Motivation is important; to acting, to understanding, to life. Conscious motivation, intentionality, is a force to be reconned with.
So as we begin, I’ll share my motivation for writing here, with the intention that it will allow readers to engage more consciously with the ideas expressed.
I’ve found in my life that most people walk around in a thick fog of cognitive dissonance. This cloud is a plight to all, but in varying degrees from person to person. The essential question is: how close is your perception of reality to the actuality of what is occurring in the totality of the experience in which you are, inevitably, participating?
Cognitive dissonance is the power that allows us to remain ignorant when something we believe to be true is actually not. The force arises when we have the tools at our disposal to determine the lack of truth but choose not to confront the questions that will lead us to greater awareness. This force arises when we run into our edges.
Cognitive dissonance allows us to maintain illusions of control and comfort.
I hope to push you to your edges.
My original edges appeared, first subconsciously then consciously, early in life. This occurred as I struggled through immense challenges, and these experiences helped me to hone a growth process that I have learned to embrace and be in love with. I actually feel ecstatic about this process now, often and sometimes simultaneously with other emotions, in the thick of all the discomfort that comes from questioning one’s deepest beliefs.
I will begin this series of articles with pieces on topics that will appear as themes throughout my writing; subconscious/conscious awareness, transpersonal relating, interdependence, personal responsibility, and natural/evolutionarily-appropriate living, to give an idea. Later articles will explore day-to-day topics that I have come to see differently as I have consciously reprogrammed how I experience life. Much of my perspective is on the edge of or outside “the box.”
What I say is meant only to relay my experience and perspective. I commit to thoroughly investigating each topic prior to commenting on it and noting my knowledge gaps where they exist. I am always open to new information and welcome feedback in the form of additional data. I have only arrived where I am because I’ve been open to new information. As you are reading this outlet, I ask you to put your best efforts into being open to and curious about new information as well.