I am preparing for the move in two days. Although I often become anxious before the day comes, once I start executing the plan, I feel comfortable because I can focus. I like such a focused mental state.
That made me think about when we can feel alive. Let’s talk about it.
How to be vigorous
Sometimes, we want to feel alive. We don’t want to live while killing our minds. In other words, we want to live according to our souls.
However, we sometimes don’t know how to live well. Even if we try to focus on one thing with all our might, we will become exhausted. It feels like there is no reward. That makes us feel something is off.
On the other hand, there are fulfilling moments that we don’t need rewards for.
A typical example is when we are steadily checking off items from a to-do list. We can balance our activities. We can have enough rest, a quiet excitement, and an empty heart.
Such times make me feel alive.
Then, how can we be such a vigorous state?
One solution is getting used to making decisions. That might provide you with a fulfilling mental state.
What is consciousness?
Get used to making rational decisions. It includes waiting and intentionally stopping thinking. That will give you the satisfaction of being alive.
To explain it, let’s look at our mental system. We individuals are composed of three elements: the body, the subconscious, and the conscious.
In terms of the body’s function, we are consciousness. Its roles are receiving information from the subconscious, thinking logically, and making judgments, as I explained in the previous article (this article).
It means that the time when we can be aware of ourselves is brief.
For example, when we are sleeping, we cannot feel ourselves. Although the body is alive, we have no consciousness. For another example, when we are zoning out, we cannot also be aware of ourselves. Living as consciousness is different from living physically.
That tells us that the time we live as consciousness is short. The time when we spend thinking and making decisions is the time we—the conscious—are active.
That is why we feel alive when we are steadily checking off items from a to-do list. During that time, we frequently decide things based on our judgment. In other words, we fulfill our roles as consciousness. That satisfies us.
Living for relaxation
In my opinion, the goal of consciousness is to live for relaxation.
Although we feel alive when we decide things, just continuing to think doesn’t mean we live. To think irrationally without decision is not to live. Examples are unreasonable worries, thinking in circles, and seeking answers that have no rational conclusion.
It tells us that our role as consciousness is to minimize the conscious time.
In other words, we live to reduce the time we live. Although it might sound contradictory, that is the role of consciousness.
If I were to describe that mental function, I would say that we live for relaxation. Although we are needed by the body, we don’t necessarily have to be active all the time. That is the goal of the conscious.
On the other hand, the body’s goal is survival for individuals and species. That shows that we don’t force ourselves to be aware of survival. We need to be aware of it only when the subconscious tells us.
This also indicates that experiencing trouble is not important; what matters is whether we make rational decisions. As long as we can be reasonable and conclude, we can live without mental suffering.
In other words, pursuing the sensation of being alive is not the goal. It is one aspect of our values. We can be vigorous by satisfying the role of consciousness. That gives us balance.
Although it looks contradictory, that is our role as consciousness.
Conclusion
That is why getting used to making rational decisions makes us vigorous.
The goal of consciousness is to live for relaxation.
That might give you the satisfaction of life.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
