It seems that we experience the most what we understand the least, that is, our consciousness. If asked where our consciousness is located some will point to their brains, others to their hearts, and still others to stomachs while some move hands all over their bodies. Wherever we point, the question remains a trick question. Consciousness does not exist anywhere in the physical universe. Consciousness is not physical in nature, but subjective to each one of us. The real question is not where is consciousness but when is consciousness. The answer is always the same—consciousness is NOW and only NOW. Each moment we live is an experience and combined moments are the building blocks that create our perspective on and understanding of reality.
The source of consciousness and what it is remains in the realm of mystery. Why is there something (the universe and ourselves) rather than nothing? However, what can be said is that consciousness is the subject that knows, feels and is aware of both the seen and unseen.
I. The Debate on the Origin of Consciousness
In recent years consciousness studies are thriving in psychology, biology, and neuroscience. Francis Crick (1916-2004), a world leading biophysicist, concluded we are just a few decades away from defining how the brain creates consciousness. And yet, so far, consciousness is too much like spirituality for traditional materialistic science (i.e. matter is the fundamental material in nature and all things including consciousness come from the interaction of material things) to explain its origin. Scientific materialism faces the challenge that the Australian philosopher David Chalmers calls the “hard problem” which is to bring non-material consciousness out of a bunch of ingredients that are non-conscious. Robert Lanza, MD, Chief Scientific Officer of the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, is recognized as one of the world’s leading scientists. He is listed by Time magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential people in the World.” Lanza goes so far as to assert consciousness created the material world, not the other way around. He does not contend that classic materialism is wrong, it is just limited in its perspective.
Regardless of its beginning, consciousness by itself is incomplete if we are unable to act on it, to create intentions, to express the choices we make. Consciousness requires energy to express itself. Without energy we have only passive observation. (Sidebar: The first law of thermodynamics tells us all energy is neither created or destroyed. It can only be transformed from one form to another.)
II. Consciousness and Our Daily Lives
There is a primary choice we all make:
Will we examine our consciousness with all its mystery and explore its spiritual essence
or
Will we just grow old, live a spiritually unexamined life, and wait for the end?
Consciousness is a gift that we can explore, bring intention to our actions and value to our expressions.
Experiencing conscious living leads to the following and much more:
- Happiness and peace. Leo Tolstoy: “Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.”
- Consciousness guides us to find personal meaning in our lives. Meaning is something we feel, it is not physical or external to our subjectivity.
- Finding our personal path. How we choose to freely use and express our consciousness determines the path we take in life.
- Internal value. Often consciousness is experienced acutely when sitting quietly alone or sharing a quiet moment with someone we care for or love.
- Rapport with others. When we are in love, ‘we’ and the subjective ‘I’ become blurred. Where does one end and the other begin? We experience shared consciousness.
- Oneness with all. There is a ‘collective unconscious’ as Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung called it, that is greater than our individuality and is universal. Such consciousness is ‘nonlocal,’ meaning it is not bound by our physical bodies or brains.
- The world as home. Consciousness recognizes our oneness and calls us to live in harmony with others and the earth.
III. The Mystery Remains
And the mystery remains. Where does consciousness and its partner energy come from? How does the brain (physical) relate to consciousness (non-physical) and vice versa? Where does information come from? What gives us meaning? What stimulates us to action? These and other questions like them have no obvious or external answers.
The mystery of consciousness is explored through our living, acknowledging the gift of self-awareness, expressing it with creativity, intention and the integrity that bring meaning and value to each moment.
(Cobbs’s background is in theology not science. An in-depth discussion of consciousness from scientific perspectives can be found in Eva Herr’s book Consciousness: Bridging the Gap Between Conventional Science and the New Super Science of Quantum Mechanics. Some of the thoughts in this article are discussed in detail in Herr’s book.)
Written by: Hartzell Cobbs
About the Author: With a sprinkling of exuberance and vitality, Dr. Cobbs is an accomplished author of three books and numerous articles published in different venues throughout his life. Dr. Cobbs’ first book, Thanatos and the Sage: A spiritual approach to aging (2008), offers a thought-provoking interpretation of the interplay between how to live life with meaningful intentions and the eventuality of coming to terms with death. His second book, RavenWind (2019) delves into the raven’s role as it relates to Native American myths, legends, and folktales and global history. His reflections on the spirituality of living and dying depicted in his books are threaded throughout the short essays posted on the website for “Smart Strategies for Successful Living” and in his latest book, The Moon at the Window: Senior Reflections.
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