The Optical Delusion of Consciousness

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

— Albert Einstein

What Gives?

The paradox of our time in this generation is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; faster internet but less attention span; wider freeways but narrower viewpoints. We spend more but have less; we consume more but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences but less time. We have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge but less judgment; more experts but more problems; more medicine yet still, less world wellness.

What gives?

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, stay up too late, wake up too tired, feel too lifeless, suck the life out of others, repeat it over and over, the vicious cycle continues. We eat our emotion, drink our pain and smoke our troubles away. We run away from our fear and cut down our insecurities in the mirror. We have become more socially connected to each other but somehow lost the connection with ourselves.

What gives?

We’ve learned how to make a living but not a life. We’ve added years to our life unfortunately not life to our years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back but have trouble crossing the street to meet a neighbor. We conquered outer space but have yet to crack our inner space. We’ve done a lot of large things but somehow forget about all of the small things.

What gives?

We’ve cleaned up the air but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom but not our prejudice. We write more but learn less. We plan more but accomplish less. We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values. We have cut our commitments in half but doubled our excuses. We rush through life but forget to enjoy the process. We will openly and honestly give our opinions on others but refuse to take constructive advice for ourselves. We look inside the box for questions and then forget to look outside the box for answers. We spend more time on Facebook and less time with actual Faces. We update our personal status hourly but digress our personal evolution yearly.

What gives?

These are the times of fast food and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits and shallow relationships. We are in the days of dual incomes and doubled divorces; fancier houses and broken homes. These are the days of quick trips, disposable coffee cups, one hit fixes, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight or to just hit delete.

What gives?

**This was originally written by Dr. Bob Morehead, but has been altered slightly more than once while bouncing around on the internet since 1998**

What is Inspiration?