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[PLEASE BE PATIENT. THIS WEBSITE IS VERY MUCH UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
I'LL BE ADDING NEW CONTENT REGULARLY.]
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To put the world right in order, We must first put the nation in order;
To put the nation in order, We must first put the family in order;
To put the family in order, We must first cultivate our personal life;
We must first set our hearts right.
-confucius-
Why this website? - ConsciousnessConsidered.com is wholeheartedly dedicated to setting our hearts right because, as Confucius notes, nothing else will fall in place until we do. The power to redeem the world lies entirely with the individual. "Setting our hearts right" refers to a profound change in the way we experience consciousness, a change that will free us from fear, negativity, and destructiveness.
ConsciousnessConsidered.com is a website intended to do just that - consider consciousness. Not in some far flung, convoluted, highly theoretical way but in a manner that's immediately accessible to anyone who is interested. And it's my contention that everyone ought to be interested, that they need to be interested if humanity is to thrive and if the planet is to survive.
Where do these ideas come from? - None of the ideas presented here are original. The ideas presented in this website are an attempt to point to truth in a way that stirs recognition. Absolute truth is equally available to all of us. There are as many paths to the truth as there are souls to make the journey. My particular journey was aided immeasurably by Eckhart Tolle's The Power of Now. Tolle has a unique ability to convey spiritual truth with penetrating clarity though there is nothing unique in the message. He is quick to note that spiritual truth can be found (with some difficulty) within the traditional religious teachings. When I read The Power of Now, many years of truth-seeking crystallized to a degree that was beyond what I had imagined was possible. The influence of The Power of Now on my perspective cannot be overstated. Readers of Tolle will recognize that I borrow heavily from his use of language. I suspect that The Power of Now will become one of the most respected books ever written.
What's in the title? - The title Consciousness Considered is a play on the excellent National Public Radio show called "All Things Considered". I doubt that this was their intent but, strictly speaking, "All Things" leaves half of the universe unconsidered. Consciousness is not a thing. Neither is God. I don't mean to pick on NPR I just want to make a point. The way we use language reveals a lot about the way we think. The conventional perspective largely believes that only things are real. This website is all about a different perspective where the not-things that underlie all things are more real than things themselves.
The need for revised definitions - Which brings up an important point. The perspective I want to describe is outside of conventional experience therefore I can't use words as they are conventionally used. I will be forced to use words differently than they are conventionally used. Therefore, as I go, I'll provide definitions of key words. These will be available as links or even just by placing your mouse over the word. I make no claim that my definitions are the "correct" definition. They are my definitions. I'm simply providing myself the language that is necessary to tell the story that is this website.
Please resist the temptation to resist - Often times, the need to define a term will require an entire section for clarification and may spawn the need for more definitions and more discussion. This is the nature of the beast when attempting to convey a different perspective. Changing our perspective is difficult because every perspective comes with biases that resist change. Try to resist the temptation to find fault as you read. Frequently the perceived "fault" will lie in my use of words. Frequently, the perceived fault will result from having only been exposed to parts of the puzzle. Please have patience as this new perspective probably won't feel right until all of the pieces are put together. Fortunately, a website is an excellent forum for this type of discussion as it allows circular linkage where a book imposes linear movement. I very much encourage the liberal use of links as you move about the site.
With that as an introduction I leave you to it. And I encourage feedback. Philosophers throughout the ages have understood that a question and answer venue is the best way to present a new perspective. I agree that this is true and I hope that a question/answer forum will become a large part of this site.