The nature of knowing that you know

[Guest guest]

The Nature of Knowing That We Know

by Duane Elgin

 

 

 

 

The word " consciousness " literally means " that with which we know. "

It has also been termed the " knowing faculty " . To live more

consciously means to be more consciously aware, moment by moment,

that we are present in all that we do. [...] When we do the countless

things that make up our daily lives, we remember the being that is

involved in those activities. We remember ourselves (and to " re-

member " is to make whole; it is the opposite of " dis-memberment " ). To

live consciously is to move through life with conscious self-

remembering. […]

 

We all have the ability to consciously know ourselves as we move

through life. The capacity to " witness " the unfolding of our lives is

not an ability that is remote or hidden from us. To the contrary,

this is an experience that is so close, so intimate, and so ordinary,

that we easily overlook its presence and significance. An old adage

states: " It's a rare fish that knows it swims in water. " Analogously,

the challenge of living voluntarily is not in gaining access to the

conscious experiencing of ourselves but rather consciously

recognizing the presence of this experience, and then learning the

skills of sustaining our opening to that experience.

 

Despite the utter simplicity of being consciously watchful of our

lives, this is a demanding activity. At first it is a struggle to

just occasionally remember ourselves moving through the daily

routine. A brief moment of self-remembering is followed by an

extended period where we are lost in the flow of thought and the

demands of the exterior world. Yet with practice, we find that we can

more easily remember ourselves -- while walking down the street, or

while we are at home, at work, at play. We come to recognize, as

direct experience, the nature of " knowing that we know " . As our

familiarity with this mode of perception increases, we get lost in

thought and worldly activities less and less frequently. In turn, we

experience our behavior in the world as more and more choiceful, or

voluntary.

 

The conscious knowing of ourselves as we live our lives affords us

insight into the workings of the ego. We are increasingly liberated

from habitual and automated patterns of behavior, thought and feeling.

 

- By Duane Elgin, from " Voluntary Simplicity "