Who Are You? by Arielle Essex
W
e live in a curious world where it appears that ‘things just happen’ and where control over events seems limited. Whether or not you believe you have responsibility for what’s happening, you always
have choices about how to respond. If you perceive yourself as a victim of events outside your control, you instantly become helpless and disempowered. The only choice left will be which negative emotion to feel. To the degree that you accept being at cause, you have the power to select many other possible responses. You can also remain serene and move towards positive change. There’s a world of difference between these two ways of thinking. What makes people choose so differently?
Your mind is like a computer that you’ve filled with data everyday of your life. The first few times your thoughts travel in a particular direction, they leave a few footprints behind. With each repetition, those thoughts begin to create a habitual pathway. As you add more evidence, rational deductions, logic and reasons, the path becomes a paved road. Gradually, with more use, more emotion and more conviction, those well- travelled roads expand into 4 lane motorways in your mind. The thoughts then flow so fast down these motorways, there’s no time to pause and re-consider. Consequently, most people think the same 60,000 thoughts everyday. The neural pathways that get used most often flow the fastest. The constant repetition lulls the brain into believing that these thoughts equal reality. In fact, part of the brain structure actually resists any attempt to change, as these thoughts create an inner comfort zone of certainty. People who mistakenly believe that these thoughts and beliefs constitute their identity, will fight unto death to defend them.
Few stop to question the validity of the original input data.
Few dare to challenge the reasons and deductions that have long been accepted as fact.
Few comprehend that all they can ever observe is the image created in their own mind, not reality.
Few realise that their own repetitive thinking has lulled them into a waking trance state.
But more and more people are finally waking up to ask the questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Your ability to make any positive change hinges on how you answer those questions. At each step along the path, how you choose to think will determine what happens next.
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The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.
And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change;
until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds. - R. D. Laing, psychologist
Your mind has been making choices every moment, both consciously and unconsciously, since the day you were conceived. But what is the mental experience we describe as consciousness? Christian de Quincey, philosopher and author, talks about the paradox of consciousness: that scientists are walking around every day with the indisputable fact of their own consciousness, yet they have absolutely no way of explaining it. Many people confuse sensory awareness with consciousness. Throughout their waking life they’re so pre- occupied by their conscious thoughts and sensations – which use only 4% of their mind - they become convinced this constitutes reality.
Some people adamantly believe they don’t have an unconscious mind. Others think they should be able to control it. Such ignorance of the multitudinous tasks performed by the unconscious mind leads to more stupid ideas. Because their eyes and ears are located in the head, many people believe consciousness must reside in the brain. Many scientists theorise about consciousness being a side effect of neuropeptides, or the quantum coherence of tiny microtubules found in nerve cells, or something to do with chaos and complexity theory, but none of these ideas explain how brain activity could create the experience of consciousness. All these theories attempt to squash consciousness into the existing model of a material world where the body is regarded as a machine. Perhaps a true understanding of consciousness requires a completely different model of reality.
Most people derive their sense of self from the work they do, financial success, their looks, relationships, family, culture, religion, social connections and acquisitions. Their habitual thoughts and feelings, aspirations and dreams, needs and beliefs, intellect and creativity, further describe their personality. Their deeper values, morals and contributions determine their character. However, all of these originate from those same
CHOICE POINT MAGAZINE 31
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