CHAPTER 12
Equanimity of Consciousness To ‘Unlearn’ Abstractions and
Illusions of Subconscious Mind In Love and Life-Living Choices…
In the contemporary age and milieu of information-obesity, media-overdose and ever-competing markets as well as politics jostling to sneak in ‘manipulated’ information to tilt the ‘perceptions’ of average person in their favor, it is tough to attain and keep in constant possession one single thing – the Equanimity of Consciousness…!
Consciousness is defined as ‘emergent intangible information processing of multiverse of varied information by the brain, supplied by sensory and other routes from the milieus. Naturally, when there is massive over-flow of information; that too a heady mix of conflicting, competing and confusing information, the conscious mind is in mega flux. This is the situation apt for the subconscious mind to generate such perceptions, which are abstract and illusory – far away from realism and objective logic… Why?
Science says – Conscious mind has its limitations in storing memory because, if subconscious mind is the size of a football field, conscious mind is only akin to the small goalpost. Naturally, when there is over-flow of information, most daily information is automatically assigned to the subconscious mind for storage. The conscious mind can process only limited information, useful only for immediate action-behavior requirements.
It is like, if we over-eat; body stores its extra calories in the form of fat in torso. The ‘information-obesity’ causes the extra info to store as ‘fat’ in subconscious mind domain. Over the period, if these ‘fatty-information’ in subconscious mind is not recalled for conscious decision-making, these information degenerate into ‘abstractions’ and begin to affect the health of conscious mind…
Abstractions and illusions of subconscious mind primarily happen because the brain pathways, created by information, if not recalled often and not used for action-behavior decision-making, become weak and shallow. It is like, if a muddy road in jungle is not traversed often, shrubs grow up on them and they lose the clarity and distinct trajectory. As roads are less traversed, they begin to merge with jungle of trees and shrubs and finally very faintly visible. Similar thing happens with brain pathways. Most often, many information pathways in stored in subconscious minds are not recalled and revisited often, making them blurred and this leads the brain to generate abstractions and illusory ‘perceptions’.
Ideally, a wise human being is expected to make all his or her life-living choices and decisions on the basis of ‘conscious mind’, recalling very vividly all possible ‘experiences’ stored in subconscious and then opting out a decision based on Equanimity of Consciousness. Conscious decisions are based on such information pathways of brain states, which are clear, categorically replicable and very decisively recallable. This happens when our conscious mind makes decisions based on tested and verified information, accepted and stored as objective data and facts.
This means – life-living decisions; small or big; should never be made on the basis of ‘abstractions’, ‘perceptions’ ‘unrealistic stored info in memory’ and ‘jumbled up experiences’ of the subconscious mind, in auto-mode situation. Rather, all major, even small action-behavior of life-living must be based on clear, categorical and objectively replicable data or facts of conscious mind, after leisurely deliberations…
For example, we all say and belief so many ‘perceptions’ in our ambient milieus as ‘true’, which are based on ‘abstractions’, ‘perceptions’ ‘unrealistic facts in memory’ and ‘jumbled up experiences’ and seldom on clear, categorical and objectively replicable data or facts. Like, we say – ‘Oh! People have become very selfish’. Or we say – ‘Young people are not caring their parents’. Or we say – ‘True love is no more available as people are more into lust’. There are thousands of such baseless perceptions, which average person speaks of as it were true! How and why…?
Where are the relevant data or researched factsheets to substantiate such subjective perceptions, which a section of people may have developed and begun to accept as fact? The fact is – even in most developed nations like USA or UK, there are very little social-cultural-behavioral data and even when some data are available, they are neither ‘real-time’ data nor representative of the truth or fact at national landscape. They just represent some shade of a realism. And, they often fail to meet the high benchmark of objectivity…
We all need to accept that contemporary society and culture are presenting a very tough challenge for our overall wellness. The complexities that modern milieus have, are very suitable for our subconscious mind, which offers loads of ‘perceptions’, based on abstractions only. We all need to be in high Equanimity of Conscious Mind. We need to stop and test the validity of all ‘populist perceptions’, before making any small or big life-living choices.
We need to understand why and how our subconscious minds must never be allowed to be in driver’s seat of our life-vehicle as this place belongs to our higher conscious mind. Let us understand this conscious-subconscious dualism in the domain of love as this we all have faced and keep facing.
Globally, despite differences in definition of love, most wise of humanity believe and accept that love has three ingredients – Intimacy, Passion and Compassion (Commitment). Now, it is common knowledge that first element of intimacy is common in all forms of love, be it a friend or any relationship, even common fraternity with larger humanity. However, passion is associated with ‘erotic love’, or what we may say as man-woman love…
We all know how passion is an element of subconscious mind as passion is instinctive; we are all wired this way. In any erotic love, passion comes naturally and is visceral. Believe science as it says about our brain mechanism that a man can fall in love and feel passionate about so many women at one time. So can a woman; even when it is popular belief that love happens only once; with one and especially a woman loves only once…!
However, lasting, true and practical man-woman love happens when the ‘conscious’ element of compassion or ‘commitment’ is attached with love. Commitment with one man or one woman for marriage and family is not a subconscious (visceral) decision but a very conscious (Learnt/Evolved behavior) choice. Science also says – even when a man or woman can love so many, they can commit in love with only one at one point of time and space. That is why, passion in erotic love is subconscious auto-behavior, can happen for many; however, commitment is conscious decision-making, opted out for only one person.
Now, it is very important to see and accept that even this conscious choice of ‘commitment’ can always have grains of influences in subconscious mind. The experiences and memories in subconscious mind, with all its abstractions also influence conscious choice of commitment.
For example psychologists would say – Usually, a woman shall commit to a man, who has more personality traits common with her father, if she happens to love her father well. This shall happen, even when the same woman shall be more interested in having a lover or lovers, who are sharply uncommon to her father. The elements in subconscious, our stored perceptions as well as the ‘collective unconscious’ (the socio-cultural traditions in our unconscious mind), always stand up to influence our conscious choice of ‘commitment’, even when we shall never be aware about it and shall seldom accept…
That is why, it is advised that in all small or big life-living conscious choices, in all our small and big commitments, we make to self and others, we must be aware that in all our so-called ‘conscious’ choices and commitments, our subconscious mind experiences and memories may creep in. This shall add abstractions, illusions and virtuality in our conscious decisions. This is dangerous for us as it surely compromises our wellness…
That is why, even when the milieu around you becomes so complex that it adds loads of conflicts and confusion, even when the media adds loads of ‘manipulated’ info and even when the politics and popular cultures attempt to influence your ‘choices and commitments’, manipulating info, data and facts to create such perceptions, which are far away from reality and truth, never ever get into a reactionary decision-making mode. Stop, think, ask yourself for more info, more concrete data, more discrete factsheets, more logical premises and perspectives, more holistic than partial data…!
In love and in all life-living decisions, choices and commitments must be made based only on clear, categorical and objectively replicable data or facts of our ‘conscious mind and never on ‘abstractions’, ‘perceptions’ ‘unrealistic facts in memory’ and ‘jumbled up experiences’ of our subconscious mind. This is the recipe of true success and lasting wellness.
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Writing something is a daunting task as there is always a lurking apprehension of it not being of utility for some readers. I however feel at ease, because of my faith in magnanimity of readers. I am happily sure; you shall forgive if my efforts could not be up to your expectations. Thank you so much for being with me and allowing me to share with you. Wish you an empowered life; with the prosperity of the consciousness.
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