With every day that passes, it seems as though we as a society are becoming more and more aware of what is “really” going on in the world.  What I mean by, “really,” is the story behind the story when we choose to read between the lines of how current events in our society are reported on, or the lack there of.

Sure, we have the mainstream media networks broadcasting “news” stories and articles manufactured for our consumption.  Most are polished with a sheen of fear and designed to make us feel more “intelligent,” (as if intelligence has made much of a difference in our society).   Some influence us to anger and frustation, while others are tailored to distract us from the issues that truly matter, i.e. pollution, GMO foods, fracking, the quality of our drinking water, etc.

Let’s face it, we are relentlessly bombarded with information in the form of “news,” advertisements, politics, sports, drama, entertainment of all expressions and even our life itself.  Though many of these things may “seem” to us as being critical to our existence, they really aren’t as vital as our health, well-being, relations, families, contributions to our communities and fulfilling on our true purpose.  They are just presented to us in a way that we perceive them as worthy of our attention and our lives.

Thus, the distraction is born.

Yet, for all whom choose to be daring, adventurous, bold, radical, curious and inquisitive pioneers of diversity, there is the story behind the story, the “real” reality which may only be obtained with an expression of our conscious will.  I imagine it may happen differently for everyone, though the constant in the expansive birthing of our awareness is that it does indeed “happen,” and when it does, our experience of life and of ourselves is massively transformed.

When we choose to open our minds, our perspectives, our awareness, and most importantly our eyes and our ears, we begin to move beyond the inner resistance of our denial, our cognitive dissonance, our heredity and our self-righteousness.  Something amazing and miraculous happens.  It is as though we become addicted to consciousness.  We develop a hunger for truth, clarity, knowledge, understanding and wisdom.  We experience an explosive burst of energy that awakens and enlightens us all the way to the cellular level of our being and beyond.  It is this energy that not only presents evidence to the credibility of the truth, yet, it also connects us with something much greater than ourselves and the lives which we live.  It connects us with all that is.

At first the experience is much like a new romance, exciting, scary, awkward, dreamy and passionate.  Then, as it settles into the very core and fabric of our being, we begin to become present to how twisted, sadistic, maniacal, insidious, insensitive, cruel, brutal and unforgiving human beings can be, especially when witnessed with conscious eyes.  If we are fortunate enough to make it beyond our initial shock, we may discover and reveal how intricate, complicated, complex, convoluted and multi-tiered the issues and problems in our society really are.  We may even begin to see that most of the problems in the world are manufactured and maintained for the purpose of profit for the benefit of the few at the cost of the unconscious many.

We begin to immerse ourselves with articles, You Tube videos, Facebook Posts and Updates, Tweets, Websites, Online Talks, Speeches and Forums, books, random “truth” conversations with others on a similar path, etc.  Then we become present on a whole new level to the issues; GMO foods, Fracking, Flouride, Chlorine and other chemicals in our tap water, Chemtrails, vaccinations that cause the very illnesses they are supposed to protect us from, Fukishima, oil spills, the rapid destruction of the rainforests, the corruption of governments, the financial manipulation of the market place by corporations and banking institutions whom go unpunished, senseless wars claiming the lives of our youth…

Stop.
Breathe
Breathe again.
Breathe until these apparent burdens of truth and consciousness pass through you and there is only silence.
Breathe until all there is is your breath.

Breathing is the most powerful way of transforming our fear, worry, outrage, concern, frustration and anger into a proactive and productive form of practice to shift our problems into solutions.  As a matter of fact, breathing is the first step in this process.  It is fitting that this is the first step of life!

There is a challenging space we can find ourselves in in the midst of the hurricane that is “reality” when viewed with awareness, it is the “Consciousness Blues.”  The frustration, hopelessness, helplessness and despair of being present to the issues of what is “really” going on in the world, yet not knowing what to “do” about it.
We may even adopt perspectives of, “I am only one person, what can I do about all of this?” “What difference can I make?” “It’s not my responsibility.”  “It’s not my problem.”  “These things will never change.”

This isn’t a bad place to be in, though it may seem and feel like it.

As a matter of fact, congratulations, you have broken the spell of “reality.”

“Knowing” about the specifics of the issues in our society is another step, yet will never bring the solutions.

In my opinion, we, as human beings, have a duty, a birthright to “share” what information and experiences we may have on our path of expanding our consciousness, without ego, without upset, without anger and without attachment to how the information we share will be received by those whom are bold enough to listen.
It has been said before, “wherever our attention goes, energy flows,” and where our energy flows, perpetuates the existence of whatever issues, challenges, dramas and problems upon which we may become impassioned.

It is the quality of the energy that we are putting into society that is vital.  When we are frustrated, depressed, upset, hopeless and even sarcastically angry, though it seems justified, it is only more fuel on the fire.

This only contributes more to the problems than their solutions.

We have to ask ourselves the question, “are we contributing to the problems in our lives or the solutions?” The importance of our detachment from the negative reactions to the often times unbelievable issues and problems our society currently perpetuates is rivalled by little of what we may encounter in our daily lives. When we disconnect from our reactions, we are able to move beyond the melee and chaos of our contemporary world and begin to stem the tides of the growing collusion that pollutes our environments.

Perhaps one of the most difficult practices to successfully perform in transforming problems into solutions is in who we are “being.”  This is also the most important exercise in this process.  We can have the greatest of intentions and purposes in life, yet if we are being egotistical, arrogant, angry, resentful or frustrated, the transformations we desire to see will never happen.  It is only when we are able to temper our internal upsets, disappointments, outrage and self-righteousness about society’s issues will we be able to transcend the challenges we experience within which undoubtedly show up everywhere in our lives.

No matter how excruciating it can be, and it is!

When we come from a space of silence, calm, present-ness, peace, positivity, kindness, compassion, acceptance and love, we will always succeed in transforming anything in our lives.

After all, will never transform the world around us, only the world within us.

http://www.zengardner.com/the-consciousness-blues/