Choices, Choices, Choices
On those days when life seems incredibly simple and the complications we humans like to create have all gone into temporary hiding, it occurs to me all we need to do is be fully aware of our choices. It is that simple. We make hundreds of choices every day, mostly unconsciously. To make them more consciously may not be easy… but it is simple.
Dozens of times an hour we choose A over B, many out of habit, few with conscious intention, begrudgingly and, hopefully, a few that bring us joy and do not harm anyone or any thing. Smiling or not smiling is a choice. Saying “hello” or remaining silent is a choice. Picking up a piece of trash in the public commons or walking past it is a choice. Making eye contact with someone you are passing on the sidewalk or averting your eyes is a choice of A over B. Simple but maybe not easy.
Our choices are where consciousness shows up in the world. Choices we make each and every minute create the reality in which we live. The reality in which we live is a result of our consciousness. If we seek a new reality, and seek greater consciousness, how can we ignore the choices we make over and over again, every day throughout our lives?
The politician who chooses how to vote has intention, motive and thought invested in that choice. It is somewhat conscious. Even if it is a bad choice it is being made with awareness and deliberation. The choices that same person makes in traffic when another motorist cuts them off is often unconscious and reactive. Raising their voice with their child is another choice, usually unconscious.
Police officers who put their lives on the line each day in our large cities made a conscious choice to serve in this way but are their choices to be mean and brutal in an instant of anger, stress or fear being made consciously? Are they fully conscious of what they are eating “on the run” or that donut they grabbed in the morning?
Is the manager meeting with his/her team as present to each of them, as fully aware of their words, tone and eye contact as they were when they wrote the CEO about a sensitive matter? Are members of the team as aware of their going along with decisions with whicj they do not agree as they might be in asking the person in the accounting department out for a date? Is their head nodding in agreement or silent tongue simply a habit now?
As far as I can see, this awareness is where “the rubber meets the road” when it comes to more conscious living. Our consciousness shows up in our buying decisions, each call we make, every conversation we have, what foods we eat, how we treat one another, any addictions in which we indulge, the expression on our faces and much, much more. And each choice is simple, like chocolate or vanilla.
For me, I seek to make more and more everyday choices with awareness, deliberation and intent. This is how I can create the reality I wish to see in the world. This is how I practice becoming a more conscious human being.
