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We,The People, are not happy
15- Consciousness
Consciousness starts in the material world.
Consciousness starts when the newborn baby becomes aware of gravity. It happens long before he learns to walk. This reminder of the material world will be with him all his life.
We became conscious of the stars by looking at them. To this observation, we added thinking and energy and made telescopes. The use of telescopes increased our awareness of the stars. We started by observing nature and thought about what we saw. Consciousness feeds on thinking. We alternate between thinking and consciousness like we walk on two legs. Today, the purpose of education has shifted. Through his computer, the student has access to all the knowledge accumulated by humanity. The question for the student is: “What do you want to become conscious of?”
Consciousness and thinking help each other. Thinking increases our consciousness and a higher level of consciousness triggers more thinking. One question remains: Why did we wait so long to start walking on two legs?
Our consciousness may change.
Our life starts with some perception of our environment. We start with a vision of the world limited in a narrow range between red and violet. Thinking and experimentation made us discover the infra-red and the ultra-violet. They expanded our consciousness of the world. That was only the beginning. We also became conscious of electricity, microbes and particles so tiny that we will never be able to see them. Our conception is limited to their mass, their speed and their electrical charge. Our consciousness expands with our knowledge. Someday, a new experiment could reveal the presence of a different ‘thing’. This ‘thing’ sometimes acts like a particle… or two. Many concepts may have to change. The last development came with the discovery that our material world is only 5% of reality. After pushing the envelope of human consciousness, we may have reached the limits of the human brain.
Human history is a story of consciousness. Two thousand years ago, humans were members of a tribe or a small village in the forest. Later, they became aware of belonging to a country or a religion. Today, they identify with civilizations like “The East” or “The West.” They have not yet reached the point where they see themselves as Homo sapiens.
You can’t rely on dictionaries to get a clear definition of consciousness. You will not find anything better than this:
“Despite centuries of analyses, definitions, explanations, and debates by philosophers and scientists, consciousness remains puzzling and controversial, being at once the most familiar and most mysterious aspect of our lives. Perhaps the only widely agreed notion about the topic is the intuition that it exists. Opinions differ about what exactly needs to be studied and explained as consciousness.”
In other words:
“We don’t know. Use your imagination. You are trying to push the envelope. To be conscious of your consciousness is like trying to be aware of what you know. This is crazy. Don’t expect any help from the library”
Hypnotism
Anthony Galie is not a philosopher. He can help. He found a way to bypass consciousness by using people’s aptitude to visualize. He starts by placing a picture in the mind of the subject and transforms this picture into action. He could convince you that you are in the middle of the ocean pedaling on your bicycle. You get the impression that humans minds come in two parts like the crew of a ship. Before computers got control of everything, the crew of a ship had people above deck and people under deck. The people above deck were using the stars to decide of the speed and direction of the ship. People under deck executed orders. They kept the motor running at the right speed and the rudder in the desired position. Tell them to direct the ship to an iceberg, they will send the ship to the iceberg.
It seems that human consciousness comes in two parts. We have our “conscious mind” that relies on the messages received through our sense organs. It uses logic and demands proof. We also have our “subconscious”. It does not need proof. It follows instructions without a need for any justification.
What is interesting is the way hypnotists look at life in society. They say that we are hypnotizing ourselves between 60% and 70% of the time. We can be driving on the freeway and thinking about something else. We are on automatic pilot. Did you ever miss your turn off? Who was driving?
Go to a store and ask the clerk: "Do you have paint that can be used on an outside deck that is always in the shade?" Chances are that you will be asked to repeat the question. The clerk was somewhere else on automatic pilot. He needed time to come back. Start by saying "Good morning. What a beautiful day" and he will understand your question the first time. What could be our motivation to hypnotize ourselves 60% of the time? Could life be more enjoyable on the other side? Would it be possible that we want to include in our time awake some possibilities that we have during our sleep?
Advertising can use “subliminal advertising”. They insert a very brief message into their video. The idea is to introduce in your subconscious some ideas that you are not even conscious of. This practice is banned in most countries (but is still legal in the US).
Do you want to make a horror movie? Imagine that the Martians know how to bypass human consciousness. They have us under control. They treat us like a herd. They are using us like we use the cows. Sometimes they make humans fight one another and watch the fighting, just for fun, like we watch cock fighting. How could we blame them for treating the level below them like we are treating the level below us?
We should treat the levels below us like
we want to be treated by the level above us
We are living a time when countries are building fortresses to defend themselves. It is the same trend that we have found in our use of money. Our concern about the individual overcomes the concern about our society. Cooperation is better than isolation. A higher level of consciousness would bring more maturity.
Let’s keep in mind that we all come from the same Big Bang. The same atoms keep circulating between the trees, the oceans, and our bodies.
We have a ‘need to belong’. We need to be aware of other people. This goes beyond noticing their presence. It involves sharing their feelings, their joys, and their sorrows. This is where you find ideas, freedom, love, harmony and what is important in our lives.
After developing our level of consciousness in the physical world, we must explore the immaterial world. After learning to swim, we should venture to the deep end.
Can we increase our level of consciousness?
Our goal is to reach the 5th level above matter, plants, animals and humans. We started by using the material world and our sense organs. This is only the beginning. What is most important is in our soul. The next step could be to become aware of the influence that everyday life has on our soul. So far, this influence has been limited. We know that corruption is detrimental to the soul, but the body prevails. The material world is overwhelming. It keeps us turning around in Plato’s cave. Our center of gravity should be in our soul – not in our body.
The body realm is a good place to start
but not a place to stay.
This is where we hit a wall. From the time we get up to the time we fall asleep, we keep turning around our everyday material life. Our body is our jail. Our souls are in solitary confinement. That may satisfy a certain need for sadomasochism, but this is not a life purpose.
Our souls are in solitary confinement
