Being conscious of being conscious
Mindful that I am alive
Looking out and taking it in
Sensing vision is constructed by my brain.
The neural network schema organizing the retinal signals
Images assembled from fragments and memory
Dancing into self-referential awareness
Like knowing you are in a dream.
Not the disembodied mind of Descartes
Except for the recursive abstraction of thought
As a metaphor for the metaphysical function of the brain
How language shapes possibility.
To be free of troubled thoughts
To be able to breathe in and out quietly
Letting go with the flow of inner peace
Let these moments come often.
Leisure time free from want or anxiety
Allows me this personal contemplation
Something few people have in their lives
Something everyone deserves.
Being one of so many millions young and old
Contending with the challenges of this historical period
Each of us immersed in our daily lives
The turbulence of the times animates everything.
Being aware of what other people are doing
Living together depending on each other
All these people do a lot of talking
Passing information around.
If you have ever been at a mass demonstration
You have felt the collective transformation
When thousands of voices speak in unison
Expressing a single shared common purpose.
From a day without immigrants
To a day without women
To a day without work or school
Events are building towards a general strike.
