We’ve Been Substantially Altered

We’ve been substantially altered.
If the goal is manipulation, then chaos isn’t a failure;
it’s a requirement for learnt helplessness.

Consciousness has to battle with our brain, which is a construct of our environment. A huge part of the brain’s construction is socialisation, as we absorb the values and fears of our environment before we’re old enough to question them. This is the theatre of nature vs nurture. Our core awareness is at odds with the social programming we’ve picked up along the way. Consciousness sees something is amiss, but may not have the vocabulary to express this apprehension.

The battle between nature and nurture:
The brain – the construct – is our hardware for the software to be installed. It’s built from genetic blueprints and years of environmental conditioning through trauma, culture and habits, and operates largely on autopilot. The brain wants to keep us alive, but not necessarily happy. It’s not what we are. It’s just functional, using shortcuts and biases to make split-second decisions without waiting for conscious take charge – and that’s the battle.

Consciousness is our real-time awareness. Pure observation is what we are. It’s what realises, “I’m overreacting,” or “I don’t actually believe that.” 

Why the brain (usually) wins:
The brain has a massive built-in advantage, because repeated thoughts and environments create deep physical grooves, making it easier for the brain to follow an old habit than to let consciousness forge a new one, and for change to occur. This why we meditate.

If the brain is a construct of the past, consciousness is the tool for the present. Veto power is the ability of consciousness to suppress an automatic impulse from the brain. By consciously directing attention, that construct can be physically rewired. This why we meditate.

Consciousness often awakens later in life, leading to internal friction as we try to unlearn things which aren’t truly ours. This why we meditate.

Meditation can substantially alter the way we see and think.