Are We the Architects of Our Lives?

Are We Actually Conscious?

Just how much of what we perceive as ourselves and our life is actually the result of our conscious, intelligent and knowledgeable decisions, and how much is the result of our automatic and unconscious response to the influences of economic, political and social conditioning? And are we even aware of not only what we are, but how we became what we are? And perhaps more importantly, are we afraid of learning the truth about such things?

We seem to assume so much these days, and some of those assumptions can become real problems. For example; we assume that we are conscious and therefore take consciousness for granted, but what if this assumption was false? What if we investigated the idea of consciousness and discovered that we have been asleep for the better part of our lives? Think of the implications! One of which is; if we haven't been conscious, where have we been all this time?

Do We Really Want To Know?

The implications alone are enough to make us run screaming into any safe and protective reality we can find at the moment. But if we go ahead and pop the lid on what we intuitively sense could become a kind of Pandoras box, do we really want to know the truth here? Do we have the courage to go down this path? Most of us are much too comfortable to want to upset the status quo, especially in such a potentially dangerous way. But there are those of us who can't shake the suspicion that something just isn't right, that there should be more to life, that life should be more satisfying, more fulfilling, more complete, more meaningful. But is the truth worth the risk involved?

The stakes are high. Consider what it might mean to suddenly realize, perhaps half way through your life, that you are not really sure what consciousness actually is, much less realize that you may have invested so many years living in a kind of conceptual representation of reality, a kind of abstract picture of what we want thing to be like rather than the actual true experience that we live through, but are unable to experience because we are not consciously present when and where the real world is taking place. Instead, we are in our picture of reality that we create with our mind to protect us from the ever changing reality of the here and now. The question is; why do we need to be protected from reality? Do we fear it?

Two Paths

If this is just one of the assumptions that may be false, and if living in the real world means that we might find ourselves faced with other false assumptions, then I suppose there is good reason to be concerned. But all this seems to indicate that there are essentially two paths that we can take; one is to spend our lives in a kind of fantasy version of reality that makes us feel as though we are actually in control of our lives, and the other which takes place in the actual real world where at first we don't feel that we have any power over our lives but actually do.

Just who is the architect of our lives? If we are not and have not been conscious for possibly many years, then who is responsible for who we are and what kind of lives we are living? Are we and our lives just part of that conceptualized version of reality that we created? And just how real is that? And by the way, how is it that we can live many years of our lives without realizing that we are not really conscious?

Awareness

What kind of person are we and how did we become what we are? Answers to questions like this are found through self awareness which is associated with the development of a higher level of consciousness. This is not easy because essentially the task is that of recognizing the current situation and then doing what it takes to change what needs to be changed. When we are talking about changing habitual behavior patterns that have been in place for possibly decades, and upon which we have relied for our identity and security, such behaviors are not likely to relinquish power easily and will resist change. After all, those conceptualized thought and behavior patterns were designed to protect us from the reality of change in the first place.

Of course, this subject is far too involved to address appropriately in such a short article, but there are resources and tools out there designed to help anyone who finds enough courage to actually set out on the journey of self awareness and self improvement in order to find peace, happiness and fulfillment in their lives. Tools like meditation and visualization are very good at helping us in this area. Also, I recently wrote an e-book at the request of the Agenda of Life Foundation that explores the subjects of success, failure and personal power in depth and provides methods and procedures for implementing changes in our thinking and behavior, you can find a review of it at the link below. I have personally been on this journey for some time now and it makes the best roller coaster rides seem tame, but I wouldn't change a second of it. If you would like to actually feel alive again, go for it!

You can check out the e-book here.

Robert Darby is a self change and personal development specialist who writes for many organizations including The Agenda Of Life Foundation. He focuses on developing personal power since that is usually the cause of all Human problems. Robert takes a practical approach in that he looks at the various tools and techniques out there that are designed to help us achieve our mental, spiritual and emotional goals.