CURIOUS SELF: “Who are we?” - This question has been asked and
attempted to be answered over millions of times, yet, every time this question
is raised, it is followed by silence and an uncomfortable knowing that we
realistically do not have an accurate, complete and permanent answer. Most
religions have attempted to define us, yet, in our hearts we know that each
definition is incomplete. Science has attempted to classify us, yet, in our
hearts we know that there are many mysteries that Science has yet to solve.
Spirituality has attempted to answer this question by describing us as infinite
beings, yet, in our hearts we know that once we die, we may cease to exist. Maybe our
spirit lives forever, but, are we sure of that? Governments have tried to
control us by making us citizens, yet, in our hearts we know that we all share
the same set of feelings ranging from anger, grief, disappointment, resentment,
fear and doubt to courage, compassion, peace, love, belongingness and
fulfillment. Companies have tried to manage us by giving us job titles, yet, in
our hearts we know that we can perform more effectively if we are given more
freedom. Every explanation seems elusive or incomplete, every answer seems
vague or ambiguous, every description seems imperfect or biased and every
definition seems to have exceptions.
So who are we? Are we energy? Some of us believe we
are energy and we attract what we think of and feel the most. Some of us
believe we are energy magnets and our thoughts create our future, the way we
feel creates our opportunities and our actions get influenced by what we hold
strongly in our minds. Is this true? Like energy attracts like energy. So if we
hold on to positive thoughts and develop positive feelings then we will attract
positive friends and positive opportunities into our lives. Maybe this is true,
but does this happen all the time? If we daily recite positive affirmations
then our lives start to shift in the desired direction of our choosing.
Affirmations are powerful and many people have managed to change their habits,
but does this work all the time? If we are energy and our mind is susceptible
to positive suggestions then we could simply have positive video recordings
played to children and the next generation would be free of addictions, free of
unhealthy foods, free of alcohol, free of anxiety, free of failed
relationships, free of tobacco, free of drugs, free of racism, free of crime
and free of conflicts. We could provide positive video recordings to prisoners,
have them recite positive affirmation daily and when they get released they
will have become model citizens. But we all know that this is not the case and
positive affirmations have limited effect. So, back to our question, are
we really energy? Can we control our thoughts and feelings thereby creating our
future? In any case, let’s continue exploring…
So who are we? Are we consciousness? Some of us
believe we are consciousness and we are becoming more aware of ourselves. Some
of us believe that in the beginning there was an absolute consciousness and it
could not experience itself since it was whole and complete. So in order to
complete its experiential component the absolute consciousness decided to split
itself into infinite beings and once the expansion happened each part started
to experience itself in relationship with the other parts and thus the absolute
consciousness was now able to experience every aspect of itself in the relative
expanded universe. Does this make any sense? If the absolute consciousness was
whole and complete to begin with, then it would probably not crave any new
experiences, so it would not attempt to split itself. And if the absolute
consciousness was yearning something so passionately that it had to undergo a
significant transformation into infinite beings, then maybe, the absolute
consciousness was an unstable entity and it was pre-destined to expand,
thereby, violating the original premise that it was whole and complete.
Anyways, back to our question, are we really consciousness? If so, is it
possible for us to experience the original absolute consciousness? Do thoughts
and feelings create our consciousness or does our consciousness create our
thoughts and feelings? Does our consciousness change over time or does it
remain relatively static during our limited lifetime? Does consciousness play a
role in evolution or is evolution a part of consciousness? In any case, let’s
continue exploring…
So who are we? Are we global citizen? Some of us
believe we are global citizens and we are creating world peace by our
professional contributions, philanthropic ventures and international
co-operation. Some of us believe we are making our countries stronger and
increasing harmony among nations. Though it is quite apparent that the more
efforts we undertake toward world peace, the more it seems that there is
international unrest. A century ago there was no terrorism, computer hacking,
identity theft or online bullying. However, there was genocide, world wars,
slavery and inequality. So did these old forms of cruelty get replaced by these
new forms of heartlessness? We create powerful weapons that are used to fuel
hostility among different nations, create civil volatility in under-developed
countries, equip criminals to carry out attacks on innocent people and increase
overall violence at our planet. Why is our law and justice system and defense
programs designed with powerful weapons as a critical fundamental component?
Few decades ago with the principles of Non-Violence, India implemented their
freedom struggle plan without use of weapons and was able to neutralize the
mighty British Empire with Non-cooperation and peaceful demonstrations.
Anyways, back to our question, are we really global citizens? How can we apply
peaceful principles in our fight against terrorism? How can we relate to
computer hackers in a compassionate manner and inspire them to strengthen the
internet instead of exploiting its vulnerabilities? How can we thwart identity
thieves and inspire them to create wealth without violating the rights of
others, thereby pursuing an honest living? How can we make social media safer
and encourage everyone to be polite and courteous online? In any case, let’s
continue exploring…
So who are we? Are we evolutionary products? Some
of us believe in the theory of evolution and that we are descendants of a
common universal ancestor. Some of us believe that we may evolve into a new
species millions of years from now. Why is it that evolution decided that after
~5 min of oxygen deprivation to our brain we will die, why not 5 hrs? Evolution
had millions of years to design us so why not give us a little bit more
capacity to store oxygen in our blood and improve our odds of survival? Let’s
assume that the reason a giraffe has a very long neck is that the giraffe’s
ancestor constantly reached for leaves on higher branches, then why did some of
our human ancestors not practice underwater diving to increase their lung
capacity and thereby evolve into humans who could survive up to 5 hrs of oxygen
deprivation. On the other hand, if evolution would have given us 5 hrs capacity
to handle oxygen deprivation what would have been the other biological
consequences? Would we have been taller? Would we be having larger torsos?
Would we still have the intellectual capacity to build tools? And most
importantly would that have given our species better odds of survival? Let’s
examine another evolutionary theory. What if we create a space ship and send 1
million human beings for space exploration for a 10 million year round trip?
The space ship will not have gravity allowing the space travelers to glide and
space walk inside their space ship, due to which each subsequent generation
will not need stronger bones and they will develop bodies which are lighter. So
when the space ship returns how will the new colony adapt to our planet earth?
Will they need wheel chairs? And if they continue their stay on earth with the
natural gravity after 10 million years will their offspring regain their bone
strength? Anyways, back to our question, are we really evolutionary products?
Why did evolution design us the way we are today? How will the next
evolutionary changes impact us? Will we be able to influence future generation’s
evolutionary features if we wanted to? How will genetic research play a role in
our evolution once our current levels of moral restrictions get overshadowed by
scientific discoveries and we decide to experiment with our DNA? In any case,
let’s continue exploring….
So who are we? Are we co-creators? Some of us
believe that we all are co-creators of our experiences and together we can
transform the world into a better place. Some of us believe that each
individual contributes towards the outcome of the entire human race. If this is
the case then why is it possible for some of us to develop hostility towards
others? Why do some of us seek to dominate the weaker folks? Why do we
co-create financial scams and swindle money from innocent investors? How is it
that we have co-created so many complex social issues that leads to
relationship failures and mistrust? How did we so easily manage to co-create
the tobacco industry that manufactures cigarettes which causes cancer? Anyways,
back to our question, are we really co-creators? Is it possible to co-create a
tobacco free society? Is it possible to co-create a society free of
discrimination and animosity?
Let us focus our complete attention on all the 7+
Billion human beings, all the animals, all the plants, all the insects, all the
birds, our entire planet, our entire solar system, our entire Milky Way galaxy
and our entire universe. Everything that is happening is happening in our “NOW MOMENT”. Take some time to absorb
this feeling. Take some time to experience this happening. Take some time to
become aware of the present moment. Take some time to let go of the past. Take
some time to surrender to the future. Take some time to consolidate all our
thoughts. Take some time to embrace all our feelings. Take some time to feel
the powerful connection with everything around us. Take some time to experience
our existence in the infinite expanding space around us. Take some time to
become one with the universe. Take some time to breathe in deeply and breathe
out deeply and continue to experience this state. All that happens in our now
moment is good. Some happenings are undesirable and we must do our best to
fight and overcome the undesirable. Yet, overall in the grand scheme of things,
all that happens is good. And we are nothing but this goodness that is
happening right now. It is entirely up to us to recognize this whole goodness
and choose it completely.
For some of us the answer “WE ARE OUR CHOICES” to the question “Who are we?” will resonate
strongly and for some of us the simplistic answers like we are energy, we are
consciousness, we are global citizens, we are evolutionary products or we are
co-creators will resonate strongly. It’s all good. No matter how we experience
the inquiry of who we are, it will eventually lead us to “WE ARE OUR CHOICES”.
(A) Physical Well-Being:
- Let us choose Mindful Eating
- Let us choose Wellness
- Let us choose Exercise, Yoga, Stretching and Fitness Centers
- Let us choose Vegetarian Lifestyle
- Let us choose to Quit Caffeine, Nicotine and Alcohol
- Let us choose to eat more Whole Food rather than Processed Foods
- Let us choose Meditation
(B) Emotional Well-Being:
- Let us choose Happiness
- Let us choose Love
- Let us choose Letting Go
- Let us choose Gratitude
- Let us choose Intimacy
- Let us choose Passion
- Let us choose Meditation
(C) Financial Well-Being:
- Let us choose Abundance
- Let us choose Success
- Let us choose Integrity
- Let us choose Our Future
- Let us choose Learning new Professional Skills
- Let us choose team-work, new projects and Finance Courses
- Let us choose Meditation
(D) Spiritual Well-Being:
- Let us choose Inner Peace
- Let us choose Oneness
- Let us choose Trust
- Let us choose Forgiveness
- Let us choose Compassion
- Let us choose Simplicity
- Let us choose Courage
- Let us choose Meditation
We Love Meditation.
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