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My short answer is no. But, hang on, let me explain.
To start with, let’s talk about levels of consciousness. As we discussed in last week's session at The School of Philosophy in Cape Town, we generally live in 5 levels of consciousness:
- Higher consciousness
- Fully awake
- Waking sleep
- Dreaming
- Deep sleep
If you’re anything like me, you’re spending a large portion of your day in a ‘waking sleep’ state - in traffic or at work. In this state, we are living in our heads and are out of touch with our senses and reality. When we move into a ‘fully awake’ state, we are usually doing something we enjoy or are engaging with others/an activity. While I strive to limit the time I spend in ‘waking sleep’ and rather live life fully awake, I hope to also spend more and more moments in a state of higher consciousness.
There are a couple of characteristics which separate higher consciousness from a fully awake state: a sense of unity with all and everything, peacefulness and stillness. Now, tell me how often do you feel these three elements collectively in one moment? If your life is busy, I’m assuming it’s not too often. When I do focus on getting myself into this state, I have felt an overwhelming sense of empathy with the world. And after slipping back into a fully an awake state, I have felt a great sense of sadness about the chaos and suffering in our world.
Therefore, I want to say that the way in which we are going to find value and answers, whether this is focused towards our social issues, the animal cruelty on many of our farms or the issue of deforestation, is through higher consciousness and the fully awake state - both of which we rarely live in. I can’t speak for you, but I certainly get on with my day, doing and being things that if I think back on, I’m not particularly proud of. So, I’m making a point of encouraging more stillness, awareness and empathy in my daily life.
Back to my original question: Can I find higher consciousness within myself as an individual? My answer is no, since a characteristic of higher consciousness is the feeling of unity with all. All people, all animals and all of nature.
Let me know if you agree with me. And I’ll ask you this: how would you see our world changing if more people were able to and were choosing to live in a state of higher consciousness?
States of minds, to me, can't have distinct lines drawn around them. They blend in with one another, giving different views on things. Labeling them can prove to show that my "definition" isn't your "definition".
Using your different states of mind to look at things from a myriad of perspectives let's you see things as a whole, however I would consider it a "whole" only to your own view. I digress.
If the human consciousness as a whole, every single person on this planet could utilize this super computer in their heads to see things from more than a handful of stubborn perspectives, we may just possibly progress to a new way of living and interacting with the environment.
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Thank you for your contribution!
I will definitely agree with your point that the different states of mind/levels of consciousness which I have outlined here are certainly on a spectrum. I am maybe doing an injustice by simplifying it like I have.
I also see great value in the culmination of these perspectives in the space of rational thought. However, I believe that the state of higher consciousness must be excluded from this. As you may agree, we cannot 'think' ourselves into a state of higher consciousness, since I believe it to be a state in which the egoic mind cannot be present.
The point that I am attempting to illustrate is the vital role which our higher consciousness plays in our progress towards a new way of living and interacting with the environment. While I can imagine that the use of a 'super computer' mind would be greatly beneficial in many spheres of our existence, I think that this is limited to spheres of rational thought. As I stated earlier, high consciousness cannot be included amongst these spheres.
I am, therefore arguing that we cannot use rationality to connect with our environment. Yes, it is obviously a vital part of our interaction with it, but the original connection is achieved in a place of peace, stillness and as you said, unity found among all that is human consciousness. In fact, I expand this consciousness to include that which energises all life forms, including animals and our natural environment.
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I have come to think of a non-ego mind as one that doesn't process the senses. To not be bound by earthly senses, almost like a disconnected body. I've experienced that once while using lsd, I thought my physical body seized to exist. From that it was like I was trapped in my mind, however trapped would be a horribly inaccurate way to describe the experience. Once broken from the bonds of my body my mind escaped into a world of one-ness, a wonderful experience of almost existing everywhere, being everything, knowing so much at the same time. I constantly aim for that level of conciousness when I meditate, but I have yet to reach it.
I find it to be more of a feeling than a logical process. Heightened empathy let's you almost feel as others feel. My house full of plants changed the setting to a calm embrace. They're alive and I know it, I can feel it. The love for a dog, no matter how vicious it may be, comes from a connection deep in the mind; Not a logical deduction but a feeling of life.
I sometimes question if others have had their empathy drop from under use. The 9-5 grind can take its toll; I once felt it, like a piece of my being missing. You can always reconnect what has fallen to a sleeping hum, but its the choice to do so and continuing to work at it that brings it back.
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I think we're on the same page in terms of using meditation to connect with that 'one-ness' or higher consciousness. I have only experienced it once. Its occurrence was random and fleeting, as fear rooted me back in my ego once again.
I agree with your thoughts and believe that one of the greatest issues regarding our western society is the fact that it steers us away from this awareness instead of encouraging it. While it is through work that this awareness is achieved, people aren't even aware that they are capable of it or what value it could bring to life, individual and universal.
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