Consciousness
“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.” ― Anaïs Nin
Our consciousness creates a model of reality. Every thought, every feeling and everything we experience in life is judged and evaluated against our internal models. The representations of these models are not the way reality actual is but, rather, how we perceive our experience to be. Our projections and our interpretations are usually based on prior experience, habits formed long ago and often in childhood, from societal norms and from conditioning by authority figures early in our lives (parents, teacher, religious figures, politicians, etc.). Many of these were formed before we had developed the ability to judge them as a benefit or a liability. Given the rapid pace of change we all now experience in the world, old and fixed beliefs are not only inappropriate and outdated but can also be destructive as well.
If we want to change ourselves (and the world) to a more harmonious, peaceful, loving, just and sustainable whole, we must each first start with an examination of our conditioning and our long held beliefs. If we are really open-minded and honest with ourselves and do this objectively, we will find that this effort will greatly expand our own view and that of the world. It will enable us to better understand how our own biases and judgments creep into our thoughts, intentions and actions in all aspects of our lives. We then will be in a much better position to use our perceptions and intrepretations with fresh and expanded viewpoints, not only individually but from a societal point of view as well. This is the goal of the consciousness projects of many organizations in the world today including our own.