Malware in the Conscious Operating System

We’ve all got some form of what I like to call “malware in the conscious operating system.” Malware as I use the term in this context equates to belief, which is like a computer virus or adware that infects a computer system and renders it less than optimal and only partially functioning in many ways. Some of our beliefs are very much like a virus as they are formed and seep into our conscious operating systems unconsciously. To understand this completely, we really need to look at these terms in a little more detail so we can clearly understand what is plainly right in front of us in terms of our daily existence. Until it’s called out, we are unaware of the existence of a thing. Without said awareness, the “malware” so-to-speak, lives on unfettered by understanding creating some interesting challenges for a soul to deal with. That isn’t bad or wrong, I’ll say. Keep in mind this is just a framework for understanding.

When we look at belief alone, we can begin to understand precisely what it means. In fact, dictionary.com defines it as:

noun

1. something believed; an opinion or conviction: a belief that the earth is flat.
2. confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof: a statement unworthy of belief.
3. confidence; faith; trust: a child's belief in his parents.
4. a religious tenet or tenets; religious creed or faith: the Christian belief.

A belief in a thing does not make it real or a fact. A very quick and simple example of this fact is our common belief for the sake of convenience that the sun rises and sets each day when in fact, it is the Earth that is turning. We might even think the world turns slowly when in fact the truth is that the Earth spins on its axis at the speed near the equator at approximately 1,070 miles per hour according to starryskies.com. So, we can believe the sun rises and sets all we want to or that the Earth turns slowly but we can see from the facts, that these things are not true. The beliefs are not real. We have come to believe the sun rises at sets or that the Earth turns slowly from things that we have read or been told by others who held these beliefs.

There is another term I have often used, “Environmental Psychology.” This term references the things, situations and influence of the outside world upon a person that leads to the forming of belief about one’s self, one’s life or life in general that has more of a psychological nature. Such things might include beliefs that we are worthy or unworthy, gifted or cursed, lucky or unlucky, lovable or unlovable and the list goes on. Again, our environmental psychology has shaped our beliefs about ourselves, other people and the world. But if our beliefs are not true and we’ve built the entirety of our lives upon a false premise in the form of belief or holding unconsciously to a belief created by environmental psychology, how might that affect our experience of life?

So above we have defined how our beliefs are formed. Let us get into the now and sit very comfortably with our new understanding for just a moment. How might this new information assist us in how we live our lives right here and right now? Well, it can help us in a great many of ways but we must first steer clear of any form of blame for the series of beliefs that we hold that limit us in any way. We’re going to start living in the now positively because that puts our power right where it belongs, in our own hands. So, let us be accountable for our beliefs because whether or not they were given to us or we formed them in response to environmental psychology, it is we who decide to continue to hold the belief or not. Right? Give that some thought. No one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to hold that thought from your childhood where you overheard Aunt Martha or Uncle Harry say to each other you were a "this kind of child" or a "that kind of child" that left you feeling either bad or good. Belief is not real. It is untested hypothesis.

Moving right along, we can unleash an anti-virus program for the Malware running in the background of our Human Consciousness Operating System in the form of belief given us by environmental psychology. But to do this, you must realize it will take effort, commitment, courage, tenacity and a little bit of reflection and critical analysis. You have to find the malware first before you can remove it. If you do not know it is there, you will never find its source and never be able to remove it successfully and will always resort to behaving as if old beliefs are facts. So, the simple way to find them is to look for them.
 

An easy way to spot them is to think about something that you really want right now in this moment. Go ahead, think about that for a moment. Have you got something in mind? Good. Hold that thought. Now, think about what in your mind prevents you from having what you want? Jot down all the reasons or rationales that have you believing that you cannot or do not have what you want. Continue until you have every possible reason whether real or not real, vetted and noted. Don't judge what you think, just write it down. Now, take a look at your list. I am willing to bet that there will be at least one if not many more life limiting beliefs representing themes of malware that you’ve lived with your entire life staring right back at you hidden quite conveniently in simple thoughts. 

Choose one of those thoughts on your list that you’d like to investigate further. Take that thought and ask yourself is the thought you chose real? Is the belief behind it real? Can you prove that it is real? How can you prove it is real without using an assumption and only dealing with independently verifiable facts that stand up to repeated testing with the same outcome? By critical thinking I mentioned above, I did not mean to think of yourself critically. I meant to start critically analyzing your beliefs with the rigor of a scientific researcher. Is that thought or belief true? How do you know? If you run across a belief on your list that cannot be independently verified as definitive truth or fact, I invite you to introduce yourself to your first piece of malware. Now, if you’d like to eradicate the malware you have to be willing to let go of the belief no matter what that means. Sometimes letting go of a belief can be simple and at other times it can be very difficult. Letting go of the idea of Santa Clause was not easy at first as a child now was it? Letting go of the idea of monsters under the bed also wasn’t easy but getting to the truth and dealing with reality is how we can set ourselves free from malware.  

You see, malware is a prison we commit ourselves to for many very good reasons but mostly due to lack of conscious understanding. You may have full understanding at the spiritual level and any malware you hold may be the very premise from which your greatest life lessons are learned. However, if you find at some point that your beliefs limit you in ways that you no longer desire, you can relinquish the beliefs that don’t bear out under the scrutiny of testing and in so doing you reveal to yourself the hiding place of the key that unlocks the door to your self-made prison cell.  
Do you remember I said earlier there was no right way or wrong way to learn life lessons? In this wonderful piece of wisdom from the Kybalion written by the Three Initiates early on in the last century, the following phrase comes: "Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law."--The Kybalion. There is cause and there is effect. Your beliefs create the path from which you learn about your life. If you find your lesson plan enjoyable, proceed without change. If you find it isn’t and you seek greater understanding, then look to your malware, beliefs and environmental psychology. The emerging patterns and themes will be your guide and will help you to understand you. It’s one tiny part of the reason you are here.  

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little bit of food for thought. If you'd like to learn more about this topic and how the concepts of it can help you remove the obstacles in your life that prevent your growth, let me know. I've got a book and workbook for you that can help you discover more about yourself called Exploring the Conscious Self. With the self-study guide book and work-book, you'll be well on your way to discovering a good many things about you that you may never have given thought to. If you're interested in more details, please contact me at jaiehart@gmail.com.  

  Dr. J.L. Harter, Editor see bio section for more information.

Tell Me Not About the Weather but How You Perceive It

The quality of light is slightly different at 6:45 am when it’s already 79 degrees Fahrenheit than on a day that has started out at say, maybe, 60 degrees or below, I’ve noticed.  I’m not sure why that is.  Certainly there must be some scientific explanation that might serve as suitable enough a description to satisfy an inquiring mind such as mine? 

Alas, however, I am not a scientist but a philosopher and it is not may way to grab hold of scientific knowledge to tout it about but rather to take it in if and only if it might serve in some way to improve or challenge my understanding of a thing.  To describe my sunny observation of these hot days I have to go into a method of using the words inside of my mind to attempt to convey the richness of the hues, the golden ever so slightly rosy tint of silver everything seems etched in on the early morning of a very hot day and realize this scene and its accompanying set of associated feelings is not something we all notice very often if at all.  I notice it only because I am an early riser and I see this on every very warm day.  Sometimes my perception is accompanied by a neutral nonchalance while at others, a fair bit of trepidation as my mind runs simulations of the days' potential events and future potential resulting feelings.

We’ve been unseasonably hot with much humidity of late in my part of the world but I’m not really here to talk about the weather.  I’m here to talk about the human condition and leading up to that moment when we encounter something we just simply think we can bear not even one more single moment of.  What then do we do?  I suppose our individual environmental psychology might take over then and dictate how we will handle ourselves when the weather is so hot and we’re not used to it.  For many of us, we’re likely to feel quite miserable and no doubt that misery is likely to be shared with all in even remote proximity is some way.  Perhaps we are grumpy and frowning or elated and joyful with the warmth?

Unfortunate or fortunate as that may seem there is something I wish to convey in order for you to consider.  No matter what we face here, life on Earth is tenuous at best. 

Our consciousness however, is not.  Many moons ago on a hot summer day I learned about consciousness in a different way and I’ll never forget what I learned.  The impact that learning had on my awareness has nagged me for nearly 20 years and so it is not so surprising I guess that I’m awake staring into the darkness, noticing the stars and the fact that it is still 79-80 degrees Fahrenheit at precisely 5:38 am and I’ve got a full day of yoga training ahead of me.

One thing I’ve noticed is that the mind is so very powerful as is our ability to perceive and make choices.  Although so much seems so involuntary, it isn’t.  Maybe we can’t instantaneously and miraculously change the weather in an instant but we can choose whether we feel good or horrible about it and in so doing, changing our experience and how the experience is written into the archives of the soul that bears witness to everything we experience here incarnate and beyond.  And through the soul peers the observer that holds nothing other than its drive towards existence in the absence of judgement…a curiosity or knowningness perhaps that regardless of heat or not, the individual is going to be okay no matter how he or she perceives, reacts or does not react to a thing or situation.   

When I look at the day ahead this way, It doesn’t much matter to  me whether it is hot or cold.  It matters to me that I learn to understand the data I take in consciously and sort out that taken in unconsciously and then choose my perceptions and experiences carefully.  I also think it is important that I consider well my own ability to help me see my own way home and I’m talking about the home inside of me no matter where I am or go or exist.  I exist.  Smiling at that, I leave you with wishes for a beautiful day.

  Dr. J.L. Harter, Editor see bio section for more information.

Pure Consciousness

Photo:  Jaie Hart

Many a philosopher or those with a pioneering spirit from many other disciplines might argue about the concept of what precisely consciousness is.  From each of their individual perspectives and disciplines they may all be right, they might be partially right or they may be all wrong.  To define a bit:

The dictionary meaning of the word consciousness extends through several centuries and associated cognate meanings which have ranged from formal definitions to somewhat more skeptical definitions. One formal definition indicating the range of these cognate meanings is given in Webster’s Third New International Dictionary stating that consciousness is: “(1) a. awareness or perception of an inward psychological or spiritual fact: intuitively perceived knowledge of something in one’s inner self. B. inward awareness of an external object, state, or fact. C: concerned awareness: INTEREST, CONCERN – often used with an attributive noun. (2): the state or activity that is characterized by sensation, emotion, volition, or thought: mind in the broadest possible sense: something in nature that is distinguished from the physical. (3): the totality in psychology of sensations, perceptions, ideas, attitudes and feelings of which an individual or a group is aware at any given time or within a particular time span – compare STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS.”

Spend any time researching the topic of consciousness and pretty soon you’ll find yourself half mad with theories, hypotheses and words like qualia and awareness and many philosophical ideas of what consciousness truly means from so many different angles.  Hundreds of papers have been written on consciousness and still we are no closer to pure understanding but maybe pure is part of something we might need to branch off into and along with "pure" add consciousness and create a new term to explore.  

What is pure consciousness?  Well, I believe that it is that state where you experience not one single thing else but consciousness.  There are no thoughts, no sensations, no input no matter what the mind throws up, you let it slip away as rain down the side of a mountain.  Pure consciousness is like a mountain and something far beyond it as it has no limits or boundaries or definition at all.  From a state of pure consciousness, none of this matters, has bearing on or impacts pure consciousness in the slightest. 

Unless you have experienced this state it is a little hard to explain other than as I have.  The only way I know of to get to a state of pure consciousness is through the practice of meditation and it takes much discipline and practice to get to that state of pure consciousness.  To be honest, I first experienced it during an NDE (Near Death Experience - story for another time).  Knowing what it feels like, I took up meditation again out of curiosity and a desire to explore an experience and it took so many years to see it again, I don’t even want to tell you.  But you can learn to get to it.  The question I ask is, even if you get there and even if you find it and become "enlightened" at the finding of it...“And, so?”

Why would we expend so much effort to project ourselves into a physical existence if all we want to do when we get here is spend all of our time in meditation to make this world disappear?  Didn’t we want to be here in the physical for a reason?  So why not then see it through and learn why it has the parameters it does.  Aren’t you at least a little curious why or how you come to be here? There must be a reason and I think that it must be your reason alone. I don’t wish to know the meaning of life right now.  I’m focused instead on the concept simply stated as "I am."  I can’t tell you what it’s for but it relates to a focus on consciousness.  I can point you to a teacher if you are curious (just let me know).  What I teach is part of consciousness but focused more on the day to day stuff but this topic is never ending and all consuming if you let it be that.

I believe that we are consciousness.  We are part of the great unknown…The All of Everything...The Great Mind...the Source…God….Goddess – choose your term but focus as you do on the feeling when you contemplate consciousness and say I Am.  I Am is complete all by itself.  It needs nothing else but I resist it.  I resist it and yet I experience it every night in meditation…a vast nothingness of pure void, black, dark, beautiful, peaceful and wonderful.  It’s funny having experienced a concept and then rejecting it on another hand but only in a way and maybe it is just semantics and there is no resistance at all but instead an alternative angle of understanding present that will morph into some other understanding that might entertain my psyche for a bit.  It doesn’t matter, none of this matters. Being everywhere and nowhere and understanding what that means in terms of consciousness – now that is priceless.

This may make no sense from the outside looking in.  But if you cut off the outside entirely, breathe slowly and deeply, let your thoughts slide away like rain down the side of a mountain, you might understand what I mean.  In the stillness and quiet we taste a bit of who and what we are.  What does that matter?  I don’t know that it does other than to help you understand that you are more than flesh, bones, brain and a bundle of nerves.  You are that too but so much more.  Add emotion and you have the perfect storm of wonder that humanity is.  It’s truly beautiful.  You are truly beautiful.  Our consciousness from whatever angle for whatever purpose we design is amazing regardless of who is right, wrong or somewhere in between.

Source:

 http://dreamintime.blogspot.com/2015/12/pure-consciousness.html

  Dr. J.L. Harter, Editor see bio section for more information.

Understanding Embodiment: Advancing Towards a Lesser Body and More Soul

Abstract

The nature of the soul is attribute-less and boundless. To experience its true potential, the dimensionless soul manifests itself in the physical dimension as a body. Materialism originates with the creation of the body as it grows around the soul and in the process of forming, enchants the soul with its materialistic conducts. The soul has the ability to materialize and dematerialize into bodily forms as per will, but such an entropic amendment may change the true essence of bodily life. The avarice for materialistic needs mutilates the body physically and mentally, and unshackles the soul; for as we grow in our materialistic conducts, the body and its senses endure this burden, gradually progressing towards a lesser body and more soul.   

Keywords

Body, Soul, Materialism, Disembodiment

   

Positing the Experience of Disembodiment

Disembodiment or dissociation is a state when the body loses consciousness only to experience the limitless true experience in another world; where thoughts flow with no restrictions; for there are no bodily features, but oneness with creation. Conscious disembodiment is the body’s expression of freedom to experience the elusive soul. We are conscious to the limit of our body, beyond which consciousness does not exist; it is a pure energy with forces and senses beyond those that can be only germane to the body.  In the physical world, a material body gives rise to a non-material shadow, but the laws of the other world could be different; hence one can think of the material body as the shadow of the non-material soul. As this bodily attachment grows, our physical desires get deeply rooted within the egotism and sense pleasures of the bodily self, where the compulsion of materialism through our senses overpowers the exquisiteness of the soul.

Soul loves to experience the freedom from the known, so it prefers to impound its own self as the body. The physical body is like a piece of cloth that wraps the soul and is acquired as we develop from a unicellular to multi-cellular being; it’s a cover-up for the true self that resides within us. Death is a mere dropping off of the body that has accumulated over a period of time to release the self. For the survival of the body we need the soul that thinks and collates information processed by organized structures like the brain; which can be retrieved so long it stays connected. We are not what we think we are; for we are beyond the body and its senses. We vibrate not with the body but without the body and through these vibrations we perceive all that is around us; we resonate. Be it the brain or the body, they are mediums that help us understand the meaning of bodily life just like the God’s of the countless religions that act as mediums in spiritual life.

If our true self is what we ultimately are, then why do we procure a body that needs to be shed with age? Why can’t we always be our true selves? Why should the body need to bear pain? Creation abides the laws of nature and so everything needs to be transformed from one form to another. This transformation is what creates the body to shape the soul; for the soul has no shape without the body. Just like egoism, materialism is the price we need to pay for this entropic change which commences with the creation of the body; for the body gathers from the exterior as it grows around the soul and in the process of forming, enchants the soul with its materialistic ways; thus the feeling of death always seems like a loss. A glimpse into what lies beyond death sets in a realization of what we truly are, this can change in our approach towards the death of our bodily self. 
 

We must realize that everything that happens around us is needed, and does not happen without a cause; for we are the cause and pain for our own bodily life. Similarly everything that we are made up of is made for a reason; a small change in this design can result in the loss of the body and liberation of the soul. The body clings to the soul and forms a bond that seems unbreakable; breaking such a bond is difficult for the body but not for the soul. Without the body the soul bears no shape, but with the body the soul takes shape of the body. So long the shape of the body remains intact the shape of the soul retains; for a detached soul will stay alongside a body until the body is completely blemished mentally and physically, which is when the release or dispersal takes place.

The growth of the body depends on what it gathers during its survival, but the soul only sustains itself; for it is unchangeable and unlimited. To experience its true potential, the dimensionless soul manifests itself in the physical dimension as a body. It crafts a phenomenon called the mind to identify and experience itself. Even though the soul knows that the experience is limited by the senses of the body; it craves to perceive its boundless and vast nature from the bounded envelop and glimpse into state of attribute-less through the attributed doorways of the body. Thus the mind is linked to the body, thinks for the body, but when the soul is out of the body, the mind can think no more; for the liberation of the soul is liberation of thoughts created through materialistic needs and beliefs. The soul when with the body vibrates at frequencies that build connections with one another and with the universe. Upon dropping the body, the frequency of the soul blends with the frequency of the universe, making us resonant beings. 

Fate of Being Embodied

In today’s world, the greed for materialist needs has led to the liberation of many souls, but has hurt and mutilated the bodies of many. A body of a child that has partially grown over its soul and with its mind gradually maturing; ready to understand and explore the beauty of this world, can be shattered in no time. The shape of the body can be ruined to a state where even the soul may weep for the body; where being conscious does not feel magical, but feels like a curse.

This 5 year old boy never expected his body to be mutilated in such a manner; he never meant to have memories that cannot be wiped away easily. At the age of 5, his body is growing and so is his brain, this is the age he needs to play, explore, understand, and most importantly smile. But in a flash of a second, an airstrike destroys him within and puts him in a state of shock where he is neither conscious nor unconscious; a state where you don’t know whether to smile or not to smile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZw3VpGPqM4   Video credit: News Today’s Trending

“They may torture my body but my soul will stay unhurt; for their materialistic needs cannot last forever; someday these needs will perish to the real"

“There will be a time when my vibrations will be felt and appreciated; my awareness will flow beyond limits; this is when I will truly smile”. 

Why be in a body when being out of it is so beautiful and peaceful? Why is the embodied state so materialistic driven? Is there so much happiness in materialism, that the soul is forgotten? To be embodied in today’s world means to experience pain mentally and physically especially with the ones that hurt the most. The soul watches the body beyond its senses and the bodily limitations of time and space and asks “Why am I in this body?”

“Disembodied, I shall be free of misery that my body is facing; for in this instance my clothes have been torn of my soul and as time goes by they will be ripped further to release my soul.”

Towards Less Body and More Soul

The world is gradually becoming dark with destruction. Death at all stages occurs across the globe as the killing continues and the greed for materialistic needs progresses. Bodies are growing and bodies are perishing. Every now and then, souls are liberated and souls are clothed, and with this change the body is losing its identity, its vigour; for someday the body may be more soul than the body itself. The soul has the ability to materialize and dematerialize into bodily forms as per will; such an irreversible entropic change may change the true existence of life. The avarice for materialistic needs mutilates the body physically and mentally, and unshackles the soul; for as we grow in our materialistic ways, the body and its senses will need to bear this excessive burden as we gradually progress towards a lesser body and more soul.     

---

Dr. Contzen Pereira

Independent Scholar, Mumbai, India

Corresponding Author. Address: Nandadeep, 302, Tarun Bharat Soc, Chakala, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400 099, India. Tel: +919819642456, +912266750530 Email Address: contzen@rediffmail.com, contzen@gmail.com

  

J. Shashi Kiran Reddy

jumpal_shashi@yahoo.com (and) jumpalreddy@jncasr.ac.in

M.S (Engg) Research student, EMU, JNCASR, Bangalore.

   

Consciousness As Yet Undefined

I stepped out and away from really big thoughts for quite a while.  I guess I needed a break for a bit.  But, lately consciousness as a topic of thought calls from that precious place I left it some time ago and it tells me I’m not done yet.  Have you any idea the frustration this causes or why?  There have been over 200 papers written on the topic of consciousness and yet, we are still unable to pin point exactly where it begins and ends. The theories are abundant.  Some are very outlandish and some seem so rational and logical.  I cannot help but wonder though, if it remains truly illusive because we are looking for it with the wrong perspective and possibly, the wrong equipment.

What if consciousness is a type of energy field pervasive in its existence to the point it cannot be defined in terms of beginnings and endings?  What if it is such an intrinsic part of this world we experience that we will be unable to differentiate it coming from the mind or soul because both are a part of consciousness?  If we raise ourselves up to the consciousness of spirit and beyond, we still could not define its borders because we cannot get outside of it in order to fully look at it.  We have a word or a concept that carries multiple meanings only because we have no words to define the fullness of the essence of the infinite.

I had to stop looking it this for a while.  I had to cut myself off from thinking about it.  Not because it was a problem I couldn’t solve or it was frustrating or anything like that.  I had to stop looking at it to reconnect with it in a better light.  It has been a stressful year for me in so many ways I just won’t bore you with.  But that stress has been the impetus for my return to aware consciousness.  I think, sometimes, we need something painful to bring us back to the center of our being where there is peace, there is comfort and there is this vast and depthless expanse of pure consciousness we are always engaged with, plugged into and a very focal part of.

I guess in all my inquiry about consciousness, contemplating all the theories, I guess I have to smile and say “Yes” all are not only plausible but likely in some way.  There is no mind over soul over body here in terms of origins.  I think the reality would be much closer to a “yes” to quite possibly all theories.  I have no scientific proof but you see, science cant really measure it from the inside.  It hasn’t got the proper tools or the right perspectives yet to see itself from the inside.  It would be like a fish trying to formulate the existence of the ocean?  What would that be to a fish?  It is in it and so how could it be defined properly?  What framework would the fish use?  You might have to catch glimpses where you could step outside of consciousness but I ask you, how on Earth would you do that?  How in any realm could you do that?

I like to think of us all as interactive processors in a way.  We take in data at various frequencies, process that data and put out a world view that suits us but realize that output is dependent upon our processing equipment.  Not all of us process data in the same manner and even if we are comprised of similar components, the way we were put together creates many and varied ways in which we see, process and output information into the realities that we embrace.  No two processors (humans) are fully alike and each will have his areas of focus based on how he or she was created (and I’m including here genetic memes and psychology as well as environmental psychology and social impact upon our development).  So, within consciousness, how do we see consciousness when we are actually processors of consciousness?  I don’t have the answers.  I, like many others, only have questions. 

At some level, I think I can accept the concept of being conscious, in a sea of consciousness, I consciously interpret to exist within a larger global shared consciousness.  At first this sounded so silly to me but then I stepped back, stopped thinking about it so much and it became more clear to me.  What purpose would it serve for me or anyone to define the indefinable at this point in our human-conscious development?  In this frame and within this plane of existence at this time, I do not think we have yet developed the right equipment, thought processes or perceptive ability to definitively articulate what precisely consciousness is.  Clever as we may be, the best we can hope for, I think, is to define aspects of it and maybe coin some better words to contain the aspects we define…like Spirit, Soul, Sub-Conscious, Latent Consciousness and Awake/Aware Consciousness.  But those are merely points on a spectrum that is really not limited to just the points.  What about the whole plane?  What about the other planes?

I’m more content today knowing I don’t have the tools to do a job I somehow started to take on without realizing it.  Rather than drive myself mad, I am happy to look for the right tools to begin to define component parts, go back to the studies and reread them, go back to the world of rich, beautiful and amazing experiences within the global consciousness and allow what is to manifest to, well, manifest with much greater ease and much less intense thinking on at least this topic in particular.  Because we exist to process and respond to what we both take in and put out, we bring naturally, this space-time continuum into the mix of consciousness.  We are the crossroads or culmination of time and space and the consciousness that keeps these things dimensionaly in tact in our experience.  Hmmm, more thoughts to come.

 

© 2016 JL Harter (Photo: http://www.wallpaperhi.com)

 Dr. J.L. Harter, Editor see bio section for more information.

Consciousness, Breath and the Perceptions of Experience

It takes great restraint to contain oneself to the boundaries of just this present moment.  The mind rebels and fights to reach backwards and forwards in time.  It’s so funny how that works.  It takes some understanding of the mind to know that it prefers to be anywhere else but here in the present.  It also takes a great deal of awareness to understand when the mind is leaving the present and weaving its way back and forth into former and potentially alternative future realities.  We are just wired for safety and security seeking.  In a world as crazy as ours with humans at a full spectrum of development and also, lets be realistic, seeming lack of development who seem to plunge helplessly into the darker parts of existence, it is difficult not to worry or move ahead, compare to the experience and see where we are and if we can feel safe.

But what is feeling safe?  How do we know if that is real?  How do we know that not being safe is real?  One could argue that whatever is perceived is the only reality there is but is that sufficient enough an argument to make it true in terms of the totality of reality?  I don’t think we can say that with certainty and yet at the same time, I fully understand how it is that we just cannot ignore the perceptions of our experience.  It just seems so very real.  But then, I cannot help but ask, “Why are we wired like this?”  You see, I believe that we are perfectly designed to our tasks and that it is quite possible that we misunderstand just how big of a game we are participating in.  How do we know what is real, what is perception, what has been horribly skewed through the filters of our own psychology and what stands independent with 100 percent certainty?

The theories are abundant, vastly different and some so very similar.  I’ve read them, taken them in, tried them on to see how they feel and every time the only thing I can say with 100 percent certainty is “that may be possible.”  I’m not so naïve as to proclaim that the reality I see is real because I perceive it because I know that is not necessarily true.  And, I know that isn’t necessarily true because I understand the unreliability of perception.  One tiny example from among a million might be the application of something very cold to the skin that gives the perception of burning.  But burning in our common understanding requires heat.  There is no heat in icy cold. There is, however, sensation and there are certain hot and cold sensations that occur at such a degree that they seem similar but in reality they are not.  You can take two individuals and put them on a city street.  One person may thrive in the moment feeling the exciting energy of city life, the hustle and bustle of their present surrounds exclaiming they love the city and its splendor.  Another soul may take in the very same scene and proclaim it horrendously noisy, dirty, crowded and energy draining.  Who would be right?  If perception can be considered the truth then one must deal with the idea that one person’s perception over anothers is correct and the rest of us are faulty and wrong incapable of the right perception.  How many arguments would we put to rest of everyone understood that perception was unique to the perceiver and to argue over it with another who perceives is a ridiculous waste of energy?

There seems to be an interesting challenge when we try to label a thing with certainty.  Is a table a table?  What if someone experiences it as something else?  Is an experience invalidated by a different experience?  We can contemplate these inquiries and come up with all sorts of answers that we might term plausible or implausible but I don’t think we can come to certainty for everyone equally.  So, to me that means our experience, our perception and everything we take in is very unique to the make up of our person or being.  Maybe we are like a computer processor that merely takes in information and processes based only upon that data we are able or willing to recognize but not necessarily with the ability to fully contextualize reality.  So, how do we feel safe and secure in that?

If you can close your eyes and calm your thoughts by merely focusing upon the breath as it comes in and then out, over and over again, you begin to move into something not dependent upon labels to exist.  There is a void at the top and bottom of each breath.  That space is not dependent upon experience and everyone has this space whether long or short equally – that pause between breathing in and breathing out.  That is one thing that is definitively consistent across living humanity in that it exists independent of our thought about it or not.  That tiny little span between the in breath and the out breath or the out breath and the in breath is something spectacular.  In that tiny little moment, I think that we can free ourselves from the concerns or worry about any perception or experience we consider ourselves to have taken into our processing systems for the seeming span of our lives.  In that tiny little pause lies the totality of our existence not jaded by experience or tainted by sketchy perception.  It exists until we no longer are physically existing and then, seemingly, we move into the space of that pause.  From there, I cannot say what happens as I’m only there fleetingly with every breath.  In between my last breath when my heart stopped many years ago and the first breath when they brought me back, I was in a place I cannot define, or label or even fully describe other than it was eerily similar to that pause between breaths with eyes closed.  Words are meaningless to define what was more of a feeling.

It made me more curious about life and less afraid of death and I suppose in that, there was a bit of safety and security because it meant no matter what happened in my life, through my perceptions and my experience I judged only to determine safety and security.  I will wonder about that some more as these thoughts develop more into understanding.  I share them now only as more food for thought.  So, can we attain safety and security?  I think yes in fleeting moments and the rest of our lives will likely be wavering between other moments and challenges that compel us to continue seeking that safety and security.  I guess, that is the way we learn.  Fear and complacency or boredom creates in us the need for change to get to a place where fear, complacency or boredom no longer need to exist but these sensations or observations are so different for all.  So, we have this wealth of life on planet Earth with so very many different situations to create experiences to get us to move into a space of safety and security or even for some, the opposite.  I’ll stop before I dive into another tangent about psychology and drivers. 

Consider spending some time noticing those moments in between the breath.  What do you observe?  How do you feel about it?  What is different about it compared to your daily existence?  What you notice is something truly shared by all physical beings, how does that make you feel?  There are many things we can explore and the beauty of life is that we are given that.  I seek to bring understanding to life so that we can live better no matter what we perceive, so that we might understand each other better no matter what our experience.  So, we breathe. The safety and security will be left to what we allow ourselves to perceive.

Rev. J.L. Harter, Ph.D. (Editor/Contributor)  See Bio section for more information.

A Narrative First-Person/Third-Person Experience and Six Mugs of Beer

Abstract

This paper provides a first-person (me) and a third-person’s experience (colleague) of me while drinking six mugs of beer. It is an attempt to describe the experience commencing with the first sip and ending with the last sip of beer from a first-person (my) perspective and a third-person’s perspective. The third-person’s perspective here is purely based on the observation of my behaviour which has been narrated in third-person by my colleague. The observation of this study indicate that there is a substantial sever between my personal conscious first-person experience when compared to a third-person’s experience of me, that can lead to contradictory conjectures when contrasted.

Key Words

First-Person, Third-Person, Beer, Consciousness, Experience

It was a warm and sunny afternoon and to gratify ourselves we decided to go out for a drink. My colleague does not drink alcohol, but has always accompanied me when I do so; for he considers it as his recreational time. He loves sipping on juices or mocktails and is happy with the place if the music and the ambience are fine. It was 4 o’clock and it was hot and humid and therefore we ended up at a nearby pub. To our surprise when we reached the pub we got to know that it was happy hours. Happy hours are usually kept during odd hours of the day, and during this period a customer gets another drink absolutely free. After bearing the sweltering heat outside we were all eager to plunge into our drinks.

My First-person experience

I had already decided that I would drink beer today, while my colleague decided to sip on a mocktail. Since I had walked down in the afternoon heat, I was eager to see my first mug of beer. That golden sparkling drink and its ability to quench my thirst, was all that was running through my head and the thought itself was making me drool. As the bartender placed the mug of beer in front of me, my eyes twinkled and I sat up erect; I was eager to take my first sip and I could resist no more. In a flash, I picked up my mug, said a loud ‘cheers’ and sipped it. With the first sip I felt my body go numb; the experience of my vanishing thirst was out of this world. I felt a tingling sensation on my tongue; my taste buds were all soaked with beer and were waiting for my next sip. I felt my mind getting empty, all my thoughts seemed far away; I was relaxed. I threw a smile at my colleague and in the next sip, my mug was empty. Wow!! I felt the beer roll down all through my gullet and fill my stomach; it felt like the experience of gushing water during the first rain. The fragrance of the beer had filled the air; I felt as if I was sitting in a bathing tub filled with beer. Would water have had the same feeling, on a sunny day like this? I guess not, water would have only quenched my thirst, but the beer was doing something more. I was not high; I usually have a good hold on my capacity while drinking beer, especially when it is draught beer or stout beer, variable to the state of my mind.

The experience was blissful; I felt pleasant as we chatted about work and life. In no time I summoned for another mug of beer. The beer came but since I felt a bit full I decided to take a break; I waited until my colleague finished his first round of mocktails, even though he told me to go-ahead. The taste of the beer changed from the unusual bitter taste to a sweet taste by the third round; it surged with no restriction. I had now begun to feel light-headed as everything around me slowed down, in fact my colleague’s voice seemed farther away than usual; it was getting a bit hard to hear him with all that loud music around us. Strangely in the beginning the music was pleasant but slowly got louder; definitely there was some effect due to the beer, but I felt strange. My body had somehow cooled-off completely, the feeling was getting better and better; I had all the time in the world for I was aware about the next three rounds of beer waiting to be consumed. Was I in an altered state of mind? Didn’t seem like, as I was completely aware of my surrounding; I was definitely conscious and was aware of what I was speaking and doing; I was convinced I was not drunk but I decided to slow down. The music was really loud now but somehow it relaxed my nerves; the feeling was good and then all of a sudden I felt the urge to pee.

All that beer inside me, had made my bladder full, my liver was definitely going berserk with all that alcohol that it had to detoxify. That washroom visit was a relaxation; a wonderful experience; maybe not for many but for me it was ‘the’ experience. After all the beer had been washed out of my system, I was all ready to gulp down some more. My stomach felt light, but my body felt restless; in all this there was some kind of congeniality that prevailed. The experience of this niceness was unknowingly superlative; I am sure it may differ from person to person and during the different states of mind, but at this moment the experience for me was excellent. The next three rounds were completely different from the first three rounds wherein every sip of the beer was making me feel heavy and lethargic. I was not sloshed, I was fully aware of what was happening around me; the music seemed fine, but there was something else that I was doing which I did not realize until I paid attention to it. I was being disconcertingly observant; everything around me just seemed clear and bright; it seemed beyond my actual consciousness. I was extra vigilant; I kept looking around; listening attentively to the music that was playing louder than before; drinking my beer; simultaneously talking to my colleague; laughing, suggesting, analysing, etc. everything seemed to go on concurrently. It felt as if I was in some unknown place multi-tasking effortlessly; and there definitely was not scope of getting tired. Was it the beer? Was it my mind? Why was everything moving so rapidly? I knew that I was not drunk, because I stood up and walked to the washroom; I had to pee again.

The experience after the pee remained the same, there was no change; blissful. The beers were over and it was time to go home. As we discussed and paid the bill, my colleague kept giving me this stare as if I was an alien from another planet. I decided not to ask, as it seemed like I would end up in an indefinable situation. As we stood up and walked out of the pub, I experienced a sense of satisfaction and content; the feeling was good and my thirst was quenched; but I was not drunk. I bid my colleague a good bye and thanked him for his company; I walked back home pleased of the experience.

 A Third-person’s Experience of Me

As we sat at the bar table waiting for Contzen’s beer to come and of course my mocktail, I noticed that his behaviour was a bit different today, he was a bit side-tracked or unfocussed. Maybe it was the heat, as it was very hot and humid outside and we had walked all the way to the bar. The bartender placed the mug of beer in front of Contzen and the mocktail saying that we were lucky to have come during happy hours and therefore we were entitled to get an additional drink free. As soon as the bartender left, I noticed the expression on Contzen’s face change; he seemed all happy about the offer and suggested that we stay for a couple of drinks rather than just a few. At that very moment I was convinced that it was definitely the heat that had affected his behaviour and I was hoping it would change. It was not the first time I was with drinking with Contzen, we have had many good times together and he is always good company. As a person, I always believe in giving some breathing space to an individual and therefore I was not keen to know why was he behaving in that manner. Today he did seem in a state of despair, which was evident in his eagerness to drink; it was something that I had never experienced before. Maybe he was drinking beer after a long time and so the pining was visible in his expressions and behaviour.

As soon as the beer was served, Contzen grabbed his mug, shouted out a loud ‘cheers’ and took a really big sip. It felt as if he was distraughtly waiting to drink that beer. At that very moment a thought ran through my mind, why is he behaving so desperate for beer? Has he become an alcoholic? Is the beer important or is meeting up with me important? Nevertheless, I have known Contzen for quite some time now; maybe today is a bad day for him, so I will pull along. My mocktail was great and refreshing, so much so that I had forgotten about the heat outside and was in a relaxed state of mind. Contzen’s behaviour began to change once he had finished his first mug of beer. He kept smiling for no reason, laughed unnecessarily and started speaking a bit louder; but he didn’t seem drunk. I know him; he doesn’t get drunk so easily. Maybe all that was playing on his mind was the reason his mood was changing. I too have a lot of problems in life, but whenever I go out for a drink with a friend I keep them aside, so that it doesn’t come in my way and spoil the meet. Was Contzen’s behaviour annoying? It definitely was not, but for sure it was strange.

An opinion can differ from person to person and therefore behaviours can sometimes change based on one’s present thoughts; this maybe the reason I was noticing Contzen’s mood change as he kept drinking his beer. Contzen was on a drinking spree today, before even the mug of beer was over, he would ask for the next one. Then all of a sudden he stood up and asked me the direction to the washroom. He seemed a bit shaky as he walked towards the washroom but he was not drunk, I guess he was aware of what he was doing as it didn’t seem like he needed help. As he walked back he had this impish smile on his face, as if he had met someone and was about to share the conversation with me; but to my surprise he came back and sat down on his seat; but never spoke. He was already three mugs down and had the next three mugs to go; all thanks to happy hours. Post his return from the washroom, Contzen seemed a bit different, he kept smiling all the while but seemed serener and stiller. Did he puke? Was he high? Was he feeling sick? Should we stop and just go home? These were some of thoughts that ran through my head, but something kept telling me he was okay and there was no need for me to be worried.

The next round of beers came and Contzen confidently pick up his mug, clicked it to my glass and drank with no hesitation; I was relieved. But the thought kept coming to my mind that there was a change in his behaviour, so I decided to keep a watch over his drinking. His drinking pace had slowed down considerably after the fifth mug and now I was getting worried, but fortunately the look on his face was not alarming. When he was on his sixth round, I started to notice that he was getting a bit restless; he kept looking around as if he was searching for someone; he had kind of lost focus. What was going on in his mind? He stood up several times and sat down and when I asked him what was wrong, he just smiled. I was done with my mocktails and I definitely couldn’t drink anymore, so I just sat and watched him drink his last mug of beer.  He seemed drunk but in the next moment he was up and walking towards the washroom again. I observed him as he walked to the washroom; there were no signs of shaking or tottering; he was fine.

When he came back there was still that subtle smile on his face; it was definitely an experience to be observed for I did not know what was going on in his mind at that moment that made him smile like that. He stood there and asked me whether we should settle the bill and then move back home. We settled the bill and walked out of the pub; I kept observing his gait and his moves just to be sure that he was okay to walk back home. He looked at me smiled again and assured me that he was fine and not drunk and could walk back home.

Conclusion

A third-person’s perspective is usually based on behavioural observations which may or may not be the first-person’s experience, as observed in this study. A first-person’s experience is always unique to the individual experiencing it and therefore can be misinterpreted by an observer. The human mind is capable of analysing the mind of the other but to a limit of what is observed; what is perceived and the way it is interpreted by the knowledge acquiring processes. Drinking beer is an experience of its kind and therefore it was chosen to explain the experience from a first-person and third-person perspective.

Acknowledgement

I would like to thank my colleague who unfortunately has decided to stay anonymous in this paper, for providing me with the third-person experience and for being a great and wonderful drink buddy. 

Contzen Pereira, Independent Scholar, Mumbai, India

Corresponding Author. Address: Nandadeep, 302, Tarun Bharat Soc, Chakala, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400 099, India. Tel: +919819642456, +912266750530

Email Address: contzen@rediffmail.com, contzen@gmail.com