What Does "Conscious" Mean?

[Tars]

I see the word all over the place on these forums. Is it being used as a synonym for "conscience"? Does it imply a higher "conciousness"?

I don't get it. Every human, and some other species I've seen are "concious". Whenever I see the word used here it comes off as being kind of arrogant. Why are people here more "concious" than any others? It's an "Us and Them" thing, right?

Does it have something to do with "rightness of living"? Who's to say what's right or wrong. Again, it just comes off as trite & arrogant to me.

Someone 'splain it to me, 'K? Thanks in advance.

Tars

[meherc]

I interpret "conscious" as mindful. Don't think it's meant to mean better or higher or good or bad. Just aware of whatever activity you are engaged in doing. I can certainly drive from here to Santa Rosa on autopilot, without paying much attention to what I'm doing. That's not to say I'm literally unconscious; I'm not in a coma. I'm just not paying attention, I'm in my head, not the most enjoyable place to live a life.

Marilyn

[Dixon]

Howdy, Tars

We all have our ideas about what's "conscious" (enlightened, in touch with reality, good values, etc.). The way the term is commonly used, it seems that "conscious" means "agreeing with us" and, yes, that does sound a bit arrogant.

Of course that same attitude is present in virtually every group of humans, not just the "conscious" West County community, though other "subcultures" (conservative religions, the military, survivalists, punks, whoever) may use different terminology (saved, enlightened, righteous, realistic, God's chosen, reasonable, etc.)

It's probably impossible to avoid taking the position that it's more conscious to agree with us, because the fact that we hold a belief means we think it's true, so of course more conscious people would agree, and less conscious people disagree with us. So I don't mind people assuming they're more conscious than me; after all, I'm assuming I'm more conscious than them. What's important to me is that we're open-minded and rational enough to change our "conscious"ness as the evidence guides us.

Dixon

[Juggledude]

Tars and Dixon,

I gotta disagree vehemently with you. Though I respect that each of us has a personal connotation associated with just about everything, a fundamental value of language is the objectivity available by the use of these symbol forms we call words.

The word "Conscious", to me, moves more along the path that meherc is referencing as mindful, and comes no where near a path of labeling or judgement, as seems to be implied in this discussion. It means to be aware of , to hold in the active part of your mind an awareness... where does that compare, qualitatively or otherwise, or split into us vs them thinking? I can only imagine that there may be a bias toward that type of duality already present, for the term "conscious" to evoke those images.

Looking at the objective definitions;

con·scious /ˈkɒnʃəs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kon-shuhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective

1. aware of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.

2.	fully aware of or sensitive to something (often fol. by of): conscious of one's own faults; He wasn't conscious of the gossip about his past.

3.	having the mental faculties fully active: He was conscious during the operation.

4.	known to oneself; felt: conscious guilt.

5.	aware of what one is doing: a conscious liar.

6.	aware of oneself; self-conscious.

7.	deliberate; intentional: a conscious insult; a conscious effort.

8.	acutely aware of or concerned about: money-conscious; a diet-conscious society.

9.	Obsolete. inwardly sensible of wrongdoing.

–noun

I see nothing but positive praise for the concept, and actually get a little excited when I think of this type of activity joining with the other concepts we see bandied about here, i.e. conscious community, conscious relationships, conscious creation, and I'll add another, though I may not be the first, conscious communication!

in the spirit of conscious communication, I'd very much like to see your thoughts about my thoughts, so we can both work to expand our consciousness, thereby adding to the sum total neat-o-ness of the universe!

Blessed Be,

Royce

[Tars]

The word "Conscious", to me, moves more along the path that meherc is referencing as mindful, and comes no where near a path of labeling or judgement, as seems to be implied in this discussion. It means to be aware of , to hold in the active part of your mind an awareness... where does that compare, qualitatively or otherwise, or split into us vs them thinking? I can only imagine that there may be a bias toward that type of duality already present, for the term "conscious" to evoke those images.

"Hold in the active part of your mind an awareness..." of what exactly? "mindful"....mindful of what? Who isn't "mindful"? In your definition of a "concious" person, isn't everyone "concious"? If not, why not? Perhaps to clarify you could give an example of someone who isn't a "concious" person?

I'm just intrigued by people who refer to themselves as a "concious" person, or, as often referred to here, members of a "concious community". If people need to identify themselves as "concious", aren't they necessarily implying that there are "unconcious" or "non-concious" people? That's where I start seeing the us-and-them aspect, which also seems like it might be a form of gentle bigotry - similar to "hippies" vs "straights", or "longhairs" vs "suits". But which of those isn't "concious"? They all try in their own way to "live right", respect others, be a good human, etc. don't they? They're all "concious".

Or maybe "concious" in this local context is just a buzzword - no real particular definition - just a word used to build a warm sense of community within WaccoBB and/or Sonoma County or northern California.

For me, "concious" seems synonymous with "humane". Perhaps I'm mistaken? In my wanderings I've met people of many races and backgrounds, of widely-varying political, social, or moral persuasions, from countries all over the world. I might not agree with their individual viewpoints, but I believe they are all members of the"concious community".

Not intending to be argumentative; I respect anyone who considers themselves to be "concious" - who strives to be humane. I'm just trying to understand what others here mean when they say that they're "concious". So far understanding isn't happening.

Tars

[Dixon]

...The word "Conscious", to me, moves more along the path that meherc is referencing as mindful, and comes no where near a path of labeling or judgement, as seems to be implied in this discussion. It means to be aware of , to hold in the active part of your mind an awareness... where does that compare, qualitatively or otherwise, or split into us vs them thinking? I can only imagine that there may be a bias toward that type of duality already present, for the term "conscious" to evoke those images.

Hi, Royce!

Thanks for your thoughts. Here's my response:

Like most adjectives, "conscious" is a relative term. Saying "Royce is tall" is a shorthand way of saying "Royce is on the tall end of the tall/short spectrum" or, in other words "Royce is taller than most people". The same is true for other adjectives: smart, fat, rich, intelligent, ugly, fast--and conscious. In almost all contexts, to say Royce is tall inescapably means that most people are shorter (less tall) than him. Similarly, saying "Our community is a conscious community" inescapably means that most communities are less conscious than ours. So the judgment or us/them duality you cite didn't come from me; it's implicit in the use of the term "conscious community".

I hope that clarifies things a bit.

Consciously yours;

Dixon

["Mad" Miles]

Hey Y'all,

It's been bugging me, this discussion that is, because I asked the question a while back and Barry replied.

It took some searching but here's a copy.

Barry's original post is here.

What is "Conscious"

---

In another thread, Mad Miles asked:

What exactly is the definition of "conscious" as it is used on this board?

There is no "exact definition". First, I don't claim to be fully "conscious" and I don't expect the users of this system to be either. However, I do strongly embrace the following values and practices and I aspire to embody them as much as I can. My hope/intention is that our members do so as well. Like the Storyteller, my "job is to shed light, and not to master".

Below are some thoughts on what is to be "conscious". I don't have time, or the the expertise, to write a definitive piece on this. I invite you to add your comments. The support of community, or Sangha, is very helpful in becoming more conscious, and that's part of the reason why I created this service!


Presence
This is the fundamental practice. To "Be Here Now" and not in your head, reliving some past childhood trauma, projecting fears or dreams.

Witness
Cultivating an awareness that is separate from your ego that can just observe exactly "what is".

Truth
Again, this goes to "what is" and is the basis of being authentic.

Open hearted/Undefended
To be emotionally available and compassionate while not easily going into a defensive/resistive posture.

Respect
To honor everybody and their truths, even if you disagree with them. This is that attribute that I most staunchly try to uphold here. Without respecting each other, then its not safe. And if its not safe, its more difficult to be open and compassionate.

In addition to being "conscious", this service is also intended for the "progressive" community.

Here's my take on "progressive", briefly: All there is is Love! And from that non-dual point, arises a duality of love and not-love, let's call that fear. And from here arises the political expression of the Right /Conservative (greed, rugged individualism, militaristic) and Left/Progressive (compassionate, environmental awareness, individual liberty, social justice).

OK, that's enough for now. What do you think?

[Vet-To-Pet]

Having recently relocated to West Sonoma County (from the Southeast, one of the "less-conscious" places I've lived over my 52+ years on this planet), I want to add my take on this discussion. In my humble opinion, after watching, listening, conversing, & thinking about this wonderful region that I'm grateful to call "home", I have to point out that even though the majority of the citizens/residents are "aware" & trying to live as responsible human beings on the Earth (in all the ways possible, locally & globally), there is still an underlying, unspoken understanding of being "more righteous" than other humans in other circumstances, a little "smugness" with our consciousness. If you don't admit that, then I guess you're a better person than some others. But if you dig deep, you might find a tiny bit of "smug" buried under all those "Blessings" & "Namaste" that get tossed about without much thought, only the knowledge that that's what's appropriate in this community. I could be wrong....but I doubt it. Sometimes it takes "fresh eyes" to see what's less obvious to those who have been immersed in "it" all along.
Paula

[Barry]

It's been bugging me, this discussion that is, because I asked the question a while back and Barry replied.

It took some searching but here's a copy.

Thanks for finding my earlier post, Miles! That saved me some work!

In addition to the attributes/values in my post that you dredged up ( Presence, Witness, Truth, Open hearted/Undefended, Respect, Progressive ), let me first address the "buzzword", "us vs. them", "smugness" , "arrogance" aspect:

It's not about being better than someone else, or even separate, it's about this is the "game" that we are playing here. These are the values that we uphold and strive for, our Social Contract. All are welcome here who can "consciously" embrace these values. I think about it as being on the path. Where on the path someone is doesn't matter so much as being on the path wherever they are. Yeah, we're all on the path, but not necessarily "consciously".

This is the connection to spirit. The "naked awareness" that is behind the dream of "I/ego" is shared by us all. To the extent that we are able to come from this place and recognize it as our True Nature, is the extent that our hearts are open, our fundamental connection with each other and all of creation is apparent and palpable, and compassion and celebration arise.

The appearance of separateness between "self" and "other" is at once painful and creative. Community is a means of bridging this gap, of coming together, of healing the division to a certain extent, and of harnessing the creative energy that is released by this re-unification . WaccoBB.net is a tool to facilitate that. It is an experiment in manifesting community that "consciously" embraces these values and I intend to see how real it can be.

I'll be continuing to post concrete ways in which we can express these values. Presence can be expressed here by speaking from your heart in an undefended way whenever possible. The people and posts that manage to pull this off are quite moving.

Witnessing is kind of interesting here. Not only are we all invited to be aware of how we show up in this community space, there are other people watching/lurking and will occasionally chime in and let you know what they are witnessing, hopefully without attacking.

Truth is an essential value here. And the "whole truth" or transparency is necessary for true authenticity. This is what is behind the recent guidelines of allowing negative testimonials with full responsibility and of disclosing any vested interests when making a recommendation.

I gotta go and host a birthday party for my daughter. I wanted to get at least this much out. Does that help address the "Us vs. Them" concern?

[Tars]

Yup! Thanks!