We have all heard phrases about becoming more conscious. Some speak in terms of a spiritual enlightenment others of ‘waking up’ to the many issues we face in the world today. Whatever form we are familiar with it is not a new idea. But what does it really mean? Why is it so important? And what does it look like in practice?

What follows is by no means the last word on becoming more conscious. It is an atheists perspective on what is arguably a very important priority for humanity. It is the way out of the Matrix and undoubtedly the way to peace freedom and abundance.

What does it mean to become more conscious?

At its most basic level to be conscious means to be actively engaged with one’s sensory perception so as to be aware of one’s surroudings or environment or other stimuli. Being conscious is often associated with being conscious of something, or aware of something. So from the basic level of being conscious of our surroundings and being awake or cognitively active, we can then become aware of more and more. We can add to our awareness and potentially keep adding to it building an ever larger ‘picture’ of our world.

So we can see that for humans being conscious is a state of awareness that occurs on a sliding scale once we have achieved the basic level of wakefulness. We can then become aware of our inner world through introspection and potentially become increasingly aware of the world around us. But to gain this increasing awareness takes effort and it doesn’t happen automatically.

Why is it so important?

Consciousness, for those entities that possess it, is their means of survival. It is their means of guidance to choose appropriate actions to support the continuance of their life. In the present context of life on Planet Earth, becoming more conscious is very literally our means of survival, but in a broader sense than many realise. Yes we need to avoid stepping out infront of a bus to stay alive, but if we zoom out a little we need to be aware of what threatens our continued existence in the longer term – such as what food supports our life and what food undermines it, and we need to be aware of lifestyle factors that affect fertility and the survival of our progeny. Today there many such threats to our longterm survival.

Becoming more conscious is not only the way out of the Matrix because it is the only way to take control of one’s own mind. It is the only way to success and to thrive because it is the only means by which we can adapt to a changing and threatening context. Those who become more conscious will achieve an evolutionary advantage over those who decline to bother. The more we move ourselves up the sliding scale of awareness the better we position ourselves to deal with the many hidden challenges of modern life and the easier we can spot the many ‘duff steers’ that can undermine our well being.

Becoming more conscious renders us far more likely to recognise the ubiquitous propaganda and disinformation that dominates the mainstream media and almost all official information. It also means we are far more likely to achieve a level of intellectaul independence necessary to avoid following the herd over the cliff. for example To spot that tap water isnt safe to drink, that we eat food to which we are not genetically adapted, that mercury fillings are not safe, that mobile phone use and wi-fi saturation are compromising fertility and accelerating ageing.

What does becoming more conscious look like?

Becoming more conscious is entirely practical. It has nothing to do with the conventional view of spirituality, nothing to do with religions or god. It has nothing to do with any kind of mysticism or supernatural being. I am an atheist and I present these ideas from a secular perspective, relevant to the real everyday world we are all familiar with.