Some thoughts on the reality of consciousness on interactions with others
We interact with people based on our five senses and that appears to be real at the moment when we are with people. When we part ways, in the next few days we remember some of our interactions and we forget which does not register our mind as either important or memorable. So when we remember either good or not so good moments, a tiny part of our brain registers it as a memory, good or bad and in our consciousness, an imagery is built which eventually adds on to the anecdotes of our lives.
When we remember our interactions with others, they are not present. In a way they become invisible from a total five sense perspective but remain in your consciousness. If you have been intimate with others, you may remember their favourite aftershave or a colour of their dress or even the texture of their voice. So when you remember them, they are not present, however the sense of sight is active, but only as a moving image. On the other hand, the other person may also be remembering you, as a set of moving images, but their consciousness may or may not register the similar thoughts. Let us think that someone was thinking that they may propose to you one day but for some reason you are not able to return a phone call or text that person, their consciousness would change depending on what thoughts would grapple them at that particular moment. A person with optimism may think, “well, perhaps she is busy” or a person who is generally not so optimistic may think that you are not interested in them. This is happening without your knowledge and in your thinking pattern, the same meeting which you remember has a different feel to it. You were interested to talk to that person but then you were either lazy or too busy.
All this is fairly natural as our consciousness drifts from moment to moment and in our “autopilot” mode we tend to make judgements or frame opinions based on our version of imagery that changes with changes in thought patterns. In the absense of five senses (when the other is not physically present), our consciousness creates patterns in our brain to adjust the new found realities. Those realities are not truths but your version of reality (as your mind perceives). This also makes you behave in a way you feel is logical. Considering the fact that every brain is different, every person’s consciousness is real for that person and that makes human beings develop perceptions, take decisions and navigate through life. It is also all about imagery that works all through our living moments, which for many, as mentioned earlier is on “autopilot”
Mind body practitioners work on the consciousness part through practices like Mindfulness where you actually work on yourself because other is just an image. Body Scan is about scanning the body and using imagery to get it calm down so that you can be in the “present”. So it is about scanning what is real and that is you. When this is a regular way of exploring your own consciousness and stopping and appreciating it, you can relate to others in a better way. Let the clear imagery work for us and strengthen our consciousness.
When you spend time with your consciousness and close your eyes, only you are present. Others become myths for few moments until you experience them with your five senses again.
