Читать книгу The Power of Being - Андреас Грубер - Страница 17

In Japan some robots look almost human. You have probably seen them on television. Every year there seems to be a more realistic and more advanced version. However, I would like to point out that we are the most realistic version of a robot. To a large extent we are the human robots. That may sound strange to you, but give it a thought.

We are human robots mainly operating on autopilot, as long as we give away our powerto our habits, reactions, conditioning, belief systems, and biased views.

Although we have an intellect, we are to a large extent governed by habits, triggers, and emotions. Reactions are like deeply ingrained patterns, which make us respond in an entirely predictable way on a particular stimulus called triggers. Our triggers are sometimes our sibling’s favorite toys when they are bored. Others often know our triggers better than we do.

Some even blame a higher conspiracy and that we are being controlled and manipulated by something or somebody. I believe we need to take a close look at ourselves first, because either way, only a person with a free mind can live a free life.

It's not hard to understand that habits, reactions, and emotions are just some of the mechanisms that make us live our lives like robots, and not necessarily for the better. We don't have to think or have a very high awareness for them to work either. On the contrary, the autopilot is our standard mode of operation. Our awareness only seems to peep out once in a while. To my understanding this has become a kind of protective habit of the mind, mainly to divert the attention from our very own pain and trouble inside. If that isn't enough, we go and distract ourselves with some entertainment, drugs, excessive eating, etc.

During the Roman Empire, two thousand years ago, it was not much different, as the following ironical statement indicates.

“Panem et circenses.” "Bread and circuses (for the people)"

Juvenal – Roman satirist

A contemporary thinker explained this statement, as he wrote:

"The evil was not in bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rightsas free men for full bellies and excitement of the gameswhich would serve to distract them from the other human hungerswhich bread and circus can never appease."

Marcus Tullus Cicero

Not only Romans sold their rights in exchange for some basic needs and a little bit of distraction. I do, you do, your employees do, politicians do - everybody does. We do it until we have had enough. We may undertake enormous labor to free ourselves, only to see that we are the robots that willingly trade the capacity of our minds for some further distraction.

Marshall Goldsmith, a behavioral scientist, has worked with personal development for more than thirty years. He usually asks his clients, when they last changed an interpersonal behavior. Only occasionally can we change personal habits like smoking, overeating or biting our fingernails, etc. He points out that he very, very rarely meets a person who has changed a behavior towards another person. What does this tell us about our freedom? Is it that we do not change because we don't want to, or because somebody has robbed us of this very ability? No, we have simply habituated our minds to be like that. But that doesn't mean the mind as such is like that. There is a saying that denominates humans as "habitual animals", and I tend to agree.

The Romans did not give away their freedom and ability to change consciously, nor do we. Unless you have learned to operate your mind in a different way, your habits and triggers will take over your operations automatically. That is the threat we are facing. The autopilot we have allowed to take over is our mind in a kind of idle state.

Charles Duhigg, the author of the bestseller The Power of Habit, refers to the latest science when he explains that: "40-45 percent of our decisions per day are just habits." He goes on to explain that neuroscience shows that while we indulge in a habit, our brain goes down to a frequency similar to the level just before falling asleep.

We may laugh about sleepwalkers, but that's ultimately what we all are. But it doesn't have to remain that way. We can only find real freedom within ourselves. Although we can be enslaved and limited by our pain, our minds present an even greater challenge to us. The pain we do notice, but the mind may get away unnoticed. We have the ability to change that if we become aware and choose to. That's what this book is about.

I would like to present one of the most powerful exercises that I know. At the same time, it is one of the very simplest and easy to do. I'm a believer in simplicity because the simplest seem to last longest, and maybe because I'm just lazy.

The last things we do when going to sleep, leave a rather significant impression on the mind. If you watched a violent movie, you might have noticed that your sleep becomes less peaceful. We can use this effect on the mind to create a positive pattern or habit. It is easy to underestimate this tiny exercise, but it won't cost you a thing, so you may as well give it a try. The reasons why I would recommend this, would also be that it is for sure something everybody can and has time to do.

Conditioning the mind towards a higher state of awareness:

When you lie in bed, ready to sleep, be aware of your body. Seek out a rather fine sensation in your body that you can stay with without effort. If it disappears, look for another one.

Don't make it a chore, or a stressful task. Be relaxed about it, enjoy it, and rest in this perception. Just stay with that, without any further intention to achieve anything. Don't go after any thoughts or memories. Just watch and allow yourself to fall asleep.

After some days, you will notice that your mind is calmer and other days it will be somewhat turbulent, due to the activities of the past day. Observe all that and do nothing. There is nothing to achieve. Just observe the body while you allow yourself to fall asleep.

Never underestimate the small things, when it comes to cultivating the mind.

To build small but productive habits has huge potential. This may be one of your most essential and largest steps toward a higher awareness and a clearer mind. Within a couple of weeks, your mind will continue observing during sleep, and this will change your ability to perceive subtle perceptions dramatically. Over time, you will notice a clear difference when you wake up every morning. Just give it some time.