Wisdom and Consciousness?—?How to connect the two?

We discussed how wisdom and consciousness are connected. These are the first stages of personal evolution we spoke about.

1.?????? Unconscious – when we just do things at an existential level

2.?????? Aware during the event, but unaware of the response

3.?????? Aware during the event but can’t calibrate (rather react)

4.?????? Aware during the event and calibrate

5.?????? Aware before the event

?The question is, how do we achieve the connection in our own lives?

?But before we venture into the connection, should we spend some time to think through why we need to do this? After all, anything we do needs effort and time, and both of them are in short supply.

?Well for sure we need not bother. So many people are not bothered, they go through the rigormole of their lives a robot. They survive and often have a good life too. But do they have a meaningful life? Do they ever graduate from a good life to a great life? If we want to leave an imprint on the sand of time, we need to strive for a great life. And one of the most important building blocks of such a life is consciousness. The ability to be acutely aware of our surroundings, use all our senses and respond to any situation with the most considered decisions.

?In our leadership training, we called it “Being Proactive”. It is how we respond to our environment in the most objective, logical manner, without being overcome by our emotions and biases.

?How do we become more aware? Except for actions that we take without even thinking (called unconditioned reflex), we first think before we act. And even before we think, we feel. And those feelings come from our five senses – touch, smell, vision, hearing, and taste.

?

Once we sense, it is communicated to the brain through the nerves, it is then processed, and instructions come back to act.

?So we have control over only two areas to improve our consciousness:

-????????? Improving our senses

-????????? Improving our processing

?Let us see today how we may improve our senses. Look at these:

-????????? Hearing vs Listening

-????????? Looking vs Seeing

-????????? Smelling vs Inhaling

-????????? Touching vs Feeling

-????????? Tasting vs Savouring

?Are they all pairs of synonyms? Or is there a difference?

?Bill Clinton, who was the President of the USA between 1993 and 2001, famously said to AIDS activist Bob Rafsky at the Laura Belle nightclub in Manhattan – “I feel your pain”. It was 1992, Clinton was running for the Presidency, and these four words became a flagship for his campaign.

?

Why do you think that people believed Clinton? The saying goes that Clinton was a master listener. If he is in front of you, and he is speaking with you, he will be all ears. His entire focus will be on you, what you say, and what you feel. We heard the same about many many successful people – Shah Rukh Khan is another one who is often talked about along these lines.

?How do they do it? Well, they are not just hearing you – they are listening to you. They are one step ahead of you – they are actively listening to you.

?If you recollect our discussions about leadership, you will remember that this is where “Empathy” comes in. In short, we get into someone else’s shoes, figuratively, and try to understand their feelings. “First understand, before being understood” – as Steven Covey says.

?How do we know we are actively listening? It is a journey, but I can think of five things that we can do to be on it:

1.?????? Set a time to listen, put it on your plan, and ensure that you don’t get distracted during the time (including looking at the phone).

2.?????? Listen first completely, wait for silence, ask whether something more is to be told, take time to think, and then respond.

3.?????? Take notes – so keep a diary and pen/ pencil handy.

4.?????? Summarize the notes at the end into a small document – at least the action points/ takeaways.

5.?????? Go back to the listening session (if possible, like if it is a podcast you heard), and see how much you missed.

?

Hard? Yes for sure to start. But over a period we can do it better.

?Start today – if you are not already doing it. And you will see a difference.

?Now you can extend it to all other senses. Just walk out and see what flowers are in the garden, or what cars are on the streets – for example.

We can be active in everything, even in the most uninteresting of situations. And learn as well as develop a habit. Let us cover this in the next despatch.