“Only the consciousness of a purpose that is mightier than any man and worthy of all men can fortify, inspire and compose the souls of men.” — Walter Lippman
Becoming conscious is a process and not a destination, which embraces responsive awareness with intention, environment, existence, sensation and thought. Consciousness coupled with cognition which is the ability to acquire knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, perception and judgment, broadens the spectrum of immediate awareness. John Searle put it another way, “Where conscious subjectivity is concerned, there is no distinction between the observation and the thing observed.”
What keeps you from becoming conscious? It’s not something you put off when it is more convenient for your schedule or timetable. When you begin to observe yourself through the most minute distinctions, the journey ignites and there is no turning back. That time is different for everyone, and once this occurs the process unfolds before you when you engage in listening as Rumi states, “Since in order to speak one must first listen, learn to speak by listening.”
Cognitive skills become a part of the conscious skill set, when using the ability to acquire knowledge is combined with your reasoning, intuition, perception, thought and judgment. Only you know when you’re ready, it is not something you sign up for and attend as an add-on class or course for extra credit. This isen’t for the short term, rather it’s a life-course implemented for the balance of your existence. Looking at this differently as Gandi stated, “In a gentle way, you can shake the world.” Absolutely true, and I would add . . . you first need to shake your conscious self, and the rest follows through a conscious choice of will.
As a nation we celebrate freedom today, our men and women serving in the military, sacrifice every minute of every day for their conscious belief in our way of life and they are cognitive of what it may cost them . . . their families, friends and loved ones. And yet they make that conscious cognitive choice to put themselves in harms way, for a way of life and a country they treasure beyond any expression of words. This was well expressed by Arnold Bennett, “There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul.” Your choice will give experience to the balance of your existence, and time is of the essence.” JLR