I Question, Therefore I am Alive

The title looks familiar to you? Yes, of course it might. In fact, I admit that I depicted it from René Descartes’ notion, “Cogito Ergo Sum (I think therefore I am).” Why did I depict that notion? Two reasons, first, I can do that –for no one copyright classics; and second, that’s the most perfect title I could think of at that time for this piece of writing.

Now let’s talk about my favorite topic for today. This is, in my opinion, one of the most significant things one can do in his/her life. If you can perfect your skill on this one, your life will become more interesting. William Wallace noted in the movie Braveheart, “Every man dies, (but) not every man really lives.” Well, if you think your life is pretty stagnant and boring, today might be your lucky day because what I’m about to share will shed some light in your head.

Without further ado, that topic is the power of question, my friend… Yes, the question. But this is pretty much different than the kind of question you might think. Allow me to clarify, I’m not talking about the academic questions you ask towards your teachers, lecturers or parents, nor am I talking about those insecure questions you often ask towards your girlfriend/boyfriend… I am simply talking about the questions you ask to yourself. The ones that make you think. The ones that make you move –in your life. The ones to which you’re happy when you find the answers.

Been doing that one often, lately? If the answer is yes, then you do not need to read on. But if the answer is to the contrary, then I’m pretty sure you will have had something by the time you finish… Scroll down, buddy.

Those Zen monks often note that everything that you ever desire, actually you’ve already got them all fulfilled in you. That notion arises from the basic premise that every human being is a divine representation of God. Well, I’m not suggesting that you should adopt this point of view directly. I’m just inviting you to take this view, if you haven’t already, with an open mind. Because the next thing I’m about to state comes from this idea.

Look again to the word “everything” in the first sentence of the previous paragraph. What does “everything” leave out? You’re right, nothing. And my point is that “everything” includes every answer that you will ever need. That does make sense in my opinion. And it is indeed something wonderful. I mean, think about it. All questions ranged from what you should do towards anyone that agitates you, up to what your purpose in life actually is, you have all the answers to those questions!

Now before you get to excited, let’s put all of the aforementioned ideas aside, and think about Sigmund Freud’s theory of subconscious mind for a second (don’t worry, all of these will make sense in the end when being put together with all of the points above). It states that every human being has the subconscious thoughts -all of the thoughts that lie in the background of our conscious thoughts. This subconscious thoughts differ from the conscious thoughts, such as “that girl is hot, I can’t do this, or I’m not in the mood for studying” kind of thing, in the sense that we are unaware of those subconscious thoughts. The thing is, subconscious thoughts/mind thingy is way more powerful than the conscious one. We can’t really do anything if that thing contravenes our subconscious mind. That explains why people find that it is difficult to stop smoking or stop procrastinating, and also, why sometimes you find girls say often that they hate jerks but then they continue to date jerks anyhow (because their subconscious mind has grown accustomed to those things). The point that I’m trying to put onto the table are, that subconscious mind is way more powerful than the conscious one, and that we always move towards the realization of it.

The next question then would be whether the subconscious mind can be changed. The answer is, yes. Psychotherapist and those spiritual guys, for instance, have developed ways to reach out subconscious mind, and gradually change it for the better. The ways are various, for instance hypnotherapy, meditation, affirmation, visualization, and others. I’ve tried and experimented some of them myself for about a year (ha-ha-ha, I know it’s short, but it’s still counting, dude), experienced some great results, and found one thing that they all have in common. Those ways involve lowering our brainwave.

Now dude, let’s talk about brainwave for a second (and I promise you, this will be the last weird thing I talk about for today before we’ll come into conclusion… I know how you feel, ha-ha). To make it simple, brainwave is some kind of wave that is vibrating in your brain and can be measured by hertz. The higher your brainwave is, the more focused you’ll be –when we’re talking with our friend in the cantina, our brainwave is ranging 16-30Hz in average, while it can be as high as 48Hz  when we’re preparing for a buzzer-beater 3pt shoot in the basketball court. The lower your brainwave is the more tranquil and relaxed you’ll feel –when we’re sleeping; our brainwave can reach as low as 5Hz while it’ll be a bit higher when we’re meditating. Researches have found that when your brainwave is low, you are connected to this subconscious mind, you can access it.

Okay, back to the topic. So, how to tie all of these information then? I propose one practical way to use it in your favor. Think about one question, just for your experiment, that you would like to be answered. And tonight, while you’re lying down before sleep;

1. Close your eyes and be relaxed. Be awake; try to quiet your mind.
2. It’s alright if there’s a random thought passes by, just let it go. Do this for about 5-10 minutes and you’ll notice change in your body. You’ll start to feel a pleasant sense of tranquility.
3. State that question (in your mind) in the positive sentence and in the present tense. And also don’t forget to state that you’re sure that you’ll be answered and fulfilled. For instance, “What is the answer of (…state your concern here…)? I am answered and fulfilled.”
4. Say that several times, and then go to sleep.

Do the whole process for couple of nights. What will happen next is, this will program your subconscious mind and you will unconsciously move towards the realization of the answer in your life, be it in the form of dream, experience, etc… Just trust your gut and Good luck!

The guy who asks a lot of questions,

-Ganda-

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~ by gandzhutagalung on July 15, 2010.