20/20 Consciousness

October 21, 2014
Photo Credit: kenteegardin via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: kenteegardin via Compfight cc

Consciousness

Websters:

a : the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself
b : the state or fact of being conscious of an external object, state, or fact
c : awareness; especially : concern for some social or political cause

So to simplify – Consciousness is Inner Awareness, External Awareness, and Concern for Others.

To me, the definition implies that to gain high levels of inner and external awareness and concern for others, requires increasing levels of knowledge, mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion.

The definition also implies increasing consciousness means increasing clarity, to see things as they really are.  A lower level of consciousness would imply lower levels of clarity, confusion, and an increased level of ignorance.

I’ve thought at times that your level of consciousness is similar to the results of an eye exam.  The optometrist will have you look through the machine and place various filters (lenses) in front of your eyes until you can see clearly.  Some people require more adjustment to get to 20/20, some people less.

So simple right, we all just need to get new “Consciousness Glasses” and move to 20/20.  The problem is that there isn’t a universally accepted definition of 20/20 consciousness among everyone in society at large.  In spiritual circles, yes.  Unity consciousness, Oneness, Non-Duality  – the concept that everything and everyone is part of one unified consciousness – is widely understood to be the end point when you arrive at pure consciousness.  It implies that there is no Self and Other, no Us and Them.

In Unity Consciousness you don’t Go to War, you Go to Love.

Because going to war, is attacking yourself.  Not something you would readily do if you had 20/20 consciousness.

What else wouldn’t we do if we had 20/20 Consciousness?

  • We wouldn’t be obsessed with winning and losing
  • We would move from “Self Service” to Service to Others
  • We wouldn’t allow others to suffer needlessly (poverty, homelessness, hunger)
  • We would not seek to benefit ourselves by harming others (or actively or passively supporting the harming of others –  through our business decisions, the sports we play and watch, and our purchasing and consumption decisions)
  • We would not support the harming of the Environment
  • We would not harm our own bodies through drugs, chemicals, over-stress, lack of exercise, and poor dietary choices

The list could go on and on, but as I’m sure you would agree, the level of clarity required to get to 20/20 consciousness is a high bar indeed.  And with that in mind, it would seem we have a Crisis of Consciousness in mega proportions.

Einstein was Right

Albert Einstein once said that “No problem can be solved with the same level of Consciousness that created it”.

So, asking the same people who got us into a mess is often a recipe for frustration.  Of course, people learn from mistakes and failure and increase their level of consciousness.  If that particular group managed to do that, then fine.  They’ll be able to clean up the mess.  If not, then well, you know…

Learning from mistakes and failure is the key.  But unfortunately, it’s very easy in our society to stay marinated in lower level consciousness for a long time.  Too many of us keep consuming the same level of low-consciousness books, television, music, and other media. We may think we are absorbing different things, but essentially it’s the same (or lower) level of consciousness just in different disguises.

Collective Consciousness or Collectively Unconscious?

Our individual consciousness when put together at a group level is the Collective Consciousness of a society, a country, and the world at large.  Just as at the individual level our thoughts are energy and what we think about we attract into our lives, at a group level the same holds true.  So if a state or country is composed of citizens operating at lower levels of consciousness, then it’s a problem for the whole group and it benefits all of us to help raise the consciousness of others.

When collective consciousness is low (substandard levels of knowledge, mindfulness, wisdom, and compassion), then both of these institutions break down and don’t deliver the results they are capable of delivering.  The more we can raise our own level of consciousness and help others raise theirs, the better these two pillars of society will function for all of us.

In a world which is totally made up of energy, how you interact with it can either raise your energy level or reduce it.

Lower consciousness is slower, denser, and less light than higher level consciousness.  Have you ever walked into a room, visited a town, or met someone and felt the energy around and inside of you go lower (or higher)?  Be aware of that next time you have the opportunity and listen to your instincts.  As you develop that awareness, you’ll find yourself seeking out people and places that are more in tune with the higher level of consciousness you crave.

So shine up the lenses on those Consciousness Glasses.  You’ll see the world with much more clarity, help others do the same, and in the process Change the World!

Here are a few resources to help you on the path:

~Jay Kshatri
www.ThinkSmarterWorld.com

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