Estimated reading time: 6 min.
Dear reader,
Welcome back to Guiding Words.
In the previous lesson, we talked about the merits of letting go of any feelings of self-importance in order to free ourselves from the beliefs that are holding us back from experiencing the world to the fullest.
In this lesson, we will continue our exploration of the ego and reflect on what we refer to as the conscious mind’s first and fundamental mistake.
Even within the American Psychological Association (APA), there is no agreement around a single definition of consciousness. However, a basic and non-partisan definition of consciousness taken from the APA dictionary is: an organism’s awareness of something either internal or external to itself.
Despite the fact that there is no consensus around its definition, it is, however, commonly agreed that every function of the body contributes to the well-being of the individual and to the maintenance of life. Therefore, we can assume that, just like any other body parts and bodily functions, the purpose of awareness is to contribute to the well-being of the individual and to the maintenance of life.
However, the first and fundamental mistake comes from the fact that the frontiers of the conscious mind – the mind aware of itself and its environment – stretch beyond the limits of the body while having its roots in the body and its purpose in serving the body.
Let’s elaborate on this concept through some Words of Art on the subject of satiety and freedom.
On the subject of satiety:
As the conscious mind assists the body in fulfilling its needs, it too begins asking itself what its own needs are. And therein lies the trap, when the conscious mind mistakenly concludes that its needs are of the same nature as those of the body.
When measured by the same metrics, the body is always full way before the mind is. For example:
- When the body is hungry, a reasonable portion of a balanced meal is enough to satisfy it. There is no need for a buffet nor is there any need for champagne and caviar.
- When the body feels the need to procreate, sexual intercourse of an average of 5 to 7 min is enough to release the semen. There is no need for endless hours of humping.
- When the body feels the need to sleep, it sleeps for the number of hours necessary for it to recover. It will wake up when it has enough without the need for an alarm or an elaborate tracking system.
Therefore, when measured by the same metrics, the body is always full way before the mind is. Satisfying the body is not the problem, the conscious mind, believing that its satisfaction comes from the same sources as that of the body, is the problem.
A mind that aims to satisfy the body, no more and no less than necessary, is a mind that has reached serenity and has ample space to explore territories that are and will always remain beyond the grasp, the interest, and the understanding of the body.
On the subject of freedom:
The body can never be free.
There are many functions that need to be done in order to maintain life.
- Food intake
- Waste regulation
- Reproduction
- And many more
The body does not need freedom. Its primary concern is survival. To be alive and healthy is its greatest achievement.
Only the conscious mind can be free, but its freedom is not expressed in all the things it can or cannot do. Those are predefined and confined by the needs of the body.
Its freedom is expressed in:
- How it chooses to satisfy the needs of the body: ice cream cake or mushroom soup
- How it chooses to experience the limits imposed on the physical body: Since I cannot fly, I will build airplanes
- And to what extent it is willing to manufacture the physical feeling of joy through the exploration of different paths to joy (religion, science, art, philosophy etc.) beyond the ones built into the fabric of the body (food, sex, sleep).
Thus, what we refer to as the conscious mind first and fundamental mistake is the belief that its needs are of the same nature as those of the body just because its primary purpose is to serve the needs of the body.
We should be careful not to restrict the mind to play by the rules of the body. It is not because the body finds its happiness in the satisfaction of its needs that the mind will find its happiness in the satisfaction of the same sets of needs. They are together but they are not the same.
This concludes our lesson on the conscious mind’s first and fundamental mistake. In the next lesson we will explore the nature of happiness.
See you in three days and until then, may Serenity be upon you.
Didi
N. B.: The word mistake and error are synonymous but not identical. In this case, the word mistake was purposely used instead of error because of the nuance between both words. Even though both words refer to doing something wrong, a mistake is less formal and less significant compared to an error. People make mistakes when they already have the knowledge but lack concern and attention. However, an error is more formal and when people have errors, it is because they lack the proper knowledge.
Question: After reading this lesson, can you remember a time when your mind fell in the trap of believing that it will find happiness just by doing more of something that brings pleasure to the body?
Reply with a yes or no and feel free to go beyond two or three characters.
P.S.: I am trying to find the right words to convey my thoughts in a language that is not mine, so please pardon my mistakes and feel free to reply with any suggestions and/or corrections that can make this reading experience more enjoyable.
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