The space between the words.

The following is an excerpt from a lecture given by Deepak Bartolo at the Consciousness Workshop conducted at Palm Beach Community College last week.

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Many of us sometimes become consumed by our own thoughts and feel that we have become entrapped in a stream of consciousness that provides us more misery than happiness. We feel that what we have, what we think, what we do...have been unintentionally narrowed and restricted by our own ego struggling to compartmentalize us and coerce us into behavior or thought streams which conflict with our deep core beliefs and positive views of the world around us.

However, we can choose to embrace the notion that the space in which our thoughts exist is indeed infinite and also inflatable to accommodate any and all cognitive activities which we choose to conjure up and implement. In addition, because that thought space is infinite, we can also realize that those tiny and finite thought streams which try to consume us actually occupy just a tiny corner of a vast and ever expanding mental universe.

So, we don't need to feel that we are restricted by our stream of consciousness. We don't need to feel that the thoughts we have are the only thoughts that reveal our inner feelings or our true perception of ourselves. We are more, much more, than the thoughts that our egos conjure up and present to us continuously.

Let me give you some examples. Take a deep breath. Think about that process. We breathe in and breathe out, then there is a pause. Breathing in is one phase of the process of breathing. Then, we breathe out. That's a second phase. But, dear students, there is an important aspect of breathing which many don't think about. There is a pause, however slight, between those two phases of breathing and between two different breaths. That pause creates the space required for breathing. Without those pauses, the process of breathing would break down.

Now, think about a rain storm. Without the space between the rain drops, a rain storm couldn't exist. Rain droplets are formed by moisture coalescing around a finite particle which gives the droplets a mechanism to exist. If this particle is too large, a rain drop will not be created. And, the space between these particles provides the mechanism for the creation of rain.

The same metaphor applies to a tree. All trees have branches. But, the space between the branches creates the ability for the tree to grow and nurture itself. Without the space, there is no possibility for the tree to exist.

Now, think about the process of thinking. We can think only because space between our thoughts exists. Without those spaces, or pauses, we couldn't manifest any cogent thinking process of any kind.

So, when we think of thinking, we should also think of the vastness of the emptiness that exists between every distinct thought. That space allows thought to be manifested.

Our stream of consciousness is only one aspect of our thinking process and the mechanism that has been created to allow thought to exist. I think that we now can entertain the possibility that this space between our thoughts provides us a respite from the continuous ramblings of our ego. Our egos are vast and sometimes overpowering. But, if we can choose to understand that the vastness, or emptiness, between our thoughts can allow us to perceive that we can move our locus of awareness to that emptiness and can take on the role of casual observer of the machinations of our thought stream.

We cannot be forced to exist in the narrow world of our stream of consciousness. Instead, we can choose that vast and infinite space between our thoughts. Some may deduce that God resides there. Wisdom may emanate from that emptiness. And, of course, that peacefulness, that calmness, the feeling of understanding of that which is unknowable can be pointed to and can be perceived there.

Any questions?

Okay, during the next class period, we will contemplate the disparity between the forces that rule at the cosmic, or infinitely large, level and those which are in play at the quantum, or infinitely small, level.

See you next week.

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