Repertoire of Witnessing and Idea of Intellect
It shall be of immense utility if we talk about the repertoire of Witnessing. We have essentially hypothesized so far that whatever may be conflicts, confusion or unfinished agenda in scientific world and their differences about the reality of consciousness and reality of milieus; we for our restrictive practical and personal usage and benefit, can use the modern knowledge and contemporary scientific information for our larger and deeper wellness. This is what we are calling as artistry, available at personal space of maneuvering. The repertoire of witnessing is also in the same domain of personal and practical interpretation of its realities.
We have hypothesized that in the continuum of unconscious-subconscious and conscious; which engenders intentionality and its interactional experiences-memories, we can visualize and segregate the landscapes of ‘I’ and ‘Me’. In the continuity of this exercise, we can also visualize and actualize what is the witnessing process and what its repertoire can be. This we are dealing with in coming paragraphs.
There seems to be two expansive landscapes, where witnessing is probable and has utilities for wellness. There are two broad milieus – internal milieu, which is within the body domain, where huge amount of complex processes are incessantly going on. They condition and shape up consciousness and intentionality. That is why it is of huge importance that witnessing happens in this milieu or internal landscape. It is such a tragedy that mass majority of people neither have the awareness nor inclination to know about processes within body and brain. This makes witnessing an impossibility.
Then, there is an external milieu, outside the body, in physical space of society-cultures, where the body interacts with others and many intangible insinuations. These interactions in external landscape also conditions and shapes up consciousness and intentionality. That is why this external milieu also presents a big and critical landscape for witnessing. The external milieus of society-cultures-polity-economy-faith et al have become so complex, depraved and criminalized that it requires huge amount of personal preparedness to unravel and understand true-real-right processes, which condition and shape up consciousness and intentionality. There is huge load of fake, fudged and scammed information in external milieus, which makes witnessing a harder task, requiring very aware personhood. Tragically, most people are neither aware nor inclined to witness reality.
There is another landscape, which is available for witnessing and has brilliant utilities and worth. We shall talk about that in a while but before that, there is a need to talk about a hypothesis, which shall facilitate the idea and idealism of witnessing process and the landscapes available for witnessing. This hypothesis is about human brain and how it works its ways with all realities.
Consciousness and intentionality is not something exclusive to humans. The animals have them too. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what is there in human brain structures and functionality, which makes human consciousness and intentionality different and superior than that of animals. This understanding may facilitate the idea and idealism of witnessing. It is the complexity of human brain and its capacity to experience its own Self and being, which is the cardinal difference. The new and evolved layer of human brain makes it possible for us to experience the ‘Self’ as some protagonist of behavior-action. The most recently evolved brain layers, especially the prefrontal cortex seems to have this exclusively human faculty of mediating between conflicting intentionality of consciousness in the complex human milieus. This mediating facility actually seems like a higher information processing where part of the brain states witnesses different probabilities of a situation and then decides on a specific intentionality. What this witnessing actually means in terms of brain functioning or neural networks is not fully known.
This mediating or witnessing processes of brain happens as there is a definitive presence of ‘I’ in different experiences stored as memories, which the interactions of Intentionality with external milieus create. Moreover, there are other set of experiences, which are not interactional but actualized out of learning of experiences from collective information pool of humanity. This is part of academics as well as personal learning of choice. The experiences of ‘Me’, in terms of memories of events as well as learnt information, facilitate the higher consciousness function of witnessing and mediating.
The experiences are the building blocks of knowledge, which in turn evolve deeper experiences. We have knowledge because we can experience and we can experience because we have knowledge. This very facility stands human apart from animals. This cyclicality of experience and knowledge evolves the typical human facilities and faculties of thoughtfulness and retrospection. The thoughtfulness probably emanates out of the brain’s capability to experience different situations as probabilities, where alternative intentionality can lead to better successes.
Secondly, animals are conscious and they have intentionality. Their brains also allow changes in behavior and action, necessitated by changes in milieus. Most humans also perform the same task in majority of their life-living journey. However, what makes a human superior to animals is its ability to control and change the self and external milieus. Animalism is all about subconscious living, where even adjustments to intentionality are auto-process, which animals do not experience and feel. Humans feel and experience and therefore have the ability to have conscious control over their behavior-actions (intentionality). They then extend their conscious choices to effect changes in the milieus itself, which animals cannot.
Therefore, we can hypothesize that being human means having two very powerful pathways, which are exclusive to humans. They are, first the capacity to experience Self, which creates a personal sense of agency in humans – a definitive ‘I’, which can feel and have distinct memories of different shades of behavior-action, performed by ‘Me’. Secondly, being human means a powerful individuality, which can exercise conscious and conscientious control over his or her behavior-actions.
Therefore, if we have to hypothesize about what truly is the repertoire of witnessing, in the aphorism of I Witnessing Me, we can say the witnessing is about conscious and thoughtful cognition and internalization of all those processes, which engender experiences and control in life-living. Very naturally, as we humans have large parts of brain common to most animals, there are processes, which innately represent animalistic, subconscious and auto-mode value-neutral elements. Therefore, being human necessitates awareness of highest quality-quantity and conscientious control on subconscious intentionality.
Witnessing therefore is a conscious, conscientious, thoughtful and judicious observance, which willfully aligns consciousness as well as intentionality to the objectivity, logicality and holism of Reality. Witnessing is the process whereby ‘I’, in a way, sits as a guard and judge at the very portals of consciousness, to filter and contextualize all incoming information to the brain states as stimuli, as well as all outgoing information as representations of intentionality in the forms of behavior-action.
This in other word is the role of Intellect. Science says, intellect is not a mechanism segregated from the instinctive structures of brain states. However, intellect is emergence out of the very aware and judicious processes of I Witnessing Me. This means, witnessing is also the pre-state of dawn of intellect. The intellect in turn empowers and evolves the effectiveness of the artistry of witnessing. It also means; Intellect may be exclusive endowment of humans but its emergence happens from the same brain states, which we share with most animals. This itself means; the humanism is embedded part of animalistic regime but a definitive evolution through conscious artistry of human enterprise. This needs to be understood. The relationship between Witnessing and Intellect is a complex reality but the very basis of humanism as well as human wellness success.
There are twin themes, which may be accepted as defining, identifying and shaping True and Real Intellect –
These twin elements of anyone’s consciousness are now hugely facilitated by the exponential advancement of scientific information in so many domains of knowledge; especially in the domains of neuroscience, molecular biology and artificial intelligence. Therefore, essentially, Intellect is something every human must have as it alone qualifies him or her to be a true and real human. The processes for evolution and emergence of Intellect are entrenched in the cyclicality of unlearning and learning. This is facilitated by conscious and conscientious process of I Witnessing Me. The I Witnessing Me facilitates evolution to higher consciousness, which in turn leads to true and real Intellect. This intellect is wellness.
This entire process of witnessing must also be understood from the perspective of spiritualism; as documented in ancient Oriental philosophies, dating over 3000 years back. This shall facilitate the understanding of the artistry part of the science of witnessing. This holism is ideal for wellness.
Higher conscious is not an external mechanism of body and brain but a specificity of the body-mind media itself. To doubt, to question to accept something different and non-conformist to one’s own knowledge and belief is the seed stage of higher consciousness. It has been mentioned in ancient wisdom that those who begin the process of higher consciousness, before they reach the stage of consciousness are the blessed ones. It has to be understood.
In ancient Indian traditions, there is clear instruction to understand the dualism of observance and witnessing. They use the Sanskrit word ‘Prateeti’, which means the cognitive feel of something, different from Reality. It hints at the fact that what you observe may only be a different feel of the actual reality. The ancient Yoga philosophy has also listed the four situations, in which a person can have different feel of a reality, which may be untrue, fake or partial. We do not go into detail here but the mention of the term ‘Prateeti’ is for understanding as skepticism is a very powerful and useful tool for any person, who wishes to arrive at higher consciousness. As we said above, to doubt, to question and to have the willingness to accept one’s own stupidity-hypocrisy is primary witnessing process.
This happens when parents play their rightful role and allow a child to grow in a family environment where skepticism and questioning is encouraged and rewarded. This shall implant energy of skepticism deep in subconscious, helping the child to grow his or her conscious self, preparing the platform for the child to evolve his or her higher consciousness early and strong. The process of self-skepticism is the earliest practice of a child to induce this dualism between ‘I’ and ‘Me’, which shall later facilitate him or her to practice the artistry of I Witnessing Me. Then comes the role of society, culture, religion, polity and economy, where a growing man or woman must continue to have the same liberty to question and evolve. It is human tragedy that neither family, nor society-culture-polity-faith accept and encourage questioning by an individual. They seek slaves; not intellect.
Higher Consciousness of an individual is his or her understanding and acceptance of the idea of Holism of Reality. This holism of reality is seeded by the powerful energy of skepticism. A young child or a maturing teen may be accepted as moving towards evolving to higher consciousness if he or she asks questions and is not only allowed but also encouraged by family, friends, peers, society, politics and cultures to keep asking questions and strive for alternative answers. And, more importantly, all the while keep respecting other’s questions and their respective answers. This is also the role of all milieus to install mutuality of respect in every individual towards ‘others’. This is the pre-state of Intellect and therefore must be assigned as unputdownable fundamental right of every person.
From ancient times, dating back to over 3000 years, philosophy as well as spiritualism has talked about arriving at this holism of higher consciousness for attainment of sanity, purpose and poise. In ancient Indian traditions, every young person, even women in those early days were encouraged to indulge in debate and questioning. The Yogic philosophy spoke of evolving consciousness to such a stage where it is aligned and assimilated to the holism of cosmic causality, rising above the microcosmic causalities of body, mind and milieus. The very word Yoga (Union) means this emancipation of an individual from localized and reactionary causalities and assimilation into the more holistic, objective and macrocosmic causality of the cosmos. This is about the repertoire of witnessing.
The Buddhist philosophy also speaks of the same eventuality but in a slightly different language. The difference is only linguistic; the intent of the content is the same. Buddhist philosophy speaks of observance of all elements of context and relativism of causalities that are there within and outside the body-mind media. It also suggests the principle of final utility of holism by ‘prescribing’ the mystical ‘middle-path’. This middle path is actually the hint at holism as the middle is symbol of having the reality of everything. The Yogic philosophy also spoke of ‘Witness-Mode’ consciousness as situation of higher consciousness, which stands aloof and away from body-mind media and could ‘witness’ with objectivity every sensory causalities that the media receives and transmits.
The western spiritual philosophy of ‘Do not be, you shall be’ also hints at the same notion. It speaks of the realism that if you do not become the ‘being’ that is shaped and designed by the causalities of the body-mind media, you shall become the true and real ‘being’ – the higher consciousness of Holism.
Here, it is important to mention that in ancient Indian philosophy, there is a mention of a step further in evolution to ultimate empowerment. We have talked about the need for the higher consciousness to objectively and logically witness the causality and its context and relativism for attainment of sanity, system, order, purpose and poise. The Yogic philosophy and spiritualism however accepts this as only the first step towards total empowerment and emancipation. This is perfectly in line with contemporary scientific realism too. It says, the consciousness, or for that matter higher consciousness must also be witnessed. This is tough. If higher consciousness is a Media, witnessing all cognitions and causalities within and outside, what is the other Media, which shall witness the media of higher consciousness? This is the third landscape of witnessing, we earlier talked about.
This third landscape or dimension of witnessing is exclusively human, as it emanates out of processes, which only a complex and oriented brain like that of humans can orchestrate. Human brain as a media does not only process information; it also manufactures information. Popularly, we call this process as imagination. Scientifically, the brain states play out different probabilities of permutations and combinations of available information, stored in brain states as memories of experiences. This facility and faculty of human brain endows it the capability to innovate and induce changes in its milieus.
This process however requires eligibility and is not automatically available to all humans. This ability to imagine and innovate is an evolving and emergent empowerment of an individual. It is emergence process of prolonged cyclicality of experience and knowledge. As complexities of experiences and knowledge grow and evolve; the landscape of witnessing enlarges and witnessing process itself expands to novel and alternative pathways. It requires not only large inventory of critical information, beyond populist reality spectrum, but also a non-intuitive cognition and thoughtfulness to journey probabilities, which may even stand in conflict with dominant populist perceptions.
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