Awareness
Dear Helth, the key is Awareness. The ultimate goal is freedom, true freedom, but, without Awareness that is problematic. We easily get ourselves into trouble when unaware.
But, let’s stick to the here and now, and not dwell on theoretical possibilities. It’s our current reality and state of affairs that matters. Here Awareness is also most critical.
Just look around, look at those you know, look also at your own doings. Observe especially after the fact, when there has been foolishness of any kind, notice how it was always because the individual had been unaware. If they had been aware, they would not have been foolish. Unawareness is inherent to foolishness.
Mis-Beliefs
There is more to silliness or idiocy than unawareness, otherwise ignorance would be a prominent factor in stupidity. But, we can be utterly ignorant and not be a fool. Also, we can be aware, at least to some degree, and still be a thorough nincompoop. The difference is beliefs, or more accurately, mis-beliefs.
Look closely at especially those who behave absurdly but who should know better. They perpetrate the most ludicrous behaviour, despite being somewhat aware, all because of their clinging and immersion to utterly preposterous beliefs. Invariably they hold these wrong-headed beliefs because they believe they’ll get some sort of value out of them, typically their false ideas are a consequence of root mis-beliefs, such as the myth of ego, the folly of “short-cuts” like cheating and dishonesty and the like. Mis-beliefs compounded by further mis-beliefs.
Motivations
Fools are motivated by foolish ideas, that’s what makes them fools. The “happy fool” is also a myth. We tend to notice exceptions, but paying attention to the run-of-the-mill fools, those that are more numerous, we soon see how thoroughly miserable they are, and how they seldom, if ever, achieve any kind of lasting value, or even temporary benefit from their foolishness. They will take the tiniest bit of success, no matter how fleeting, and transform it into an affirmation of their nonsense.
Motivations, when connected to beliefs, are powerful for producing happiness or unhappiness. What’s the difference? Awareness.
When we become Aware, or make ourselves Aware of what is really involved with our motivation and beliefs, that’s when we zoom out a bit, looking at those two profound factors affecting our happiness, and realise that being Aware of what’s involved makes all the difference.
Unhooking from “Should”
We have to use this Awareness of ours, use it strategically. Once we do a thorough examination of our beliefs and motivations, we soon come to realise that we had been doing much that we didn’t even really think about. We were kinda doing much, “just because,” or so it seems. but, if we apply our new Awareness with some thoroughness to examining our seemingly inadvertent behaviour, beliefs and motivations, we see, inevitably, that some form of the villain “Should” is involved.
We are suckers for the corruption and influence of “Should.” Here it is that Awareness can have a huge effect on our happiness, because when we come to be Aware of “Should,” and how easily we are manipulated by “Should,” into doing the most ridiculous of things, we see it’s false power and we can free ourselves from it’s subtle but powerful grip.
Deliberate Living
The Application of our Awareness, the use of it on uncovering what has been limiting our happiness, causing unhappiness, now leads us to think clearly and be able to make free choices, despite us having believed it had been so. This all leads to that most marvellous use of Awareness: Deliberate Living.
When our actions are truly Deliberate, purely because we want to do them, because we choose them, that’s when Joy, or to me, next level happiness, comes into our lives. There’s a profound joy that comes from Living Deliberately, from our every action having significance. That Deliberateness adds power to even the ordinary. Everything takes on meaning and purpose, everything is significant, important, vital, necessary, chosen, which brings that magnificent joy and happiness.
We are Joyful and happy when we live deliberately, because we are choosing, freely, and, of course, we would not choose what we choose if we did not see some good reason for the choice, and if there is a good reason…well, that speaks for itself. The magic of Deliberate Living transforms the mundane into the sublime.
Awareness
We come back again to where we started as to the key to happiness. Awareness is that key, without Awareness, without truly knowing an Understanding and without being able to see past the mis-beliefs that lead to no-hope motivations, without being able to see impostors like “Should” for what they are, we have little real hope of real lasting happiness. Without Awareness, whose life are we living? Not ours. Without living our own life, which we need Awareness to do, how can we really be happy, never-mind Living a life with Joy?
Awareness is the key, Awareness is the magic-sauce, Awareness is the mechanism, the magic that when employed, when put to full use, leads us to that Freedom-of-Being which is Deliberate, Purposeful, Meaningful, and thus Joyful Living. To happiness. To living for real.
Biella
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About the Columnist
A Contemporary Philosopher and Writer, who exercises a glorious intellectual mind that is most admirable for its profundity and sharpness. Often offering multiple sides of an argument, and provoking self-introspection. Their aim is to uncover Appropriateness, Awareness, Attention, Application, Attunement, and more, with a unique, high-level understanding of the profound intricacies that interlace these concepts.
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