Reaction: The Open Windows of Consciousness

It’s not often we are given the luxury of foreseeing adversity that is to come. In addition to being caught of off guard, the unknown and the unexpected can leave us with an array of emotions to decipher, an ego to salvage and a heart to shield. Yesterday, I observed an exchange between a man (John) and a woman (Jane), and as the situation escalated—instead of searching for resolve, John immediately began to survey his surroundings to see who had observed the confrontation. Being one who observes three times more than I speak, I was perplexed over why John worried so much about who saw the exchange. It then became apparent to me that when how we look becomes our premier area of concern, it’s unlikely that resolution or reconciliation will be attained. John’s reaction gave me a panoramic view of how he really felt—no matter how hard he tried to circumvent others from seeing the exchange. Then the revelation hit me: our reactions open the windows of our consciousness to be put on public display.

Furthermore, repetitious reactions can transform our consciousness from being a window into an all-out open exhibit for everyone to gallivant over. This prevents progressivism from being extracted during personal struggle. Yes, we have a human constitution to be honest. We even have an honest constitution to be human; however, that does not entitle us to convey the most concentrated emotions of our heart during every reaction. That being said, we must learn to embrace intense situations from a non-reactive standpoint. If I react in a way that only preserves my ego, what then happens to my heart and my conscience? Moreover, if I seek to preserve my heart, what then happens to my ego? This seems perplexing, but I must admit, I’d much rather nurse a broken ego than a severed conscious.

The purpose of this entry is merely to consider how we gauge the reaction process. A survey of various reactions can be a great reference point as to where self-introspection and change is needed. I’m fervently supportive of being transparent, but I’m adamantly against familiarity to the point where people can know verbatim how you will react in EVERY situation. No one individual should have THAT much access to your conscience. If personal growth is going to occur, we must be willing to address and eventually control our reactive processes. One thing remains certain: adversity will come to our doorsteps, but we have the power to change the way we conduct ourselves in the midst thereof. Long story short: don’t let ‘em see you sweat. ;-) Abundant blessings and well wishes to you all during this holiday season!