – a biotic community and its physical environment. Although there is much work to be done, this is an excellent starting point for further development. But here the question becomes: Is it too little, too late? One thing is certain, unless we mature and grow spiritually, we will remain as spiritual infants. There is a maturation process in our natural life as we grow from being infants – to being young men and women – to being adults; in the same way, we should mature spiritually, as well.
This brings us directly back to the human condition, which is the root cause of all our dysfunctional behavior, both as individuals and as a species. It doesn’t take a genius to see that we are like teenagers, running around causing trouble everywhere we go; we are restless and uneasy when not occupied, and constantly looking for distraction, as if we are incapable of just ‘being.’ Hence, it is very important to ask ourselves: Why is it that we don’t seem to be able to adjust ourselves to the physical environment without destroying it and ourselves in the process? Considering that we are meant to be the custodians of the Earth, the ones who take care for its plants and animals, and protects its natural beauty – we should be showing respect for our Home – the Earth; showing gratitude for all the abundance that the Earth gives us every day. But unfortunately, as things stand, quite the opposite is true.
You see, metaphors of the mechanistic worldview has provided the justification for the exploitation of nature that materialism, industrialization, and unchecked appetite and greed has demanded. As a result, we have designed organizations and leadership models based on this worldview and now we live with the results daily. And so it goes that we have come to look upon nature as something separate from ourselves, something we could master, control and manipulate to obtain specific benefits for our species. All this because we were taught that our species has been given dominion over all others and over the Earth itself. But let us step back and think about it for a moment; even if some people were to believe that we ought to have dominion over all living things, would it not require us to treat all living things with respect? There is a difference between caring and exploiting – see? It is unfortunate that we have misunderstood the concept and twisted it to fit our selfish desires, which of course comes with a price and consequences. We eventually have to face up to the consequences of our actions, “you reap what you sow,” as they say.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."