There is a lot of talk today about people “waking up” to the realities around them. Being “woke” is a huge part of the operating system in pop culture. Some (“woke”) churches often talk about a new Revival of the Christian faith in the coming years.
Meanwhile, the Christian faith holds that our knowledge, wisdom, and our purpose for being should come from God.
To understand the Koshiz Living message, we must first understand: what does it mean to be conscious? What does it mean to increase it? How does this relate to spiritual growth in the Holy Spirit?
At its most fundamental level, the raising of consciousness is simply an increase in social awareness or consideration of others in our spheres of influence (perhaps at first with our family and friends in small group settings, then our local neighborhoods, and eventually our national and global communities). It is simply realizing that our actions have consequences. What I decide to do – or more often, what I decide not to do (since inaction is also an action) can reverberate throughout my social network. The rapid spread of COVID-19 through human contact is a prime example.
Goals
Being conscious, i.e. being intentional, is about being goal-oriented. It is acting with purpose to achieve a desired end. It is making an intentional decision about the boundaries you will set for yourself, what you will invest your time and energy into, and what you will consume. This investor vs. consumer mindset can apply to anything in your life: food, time, money, energy, work pursuits, music choice, etc.
To act and live with purpose is to live out your primary function. What were you made to do? Why are you here? It is an existentialist thought, and it is very much tactical.
A person who is goal-orientated is conscious. To act outside of purpose, to misuse a thing or abuse its purpose is the definition of evil. It is unconscious. It lacks life and vigor and it leads to death.
(And by the way, to know right from wrong is to (mis)use something for its (un)intended purpose. This is the discernment of (evil) from good. What one “should” do in a certain circumstance is the study of ethics).
However, being intentional and having goals is not conscious on its own! The goal must also be considerate of others. How does the outcome of my goal or decision (though purposeful and intentional) affect someone else? Intentional living means that every action is a conscious, premeditated decision. This is why the core tenet of criminal law is to prove intent to commit a crime. If a person’s intent cannot be proven, then they are not guilty.
Developing this habit of consideration is known as empathy. See also: love. The following definitions also help us to describe consciousness and intentional living as a lifestyle.
Selfish:
To act as if you are the only recipient of the benefit.
Selfless:
To act as if the other person is the only recipient of the benefit.
Self-interested:
To act, knowing that both parties will receive a mutual benefit.
Consciousness is not selfish. It is not knowledge and self-love for its own sake, but always for the betterment of others.
In my opinion, the marketing and advertising industry is one of the most conscious, intentional, purpose-driven work pursuits out there. To be an effective marketer, among other things, one must intimately know who their audience is (the company’s ideal customer), what colors on the packaging will inspire an emotional-driven response in purchasing decisions (red for passion, purple for loyalty, or grey for indifference), whether certain language in commercials is in line with the company’s overall mission or purpose.
A haphazard marketing strategy that is lacking in goals and direction will go nowhere. It is not conscious or self-aware. It lacks purpose.
Among other things, consciousness is one thing that separates human beings from animals. Animals live based on instinct and positive and negative reinforcement. At its most basic biological elements, animals (and their instincts) are driven by fear. “Woke” humans, on the other hand, are driven by love. And it has been said that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).
Education
Conscious raising is about education. It is about increasing awareness of options available to us. Our relationship with God allows us to choose the wisest options according to His vision and His purpose for our lives so that He may be glorified.
The social aspect evolves consciousness into “wokeness”.
Often we see campaigns and public service announcements to raise awareness about certain issues: from Breast Cancer awareness month, underage smoking, awareness about domestic violence, or even increasing awareness about police brutality. The goal for increasing the awareness (i.e. education) about these issues to the general public is to drive an action to do something about it; the goal is education to drive change, improvement, and increase love.
Being “woke” requires consideration of others just as much as ourselves. An awareness of self, including our faults, our good habits, our bad ones, knowing right from wrong (objective Truth), who our influencers are, etc.
Conscious raising is transcendence. Psychologists call this the process of self-realization. Once our basic human needs are met (food, air, water, etc.), we can focus more on self-development. After eventually realizing our purpose, i.e. the help we can provide to others, we begin to act that out by actually providing benefits for others. This could be a selfless act, volunteering, or a business opportunity. Then we move on to more abstract, immaterial needs: security, self-esteem. Combined together, we become self-realized.
Beyond Education
In conclusion, awareness of ourselves, where we come from, and where we want to end up – even if we rely on God to help us get there – is not the end goal; conscious though it may be.
The goal is transcending beyond the material things, people, and circumstances of this world. It is about removing ourselves from the imposed dichotomy of choice. It is about identifying and following the “third way”. There is neither here, nor there; this, nor that; left, nor right.
In a more realistic context. It is realizing that the present moment is all that matters. Yesterday is done and over with. There is no going back to change what happened. We can plan for tomorrow, but it has not happened yet. Only God, who is the creator of time, lives in tomorrow. We will meet him there – never vice versa.
So, all we have is the present moment. Today. Right now. That is where we can affect the most change. The ironic thing – and perhaps a story for a separate blog post altogether – is that by the time we realize we are in the present, that moment is in the past!
As we form ourselves to the image of God, we transcend. The present (though it may be a constant momentous target) is all that matters.
