Some Thoughts on Awareness Thoughts
In a previous article, Some Thoughts on Thoughts: Don’t Worry. Be Happy, I discuss how Eckhart Tolle, in his book A New Earth, points the way to a renewal of spiritual consciousness. Tolle contends that our ego obstructs spiritual consciousness with thoughts, and it uses thoughts to feed itself, generating thoughts-for-thought-sake in an endless uncontrolled cycle that is emotionally and spiritually dysfunctional. An indiscriminate reader might conclude that Tolle considers all thoughts as unhealthy and counterproductive. Indeed, he makes a forceful and convincing argument, but not so much against all thinking but in support of the need for consistent, deliberately practiced downtime, what he calls being in the “Now”. www.eckharttolle.com/
The implication of our endless absorption in thought is that most of us, especially in our western capitalistic society, give much too much time to useless, dysfunctional thoughts. In fact, almost all of us suffer from varying degrees of obsessive thoughts. We may not be dysfunctional as in a classic clinical diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but Tolle believes that our pattern of unconscious, endless cycle of thoughts is spiritually dysfunctional.
Nonetheless, are all thoughts bad? Could we function without thinking at all? Of course not. Surely, some thoughts must be productive. After all, it is functional thinking to remember to pay our taxes, right? (Some of us in public office might do well to have this thought more regularly.) Is there a productive escape from useless thoughts? Can we practice more useful thoughts?
Everyday I am aware of some of my more useless thoughts, especially worrisome thoughts. I have not been diagnosed with a disorder. Three of my closest friends are clinical psychologists and consider me normally functional. And it may reassuring to remind myself that I am not alone in my “normal” thought patterns. But almost daily, I am aware of exaggerated, dramatic worry thoughts. The more conscious I become, the more aware I am of what Tolle considers a global disorder. But I am heartened that Tolle contends that the moment we are aware (or “in a state of awareness”), we are in the “Now” and we are connected with our “Source Being”, our spiritual being. Awareness is the source of healing. Awareness is the cure for obsessive thoughts. Awareness is our connection with our spiritual selves.
Awareness thoughts are some of our most useful thoughts we can have. They come from observation, introspection, and realization. According to Tolle, awareness thoughts are our most spiritual thoughts. In some ways, it could be argued that a state of awareness is technically not thought at all. Through being still and observing closely our inner visions, we might find an awareness of oneness and peace. The practice of meditation is a path to this kind of awareness.
But out of awareness can come very useful, productive, even practical thoughts. Out of awareness come thoughts that identify and solve problems, leading to appropriate actions. A very long time ago in our evolution we observed that water runs down hill, and we used that awareness to our advantage in our physical survival. Recently, scientists have observed that the polar ice caps are melting at an accelerated rate, and that the melting ice caps will lead to a significant rise in the level of our oceans. This awareness has led us to a renewed consciousness of the urgency to take steps to reverse this trend. These are the kinds of practical thoughts that come out of conscious awareness, and should result in more productive actions. Without these thoughts, we might never have discovered how to renew water resources or how to reduce hydrocarbons in our atmosphere.
It might be difficult to imagine how an awareness thought could not be of some benefit. It depends on how we react to our awareness. The recent “Miracle on the Hudson” is a superb example of extraordinary functional thinking and action out of awareness. Not only did the US Airways’ pilot perform a flawless emergency splash down, it appears that the attendants and passengers reacted equally as well. Had there been panic, some or many lives may have been lost. Awareness of the need to remain calm and to follow the standard procedures for the safe evacuation of the airplane saved the lives of all the passengers and the crew.
Unfortunately, the loss of life in the Station nightclub in Rohde Island in 2003 was the result of dysfunctional reaction to the awareness of a fire and the need to evacuate the building. There was panic. The crowd stampeded to the main entrance, the door they entered to the concert, where many persons were crushed, blocking what nearly everyone believed to be their only escape route. There were at least three other exits. Had the nightclub crowd functioned as well as the attendants and passengers of the US Airways flight, perhaps they too would have lived a miracle.
Awareness often helps to facilitate increased joy in our lives. We might note that we feel joyful when our grandchildren arrive for a visit, or that we feel a deep sense of joy when we contribute to efforts to reduce world hunger. This kind of awareness enhances the joy and stimulates the desire to repeat the awareness, to our benefit, to our grandchildren, and to humanity as a whole.
We might become aware that every time we lose our temper, we pay the consequence of stress, and so, we determine to take a more positive perspective on the things that we previously allowed to anger us. We might also notice that our more positive attitude produces more positive reactions in other persons, creating a self-perpetuating increase in tolerance and respect around us.
Much of what I offer as a life coach begins with building awareness. Indeed, the greater the awareness, the better are the chances that my clients will achieve their goals. The process of awareness is like shining a light where there has always been darkness. The revelations can be remarkable and miraculous in the process of healing and renewal.
Life Coach Chuck