Attentiveness Amidst Turmoil–Focus Amidst Chaos
Summary = TBD
Condensed News Items = See Below (OCR needs edit)
News Item Gallery = jcap 1999-09-29 (99113)-2427
Transcript = None
The News
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MY NEWS FOR SEPTEMBER 19, 1999 COPYRIGHT 1999; JAN COX
AFTER THE TIME OF SIMPLE CHILDHOOD HAD PASSED
A MAN FOUND HIMSELF IN A LAND OF NEAR CHAOS
WHERE EVERYTHING SEEMED FANCIFUL, UNRULY AND RANDOM,
AND NO ONE SEEMED TO NOTICE,
AND SINCE THE PHYSICAL LAWS OF NATURE WERE STILL IN EFFECT,
FROM OUTSIDE APPEARANCES,
LIFE WENT ON AS NORMAL — BUT —
INTERNALLY,
THE MAN SAW NOTHING SHORT OF UNCONTROLLED CHAOS,
FOR MANY YEARS HE WAGED A PRIVATE BATTLE WITH THIS INNER WORLD OF TURBULENCE, (AS HE PERCEIVED IT TO BE),
BUT WITH NO LASTING RESULTS,
AND THEN ONE DAY HE REALIZED THE SOLUTION:
IF HE SIMPLY TOOK CONSTANT, OBJECTIVE NOTE OF THE INNER CHAOS
THEN THAT PART OF HIM SO TAKING NOTE WAS FREED FROM THE UNRULY JUMBLE,
AT LONG LAST — THE ANSWER — THE SIMPLE SOLUTION: ATTENTIVENESS AMIDST TURMOIL — FOCUS AMIDST CHAOS,
THIS FICTIONAL STORY RAISES UP SEVERAL POSSIBILITIES, PERHAPS INTERESTING TO CONSIDER AS REGARDS THE MATTER WE’VE BEEN SPEAKING ABOUT,
PERHAPS ATTENTION IS THE KEY, AND CONSCIOUSNESS NOT A PROPER PROBLEM, PERHAPS CONSCIOUSNESS IS LIKE AN EVER PRESENT, UNCONTROLLABLE BACKDROP, AND ATTENTION THE ONLY OPERATION OF THE BRAIN OVER WHICH WE CAN HAVE ANY CONTROL,
PERHAPS WE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO BE ATTENTIVE TO CONSCIOUSNESS WHEN WHAT WE NEED DO IS MAINTAIN A SPECIAL KIND OF ATTENTION WHILE IGNORING WHATEVER CONSCIOUSNESS MAY BE INVOLVED IN,
PERHAPS WE SHOULD CONSIDER THAT WE ARE HELPLESS IN THE FACE OF CONSCIOUSNESS, AND ONLY HAVE ANY HOPE IN THE AREA OF ATTENTION,
THUS, NOT SEEKING SOME OTHER “STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS”, BUT RATHER SIMPLY MAINTAINING A STATE OF CONSTANT ATTENTION.
SO — WHAT IT IS THAT WE MIGHT REALLY BE NEEDING,(AND SHOULD BE SEEKING),IS;
“ANOTHER STATE OF ATTENTION” HUH! — SO PERHAPS WE’VE BEEN VERBALIZING
THE WRONG GOAL. HUH!
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COULD IT BE THAT OUR SENSE OF “I” COMES FROM THE BRAIN’S ABILITY TO BE “SELECTIVELY-ATTENTIVE” TO ONE PARTICULAR THOUGHT AMIDST THE SWIRLING CHAOS OF ALL THOSE AVAILABLE IN CONSCIOUSNESS AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT?!
THIS COULD EXPLAIN THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF LOCATING ONE’S “I” IN CONSCIOUSNESS,
FOR IF IT IS AN IMPRESSION PRODUCED BY THE BRAIN BEING
SELECTIVELY ATTENTIVE TO JUST ONE PARTICULAR THOUGHT AT A TIME, THIS COULD CERTAINLY BE THE BASIS OF A SENSATION OF FOCUSED CONTROL AMIDST THE UNFOCUSED CHAOS OF RANDOM CONSCIOUSNESS
WHICH COULD SEEM LIKE A “PERSON” — A WILLFUL ENTITY IN OUR HEADS MAKING SUCH SELECTIONS.
…THUS THAT PART OF THE BRAIN DOING THE SELECTING —
GIVING THE SPECIFIC ATTENTION TO INDIVIDUAL THOUGHTS WOULD,
(IN COMPARISON TO THE TUMULTUOUS, IMPERSONAL ACTIVITIES OF UNFOCUSED CONSCIOUSNESS), CREATE THE NEURAL IMPRESSION THAT MEN CALL, “I”.
WHY NOT JOIN ME FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE, AND TAKE ANOTHER LOOK INSIDE YOUR OWN HEAD — FROM THIS VANTAGE POINT,
QUITE A STRIKING AND DIFFERENT PICTURE CAN BE SEEN THAN IS SO USUALLY.
NOT, “SLEEP VS AWAKENING”, BUT: “ATTENTION VS CHAOS” NOT BEING, “MORE CONSCIOUS, OR LESS CONSCIOUS”, BUT: BEING “ATTENTIVE” VS “SUNK EN CHAOS”.
FROM WHERE I STAND AND SEE IT — IT IS QUITE A SIGHT.
(AND NOW SOME OFF HAND OBSERVATIONS RE THE MATTER, FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE):
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHAOS — YOU ARE IN THE CHAOS.
EF YOU TAKE NOTE OF THE CHAOS — YOU BECOME PART OF THE CHAOS,
YOU MUST BE
LIKE A MAN STANDING UPRIGHT IN A SEA OF SEWAGE WHO,
IF HE LOOKS DOWN AND TAKES NOTE OF THE SEWAGE — FALLS IN TO IT.
ATTENTIVENESS AND CHAOS CAN NEVER MIX,
THE CHAOS CAN NEVER BE STOPPED OR CHANGED — EVEN BY ATTENTIVENESS,
THE CHAOS HAS ITS OWN IRREPRESSIBLE LIFE, AND ATTENTIVENESS IS
THE ONLY WAY TO HANDLE THE SITUATION,
FORGET CHAOS.,.•LEAVE THE CHAOS BE…NOTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT…
…ALL YOU CAN DO AMIDST IT IS, “BE ATTENTIVE” — THAT’S ALL.
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IF YOU ARE WRITING ABOUT THE CHAOS — YOU ARE BLINDED BY THE CHAOS:
IF YOU ARE PLOTTING ESCAPE FROM THE CHAOS — YOU ARE CAPTIVE OF THE CHAOS, ANY NOTICE YOU TAKE OF THE CHAOS INSTANTLY DRAGS YOU INTO IT,
LOOK INTO YOUR OWN EVER PRESENT AND ACTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS: CALL UPON YOUR FULL MEMORY OF ITS LIFELONG WORKINGS: WHY DO YOU FIND THEREIN? —
IS IT NOT “CHAOS”?!
…IS NOT THE CEASELESS FLOW OF THOUGHTS THRU THE CORTICAL AREA OF YOUR BRAIN WHICH WE CALL “CONSCIOUSNESS” EN A STATE OF CONTINUAL TURMOIL AND DISARRAY?! …IS NOT THE ACTIVITY BY ANY REASONABLE JUDGEMENT: JUMBLED, UNPREDICTABLE, RANDOM, UNRULY, INCONSISTENT, HAPHAZARD, UNDIRECTED, UNFOCUSED AND WITHOUT ANY APPARENT GOAL OR PURPOSE?!
I TELL YOU IN ALL HONESTY — FROM MY VIEW OVER WHERE I’M LOOKING AT IT -IT IS QUITE A SIGHT,
BE ADVISED: EVEN AFTER YOU’VE JOINED ME OVER HERE AND ENJOYED SUCH A
PERSPECTIVE ON THE SITUATION,
IF YOU THEN TRY AND DESCRIBE…0R, EXPLAIN TO YOURSELF
WHAT THE CHAOS MIGHT “BE” — YOU WILL FORTHWITH
DISAPPEAR BACK INTO ITS DEPTHS,
NO OBJECTIVE, ARM’S-LENGTH, SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF THIS CHAOS IS POSSIBLE, IT IS NOT UNLIKE ONE OF THOSE MYTHICAL DEMONS WHO,
IF YOU BUT GLANCE AT HER FACE,
INSTANTLY SNARES YOU,
THIS COULD BE WHY MAN HAS HAD SUCH A DEVIL OF A TIME UNDERSTANDING
HIS CONSCIOUSNESS
FOR IT HAS A PERMANENT SUB-STRATA THAT IS SO CHAOTIC THAT
JUST LOOKING INTO IT, EVEN FOR THE SAKE OF STUDYING IT,
PULLS YOU HEADLONG INTO IT, AND MAKES IMPOSSIBLE ANY OBJECTIVE
STUDY THEREOF.
…AND EVEN WHEN YOU REEMERGE FROM ITS DEPTHS
YOU CAN NEVER REMEMBER ANYTHING OF USE ABOUT THE TIME SPENT THERE,
THEOREM: MAN WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND “CONSCIOUSNESS” AS HE TAKES IT TO BE, FOR IT IS CHAOTIC AND INCAPABLE OF BEING UNDERSTOOD, (EVEN SHOULD MEN BE ABLE TO RESIST BEING CONTINUALLY CAPTURED BY IT AND DRAGGED BELOW ITS
CHURNING SURFACE.)
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THE CHOICE: YOU CAN EITHER: BE ATTENTIVE — OR: CAPTIVE OF THE CHAOS,
THERE IS ALWAYS A — “STORM A’BREWIN’.”, AND IT IS A’BREW[N’ WITHIN YOU,
YOU CANNOT STOP THE STORM,
NOR CAN YOU OVERCOME THE STORM,
BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO IS SIMPLY BE ATTENTIVE, AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, (SHOULD YOU HAVE ANY),
ABOVE ALL — ABOVE PRECIOUS ALL: PAY NO MIND TO THE STORM, AND IT WILL DO YOU NO HARM.
IT IS A WELL KNOWN SCIENTIFIC FACT THAT MEN CAN AND DO, “HEAR SELECTIVELY”: YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF AWARE OF ONE PARTICULAR SOUND (THE PIANO), OUT OF A MULTITUDE OF OTHERS (AN ENTIRE SYMPHONY):
SO TOO CAN IT BE REGARDING YOUR FOCUS OF ATTENTION AMIDST THE NOISY, DISTRACTING CHAOS ALWAYS PRESENT [N ROUTINE CONSCIOUSNESS:
YOU CAN ELECT TO BE ATTENTIVE TO YOUR OWN PRIVATE AIM IN YOUR BRAIN WHILST THE REST OF YOUR UN-FOCUSED CORTICAL ACTIVITY PROCEEDS IN ITS OWN UNRULY AND PURPOSEFULESS FASHION.
ANY “FEELING” YOU HAVE ABOUT THE CHAOS INSTANTLY SWEEPS YOU INTO IT: YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO BE ANGRY, ANNOYED OR IN ANY MANNER QUARRELSOME TOWARD THE CHAOS, OR YOU WILL NEVER ESCAPE IT,
ONLY BY BEING ATTENTIVE WILL YOU RISE ABOVE IT:
ONLY BY BEING ATTENTIVE CAN YOU REPLACE THAT VAGUE SENSE OF “I”
BY THE PRESENCE OF A REAL ONE.
WHAT MEN NORMALLY FEEL IS JUST THE POTENTIAL FOR A REAL, PERSONAL “I”,
BUT THRU THE EXERCISE OF ATTENTION AMIDST THE CHAOS,
THE POTENTIAL CAN BECOME ACTIVATED AND ALIVE,
FROM THIS PRESENT VIEW WE COULD EVEN SURMISE THAT:
THE CHAOS OF ROUTINE CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE SO-CALLED, MYSTICAL STATE OF “SLEEP”, WHILE BEING ATTENTIVE IN ITS MIDST IS THE, MOMENT-BY-MOMENT,
ROAD TO AWAKENING FROM SLEEP.
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ONCE THE NATURE AND REALITY OF THE CHAOS THAT NORMALLY DOMINATES, AND
IN FACT, CONSTITUTES YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS IS REALIZED
IT IS EXCEEDING DIFFICULT TO THEN READ-OF OR HEAR-ABOUT,
OR OTHERWISE ENTERTAIN THE IDEAS OF OTHER MEN, WHICH ARE
ARISING FROM THEIR OWN NEURAL CHAOS,
THUS IT SEEMS THAT A NEW LOVE OF SILENCE ACCOMPANIES THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE’S INNER ATTENTIVENESS,
TO WHATEVER EXTENT YOU THINK ABOUT THE CHAOS TO THAT SAME DEGREE DO YOU FURTHER STIR IT UP.
..INDEED: THE CHAOS IS THE UNDIAGNOSED RASH THAT PESTERS THE MYSTIC, AND FROM IT THERE IS NO RELIEF UNTIL HE REALIZES THAT SCRATCHING IT SIMPLY EXACERBATES IT,
PAYING ATTENTION TO CHAOS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO ABOUT IT, ATTENTION SHOULD BE GIVEN ONLY TO THE MATTER OF, “ATTENTIVENESS”.
FURTHER NOTE: CONDEMNING THE CHAOS IS SPITTING GASOLINE ON TO A FIRE, WHEN YOU ARE ATTENTIVE AMIDST THE RAGING CHAOS, NOTHING SEEMS AMISS, OR IN NEED OR ANY CRITICISM OR CORRECTION,
THEOREM: THE SWIRLING CHAOS OF ROUTINE CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE BRAIN’S WAY
OF KEEPING THE CORTEX CONSTANTLY AWAKE,
THE REASON PEOPLE READ, WATCH MOVIES, LISTEN TO CD’s,
AND ENGAGE IN CONVERSATION
IS TO HELP THEM GET THEIR MIND OFF THE FACT THAT THEIR ATTENTION NORMALLY HAS NO PLACE USEFUL TO FOCUS ON,
ATTENTION, PROLONGLY HELD IS ALMOST AN ANOMALY TO THE RUN-OF-THE-MILL OPERATIONS OF THE CORTEX:
THIS IS FURTHER EXPLANATION CONCERNING WHY “WAKING UP” IS SO
DIFFICULT AND ELUSIVE.
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THE CHAOS THAT IS HUM-DRUM CONSCIOUSNESS IS DAMN NEAR OVERPOWERING -TOO INTRINSIC TO EVER BE STOPPED, (OR EVEN CONTROLLED),
YOU CANNOT SAY THAT IT IS USEFUL, OR EVEN INTERESTING —
IT IS SIMPLY THERE AND IT IS DAMN NEAR OVERWHELMING. IF YOU LOOK AT IT.
EVEN THOUGH IT IS IN YOU AND MAKES UP THE GREATER PART OF WHAT IS YOUR
NATURAL CONSCIOUSNESS,
YOU NEED LEARN TO LEAVE IT BE:
LOOK ELSE WHERE WHENEVER YOU LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF,
FOR NO MATTER IN WHAT MANNER YOU MEDDLE IN MUDDIED WATERS
ALL YOU WILL DO IS MAKE THEM MUDDIER,
THERE IS NO WAY TO DEAL WITH A CHAOTIC SITUATION WITHOUT ADDING TO THE CHAOS,
THERE IS NO METHOD OF ATTACKING A TAR BABY THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE
AND REALITY ITSELF WITHOUT GETTING STUCK TO IT (AGAIN).
IF YOU STICK EVEN ONE TOE INTO THIS WHIRLPOOL YOUR ENTIRE BEING IS PULLED IN,
THE ONLY PRACTICAL ATTITUDE TO HAVE TOWARD A WHIRLPOOL IS ONE OF, “WILLFUL NEGLECT”.
FROM WHERE I’VE TRIED TO GET US ALL TO STAND THIS EVENING, THE VIEW OF THIS ENTIRE INNER AFFAIR I COULD SUM UP IN THIS CRUDE AND MAYBE, “FACETIOUS” PHRASE:
“VIVE LA ATTENTION — SCREW CONSCIOUSNESS!”
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