The most troubling days of “my” life–and not coincidentally, the worst for those Beings with whom I interacted–occurred when the light of awareness was unable to shine through the density of my mind. Sleep deprivation, excessive stress, and hunger might have been some of the obvious causes. It was then that the apparent little “i,” which could periodically range from mildly offended to defensive to angry, was left alone to wreak its havoc. And wreak havoc, it did.

When ego is in charge, our experience is never going to be of the highest quality. It’s like being aboard a captainless battleship, with a set of programmed reactions standing at the helm. The governing idea on the radar screen is self survival; not the petty concerns of apparent “others” who might be cruising within range. At such times, “our” needs, “our” goals, and “our” desires are deemed most important; and be damned the people who attempt to interfere. When this occurs between two or three persons, varying degrees of conflict may arise. When it occurs in mass numbers, there is the high probability for war.

Does this feel familiar? If so, you are not alone; for we’ve been conditioned to believe that our apparent “i” is more important than anyone else’s. Our unspoken motto–even as we care in our own way–is often “better him/her than me.” We’ve been programmed to believe that it really matters whether this blog post is read by five persons, five thousand, or no one; that it really matters whether Elon Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars is realized; that it really matters whether the person filling our coffee order pours in milk, not cream!

And now, to the main point of this article: I took the attached photo last week, in a nearby city. When there was opportunity, with “I Am Aware” fully at the helm of my body-mind, I approached the man who was standing near the tent, and we engaged in polite conversation. Not surprisingly, we shared not a word about the importance of my blog, whether humans will ever live on Mars, or the milk versus cream dilemma about coffee. I wonder what matters to him as he lays in a sleeping bag, in a tent, in Canada, with winter approaching.

To spare ourselves the pitiful circumstances that can arise when “me” (and “my” needs) attempts to take the helm, we are wise to govern through “I Am Aware” as often as possible.

Dare to dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2022 – R. Arthur Russell

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡

“Thank You” & “Note to Publishers”