I talk a lot about awareness. We all do, really. But it’s one of those words that needs a context in order to really mean anything. For example, we want to raise awareness about diseases that affect our lives. Breast cancer, MD, MS, ALS, and thousands of others. More often than not, those seeking to make you aware of a particular disease are those who are in some way affected by it. They come down with it themselves, or have family or friends who do, and suddenly, they see behind the veil what happens in a dreaded disease process. They see the horrors it wreaks on a family, a person or a community, and they want it to stop. And they can’t do it alone. They want help. But no one is even aware that there is a problem…so no one does anything. Enter the awareness campaign. If I tell everyone I know about this problem, surely when they see the gravity and severity of this situation, they will be generous and do something to help.
So what then does it really mean to be aware? To be conscious of something. To have knowledge of something. To have something brought into your conscious thoughts, such as thoughts regarding what you do and where you go and what you see, hear and understand. Example: When you are driving, you are aware of many things. You are conscious of the road ahead of you, the placement of your hands on the wheel to keep the car between the lines. As you are driving, your passenger points to a deer standing in a field you are driving by. Surely, you would have missed it, because you were not paying attention to the expanses of green on either side of you. Your eyes were on the road. Your companion made you aware, you look, and you are now conscious of the deer in the field.
From your awareness comes thoughts, and from your thoughts you bring forth actions. This is universal truth. Example: You become aware of a sensation in your stomach. You are familiar with it. You think, “I’m hungry. I would like something to eat.” You then think about what your options are for satiating your appetite. You choose one and then act on it. You go to the fridge, the café, the store or the garden. This is how we live our lives. The minute I make you aware of a fly in your milk, you will think, “Gross…I can’t drink that,” and act – either plucking out the fly or dumping the milk out. Think about it. Once something is brought into our awareness, we WILL think about it, and we WILL act upon those thoughts.
Sometimes, your action is to do nothing. You hear a plea for money for research to a disease, and you may think, “I don’t really care. It doesn’t affect me.” And you will do nothing.
And that’s okay…not everyone has to put your charity first. We don’t say that out loud, but we’d be dishonest if we did not admit that that is what we are really saying. Let’s keep this an honest assessment.
But let’s face it. There are things we would rather not be aware of. What if I just don’t want to think about someone else’s pet disease? Maybe I don’t want to know that we are killing the environment or slaughtering baby seals. These things make me think sad thoughts and bad things, and I don’t want to think these things. If you bring them to my awareness, they will enter my consciousness, and if I feel that there is nothing more I can do to alleviate the problem other than giving money I don’t have, then I really don’t want to hear about it at all. If I know up front that my action will be compete inaction, the time I spent entertaining the issue was time wasted. Whether we admit this or not, we see that belief manifested in the way we skip over any articles, stories, conversations or internet posts about stuff we don’t really want to know. We instinctively know this will be a waste of our time.
But sometimes, we don’t really have a choice. Example: Your little normal-looking son is diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Huh? You are suddenly very aware of something you really didn’t want to know about. If you thought that it was no big deal and you didn't have to think about it, you are in for a rude awakening. However, in most cases, think about it you do, and you act accordingly. You research what it means, what you can expect, and what you can do for your son to prolong his life. If you did not do this –as they actually can’t in some countries with little or no medical care – this disease left to run its course unimpeded will result in a poor physical quality, shortened life. The awareness you didn’t want, brought into your conscious thought life on a daily basis usually results in a life revolving around the disease process, and proactive measures to do all you can to add both quality and quantity to a person’s life. Do you understand? You can choose not to be aware of anything you want. But sometimes, our intentional denial is to our own hurt.
Now, there are billions of bits of information at any given moment vying for your attention. And in this day and age, we are virtually and literally bombarded with information that someone, somewhere would like us to be aware of. Be aware of my product! Be aware of my widget! Be aware of my pleasure! Be aware of my pain! Be aware of this gossip! Be aware of political viewpoints! Good grief…how do we choose? We are already aware of our own need for food and a bathroom and our kids and our families and our cars and our jobs and our homes and our money…what else can you ask me to put on my mental plate? We are exhausted! And so what do we do? We tune out anything that might require even another ounce of mental energy. We turn on the TV and tune out. We tune into problems that aren’t ours via reality shows, sit-coms, and dramas. When we turn off the TV, they go away! Miraculous! Now since the problems have been unplugged, we can go to bed and wake up tomorrow to the same daily grind and dash for the cash. I understand that.
I only want to concern myself with what concerns me and mine. I am aware today of my households need for toilet paper and dish soap, and the ingredients I need for dinner tonight. I am conscious of my need to go to the bank and pay a few bills. I am aware my daughter needs some supplies for a school project and I need to schedule a parent/teacher meeting for my son. We are aware of the need to reduce a cord of wood into manageable chunks for my stove, and that if it frosts tonight we need to cover the tomatoes. Beyond that, I guess I’d rather not be bothered. Are you with me?
Now, it’s an election year here in America, and we have no shortage of input regarding same. And we are all aware of political discussions all around us, and the general tone is not good. Most people, regardless of the party they support, are disgusted with the state of this nation in one form or another. We all wanted change, and the little change we did get was not what we wanted. So we either blather anemically about our party’s logic, or we eschew the whole thing and elect not to even talk about it. We are urged to believe that our political action or inaction will make or break what is left of this nation. But in the core of our being, we feel that we – the one – the separate entity – are powerless to do anything but live our own life one day at a time. So we reduce our involvement to words and opinions before we switch it all off and go to bed.
But what happens when there is something we really do need to be aware of, en masse? And what would be important enough to stop and think about it long enough to see that we need to take action? What would be important enough for everyone in a nation to sit up and take into their awareness, with the express purpose of getting tangible action?
Well, in keeping with our way of thinking, it would have to affect me, personally. It would have to affect my toilet paper and dish soap supply, my dinner ingredients, my money, my kids school projects and appointments, my wood supply, the weather and my garden. Then you just might have my attention.
And it does.
And what is IT – that should be commandeering the awareness and consciousness of this, our entire nation?
IT is WAR.
Do you have any idea how close we are right this minute, October 2, 2012, to world war three? Do you understand what is happening in the world that is sucking us into an epic world war? If you watch nothing but the mainstream media, you will be scoffing at this and suggesting that we’ve been warring for years and years. Yes…war is entertainment these days. Just check out the XBOX games. More of the same, more of the same. Blah, blah, blah…I have work to do.
The USA is holding out at this time. Starting wars during a popularity contest is never in good form. But the minute a false flag goes down, it will be go-time, and our lives here will change forever. It may happen slowly. It may all literally blow up in our faces. But it’s time you become aware of the iceberg – now behind us – and conscious of the fact that the ship is sinking. What does that mean to you?
How about gas prices upwards of $10 a gallon? Talk to someone old enough to remember rationing during world war two. How about food stamps for EVERYONE…limited purchasing power across the board. Has it occurred to you that both China and Russia are not real keen on us taking on Iran? You don’t even have to be terribly politically or geographically astute to know that spells trouble.
We have a way of life in this country that we are quite accustomed to, and are poorly equipped at this time to live without a majority of our creature comforts, including the freedom to hop in our cars and go - wherever, whatever. And if that ends? We are used to pocket change and eating out. We are used to supermarkets that are stocked to over-flowing at all times with perfect produce and dentless cans. And if that changes drastically? How well are you and your family prepared to cope with such a change?
Will we rise to the challenges, or freak out? Will we face the changes head on, or will we panic in mass hysteria, necessitating martial law, FEMA and the National Guard to keep us sane? Will you be able to feed yourself and your family in this context?
Do you think we are somehow immune to the horrors of war here on our own soil? Have we learned nothing from history? Empires rise, and empires fall, and paper money has failed every time in the history of the world. Did you know that? Research it. Fascinating. Frightening.
I am also sure that on some level, you have heard all this already. But do you take a “well, I hope it will all blow over…” stance? Then you are in intentional denial, or are simply unaware of the severity of the crises that lie before us in the not-too-distant future. Oh, it will ultimately blow over all right…and it will make Katrina look like a gentle spring breeze. Are we ready to rebuild? It will be a very different landscape. A different paradigm. We are being called to wake up – to become aware of just what is happening to our lives, our planet, our species.
If you are like me, however, the biggest irritation and most pressing question is, “What, exactly, am I supposed to do?” We want to be lead…we want someone to tell us what the magic bullet is to bring about change, or peace, or to prepare for economic hardship. We feel the urgency and tend to run willy-nilly into protests or movements with no solid agenda, or simply say, “Screw it” and carry on as if life will stay static forever and ever. So…what ARE we supposed to DO?
You already have the answer to that. We all do. Understand, no one can tell you what YOU should do. This is a question we have to ask ourselves in the context of our own life. Ghandi said it best: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” All change starts with you – the one.
Remember – thoughts beget actions. If you think about it, you will take some action – even if it’s conscious inaction. If you are aware of something, you think about it, and in thinking about it, you will take action in line with what you believe about it.
It’s no fun to be made aware of negative, scary, evil things. It is however, necessary if we are to change them. You need to be aware of the negative situation in order to facilitate a POSITIVE response to it. If you don’t know there’s a snake in your boot, you won’t take evasive action. If you do know, you can turn the situation around with an informed, positive decision for appropriate action.
I would love nothing more than to spread positivity through my actions all day long, and as far as it depends on me, I do. I overuse “I love you”, and employ lots of physical affection to the people, animals and the world around me. I give everything I do my very best effort at the time, however feeble it may look. I try to really listen when spoken to, and I try to speak a little less. I have recently been made aware of my own tendency toward verbal violence and name-calling – even on a light-hearted basis. Having been made aware of that, I have been able to catch myself before my mouth goes off, and I think that what I’m about to say is not profitable for anything other than venting my spleen. And I just smile instead.
What the world needs now is people who want to effect POSITIVE change. In order for that to happen, we need to first be aware.
Awareness – thoughts – action.
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