Some of us can learn from almost anything. We observe the changing seasons and somehow this encourages us to realize that we too can change. Some may watch children at play and seeing their joy, realize that a mind that is focused in the 'now' is incapable of remaining stuck in anger or pain. Yes, there are those of us who, perhaps intentionally or unintentionally always find themselves in a classroom of sorts. Then there are those who seem to almost not think at all. Oh sure, they have thoughts about wanting to have a cold beer and relax in front of the TV. Or they have thoughts about how those shoes in the store window will be the "bomb" with that little black dress they purchased several weeks ago. But is this thinking or reacting; reacting for instance, to internal emotions? Well, even if this is thinking, then perhaps I would distinguish it from what I am attempting to relay and say, but it is not "creative" thinking.

Creative thinking leads to a shift in understanding or a deepening of some aspect of life. It changes you, for the better. And once more, it is cumulative. I can liken it to a puzzle and even say that creative thinking can take the individual to theories about life that are totally unexpected. Take for instance, Dr. Geoffrey West who uses some sort of complicated math to suggest that in some ways, Cities are alive! You see the life of an organism can be predicted by a mathematical equation, an equation that foresees depending on its size, how much energy it needs to survive, and how much energy it uses. The prediction can also foresee how fast the organism's heart beats, for instance. West notes, "With each increase in animal size there is a slowing of the pace of life. A shrew's heart beats 1,000 times a minute, a human's 70 times, and an elephant heart beats only 28 times a minute. The lifespans are proportional; shrew life is intense but brief, elephant life long and contemplative." This equation also makes predictions about cities as well, "But unlike animals, cities do not slow down as they get bigger. They speed up with size! The bigger the city, the faster people walk and the faster they innovate". Cities even have pulse rates that this equation can determine. So my thought was- what if everything is alive? What if we live in a matrix of life that some kind of mathematical equation can be used to predict and portend certain things? I've digressed, sorry. My point is, however, that some of us can learn from almost anything and be changed in some way as I now contemplate if a city is predominantly inhabited by spiritually minded loving people, might that city have less crime, less disease and so on?

Those of us who can learn from anything don't generally mind learning from each other, either. Sure, we don't want someone thinking they are a know-it-all and preach to us about every detail of our lives. But those of us who love to learn, usually don't mind someone saying- "Listen, when you talk to Harold, just let him complain. If you try to help him, he will just go on to the next problem and you'll end up fixing everything that's ever happened to him!" People who are creative thinkers, I predict, would actually appreciate the suggestion. Now following it is another story. We may not agree with our "well doers" opinion about Harold. But I don't think most highly evolved folks would mind, and I think it is because they have a heightened sense of awareness, they are pretty self-aware, in other words and are accustomed to being able to learn something from almost any exchange. But those who would get angry or offended by the well-doer's suggestion do so, I think, because they have a limited self-awareness. They don't think they need any advice because in their state of denial, they have it all figured out.

My theory is this. People with a limited awareness only see but so far. That makes sense right? Hence the word limited, which would suggest an experience of impoverishment in some fashion. In any event, their limited knowledge fills up that space called their 'perception' simply because their perception is restricted. Nevertheless, it seems to fill up that space quite to their liking. This is why they resent someone telling them that there might be another way to see something. To them, this is crazy nonsense because their world is small and their knowledge navigates the perimeters well enough. But take someone with an expansive awareness. Their perception is a very different animal indeed. For they see a horizon that is so far from their knowledge base, they realize they need more skills, more insights and more wisdom to traverse that landscape. And this is why they can look up at the clouds covering the sun and realize that behind any challenge, like the sun hidden from view, is some kind of brilliance waiting to be revealed.

You see, everything inside them wants to absorb as much as possible, because their awareness is ravenous. It's ravenous because the vastness of their consciousness must, and does, require food and nourishment that is proportionate to its dimensions. So, the next time you offer a bit of friendly advice and find that it is received with a roll of the eyes and a sigh, you don't have to feel unappreciated. Just realize that for them, ignorance is truly bliss, and this is not intended as a pun.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE VERY WELCOME, JUST CLICK HERE!