Stages.
Consciousness starts off as a registering device,
then moves to planning and management;
now its dominant desire is to extend its authority into entirely new areas;
(subtly in the general population  –   vigorously in a few).
 
 

In two separate areas things occur which make men say: “Whoa!  –  that’s amazing!”  –  the physical world (e.g. novas, life around deep sea thermal vents) and consciousness, (though the latter instances are seen but by a scant few experts
while the former is open to anyone with a passing interest in science).
And this e-mail just in:
“Sir: In regard to the story you just reported: it seems to me that man's interest
should be more focused on the area of consciousness, inasmuch as science
and everything we know of the physical world comes through consciousness;
like how a microbiologist should be interested foremost in the microscope (i.e.):
‘I just realized!  -- everything I know, I know thanks to this instrument;
my god!  –  let me take a closer look at this thing!’  –
that’s what men should be saying about consciousness.
(At least so it seems to me after thinking about it.)
Sincerely,” etc.
 
 

In the extraordinary state of mental clarity that occurs in a man’s final moments,
one guy saw someone else’s life  --flash-before-his-eyes,
but after the initial shock had subsided, he realized that it was in fact
the life he had lived and had at the time accepted as his.
(“Man! –  what a last-minute eye opener!”  he noted with his conclusive breath.)
 
 

Dialogue.
“In the Chand Of Enlantment, only the man who says that no one knows
what they’re talking about, knows what he’s talking about.”
    “Close, but he doesn’t know fully what he’s talking about,
      or he wouldn’t bother to say that no one knows what they’re talking about.”
“So: if there is someone there who knows fully what they’re talking about
they would never even mention this matter  --   is that what you’re saying?”
    “Yes, but remember: we haven’t established whether or not
      I know what I’m talking about.”
 
 

Consciousness is a squishy, harmless squid.....
 
 

Says one city guy: “If it wasn’t for misgivings  –   I wouldn’t have any givings.”
And one man’s consciousness damn near drives him crazy  --
continually trying to break out in song: “I  –   light up my life…”
 
 

Conversation.
“How can people like and care about you if you don’t tell them about yourself?”
    “Ordinary people can’t.”
“Oh.”
 
 

Reminder:
If you aren't talking & thinking about what everyone else is – you’re not being normal.
“Dear Dr. Exact: Are people normal by design? –  wait a minute:
do I mean by their design, or just by design?
Do you know which I must mean?
Yours,” etc.
 
 

Profitable Info Regarding Performances In The Show Biz Of Life.
Telling of your pains helps sell tickets to your show.
 
 

The Police Blotter.
One man has accused his automatic-consciousness of  --  hate-crimes.
 
 

One man enjoyed imagining what his friends might be saying about him
when he wasn’t around.
(But what he really enjoyed was imagining that he had friends.)
 
 

Confab.
“Neurons write songs about:‘Oh – I’m so all alone,’ and hormones say: ‘Ah, shut up!’”
    “No they don’t.”
“Okay, so they don’t: I was just trying to make ‘em look good.   They did me a favor recently.”
 
 

Bob The Policeman.
Whenever he catches automatic-consciousness up to its old tricks again,
one man always snarls: “Assume the position!”
 
 

One father’s advice to a son:
“By all means feel free to ignore anything coming from a man that begins with
the words: ‘I see the urgent need for.....’ ”
 
 

Son Of Confab.
“Neurons write songs about: ‘Oh –  I’m so all alone,’ and hormones say: ‘Ah, shut up!’ “
    “No they don’t  –   but they SHOULD!   –   (shouldn’t they)?!”
“Damn straight.”
Fashion Tip.
In combat conditions (or with the possibility of being in an accident)
it’s best not to dress out your consciousness in little lace panties.
Defense Strategies.
    It’s hard to succumb,
    on the run.
 
 

Consciousness is an infinitely deep, wide and lazy swamp.....
 
 

When verbs go on vacation they don’t really go anywhere.
The would-be journeyers who never get anywhere are those who watch the train,
and not the motion of travel.
 
 

Scientific Tete-A-Tete.
“What’s the funniest thing you’ve heard recently from the academic world?”
    “That whales decided  to remain in the water.”
 
 

Lounging on his later-years bed one man mused:
“All I ever really wanted in life was to just once  –   ride-roughshod.”
(Did you notice that he didn’t specify in which realm?)
 
 

On one world they say that just hearing it talked about DOES count for something.
(And, yes  –   all flights to there are filled.)
 
 

When an accident caused one man to lose the ability to speak, such pressure built up
in the vocal area of his brain that eventually the side of his head blew out
like a two dollar recap.
(The attending doctors and mechanics consoled one another in the manner proper for professionals
[and one so sweet and touching.])
 
 

On a certain planet filled with strange looking animals
they still say that a creature’s most obvious part is its brain.
    (“Do they see something I don’t?”)
 
 

If you doubt man’s special place, just ask yourself this: “Why doesn’t it rain indoors?”
 
 

On one man’s inner met stage the fat lady won’t sing until every member of the cast swears that she's not all that fat.
(Quite common, she notes, is it for those most vocally given to big boned be.
[And standing behind the wing, mused herr bing: “That would explain a lot,”
about what realm, he didn’t stipulate.])
 
 

In the exercise of rituals and ceremonies, the emotions find speech and realize motion.
 
 

If you still question man’s special place, answer yourself this:
How come other animals don’t talk about us like we do them?
What!?  –   man’s not good enough to warrant their attention!?
Ha!  –   and: “Ha!” sayeth all rightly conscious men.
    (“By: ‘rightly-conscious’ you mean: who-don’t-know-any-better, correct?”)

While going through boxes of his late father’s writings, a son found a large notebook covering a period of many years in which his pater had put down precepts he had personally developed and apparently intended solely for his self, and which the progeny (knowing the elder as he had) realized were behaviors & attitudes his father had found conducive to his life long aim of expanding the scope of his consciousness, but after discovering them, the younger now perceives them to be a legacy
the old man subtly bequeathed him for his own use.
What follows is an excerpt from those papers (the first of which appeared: 9.27.04).

Keep thoughts, feelings & desires from stopping where they normally do –
at your “I”.

You should never see your face in a mirror without saying something humorous
to yourself.

You can have no past and still get-to-the-bottom-of-things.

Don’t step on people when you have the opportunity.

If it doesn’t serve The Aim it doesn’t serve you.

Remember that there is nothing outside of you to attack.

Don’t put periods on statements;
don’t put periods on people.

Relentlessly push consciousness into the present
(and into the future, if you understand what that means).

Don’t get in the way of other people’s dreams  –
even if you have thoughts which say they deserve it.

Internally keep yourself where “you” doesn’t feel it belongs.

Act like you’re enlightened.

Don’t assume other people’s problems and don’t become a problem to any one else;
a man with problems gives others problems.

Always remember that nothing in Life is broken or out of place.

Abandon all expressions of hostility; you can’t cut back on them – you have to stop it.

Never think the same thing twice.

Don’t discuss your problems with others: that’s one of your problems.

Constantly increase the civility of your Red Circuit physical life.

Under no conditions: imitate someone else.

Do not tell yourself what you are planning to do.

All that is natural is not necessarily profitable...........................(to you).

Treat others gingerly  –   with care  –
as though they might explode in your face if you touched them too jarringly.

If you can’t do it on purpose  –   don’t do it.

Don’t believe that you’ve ever been mistreated.

Constantly impose calm on your Blue Circuit emotional life.

Do not expect what happened in the past to happen now.

Never do something for someone else’s good.

The trick is to be conscious just a second ahead of right now.

Don’t do anything that encourages another person to sleep and dream.

Chase Blue Circuit blues with Red Circuit activity,
(topped off by a Yellow Circuit sweet).

Disregard as irrelevant the personality traits Life has equipped you with.

As irrational as it sounds, still: Be objective  –   passionately  so.

Never speak ill of justice.

There is no significance to anyone’s dreams.

For every opinion your automatic-consciousness expresses, make it think about the opposite one until it feels how it could also hold that one (which will always occur).

There is no profitable way to go back and clean up your past.

Never mention any of your abilities or lack of any.

Don’t try to straighten-out other people.

Remain aware that what you've normally taken to be you, Life and other people
has been in serious error.

Periodically say to yourself: “There’s this particular something I like to do,
and there’s no explaining it.”

Recognize that the older an organism becomes the more conservative it gets --
and don’t let it happen with you.

Close no subject to further investigation.

Be ever mindful of the need to produce a new kind of more refined energy.

Do not be a spokesman for the force of resistance.

Ask yourself continually: “Is ‘I’ a noun or a verb?”

Make yourself part of Life’s long term memory.

Increase the operating speed of your nervous system,