Learning is a process where change can gather its fuel. How we decide to listen and whom we decide to listen to can either bring us empowering transformation or comfortable compliance. -DrD
From the time we begin as children from age 0-6 or so we are born with the incredible ability to observe, process and internalize mega volumes of information. All this information comes intentionally or unintentionally through the voices we hear, the actions we see, the movements we feel, and the habits we are taught from the people who surround us the most. Some of these things are good and others are not so good but either way it all goes in to be processed by the brain. The information received then settles somewhere within the neural matrix of the young child brain to either express back immediately, store away for another time or it hides away in the far corners especially reserved for those things we don’t care to remember. Regardless of where the information is stored, if it is remembered or not (in its totality) it becomes part of our total consciousness perception.
Let’s first get a grip on what consciousness is:
CONSCIOUSNESS: 1.) THE STATE OF BEING CONSCIOUS, AWARENESS OF ONES OWN FEELINGS, WHAT IS HAPPENING AROUND, 2.) THE TOTALITY OF ONES THOUGHTS, FEELINGS AND IMPRESSIONS, CONSCIOUS MIND.
CONSCIOUS: KNOWING WHAT ONE IS DOING AND WHY (ACCOMPANIED BY AWARENESS) OF WHAT YOU ARE THINKING, FEELING, AND DOING. (INTENTIONAL)
It could be helpful here to reflect back and try to remember when we where born. We might remember back then we where physically defenseless to survive on our own. Besides our mothers of coarse we are luckily given two inborn strategies of our own to compel our survival. The first is the high pitched robust belly cry to entice someone to feed, change or cuddle with us. The second is the inborn hyperactive curiosity to a certain burning question. This certain question is implanted deep within our mind and soul. It is in our blood. We don’t know where it came from or where it will take us. The question is also safely and strongly compelled by the primal desire to find out the ultimate answer to itself.
So, your probably wondering:
WHAT IS THIS ALL PRESSING QUESTION?
The quest-ion in question is simply:
“what do i do?”
Thats right! From the time we are born we are searching for the answer to that one burning question!
“WHAT DO I DO?”
Sounds easy enough. Right? Umm. Maybe not? There is an overlooked problem here. The problem with this is that as we grow into adults we begin playing around with smaller versions of this question and never learn how to answer the larger part of this question. Many of us continue to never really know what to do because we are simply never shown how to know what to do.
As children we are typically made with fragile yet resilient active little bodies to better handle the many physical variables in order to better ensure that our search for this answer is a success BEFORE we grow up. We are still never shown how to find the real answer to “what do i do?”. This is likely due to the fact that no one can teach what they don’t know. Think about that one eh? It is even more of a problem for a child when we, their parents, teachers or role models don’t know what to do either and have NO IDEA that we don’t know. Of all the things we know and can teach, how can we teach what we don’t know? We can not.
HOW this has happened is the topic of another day.
HOW this perpetuates is more suitable for today’s conversation.
So now we can move forward with exploring the lost question of “what do i do?”.
The following is an exploration of how ignorance can perpetuate unchecked through the generations. Also, how the ability to answer the larger part of the inborn question “what do I do? is effected by a relationship with that ignorance. The first step is to become aware that we have no idea. But how can we own this awareness if we have no knowledge of its possibility to begin with? Now for the fun part. Read on.
It begins to perpetuate around the first 6 years when we become removed from the desire to explore for the answer to the question “what do I do?”. We are compelled to explore other things as we are told to “act our age” or “grow up” etc.. Meanwhile, At the same time we have no idea what those directives mean so we wait for a definition from the people who insight such loose direction and whom also have no idea what that really means. That is because they have never been properly told what they are supposed to do either. They are only repeating what has been perpetuated on them. Ignorance is passed on just like this. It is one example of how we get started down he road to a life well lived in ignorance and complacency all accepted in the name of conventional silent inconvenience. Could there be something within our modern popular culture that is overlooking the importance of proper examination to this question?
“What do i do?”
Should we consider looking to establish something new for our modern culture other than perpetuating ignorance through lack of awareness? How about we work toward establishing accountability around being aware of our unconscious as a first step toward building constructive growth habits? I know that is a mouth full as well as a mind full but i dare you to take a bite and chew for a bit.
How can we even begin to open our awareness for something new unless we become aware that we are simply unconscious about something first? In this case we are examining the inborn question of “what do I do?” as the first aware and unconscious factor needing attention on the path of becoming teachable.
Not “what have I done?” Or “what has been done to me?” Or “what will I do?” Or even “what have I been doing?” Or “what have I been told to do?”
THE UNCONSCIOUS UNAWARE
Until we are able to mindfully move toward the aware UNconscious from the UNaware UNconscious we will be left staring and repeating like a spiritual mantra or religious litany one of the many phrases like: “I dont know?”, “I dont care.”, “Whatever”, Do whatever you like honey.”, “Thats Life.” Etc etc, and things like that all to often. The results that follow are neither spiritual or religious.
I do not mean to say there is harm in saying one or all of the previously mentioned statements once in awhile. However, Those questions can be useful only when it is asked with the desire for inspiring a solution for a problem. After all if a problem is worth bringing up it should be worth solving right? The big idea would be to move forward through the question toward a solution instead of sitting on the question with no desire leaving the problem unsolved and unexplored.
An example of this difference would look like this :
Whatever. (problem with no desire for solution)
Vs
Whatever, can we do? (problem with a desire for solution)
Either way these thoughts will solidify in the brain as a memory. If the unexplored possibility is repeatedly suppressed enough times it will manifest profoundly and unknowingly as an unconscious habit to be mindfully aloof. You would have no idea. This is what it looks like to be unconscious and unaware aka helpless (but not hopeless).
Being unconscious and unaware leaves us without a chance to learn anything new to grow and change or to grow and improve. Now I can hear some of you saying “I dont need to change” or I dont want to learn anything new.” That is ok. I don not believe you but that is still fine. But if it really was true you probably wouldn’t have held an interest to read this far! So how do we get out of this unaware unconscious state?
Feel free to read on carefully:
There is no change without challenge. Without challenging yourself to outwardly change from time to time with new ideas, new habits, and new movements it will conflict with your own inner wisdom of change. Your inner wisdom works all the time with or without your permission. It is called autonomic regulation process. This means it does not need the permission of logic to be effective. It is beyond logic. It is innate intelligence. It is a self regulated process to keep you alive. It is a gift from God. (Ie; heart beat, digestion, blood flow, breath, well, you get the picture.)
It is change itself that is guided by innate intelligence and monitored by autonomic function that keeps you alive at all cost outside of accidental traumatic death.
For life to thrive, change is necessary. Without change your body will die faster. This is true on all levels. The same immutable truth of change can be applied to all levels of body function, personal habits, consciousness, awareness and thoughts on a daily bases.
DEATHSTYLE vs. LIFESTYLE (understand and grow)
I want to be clear here as to what we mean by death vs. life. I’m talking not about pure physical death or life but to a more profound understanding of death and life as it measures up to quality and quantity on a moment to moment scale. Every moment gives us an opportunity to live or die, to grow or stagnate, to listen or ignore. Now we must learn to apply this broader moment to moment understanding that we have long forgotten or have been taught to ignore toward a new way of thinking.
This understanding could improve our true QUALITY of life that will more likely lead to our true longevity or QUANTITY of life granted we stay safe. Which is in the end what we all hope for ourselves and the ones we love most.
First it should be agreed that no one anywhere can guarantee long life for anybody. However, you can almost bet on the portion of QUALITY based on your willingness to expose any of your hidden potentials and turning them into visible potentials. Now remember quality life requires work and change. This type of change often leads to quantity of life so we don’t need to worry about that. Stay present. There is no potion available that can hand us longevity though we can enjoy ourselves right now. We need to prioritize our move from of the state of unaware unconscious in order to deeply enjoy ourselves in every moment.
STEP UP
So how do we get out of this unaware unconscious state?
This first step to liberation from unaware unconscious to the aware unconscious is done through intention by admitting to yourself that you are unaware and unconscious of a better way. By learning to bond once again with the simple question of our heart and soul as: “WHAT DO I DO?”
In this moment you have succeeded by reading this!
WELCOME TO THE AWARE UNCONSCIOUS!!!
New Healthy Ideas 