Lately, I spent a casual Sunday afternoon browsing books in Barnes and Nobles. I came across this book I liked, checked out even though I was aware it would be cheaper from Amazon.
The book is If Ignorance is Bliss, Why aren’t there more Happy People? It is a book of quotes from many people including famous ones.
Of course, I checked Amazon’s price later, which is 30% lower. I had thought about returning it for a moment, but then decided to keep it for the reason I feel I should appreciate the pleasant environment that Barnes and Noble has provided and an explorative bliss in the world of books in any given Sunday.
Late that night, I flipped through the book and this quote from Gandhi (yes, the Gandhi) caught my eyes. On Sins, he said, “The seven deadly sins are: Wealth without work. Pleasure without conscience. Knowledge without character. Business without morality. Science without humanity. Worship without sacrifice. Politics without principle.
I couldn’t agree more. Gandhi depicted an ideal world I would very much like to live in. So much so, I believe, I actually am living it: the willingness to honor a sale and a perception of a bookish delight are acts of “pleasure with conscience.”
What is pleasure without conscience? Even, what is life without conscience? Haven’t you ever eaten without tasting, heard without listening? After the age of six, human beings learn all the life skills we need to survive, 90% of our doings are put on automatic modes and are not thought about again. What happens on the way you come to the office from your home every morning? They are the same routes but bear different contents everyday. What happens to your long time life partner? They are the same peoples yet not exactly the same each day. Life becomes boring and dull not because it lacks new contents, but because we lose awareness of its details.
Things are done without thinking; life has passed without living. We take things for granted until someday, they cease to be. We lament the things we lose and long for things we do not own. Past and future are what we look at, but the present is simply neglected.
Down to the cellular levels in the human body, chains of protein activities await for the queue from IMP on the cell membrane. Cell collects material from its surroundings and uses it to multiply itself; this is life. Without awareness, no information is processed, and then, follows the ending of life. Gandhi is right, pleasure without conscience is not only a sin, it is ultimate annihilation.
To be aware, or, to know, is different from having knowledge. We rely on knowledge to survive; knowledge builds up an efficient system called automatic mechanism. We move fast with a price: lose consciousness. To reverse this unconscious life style, one has to go beyond knowledge. (Yes, in general, people who are better educated are healthier; but, the more education, the more corners of unconscious reactions there are.)
Secondly, developing an attitude of appreciation is essential. Before a meal, thank God and the person who harvest and prepare. Appreciation increases an awareness of food, so, one tastes and digests better. Appreciation also generates a state of satisfaction in the brain which provides a positive energy wave. Cells grow better with enhanced awareness; this is, indeed, one ”pleasure with conscious”.
Finally, start working on your breathing. Breathing is the fundamental form of life, it also constitute the most parts of our automatic mechanisms (when was the last time you are conscious of your own breathing?) The reversal of an unconscious life style means more awareness and thus, more information is processed. Suddenly, the world speaks to you in a clarity that never happens before. You would then understand: to know is ecstasy.
