The Art of Being Aware

The opinions that I write are developed understandings that I reach upon time spent pondering. They are still opinions. Just as the world constantly changes, building and growing from a foundation being perpetually placed, so do my understandings of my surroundings, my opinions, and therefore the opinions themselves. No one person can know the answer, unless the source of all things itself were to reveal the answer to all. However, we can learn from each others ideas and opinions, and grow toward a common truth together.

Awareness — what is it? According to the oxford dictionary, it is knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

According to Eckharte Tolle, awareness is the greatest agent for change.

According to Wikipedia, awareness is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. More broadly, it is the state of being conscious of something.

Shaman Durek even talks about being Aware of the Awareness as the deepest form of awareness itself.

There are numerous events centered on awareness; Cancer Awareness, Domestic Abuse Awareness, Awareness of illnesses and diseases, awareness of plastic and the damages it causes it to society. But what difference does it make if I am aware or not? If I know about something, am I doing anything about it? How high is my awareness?

For example, if I know that there is a major plastic problem in the world, i am aware that there is a solution. But am I aware of the single use plastic products in my home? Am I aware when I go to the store to by a six pack of beer held together by plastic rings, and the clerk hands it to me in a plastic bag so I can carry it home? Am I aware of the hundreds of plastic products in my home and the microplastic beads in my sunscreen or in makeup removers, or anything else? How much am I actually aware of, and what do I choose to do with what I have?

Awareness starts with self. Not the greater larger picture. Sure, it’s good to be aware of the larger picture, because then I know that I want to do something to affect whatever SAID THING is in the larger picture, but knowing about the larger picture doesn’t help me do anything about it. So what good is that awareness for ME? In our world, it’s quite easy for many things in our life to be out of sight, and out of mind. We may know that cigarettes cause lung cancer, but if they haven’t given us any issues so far, what does it matter? It eases the pain I am feeling in the right now, and I would rather distract myself from that pain than have to think about the fact that maybe it could give me a much larger pain in the future, because how could I possibly handle that pain and this pain at the same time? It’s way easier to just manage one thing at a time, and right now, the cigarette helps. But what happens when I expand my awareness of everything the cigarette does? The smell on my clothes and my breath; the second-hand smoke and the effects it has on my family, my children, or anyone around me; the nicotine stains on the walls of my home, or my teeth; the damage i am causing to my vocal cords and my lungs. Does the expanded awareness help me to decide to make a change? Maybe not, because none of these things may address the root cause of why I am smoking in the first place, but the more aware I am of the “thing” as a whole, and how it affects me in my own personal life, in my own personal ways, I am able to be more capable of choosing something different if I want do so.

So when it comes to large scale issues, there are so many articles out there on so many things.. Like plastic, politics, domestic abuse, gun violence, rape, women’s equality, African American equality, LGBTQ rights and equality, you name it. If there’s a social, societal, economical, or environmental issue out there that you want to believe in and make a difference in the name of, you can. Easily! But most of these articles are geared toward opening up your awareness, and for many of us, we stop there. We read an article and share it on social media and go “This is disgusting, look how much plastic is killing the marine life. Someone needs to do something about this!!” and it gets shared around and a bunch of thumbs ups and sad faces get added to the bottom with a few comments of people rallying behind us… but nothing changes. Nothing moves. Why? Who is it that we are saying needs to do something about this? Money runs the world, like it or not, and we can’t start at the top to make a large scale change. So where does this come from? It has to come from “me”, “I”, “the individual.” Each and every one of us. It has to start with one person, raising their awareness of something so much that they actually start making visible change around this thing, and then begin to influence those around them. The domino effect is real. It just takes forever, especially when the powers that be stack all of the cards in the opposite direction.

I’m not saying any one of us are wrong if we use plastics, or smoke cigarettes, or do any of these things. Wrong and Right are a duality unique to the reality of each individual, and nobody can change another person’s perception of wrong or right but themselves. If something I do serves me, then it serves me. The ultimate move, I believe, is to be aware of whether or not it serves me, because at the end of the day, if I am telling myself a story that something serves me, and it doesn’t actually serve me, it may be a place where I can expand my perception of that thing, and make a new choice for something that actually serves me in a greater way.

So let’s switch gears — — let’s talk about awareness of self. In doing this, I like this easy practice: First just be aware that I exist. I am a living being, with a number of processes constantly occurring within my body right this very moment, even while I am just sitting. I become aware of my breathing, THAT I am breathing.. Become aware of how the breath goes in, where it goes, how it feels when it goes there, and then of how it goes out, and how that feels as the breath exits the body, from the lungs, through my throat and out my nose or mouth. How many of us take time to notice all of the sensations in our bodies? Only those who meditate? Others? Now I take it even further. I become aware of my skin, starting with my head, then my face, my ears and nose, my lips, my chin, my neck…noticing my shoulders and chest, the organs underneath, my heartbeat, my stomach, my hands and elbows, my hips, thighs, knees, legs, and feet. I find sensations, spasms, old injuries that still carry a voice, and more. Now I become aware of the air around me. I notice the temperature, the density, the humidity. I feel and notice the space in the room, the depth, the people around me. The smells and sounds and everything that layers behind whats immediately around me. Then I come back to me, and I open my eyes. By expanding my awareness of everything slowly, I suddenly am hyper aware of my surroundings, myself, and how the two relate to each other. What happens if I focus my awareness on something with intention? THIS is how we create change.

Awareness is not a simple one time act of expansion, it’s a constant daily practice of keeping myself focused, yet expanded. How is that possible?

To do this, effectively, to practice awareness every day, I must become aware of the awareness. Once I am aware that I am aware, it’s a much easier practice. It’s ingrained in my daily routine, my daily habits. Then, suddenly, I can be aware of anything, and when I am NOT aware, when I act without being mindful, I will most certainly take notice.

How do I become aware of the awareness? — much like we have discussed already, it’s about being mindful.. First, I work on the practice of being aware of something… Okay, I am going to start being more aware of the plastic that I use in my life. So now I notice what’s packaged in plastic at the grocery store, I start making mindful decisions of buying fresh produce and bringing my own bags, and the more I make these decisions, the more I notice that I am making these decisions.. Because I am being mindful, I am able to recognize my awareness, and overall, my awareness expands. The more I recognize my awareness, the more I am able to be aware in other aspects of my life as well. I start making mindful decisions and actionable choices that promote change in the areas of my life that I wish to change.. And it grows and grows and grows and grows and grows, and through these choices, I am able to influence others around me in a positive way. Not by TRYING to influence others around me, rather by being myself and owning it. And suddenly, I find myself surrounded by a number of people who are hyper aware of the choices they’re making (to some degree anyway, we all are growing and learning and expanding at our own rates and in our own ways) and living their lives deliberately.

So change starts with one person.. We have all heard this from the time we were children to now.. It takes one person to change the world, but it never really made sense to me until recently.. We can’t make grand changes to the world by starting at the top. Just because a large bank operates all the money, or a large government operates a country, or a large army defends a border, it doesn’t mean that we start at those places to make the changes. No, to make change, we must start with ourselves, with our awareness. through opening our awareness up and making adjustments within our own being, for no reason other than to live in our own best ways, and by being open to constantly shifting what we believe our best way of living and being is, we can then start inspiring those around us to do the same, for themselves. This is what allows us to grow and shift as a society. This is what we are doing. So let’s start being aware of it.

-a wanderer

Please comment, share, drop your opinions. I want to know how my ideas resonate with you (or not)