Blending Prudence with Awareness

By Angela Levesque

It is hard to know sometimes what is the best course of action to take when left with a decision. There is so much information out there it is hard to know where to start. Many people like to take the logical road and make the decision with the best statistical outcome. Others make decisions that are more gut based. And even more of us make decisions without any conscious awareness at all. As with all things, there needs to be balance. Our society tends to praise and cultivate logical, reductionist reasoning. We put little value in the intuitive, the emotional or the abstract, which is as much part of us as the other. We need to be conscious beings on every level. Now more than ever, we need to appreciate how our decisions affect our health, our families and our world. So many of the crisis’ we face are a consequence of our conditioning and our programming individually and globally. We make decisions everyday, it is important to make those consciously, both with prudence and awareness. So how do we make decisions that serve both our consciousness and humanity?

How To Not Find What You Are Looking For The Internet so immense and filled with all types of ideas, opinions, agendas and the occasional fact. You will always find someone who will agree with your line of thinking. You will always find facts to bolster your ideas. So if you are faced with a decision, first look for facts that counter your belief. This is the best way to temper your preconceived notions. Much of our beliefs are products of the egoic mind. The ego mind is ripe with bias. Its sole purpose is to maintain the status quo. It doesn’t want change. So if you are faced with a decision and the first thing you do is seek out people and facts that bolster your beliefs, you are not leaving room for your intuitive and conscious self to shine through. Once you have thoroughly explored the other sides of an issue and your beliefs still remain intact, then seek out your choir. This is a great system of checks and balances.

Know the Source Everybody has an agenda, including you. There is no such thing as purely unbiased information. Having been an avid listener of talk radio for more than a decade, I know that everybody can back-up his or her view with “the facts”. For every idea you have on something, you can bet that there are 100 other people who have the exact opposite view. This is not a bad thing. It is this that makes our world interesting. A rich array of ideas and opinions that have the opportunity to challenge and stretch us. This is how we grow. However, when it comes to being a conscious decision maker, we need consider the source of the information that we may be forming our beliefs on. If you want to know where someone is coming from, research them and their beliefs. A way to do this is to follow the money.

What is Truth? What do we know as truth? This is a big question. Where do we derive the information that ends up in our textbooks and taught in our educational institutions? What ends up in the headlines of the media outlets? Primarily these truths are all consequences of our research. This is where our linear, logical thinking gets to flourish, but in that there are limitations. We create boxes in which to study things. We factor out as many of the variables to look at one or two items. Does this drug have an effect; does this process change the way we learn etc.? All of these are wonderful questions to ask, but in real life, we are dynamic and multi faceted. We are the variables embodied. So be prudent and do your research. See what it has to say, but know that it is limited.

Use Different Media Formats We live in a very exciting technological time. We have access to vast amounts of information that is presented to us in multiple media formats. Utilize them. Have an awareness of how you like to learn. This allows for better comprehension and assimilation of information. Watch a documentary, listen to the radio, read a book or look at the Internet. Seek out non-mainstream media outlets, to broaden your view. Listen to opposing opinions, that challenge and stretch you. They may or may not change your mind, but they can change your heart. Practice compassion while you learn, allow yourself to open up to new possibilities and ideas. Tune into the emotions that arise while exploring them. You may be able to learn a lot about your self and your beliefs. Also, find ways to share your ideas. What are your gifts? What have you learned that can benefit others? It is one thing to have a belief, but to take that and teach it to another can bring so much depth to your understanding and reaffirm your values.

Hold it in Your Heart I suggested this to someone the other day that had a big medical decision to make. He had done all of his research, knew exactly what treatments statistically had the best outcomes. I told him to take all of that knowledge and hold it in his heart. He looked at me like I had three heads and asked, “Why would I want to do that?” My answer was, “Because the heart knows”.

Humans are a beautiful blend of the known and the unknown, the Yin and Yang. It makes sense that our decisions should be of the heart and the head. It is a challenge to release yourself from your ego, from your beliefs and from what you are told is truth. Each of us must find our own truth. This has less to do with facts and more to do with awareness and our intuition. Now these eternal truths sometimes are hard to implement in our day-to-day lives, but we can and we must be able to filter through all the internal and external information. To get to the heart of the matter. Each of us needs to become a conscious decision maker so we can live more congruent and meaningful lives.

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Angela Levesque is an exercise physiologist, mind/body educator and energy healer. She hosts a weekly online radio show called On Health & Healing on a2zen.fm and teaches several classes on self care for chronic illness. Visit www.hestiahealth.com for more information. Follow her on https://twitter.com/HestiaHealth and http://www.facebook.com/hestiahealth.