Resort to Consciousness
Every informed adult knows that we are in a serious position right now: US election data reveals a stunning disparity in the philosophy and politics of our nation’s population; the world suffers from an ongoing threat of extremist terror; unresolved crucial human rights issues proliferate; and economically, the gap between the haves and have-nots widens nationally and internationally.
Even with this all going on in the world, we can still sit on a porch in rural America or dine with friends in a fine metropolitan restaurant or push our children on a park swing and feel quite secure and happy. This experience of well-being and “normalcy” is absolutely valid and saves us from potential health conditions caused by confrontation with persistent fear. We will fall apart if we dwell all the time on the problems we perceive in the world—we must live with our direct experience of the moment.
We all have the ability to focus on our individual reality while maintaining a more abstract comprehensive awareness of the events of the world in which we live. We are able to do this because of the range of our consciousness. The field of inner consciousness has no limit; it ranges from unboundedness to a point. This complete range reflects outwardly in our experience of the world, whether we focus on whatever tiny thing absorbs our attention at the moment or a broad range of perception of the cosmos. By continually enlivening the infinite wholeness of inner consciousness, we can continually expand our outer vision’s breadth and depth.
Being connected to the internal field of consciousness gives us stability, flexibility, and unending energy, creativity and intelligence. With wholeness of consciousness awake within us, no matter what we perceive outwardly, we have a foundation of silent invincibility. On the other hand, being disconnected from our inner wholeness leaves us at the mercy of only the limited, ever-changing outer aspects of life, and vulnerable to turbulence, fear, and unhappiness.
We can resort to the wholeness of consciousness within us and benefit greatly, but it also turns out that this same act of transcendence can reduce the problems that plague society. There is a well-documented phenomenon of benefit to society with more than a dozen published studies showing that when 1% of a population experiences this inner field of pure consciousness twice daily—as one does with the simple natural, effortless practice of the TM technique—crime, violence, fatal accidents and suicides are reduced while there is an increase in quality of life indicators of optimism such as increased investments in markets.
If you align 1% of the electrons in an iron bar, the other electrons line up accordingly and the bar is magnetized. There are other examples in nature of this same phenomenon of a small percentage of orderliness creating orderly fields. It turns out that the same phenomenon applies to consciousness.
We can take time from our daily life to uplift ourselves as well as enliven some value of orderliness in this chaotic world by practicing the TM technique. During the technique, the mind becomes settled and the brain becomes coherent, or orderly, in its functioning. Consciousness is enlivened. When we drop a pebble in a pond, the ripples that are created then spread to the farthest edges of the pond. In the same way, we can transcend to deeper levels of consciousness, which have more powerful intelligence and orderliness, thus creating waves of greater intelligence and harmony everywhere—due to this being a field phenomenon. In other words, this effect transcends the limitations of time and space, enlivening the whole of the collective consciousness of the world.
Societal Violence and Collective Consciousness
People create a “collective consciousness” spontaneously and innocently just by existing in a society. The quality of that collective consciousness—whether stressed, violent, or peaceful—in turn affects all our personal experiences through the general quality of the atmosphere and the myriad social interactions of our lives. Having a good day or not, worried about the state of the world or not, we innocently affect everything. Everything is connected and intimate to us, however distant they appear.
I, for one, feel that I cannot truly be at peace or completely happy until the world is more harmonious—until everyone has access to happiness. So I meditate regularly and do what good I can in the world and try to follow the golden rule. Knowing that so many others address deep problems nationally and internationally head-on, bravely and passionately, gives me hope for the future. But so many people work on solving these problems on their own level and relatively few resort to the deep mechanics of nature that will disallow or dissolve these problems with the organizing power of the cosmic intelligence of Nature itself.
All those caring passionate individuals—from heads of state to emergency relief workers—should, for their own sakes, as well as to enhance the life of their communities—enliven consciousness and decrease tension and stress through the practice of TM. Certainly we can find time to do it on the porch, or before that fabulous dinner, or after taking our child to the park. And we’ll feel a lot better having done so.
About the Author
Janet Hoffman is the executive director of TM for Women Professionals, a division of TM for Women in the USA
