The word awake is becoming far more popular in recent years. Yet so many of the people saying the word are mumbling it from a semi-conscious state. So it is very clear that the word has a very loose definition when used in such context.
I would very much like to change that. I have a very clear idea in my mind of what it means to be awake, but I recognize that from another's perspective, that idea of mine will amount to little more than sleep-talking.
I don't have much to give on this one, but I am determined to find out as many interpretation of this word as possible, so I am offering 10 STEEM to the author of the best explanation.
It's incredibly simple. Just post a comment and tell us what you think it means to be awake. If your explanation is long, feel free to make a post too in order to increase your chances of earning something for your time. But make sure you still post the explanation as a comment too.
Also, I intend to define the term myself when I announce the winner a week from now. But I am hoping to have my mind changed before that day arrives, as for me that would mean I have learned something significant in the process.
To help garner as many explanations as possible, I ask that you resteem this post to allow your followers to participate, but I will not disqualify entrants who do not.
I won't drag this post out any longer, as I am hoping that the real gems of this post will be in the comments section.
So tell us;
What does it mean to be awake?
I will choose a winner personally in seven days from now. Good luck.
The small community of people that follow my truth work and upvote an resteem my content on steemit. Anyone who does that is truly awake in my opinion.
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Ha, I'm one of those on the same mission! Happy to see you in the comment thread of this post, @titusfrost
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I never saw your posts before but I'm gonna start following you... At the beginning I did a few social-political posts but I found no reaction from others so i changed to meaningless posts, maybe nice photos and travel stories but... I'm ashamed that I gave up the fight...
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This sounds like a cult leader's attempt at enforcing his rule over his acolytes. I think you are in a better position than most to make a genuine effort to define this word. I can't accept that you sincerely believe that no one other than you or those that listen to you are awake, so I am going to interpret that as a joke - a good one - and await the wise response that I know you to be capable of.
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The sleeper must awaken. To be awake etymologically means not asleep, to come out of sleep, from the Old English awæcnan to arise, and wæcnian to rise, to come into being.
Source
From Physical to Metaphysical
When we are unconscious, we are asleep. When we are conscious and aware, we are awake. In physical leep we have varying degrees of alertness and awareness (some wake up at loud sounds while others don't, some wake up easily at being touched while others need more physical stimulus, etc.), but there are also varying degrees of wakefulness, where we can be very alert and awake but have diminished capacities for alertness and awareness. Sleep deprivation causes this in our conscious state.
These word symbols apply in other contexts of waking-life as well apart from the physical sleep of nighttime. Our conscious awareness and level of being aware and awake goes beyond having enough sleep or not, into the domains of understanding and wisdom about ourselves and the world.
Awaken Consciousness
There are also levels of consciousness; levels of awareness that can be attained in life. The faculty of consciousness can be lacking in some people, where they are less psychologically conscious and awake, and more asleep, stuck in that somnambulistic, automatic, programmed and conditioned modality of living. They are "awake" to some degree -- to walk, talk, feel, act, survive, procreate, live and die -- but without ever being aware of their hypnotic condition, a form of "sleep walking" we can say.
Others have awakened more to a higher level of consciousness, liberating themselves from the collective mass hypnosis. They have gone beyond the impositions of education, culture, imitation and conditioned reflexes about how to think. Some people awaken to greater levels of awareness that free them from the shackles of their condition and conformity that was imposed upon them. Many people in history have become awakened and understood various truths, trying to share what they have come to understand. But all too often, their words were not heard and fell on deaf ears who remained blind to what was going on, both in the world and within themselves.
Source
Awaken to Truth
Increasing our awareness makes us more awake. Truth makes us more awake. Caring for truth awakens the flame of truth within us to desire to live in truth, and specifically moral truth. We can be awakened to the desire to learn, understand and be more aware of reality, and continually ask ourselves "is this really true?" We must also be willing to examine our previously held onto and attached views that we have been conditioned to see and think about our world.
Truth has that affect to wake us up internally. Truth can uncomfortable and shake us up, rattle us, disturb us, awaken us and snap us out of our slumber in lower consciousness and unconscious automated behaviors, responses and thinking patterns we repeat, and to disturb us from the comfort zone of excuses or ignorance we keep ourselves in.
From Asleep, Unconscious and Dead to Awake, Conscious and Alive
When someone is literally dead, there is no consciousness or action in life, hence the symbolism of being "unconscious".
To be unconscious is to lack consciousness in varying degrees. Being consciously aware, thinking and learning, increases awareness of reality. Being unconscious is akin to not increasing awareness of what is really going on.
When we don't really have care for truth ignited in a significant way, we have apathy for truth. This is to remain "unconscious", "dead", "asleep", "sheep", unawakened and uninitiated. We are "dead" in the coffin or tomb, unawakened, asleep and unconscious to various significant quality truths and the importance of truth in life. It symbolizes a "deadened" "heart" center, a "deadened" core, "essence", "spirit" and consciousness.
Unknown Source
When someone is asleep, not awake, they are also unconscious and inactive. It's to be unconscious and inactive relative to being consciously aware of the importance of truth, caring for truth and acting in alignment with truth. Analogy, metaphor and symbolism is used to expressed this understanding of unrealized and unactualized potential to care for, seek, embrace, embody and live up to our potential truer, realer, higher version of ourselves that aligns with truth, and specifically moral truth.
Having life is related to consciousness and awareness. Higher consciousness is related to being more "alive", to having the light and vision of truth in our lives, to having the flame of truth burning and fueling us from within, to drive and motivate us in life.
Death is being dead, in darkness, no longer conscious but unconscious. Lower consciousness is related to this symbolism, where we are "dead" in a tomb within rather than being "alive", in the darkness and not in the light, blind instead of having vision from the light of truth, to be in "eternal slumber" vs. "eternal life"/"afterlife" of being risen from the "dead" underworld, "reborn", "renewed" and "resurrected" into a new life, an "afterlife".
Unknown Source
When we choose to care for truth, and specifically moral truth, we start on a path, way and journey of higher consciousness potential. We become "initiated", "awake" and aware, where we are "resurrected", "rebirthed" and "raised" from the "deadened" lower state of consciousness. We rise to a higher, truer and realer consciousness and state of being, and are more "awake" and "alive", into a "new life", a "New World", an "afterlife", "eternal life" and "immortal life" that is given to us by the "light" of truth in our lives.
Also posted on my blog @ What it Means to Be "Awake"
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'Awake' most simply put, would be a term which describes a unit of consciousness in the act of observing what actually is at any given moment, as opposed to dwelling in thoughts of the past or dreaming of a potential future.
Past and future are both imaginary, and to entertain those concepts is to dream, while being aware of what actually is, right now, might best define someone who is 'awake'.
Example: someone who is 'aware' of a potential dystopian future where they are forced into a government internment camp, they might spend their hours plotting their escape from the barbed-wire compound that they have envisioned, while someone who is 'awake' will note what actually is: that they are sitting at home drinking tea, watching scary Utube videos.
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Nodding. Couldn't have said it better. Especially with your last sentence.
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It is the first gasping breath of sapience after never having breathed before, sustained.
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Being awake means you're aware of what's truly going on in the world, from the deep state to false flags, disinformation and propaganda tactics. Being awake to me means that you don't follow the mainstream media, that you question things and realize that the system wasn't built to support the average person. You're not impressed by superficiality or materialism, but many people who are awake long for a deeper spiritual connection with others, which can often lead to loneliness and depression.
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Good description! happy to find more people whos "awake" in the same way I believe I am :)
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Awake = A +Wake, wake is a vigil for someone who's died.
Being awake is a a state of living life to the fullest and celebrating the positive aspects.
It is like holding a wake to guard the ephemeral life we have, recognizing that it's precious.
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make love to the woman that turns me on flame, there I am more alive and awake than ever!
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Well I would hope you are both alive and awake, for the lack of either one would make her the wrong kind of kinky..
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jajajaajaj I'm urinating with laughter with that comment
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I think it's an important question for some people to ask, but I feel it's so easy to get lost in words and concepts that put us back to sleep when trying to define a word like this. Perhaps if I was truly awake the answer would come to me without any thought, or perhaps if I were truly awake I'd forget English and just reply with some gibberish that inspired something in you.
The only thing I can come up with is that to be awake is to be blind to both future and past and focused entirely in the now. So many of us think that we can do this, and to some extent we can, but I believe we are just dipping our feet in. To be immersed in the now, the world of form will begin to blend with the formless. I suppose we can visit there, but it's rare to find someone who can be there at will.
I might have a totally different answer tomorrow.
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I decided to make this into a post but I will also put the text from the post (but not the image) here so as to follow your rules:
What does it mean to be "awake"?
Now there is the obvious definition which is simply not to be in a state of sleep.
That is not what he is seeking. He is looking for that nebulous meaning that is used commonly today. "That person is awake.", "I'm woke", etc. It has a very different meaning than sleep. It is still dancing with that sleep and not sleep meaning but it is a metaphor.
At the shallowest of levels of meaning when it is used it often means to be willing to see the truth, even when it is uncomfortable. It means being willing to ask questions, even about things you believe strongly in. It means to seek the truth. It can lead to someone using a derogatory term such as "truther" to label you. I often wonder how they think that is a bad name... would you rather be called truther, or liar?
There is a danger of it being used in a not very positive way. Sometimes people will use it in an echo chamber type setting where they will consider people that agree with them to be "awake", and those that disagree to be "asleep". I personally view anyone with such shallow interpretations as actually not truly being "awake" in the respect we attempt to describe here.
There is a word that is not used that often in modern speech except perhaps when describing some role playing game character. That word is wisdom. What does it mean for a person to be wise?
I actually think in a way being awake can be just another way of saying the person is wise.
So what is wisdom? It is a far trickier thing to codify than intelligence. It is something we ourselves do not understand well enough to endow our attempts at AI with it. It is something that incredibly intelligent people can be completely bereft of.
This to me sounds like a trait of being "awake" as well. You can and are likely to encounter highly intelligent people that do not seem to be "awake". Why is that? An amount of stubbornness can accompany intelligence. The more intelligent a person is and the more other people have had others reinforce their intelligence ("Wow, you are smart!", "You're a genius", etc.) I have observed it can be more difficult for them to question their own current thoughts and beliefs, while simultaneously making them more prone to dismissing the ideas of others that don't mesh with theirs. This is not wise.
I therefore, currently believe (when I use the word belief it is not in a religious sense, my beliefs are constantly in flux as I get new information, and as I ponder my own mind) that an important step to being truly awake is being able to question and challenge yourself. I do not mean in a low self esteem type way such as saying "I'm stupid", or "I'm usually wrong" or anything like that. I am referring to understanding that everyone is frequently wrong, they will continue to be wrong about things, and that is okay. There are truly only two ways I can think of to learn new things at the moment.
First, we learn when we encounter information and ideas we've never encountered before. Second, and often ignored is that we learn when we are wrong, and we realize we are wrong. If we are unwilling to be wrong then we shut off one of the important avenues of learning.
So it is my current idea that wise people must be not only okay with being wrong, but embrace it when they are. When you can do this being wrong need not be a negative thing, but an opportunity. It is but one of the steps on the infinite path to truth. If you cannot be wrong do you truly think you can find truth?
I don't.
This leads me to debating with myself in my own head, and considering things I do. It leads me to interesting places.
I'd like to think I am awake. I try to be.
I avoid absolutes such as always, and never. I leave that possibility no matter how remote that ANY idea I currently have could be wrong.
This imparts some abilities that I believe those who are not awake lack.
When they would use absolutes and generalizations (things such as racism, and labels are forms of this) it immediately stands out, and the fact it is unflinching and so quick to judge makes it questionable.
So you get less likely to blindly follow appeals to emotion, and appeals to authority. You recognize the fallacy in the appeals to tradition, as appealing to those usually is done in a way indicating why something should not change.
One thing is certain everywhere you look in reality. Change.
Not liking changes, does not make them cease to exist.
For me being "awake" is about learning to process information in a less confining way. It is being willing to embrace the good and the bad, to acknowledge the things you like, and also acknowledge the things that make you uncomfortable rather than trying to mentally filter or ignore them.
That's about it.
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I too made a post on my profile and will share it here in the comment section:
So my post basically highlights the shift from being asleep to being awake as the shift from unconscious to conscious, doing to Being.
No matter where we look there are Human Souls on Earth introducing theories pertaining to the creation of the Universe. As a rule of thumb, it can be said that the more intricately and precisely elaborated a universal scheme is the further off the Truth it is.
Truth is not a matter of verbal or logical eloquence. We are all Light and as such, all Truth. Consequently, if there is one Truth which we will always and unchangeably embody, it has to be the easiest thing to grasp for all and not for a few privileged. If we even attempt to express this Truth verbally, it can only be Light is Love and Love is Light.
The real irony is that the one thing the thinking mind is essentially searching for is the feeling. Yet unfortunately, the thinking mind cannot feel because it is merely serving to create Separation. The more the Ego tries to makes sense of Light the more desperate it gets, not accepting its defeat at all costs.
From a certain perspective, having an Ego is highly interesting as we foolhardily experience to what degree we can deny ultimate Truth.
Since we are all Light it is our most natural trait to be Truth and co-creators of Universes, the only difference being that if the Ego is our primary force, we are unconscious co-creators of realities, whereas the absence of the Ego makes us to conscious co-creators of realities!
When we decided to create this particular Universe of Separation, before entering, we knew how all works and for the sake of “realness” we agreed upon forgetting all we knew. This “forgetting” is not the forgetting of a verbally conceivable theory but of the feeling state of Love.
Light has no meaning but Love. Love is. Being is Feeling. Thoughts belong to Doing and cannot feel, thus they are meaningless.
Yet very same thoughts try to give meaning, inevitably lending Love a reality it does not deserve. Attempting to explain and grasp Love through thought processes never works.
In other words, no matter how savvy or clever any theory trying to explain Love and Light is exclusively serves as an amplifier of our forgetting, increasingly denying us access to the feeling of Love.
Yet ultimately, allowing ourselves the luxury of meandering along so grandiloquently is the most inarguable token of our dormant Knowingness that our everlasting anchor of Love will finally bail us out again!
As long as we seek Perfection we'll find nothing but Imperfection. It is when we stop searching for Perfection that we realize that all is perfect already.
This is my perspective on what it truly means to be awake! :)
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This was really beautiful.
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Being awake MENTALLY means being aware that one is immersed in propaganda and surrounded with people and organizations trying to steer your thoughts.
Being awake MORALLY means being unselfish, defined as being "wholesomely connected" with other people, with the Earth, and with Higher Power. (The last means that you have some concept of a larger thing of which you are a part and within which you have a purpose and duty.)
Being awake both MENTALLY and MORALLY means that you are truly alive rather than merely existing, that you are animated by love.
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I had the outpost to myself for a little while and went back into my journal. Sitting in this same spot seven months earlier I wrote, “These are the best days of my life. Autumn is in the air. The leaves are rustling in the cool September breeze, chilling, while the sun is still hot enough to make my skin tighten. I’m sitting here in nature, taking the day to myself, deep in the mountains, on the back side of adventures that will probably take the rest of my life to really process. Breathing. Swirling unabashedly in one of the eddies of life…
“Long ago I knew a man. He reflected something from within me. In a rare sober moment he said to a group of us, ‘Everything you need to know about life, you can learn from a river.’ We all sat in a whitewater raft, four young men and a fallen river god. We were in the middle of a large whitewater rapid and we had driven hard up on a rock, left of the line and out of the way, parked several feet above the steepest drop where we had the best vantage point of the entire scene – every part and virtually every detail. He continued, ‘You’ve been trained to be river guides, and you have been taught the skills necessary to run any river. But I can’t tell it from watching you. There is a difference between river guides and raft guides. River guides read water. Raft guides just know their lines. They guide their one river like they would drive a dirt road. They’re no good on any river other than the one they know.’ The river raged and roared around us, heaving the raft listing on that jagged rock. My head swam with the way it rushed past us on every side. Sometimes it was hard to tell if we were sitting still or moving. ‘You’ve not been taught to be raft guides…a little to the left there…this angle at that rock…this many paddle strokes at that turn. But you have a long way to go before you can guide like river guides. A long way to go before you can understand the skills you’ve been taught. And so we’re here today to learn this thing like a dirt road now, because it’s summer already. The tourists are in full force. And you’re still flailing. One day, maybe a year or two down the line, things will change. The river will look entirely different. The shapes and contours – all the parts – will stand out individually, and the river won’t look like a mass of confusion. You will be reading water. It can take a while to learn to read water, but when it happens,’ he snapped his fingers. ‘It’s like that. You’re different. And if you want to become a really good river guide, you’ll come to the river, every day, eager to learn. We are never done learning, and river guides are humble like that.’ He talked about the river like it was a woman. Maybe a goddess. A teacher. Sometimes a punisher. And then we finished the trip, and he sank back into his bottles, never to be seen again. But in those moments my journey really began. I can’t say that I agree with the notion that the river punishes. It reckons. It is both the life and the scales that balance the events in life. It is the standing wave…the obstacle…the ride. But it is much more than that, as it is the water constantly moving through the wave as well, making the wave. If I live outside of my integrity, she shows me.”
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I must say that this should seem a simple enough question to answer but as I see reading through the responses , it follows typical human behavior. The meaning to one differs from that of the other and sides are taken and biases spoken. Some seek answers from their beliefs and stances in life, grounded in this dimension, and others look to metaphysical explanations.
I know what it means to myself when I think of the idea of "awake" but I don't know that I can claim those thoughts as original nor do I need to. I have spent so many years reading and listening to so many gurus and sages that I finally just found meaning in it all. For me that came in the form of balance. Balance is simple, neutral, never pushing, never pulling, always present and mindful without biases. To be in balance is to be awake.
I would also like to leave you with a quote by one of my favorite monk sages. I believe this to be as good of an explanation as any.
“You must be completely awake in the present to enjoy the tea.
Only in the awareness of the present, can your hands feel the pleasant warmth of the cup.
Only in the present, can you savor the aroma, taste the sweetness, appreciate the delicacy.
If you are ruminating about the past, or worrying about the future, you will completely miss the experience of enjoying the cup of tea.
You will look down at the cup, and the tea will be gone.
Life is like that.
If you are not fully present, you will look around and it will be gone.
You will have missed the feel, the aroma, the delicacy and beauty of life.
It will seem to be speeding past you. The past is finished.
Learn from it and let it go.
The future is not even here yet. Plan for it, but do not waste your time worrying about it.
Worrying is worthless.
When you stop ruminating about what has already happened, when you stop worrying about what might never happen, then you will be in the present moment.
Then you will begin to experience joy in life.”
― Thich Nhat Hanh
I hope that you enjoyed the quote and if you are not familiar with Thich Nhat Hanh, you may find his work to be worth your time.
Peace,
The Last Sage
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Yes, I know. I should have really been more clear in my post, but people seem to have understood anyway.
Thanks for taking part, and for the sharing of wisdom.
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I must say I really love the post as it has brought about some wonderful responses and answers. Humans are such interesting creatures. Thank you for a wonderful social experiment.
Peace
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What does it mean to be awake?
The words “Know Thyself” echo like whispers through history as the key to awakening. Self knowledge is the first step to awakening. As knowledge and understanding of self grows, one begins to embrace the qualities and attributes we possess as humans. As well one begins to understand the potential and power of the five senses and how they can be used to discern the world of which we dwell. As awareness grows with information accumulated by means of the senses, one begins to navigate through subjective and objective reality by using free will and logical reasoning skills that develop over time and experience. The awakened live according to morality and understand the Laws that govern all life. They understand their actions have effect outwardly and oppose violence by use of force. All life has value and purpose, and balance is key, both internally within the self and outwardly throughout creation.
To be awaken is to maintain balance and harmony within while working to bring harmony and balance to the environment we share with all life.
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As far as I can tell it's a term used unironically only if you're a damn, dirty hipster... Every time I hear someone express the idea that they are 'woke' to something it makes me cringe inside a little bit. So, I guess my definition would be 'someone who is a pretentious git' 😬
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Lol. While this is certainly humorous, and while I can also agree that the word is used often in such a manner, I do think it a worthy suggestion that you examine your feet when speaking from such a perspective. If you do so, I imagine you will find that it is only from a pretentious viewpoint that one can cringe at an expression that they have - so magnificently - avoided using their self.
A good rule of thumb would be to reevaluate your position any time you find yourself looking down on another- or an entire group of people of whom you know very few personally. Only then can you rediscover that you're in fact on the same level as they are, and that you always will be.
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To be awake means to understand you are not your thoughts. Thoughts lull us into a a sleeping awake state that puts us on autopilot. The tool of thought became the master and to be awake is to quit deferring to it. We are not the description of what we experience, we are what experiences.
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It means having to dumb-down your conversations so you dont sound like a lunatic!
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Lol. Now I'm curious what you're awake to.
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To me, to be "awake" means to be "aware" or "conscious", but not purely in the strict physical manner of waking up in the morning and going to sleep in the evening in a biological sense like that, but rather in a metaphorical way to indicate ones depth of knowledge and perception and understanding of existence both in the inner aspect of themselves and the outer conditions of their environment around them in a way that attempts to line up with natural law or "reality" with a priority over subjective interpretation. Though subjective interpretation is a part of us all and it's hard if not impossible to escape, so even if not quite "perfect" it's important to try to find the "objective" truth to whatever degree that is possible.
To me someone who is awake is not just someone who is smart or knows a bunch of things and it's almost never someone who proclaims themselves to be such, but someone who tries to prove themselves wrong, and someone who genuinely tries to find the real truth the right way as opposed to just wanting to be seen as wise and knowledgeable but who doesn't have the humbleness to ever admit to being wrong or to learn properly in a genuine way with the goal of seeking truth first over the desire to appear a certain way cosmetically to others.
Thanks for the interesting contest! I once wrote a poem about people who claim they are "woke" but who aren't.. There's definitely a lot of that going around! And it can get a bit frustrating at times.. Like it's trendy or something.. ;\ shrug
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To be awake, for me, means to be self aware. To be aware of who you are, what you are, your abilities, your likes and dislikes, your pressure points.
It also means to be aware of the world about you. To know that man is evil but do good sometimes. It means to be unsurprised by the things you hear people say or do because you expect it of them. To know people and understand their motivations. To see through the veneer of civilization and morality to the bare bones of the intentions behind every action.
To be awake means to be free of social dogma and doctrines, to be free of indoctrination and belief systems that make no sense. It means the ability to separate truth from faith and to leave above the questions that trouble everyone else.
To be awake is to be truly alive.
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Nice description! i'm surprised to find so many people commenting here who seems to be "awake" :)
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To be awake implies that we are the opposite of the majority of society who are asleep. We are aware of things that are happening around us and are living at a different level of awareness. We are not moved or manipulated by things that are happening in our nation and around the world as we understand that reality is not necessarily what is happening around us.
We also don't display the same amount of apathy and have a higher level of discernment than the average individual.
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Good description!
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Thank you @lavidaesunviaje!
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Well, for @barge:
...being Awake is to have woken up to the awareness that I was 'asleep' before and that the 'waking up' is a process, not an end in itself - it is not a 'permanent state' but a moment-to-moment discovery. It may not be dramatic like it's made out to be (in the movies? on youtube? in one's head? :), but there is a feeling of deep satisfaction and harmony. There is the relief of dropping a sack of stones that one didn't even realise one was carrying - it had been going on so long that it just felt normal! It is an awareness of one's formless nature and of having a neutral, balanced point of inner alignment which one can return to at any time. Being awake is deeply synonymous with feeling alive; it is to see unity and wholeness where once was division.
Being awake is to see the macrocosm in the microcosm - the 'above' in the 'below' and the 'outside' in the 'inside' and vice-versa. To be awake is to be aware of (have figured out) how and why I am the way I am - to deeply understand the emotional, psychological baggage that I have carried and to have learnt that I can let it go - it is to be and to feel liberated.
To be awake is to observe the world that I project from within me and to not confuse it with reality. To be awake is to touch the pulse of the present moment in the ebb and flow of consciousness and know without judgement where one (or the 'other') is at present. To be awake is to observe the ever unfolding human drama – at the individual and the global level - and to see that they are two sides of the same coin mirroring each other; it is to have an awareness of playing many roles in life and to see that no role-created identity is who I really am. Being awake is to have gained an understanding of one's own experience, such that one now has a better understanding of EXPERIENCE itself - which can be applied to a new inter-connected vision of the world and humanity. To be awake is to know that nothing I do matters as much as how I do it (the state of consciousness I am in, and my intentons); it is to feel compassion for all living beings for I can now extend to them the same unconditional love that I can to my own, inner self – I can see my existence reflected in theirs to the extent that there may no longer be any discernable difference between us.
To be awake is to fear nothing at all and to have trust and confidence in one's own benevolent power as a unique expression of infinite consciousness; it is to embrace synchronicity and to know that every single thing is pin-point accurate. To be awake is to have relinquished any need or desire to control (or be controlled by) other people or situations - it is to feel oneself in a position of strength drawn from inner authority. Being awake is to be aware of/have experience of one's power to actively and creatively design our lives for ourselves, the way we want; it is to live the slogan "Be the change you wish to see".
🕉
Many thanks @son-of-satire :D
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This was a terrific entry, thanks.
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To be awake is to only accept things as true if you know first hand that they are, and even then to question if you really know the truth or are still functioning on prior training.
Knowing that you cant always be certain, and even if you are certain, that doesnt mean you are right to force that viewpoint on others.
To be awake is to know that rule by force is the disease, who and how are symptoms.
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To be free of all chains with bind us or influence us to make decisions which are in favour of other people than us. People nowadays are awake yet asleep, they don’t know what is going on around them, whether decisions made in Parliament affect them or not. They don’t know about the crimes corporations commit which affect.
They are awake yet still asleep.
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To be awake for most people means to wake up after a night of sleeping or after a nap.
Currently the meaning of being awake has become something more, something deeper and with a social significance.
Being awake means in this way to open your mind eyes to reality, to notice things that most people doesn't. Mass media, education, governments and all kind of people with real power over humanity wants the population to stay "asleep" this meaning not realizing how unfair the distribution it is. How equality is not real, people with money get a different justice than poor people, the also get different health system, different education. Different life... The idea that we all have the same opportunity to grow its a lie, most people doesn't realize it but this is the biggest slavery era ever... slaves with salary, but, what's the difference other than the physical violence, most people works almost all their life just to get food and a place to sleep. The idea that we all have the same opportunity to grow its a lie, most people doesn't realize it but this is the biggest slavery era ever... slaves with salary, but, what's the difference other than the physical violence, most people works almost all their life just to get food and a place to sleep.
So, if you realize that this is going on, you may say you are "awake"
There's also another meaning that I like and try to apply every day. This one is about not living in the past or in the future, being "awake" and living in the present moment every heartbeat.
They can say you are a crazy conspiracy theorist but that is just their way to show you to the people who's still "asleep" as a crazy person so they don't get also AWAKE!
PS: im a big conspiracy person... "illuminati" it's a real thing... you can give them the name you want.
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One word. ~ "Presence"
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Well this is a really tough question. One could be a master and not still know what it means to be awake. From my perspective I would say that being awake is coming to terms with the fact that part of you is dormant .
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A person who takes action against all immoral behaviors and teaches others about those behaviors.
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To be awake means to be conscious of various happenings around you, to have the ability to take maximum control of daily life situations.
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To be awake means to be conscious of various happenings around you, to be conscious of the side effects and consequences of making every decision and also to have the ability to take maximum control of daily life situations.
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Question everything you are told - official narrative, traditions drilled into you, religion, societal norm. You might not uncover the whole truth, maybe just bits of it, but you'll be awake.
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Being awake is breathing more often than you would sleeping.
also you keep your eyes open (there are people who sleep with eyes open but lets not count them)
And when you are awake you are working
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many of which we can interpret from the sentence awake. among others;
awake = awake from sleep
awake = conscious of the dream
awake = maintained and others.
while the sense of awake meurut is "a process of consciousness in a person to a better direction, which he had been asleep, in the sense that all this time he always do immoral, sedated by lust, and always wallowing with sin, so he does not knowing the ultimate truth, then he awake what is done so far is wrong and try to change the impersonation that he has done.
thank you
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The ability to be able to reply to this post as we speak :D
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awake means that you see the world and yourself as it really is. On a more superficial level it means you take nothing physical with you after you die.
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A wake is a social gathering usually associated with death, according to wikipedia. Now, put those 2 syllables together and the meaning is similar but slightly different. Awake means rising from your dead thought processes usually through some shock to the system not unlike a violent punch, a gunshot to a body part or some other attack of needed mental or physical brutality. This savagery is necessary to begin to clear the mind of the clutter built up through years of indoctrination. All it takes is just one awakening and your thirst for truth will be unquenchable. You will hunt for truths in all things. Each new illumination helps you see things in a newer and brighter light. Soon you will want everyone to see what you have discovered. Your eyes will have been opened and are unblinking as you focus on truths that others need to see. Once you reach this point, you are awake.
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Realization that we are after all an animal and that we don't have to lose our shit over every stupid thing is being "awake" for me. For example, you are awake when you realize that you don't need to be so serious about everything, including the life itself.
The following extraction from the Hindu book "Geeta" sums up the realization when a person is awake- "You came empty handed, you will leave empty handed. What is yours today, belonged to someone else yesterday, and will belong to someone else the day after tomorrow. You are mistakenly enjoying the thought that this is yours. It is this false happiness that is the cause of your sorrows."
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Introduction
Wakefulness or being is a state of full alertness and consciousness of a human being or animal.
Physiology
Wakefulness is part of the sleep-wakefulness cycle that keeps a person neurologically sound. This is described as the circadian rhythm
Pathology
Alteration of the circadian rhythm leads to insomnia or narcolepsy as the case might be which means lack of sleep or excessive sleep.
Pharmacology
In cases of clumsiness from sleep,CNS stimulants like caffeine containing drinks are used to keep alert. When one is over alert , the use of sedatives like diazepam are used to induce sleep
Conclusion
Full wakefulness follows adequate sleep and should be encouraged.
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Being awake is being active in the moment. You are conscious of yourself living his life in the world around them. For me, is not enough to live in the moment, as that does not give you context, you need to use both. You need the past to know where you are from, yet you can not allow your past to define your future. You also need the future to see where you want to go, yet you do not allow your future to mess up the present. For me, being awake is being active and taking responsibility for your future by acting in the present. If you are asleep you forgo of this responsibility you have towards yourself and you let the world decide where you should go.
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This competition is amazing, let me see if I can flex my creative writing muscles and come up with an entry worth of this competition. When it comes to existential discussion, I can get lost in this kind of stuff for days.
Being "Awake" is being self-aware and being able to see things around you in a completely different way. You see through the masks that other people wear, the lies that people tell themselves to get through the day because the world is a round prison, with puzzles designed to keep you trapped within it.
You're not willing to get in line like everyone else and fall into the trap of routine, because routine is a magic trick designed to appease to the primitive segments of your brain.
To be truly awake is to break free of the invisible handcuffs placed upon you and society, to seek out change and make something happen. You make things happen instead of waiting for them to happen, you know change only happens as a result of action.
You see things for what they really are, you know not to accept everything at face value (the news, the lies your family/friends and loved ones tell you) and you can see the bigger picture around you when seemingly no one else can. Being awake is trusting your instincts because you know instincts are a protection mechanism perfected by thousands of years of evolution, trusting your instincts is a crucial step in waking up.
Being awake is being free of the institution designed to keep you in a semi-conscious state. Pharmaceutical companies profit immensely off of keeping people in a half-awake state, if people truly knew that pharmaceutical companies are profiting off disease and sickness when in most cases the drugs in question are designed to keep you alive for as long as possible (therefore spending more money), but not cure you, you would see the world differently.
Coincidentally pharmaceutical companies are some of the largest government lobbyists. It's in their interest for the government and any other interest that might threaten their reality manipulation to keep you only awake enough just to breathe and function. This is why money exists, to control us and force us into a system where you either conform or miss out on the opportunities that modern society affords.
Finally and most importantly: to be awake is to realise that belief systems (religious, philosophical, political, ideological) are distractions and a tool of control. It is not a coincidence that belief systems are usually the source of conflict, every war that has taken place can be traced back to a belief system. Fighting over religion, fighting over what political party should be in power...).
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True self arises as ego dies. Therefore no dialogue (flow of meaning) ever exists between true self and ego.
The purest meaning of "awake" is "ego is dead".
Woodchuck Pirate
aka Raymond J Raupers Jr USA
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For me being awake is having perspective. Being aware of what is going on around you at a given moment. Its understanding the universe as it is, seeing the true love in nature and humans while not letting the system influence your judgement.
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"When you find balance you will know what it is to be awake."
The Last Sage
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In the simplest of simple definitions, awake is to be aware of one's surroundings.
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I can't tell you what it means to be awake but I can tell you that people who love claiming to be "woke", tend to be the least awake :)
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Nowadays the word Awake has two meanings. The normal definition, according to the oxford dictionary is, “Stop sleeping; wake from sleep” the urban dictionary says it is “the opposite of sleep”. but you are hinting on the other meaning. Awake, or being awake is internet slang, for people that think they now see trough the lies of the establishment. And their woken up. In dutch we would say it has become a “geuzennaam” that people tend to wear with pride. Personally think, being awake means a lot to different people nowadays. What is more important imho are the stories of how people got awake, this could be the critical mass we need, Because many people that say they are ‘woke’ are not.
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as long as you are connected with your soul you are awake
once you got disconnected ,you are just alive breathing and sleeping
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Many are the situations of life force you to wake up, and I do not speak of opening your eyes after a nap, in my case the country situation of my Venezuela woke me up in an abrupt way, it dawned suddenly for me, all my senses were revived in a way never before experienced, I must try to survive in a situation of chaos, I must protect and maintain my family, know that others depend on you makes you wake up, and literally, depend on me to eat, no matter what you wear or going out for a walk, every day is a struggle to get food and medicines, so a situation like the one I live in awakens you, you are alert, I have never felt this, even sleeping, I am awake, thinking that I am going to do the next day to solve In some way my situation, the truth, an emergency like this not only wakes you up, but also does not let you sleep ..
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