Are the unaware happy?
I think for the most part that they are. Maybe not necessarily elated, but somewhat content. Satisfied with the world and their place in it, but I also think they have more surprises in their lives than their aware brethren. I think that those surprises tend to put a damper on the days of contentedness. If I were able to choose I’d probably elect to eliminate surprises from my existence because I think pleasantly surprised doesn’t apply to the majority of unplanned moments in a persons life.
But that’s me. Lots of people appear to like being surprised.
The word surprised is generally interpreted as a positive experience. Surprise gets shouted at birthdays and unexpected reunions, but your doctor rarely walks into an examining room with helium balloons and a surprise you have breast cancer exclamation.
However, I think the situationally unaware among us have more surprises in their lives than what might be considered average. It follows that if you’re not paying attention, then when you’re forced to pull your head out of your ass that there’s going to be some discomfort associated with the withdrawal. Actually you’d think that sticking ones head up ones ass would also be painful, but the unaware seem unbothered with the practice.
I guess they feel safe, plus it’s warm, and eventually they become accustomed to the smell and being in the dark. Maybe that’s why the uninformed look so startled when a surprise has imposed itself upon them. They’re not used to the light, and all the awareness that suddenly exists once they’ve been extricated from their safe place is a shock to their systems.
Shock is the result of a forceful surprise, and it’s discernable in facial expressions that are hard to miss. Expressions like someone getting the shit scared out of them, or touching a live wire, or voting for Trump three times and suddenly realizing that gas is expensive and your kid might get drafted.
In all three cases the subject in question was situationally unaware. But there’s a difference between someone hiding around a corner with an evil clown mask and voting for Don. I forgive you for being startled by the clown surprise. No one can reasonably expect that to happen, and the result is kind of amusing. The live wire jolt is also amusing because its a moment of neglect with an electric wake up call.
But voting for Don three times?
That is a lack of awareness so profound that it makes me wonder how the three time voter has managed to navigate their way through this life. I suspect poorly, and with a trail of stupidity and destruction in their wake. A wake that they’re completely unaware exists. If the awareness is unavoidable, it would follow that they’re unable to make the connection of being responsible for the pain of imposed reality. It’s a shrug and a whatta ya gonna do scenario, because shit just inexplicably happens to them.
I think that the three time voters would be really shitty at the Bob Barker gameshow truth or consequences, because they’re not on familiar terms with either concept. Truth is subjective though. You can choose to disbelieve the obvious, but consequences don’t provide an ignorance option.
The clown caused you to piss your pants, the electrical burn hurts, and gas is five bucks a gallon. That’s real shit, and as impossible to ignore as flag draped coffins. And you’re dealing with those varieties of misery because you made a choice to be unaware of the consequences of your actions, and just as importantly, your inactions.
Life is full of choices. Some people realise that choices have consequences, and some people aren’t capable or willing to entertain that particular logic thread. I don’t know why the disconnect exists, because examples abound where we’re shown the reality of cause and effect. Maybe instead of the duality of trial and error or cause and effect, people should instead consider life in terms of a triality.
That triality being cause, effect, and regret. Or put another way, the lingering price you get to pay for not thinking things through.
But I think there’s hope for the unaware.
I think a person should start small. Don’t try to foresee every consequence of an action. Instead I suggest a gradual increase in our personal awareness. A good method for making this happen is to try and look at small actions you can perform that grease the gears of everyday life, and help things run smoothly. Things like seeing the person with full arms, and waiting a moment to manage a door opening for them. Or like seeing a person trying to back out of a vision obstructed parking space, and stopping behind them to let them know when the roadway is clear. Those small acts cause a person to look around and pay attention to what’s occurring in their immediate space.
Step one is being aware. Step two is acting positively on that new found awareness.
Once that kind of thinking becomes habitual then we start to see the world differently, and then we’re ready for the next step to determining possible consequences of our behaviours. Granted this next step requires a little bit more time and effort. But once your awareness is elevated, it’s I think much easier to determine possible consequences you’re likely going to encounter.
Life might not be as comfortable as it once was, but I really don’t believe that life was meant to be comfortable. If there’s a meaning to life then I’m more inclined to accept that pursuit of comfort is the best we can do.
And I believe that pursuit has a higher chance of success if we’re aware.
Plus you lower your odds of getting hit by a bus while you’re talking on the phone.