Shifting Perspectives

Photo by Saketh Garuda on Unsplash

I noticed that my mind has multiple layers. There are different ways I am visualizing this in my mind, here is one of them.

One way I think about it is that my mind is layered like an onion.

At the core, the center, there is one thread of consciousness. That's the base consciousness. It deals with very concrete things that are close to my own body, like the movement of my fingers or the information that I'm cold.

The next outer layer could be a consciousness about anything that I sense around me. My eyes see my environment, my nose picks up smells, and so on.

In the next layer, I could have observations about myself or what my senses pick up. "I like that smell" or "A car is approaching me, I should probably walk faster to cross the junction in time".

An outer layer of consciousness can access all inner consciousness levels, whereas an inner consciousness cannot access any outer one.

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Most of the time, as I go about my day, there is one simple thought at a time that is kind of guiding what I do at the physical level. That might be for example the thought "do groceries". When I am at home and think that, I get up, grab my backpack, my wallet and my keys. I make sure that I am dressed appropriately for the weather, then I get out and walk towards the supermarket. For someone observing me from the outside, it would be pretty obvious what that simple thought is. "Nilan went from his home to the supermarket, grabbed a couple of items, paid, and returned home. He went grocery shopping!".

However, at any time, the outer levels of my consciousness are racing with busyness. At any point during the above scene, there are multiple layers of consciousness active, and most of them are kind of automatic and "random".

Recently, I became more aware about how strongly my outer consciousness levels are affecting how I evolve over time. If I go to the supermarket five times over the course of a few weeks, it is not a simple transactional act of grocery shopping I completed five times.

At one level of consciousness, I might analyze the path I walk to the supermarket. Is it efficient? Is it a beautiful scenery? Are there other paths I could take that are more pleasant or quicker?

At another level, I might observe how people are interacting with each other. I might observe the weather and how it makes me feel. Little by little, any observation, any thought, on any consciousness level, affects how I view the world, and myself.

Someone from the outside, observing my supermarket visits over time, might notice a few differences in my behaviour over time. A change of my path, a change of my demeanor. But essentially, to them, it is still me who is still simply going grocery shopping.

Only I have the access to my inside, and I can observe changes there over time as well.

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And I am shifting my perspectives. I am directing my attention more actively. This is based in my intention to evolve.

From passive registration of my environment towards active intention and impact. From random observations that aggregate over time and have a strong effect on me, towards intentional questions that guide me in a direction that I'd like to explore.

It is my intention to be guided by joy, curiosity and myself.