Now it might not be commonly noticed, but being aware of how a place feels is a particularly special state of mind. Allow me to ponder this aspect of the human condition; Noticing how a place feels always occurs in a state of mind which is in the present moment. Without this type of awareness, we have of course nothing but the companionship of our mind chatter, a mingling of dry thoughts or triggered emotional reactions. Thoughts/emotions, by the way, are reactions to experiences which accumulate in our memory and are dutifully generated and recalled by the process of our brain, just like our heart pulses in regularity, and thank goodness for that.
But being aware of a new place and noticing how charming or stunningly beautiful it is or how it affects us, or how food is delectable, or how music moves us is beyond our thoughts, and can only be beyond thought, firmly in the realm of pure awareness. Our reactive mind has new thoughts that flow from this experience to describe it, but these thoughts cannot replace the enjoyment of it. Just like this, tasting a strawberry can merely be described, and if two people have both tasted a strawberry they may discuss amongst themselves their experience, but the experience of it can never be transferred to someone who has not tasted the berry themselves. One has to directly experience for oneself, to know what it is really like to ___________ (taste a strawberry, view a sunset, fill in the blanks here).
This phenomenon of direct experience, which can only occur in a state of awareness beyond the mind, such as when one enjoys anything, is of course something every human has experienced. To notice something is to become aware of it, to become conscious of it – it really is that simple, and it is a fundamental part of being human. Such a simple thing as the phenomenon of “noticing” something that is “enjoyable” is worth discussing, however because there is a tremendous distinction between this state of mind and other conscious states, when determining the value of something.
To wit: The mind does not have the ability to discern beauty or enjoyment, because the mind is not aware — first of all, it is reactive, and therefore can never be “now” because it is always “too late”. — second of all, the mind is the construct of all of these thoughts/emotions that are kept within the repository known as the brain, an organ.
Right now is when we experience, and we are aware that we are having an experience, and it is in this realm that we enjoy everything and see beauty and love each other. It is on this level of consciousness that we experience a place. Places are experienced. Our favorite places are enjoyed.
It is said that the spirit is always in a state of joy. To clarify, this is a kind of joy experienced via awareness beyond the mind, such as when we enjoy something, and not the kind of emotional swings of happiness vs. sadness or any other kind of duality. When in the purest state of direct experience, we can perhaps only but enjoy everything. Wouldn’t that be something!
But we also have discernment to be able to notice places, things, circumstances and conditions which are less than enjoyable, and we notice to varying degrees our level of enjoyment. Just as we are aware of experiences we greatly enjoy, we are also aware of things which are less enjoyable, or not at all enjoyable. This experience of enjoyment is something that we notice, we witness, we observe and we are aware of through direct experience; the ability to discern our level of enjoyment is also within this same realm, with the same ability to notice, witness, observe and to be aware.
Once our attention is directed to this enjoyable or less-than-enjoyable thing or circumstance, a healthy brain’s natural reaction is to kick in and respond with all manner of thoughts and emotions about the situation, and some brains may generate more than others. The brain will quite capably integrate the experience into the mind as a memory, as is its function. Our attention may drift between the experience and our reactive thoughts/feelings towards the matter. We may simply sit and enjoy a sunset, or allow our minds to drift off into thoughts or feelings, and this varies greatly from person-to-person as well as from situation to situation. Suffice it to say, that some people may enjoy their experiences and others may more enjoy their reactive minds, or may just get stuck in thought or feeling and may not be able, sadly, to enjoy their present circumstances having become lost in thought or swallowed up in emotion.
The source of value we place upon places, things, situations or circumstances, then, comes not from our minds but is our very awareness of our experience of them. The quality of our experience of places, things, situations or circumstances, must never be displaced by an overactive mental process when making determinations of value, because value can only come from our experiential awareness. And since experiential awareness is the only way we can access beauty and enjoyment, we err as a species when we think it away or indulge in over-analysis or over-emotionalism, because we end up losing sight of the source of our joy.
The enjoyment of a place is naturally then, quite fundamental to how we proceed in valuing place, and by extension envisioning and creating and caring for enjoyable places.
Desire is the prime mover which causes our seeking and longing for places we enjoy. But that is another topic…
