We are incredibly conditioned creatures, far more than we are consciously aware and our minds control almost everything we see, hear, experience and do.
If we learn a new word, something unusual that has caught our interest, so we remember it, we begin to see or hear this particular word much more frequently in the ensuing weeks and months than we ever did before in our whole lives.
Co-incidence?
There could be a level of co-incidence attached, but more likely the brain, which previously filtered out that which it did not understand and had no interest in, has now added this word to the information it brings to the forefront of the conscious mind.
What then, are we not seeing? What decides what our conscious mind should have access to?
Our cultural background, upbringing, education, experiences all will play their part but it is not until we take conscious action and responsibility for ourselves that we will stop sleepwalking through life, being led by our unconscious.
This takes some effort, as we are so used to letting ourselves be led by what we know and what is familiar.
We can start by taking the time to notice something different every day, something we have never ‘seen’ before, yet perhaps walk past every day. Instead of filtering out background noise, we can make the conscious effort to be aware of it, distinguishing the different frequencies and really noticing the silences in-between.
It is easy and useful to be on auto-pilot, but is that what life should be? Wouldn’t we rather be as present as possible, during the short time we are here? Do you want to live life, or observe it?
Zen musings 