Be Aware

How many of us can truthfully say that we are centered in the present,
mindful of what is real? How watchful and alert are we? When
we are aware, we have full consciousness of something; we’re
mentally
awake and alert. In this ideal state of consciousness and
contemplation,
we make appropriate, wise choices. We’re quicker to recognize reality
and respond in a useful, thoughtful way.
We’ve been given the gift of self-responsibility. The more aware we
are, the more chances we’ll have to use our responsibility intelligently.
Through this discipline of self-discovery through ever-increasing
awareness, we can think new thoughts that can make a huge
difference
to us and the rest of the world. William James, the nineteenth-century
thinker and father of psychology, said, “A great many people think
they are thinking when they are only rearranging their prejudices.” He
believed we are only half awake compared to what we ought to be.
Being
not too bad is not being good.
How aware do you feel you are of someone else’s feelings? Are you
generally good at reading people’s body language? Can you usually
tell
how people feel by sensing their energy and by looking at their face,
into
their eyes? It is beautiful to have eye contact with someone you love
and
experience the softness and kindness in their eyes. How insightful and
discerning do you believe you are?

How aware are you of what’s going on around you and inside you?
How susceptible are you to the attitudes, feelings, and circumstances
of
others? Do you feel you are using all your sense perceptions as well as
you
can? Do you feel confident about your intellectual powers? Are you
able
to think for yourself? Do you generally show good judgment? Do you
usually make sensible choices? How good is your memory? How often
do you contemplate a deeper level of existence?
Awareness is rare. How many people do you know who are truly
awakened, who are able to think and do what is right, who regularly
work
on purifying their minds? Few of us perceive reality. We tend to color
the
truth in order to feel better about ourselves or to justify our behavior.
Bishop Fulton Sheen once told the congregation at the Episcopal
Church
Saint Bartholomew in Manhattan, “Each of us makes his own weather,
determines the color of the skies in the emotional universe which he
inhabits.” We can create our own reality by having our thought
patterns
correspond to our desires for the good life. We have to keep watch, be
mindful, and stay present to our motivations. Are they pure?
We should be more aware of what is happening to our planet. Are we
aware of the cause and effects of global warming? Our earth is in
great
conflict. We are in danger. Terrorism, extremism, violence, and suicide
bombings preach a culture of death, not life; hate, not love; war, not
peace.
This is our world, this is our life, this is our situation. What are we
doing
to help? What are we doing to make a difference? We’re all in this life
together. We can no longer afford to remain limited in narrow views.
We
are a global society. We have to be more tolerant when we listen to
other
people’s opinions and beliefs.
With an open, loving heart, we can listen to others without judging.
Who knows when we may learn something profound? Through the
world’s great diversity we are given the opportunity to contemplate a
broader point of view: “How boundless and free is the sky of
Awareness!”
the Buddha teaches us.
There is always a bigger picture than we are aware of. We never see

the complete picture, though through thoughtful contemplation of the

ultimate mysteries, we experience a more spacious awareness. We
become
more aware of complexity as well as possibilities and solutions to diffi
cult
problems. In these fleeting moments of clarity, we get out of our own
way, we stop thinking what we already know, and we leap into the
silent
mind of the unknown. When we do grasp wisdom, even only in fl
ashes of
insight, we know a more limitless sense of our true self.
How can we sustain our wisdom? How can we keep our hearts open?
How can we contemplate life from the illumination of this expanded
consciousness? Although we may have lofty goals for global reform,
there are basic, practical things we can do at home. We can make
modest donations to causes we believe in, local and global. We can be
more conscious about the way we recycle. We can pay attention to
the chemicals we expose ourselves and our children to. We can try to
eat more organically grown food to maintain good health. We can try
to use fewer aerosols. We can use less electricity and more solar heat.
By
being aware, we will be making a difference. The architect and
industrial
designer William McDonough believes we should “reduce, reuse and
recycle.” We can march or bicycle to raise money for cancer and to
diminish poverty and suffering around the world.
Our lives depend on our becoming more aware.