I have been
thinking a lot lately about sleep states and wakefulness, individuality vs. the
collective, and the difference between authentic and artificial experience.
Although seemingly very different, I truly feel that these concepts are
intrinsically related and especially relevant to the state of our global
society today.
Let's begin
with the difference between authentic and artificial experience. These terms
seem very vague, but they are not - they simply general. Authentic experience
refers to any experience that any one of us may have, which allows for inner
growth and honest self-expression. Authentic experiences make us feel happiness
and allow for a positive outlook on life - a general enthusiasm for living
itself - and they can vary dramatically from person to person. It may be as
simple as sharing a cup of tea with someone or reading a book that speaks to
you, or it may be something like going on a trip, planning or starting a new
project, learning a new language or skill, falling love or making a lasting
friend. Artificial experiences are those that do not contribute anything to the
soul and create a feeling of closed-off-ness from ideas, people, or parts of
the human experience. Artificial experiences do not lead to happiness; instead
they produce a state of prolonged helplessness, boredom, frustration, a
negative view of life, or even depression. Artificial experiences are called
"artificial" because they do not allow us to experience our true
nature as humans and as individuals. Also, they are often illusions of
authentic experiences, illusions that we have created due to our confusion
between that which is truly valuable and that which is not. They too vary
enormously and can include things like being stuck in a job we hate, being
constantly stressed out, or the act of putting limitations on ourselves that
ultimately prevent us from seeking those authentic experiences that are needed
to truly satisfy us.
What are the
components of an authentic experience? Well, I think that in order to fill our
lives with authentic experiences we must do two things: we must be awake and we
must find a balance between individuality and collectiveness.
What does it
mean to be awake? It refers to a particular state of being in which we are able
to consciously differentiate between authentic and artificial experience.
Sadly, because of modern-day conditioning, which is largely a product of mass
media and a materialistic consumer culture, I think that most people cannot do
this; most people are asleep. They will subconsciously know that they are not
in the right place and doing the right thing (for them), but consciously they
may dismiss these feelings as laziness, tiredness, or part of the high level of
stress that has become so scarily normal in
our day-to-day lives. Awake people learn to recognize states in which they do
not feel like they are being true to themselves and therefore cannot be happy,
and manoeuvre out of them, learn from them, then try to avoid them when
possible, even at the expense of, say, a high paying job or material wealth. Awake people have honest
and lasting friendships, do not feel the need to judge others or spread
negativity to cover up their own insecurities, and are constantly on the path
to achieving that which their hearts yearns for, simply because they believe
they can. That is not to say that their path is not difficult, full of
obstacles, moments of despair or great fear; I think that these experiences can
be very positive since they encourage self-exploration and build character and
courage.
Lastly, what is
the balance between the individual and the collective? I suppose world rulers
and politicians have been arguing about this topic since forever, but to me it
is more of a personal thing. Everyone needs to feel like they are unique and
can contribute something special to the world, yet everyone also needs to feel
a sense of belonging to a group or to a larger whole. It is no use being your
totally awesome self if there is nobody to advise you, be happy for you, teach
you, challenge you, inspire you or be inspired by you. Our experiences have for
centuries been rooted in the experiences of our communities, but I feel that
this aspect has begun to disappear during the past century, and especially in
the last couple of decades. Every aspect of our lives and especially the spaces
in which we spend the largest chunks of our time - work, home, school, cities -
have become full of tangible and intangible walls that separate us from each
other. This can often lead to feelings of anonymity, sadness, and loneliness;
but this is not our natural state. These feelings indicate artificial
experience and can result in artificial relationships with others, which are
not rooted in mutual respect and appreciation. I feel like we need to come
together again and start working from the ground up to build genuine
communities and foster a sense of belonging and caring. This needs to be done
on a neighbourhood level, but can have implications on a global scale.
I think that
people need to find themselves again, both in each other and by reaching deep
down and pulling out those seeds of ideas within themselves that never really
leave us, even though they may get forgotten or buried for a while. Then, a
sense of identity and a clear, awake mind and heart are needed to make those
ideas grow and populate the world with the joy of authentic experience.
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