Awareness is the ability to see things as they are, not only the external world but also the world within. Our thoughts and emotions. If we can see them, be aware of them than we can more easily determine what emotion we want to experience, we can determine what information that comes in needs to be filtered for our betterment and growth, as the world bombards us with their ideals of what and how we should live.

Awareness allows us to be more aware of our authentic self and not by the opinions of others, that all things that come in from the gossip to the slander, from the lies, deceit, and while awareness helps us see these things, it even helps to see the truths and door ways of new information that can guide and change our lives for the better.

That all things in our world is a perception and an opinion that shapes the movie, our world, that this information we play to ourselves in our minds.

In neurolinguistics programming terms that say the map is not the territory. This means that each one of our “maps” our thoughts and opinions lays out a map of our world and how we perceive it. Each persons map is different there is not a single map that is the same. Yet this map is everything, this map is yours and identifies you, while another persons map will be drawn different as they navigate their lives, and to each their map is an absolute truth to them. So arguments being.

“My map is the correct course.”

“No my map is the correct course.”

Neither is correct nor are they wrong.

Yet in this initial awareness we can see that it is just a map, most people will live life never being aware of this one simple fact, they will think that the map is a certainty of life. That the map is unchangeable, that whatever map they have they are doomed to keep this map and the course is set, they don’t know how to be the cartographer of their lives.

The map tells us how to feel under certain circumstances, how to behave, what we deserve, what advice and who to listen to.

The worst part of not being aware of our own map is that we let other people draw all over our map, we let people tell their opinions and sketch out their scribbles on how we need to navigate our lives.

Without awareness of this simple fact, life becomes a situation where we have given all our power away, that life should just be determined by the uncontrollable, that we are merely a slave to time awaiting to die.

The truth of the matter is just as a cartographer going on an unknown adventure, and let me tell you, life is that adventure, not a single person can navigate it but you. As you journey, you draw a map, and as you find new things you can draw new things, maybe you made a mistake and that mountain obstacle you drew before isn’t there, you can remove it.

As you sail down the ocean of emotions how you should react is also written on your map, you can change it. Let me give you an example. In death we are to feel sad, its a conditioning, an expectation. In Jewish traditions, it is taught to feel grateful in the death of loved one, to not see the death as a horrible event but to see it as a grateful opportunity to have had this person pass through and share his/her life with us.

That even in the harshest circumstances, in this case the example of death we can change the reaction to the emotions we feel. Can you do this for everything?

Yes, can you change anything. You can remap so that when we are walking through the darkest pits of the night, that you can stride through with strength and courage as opposed to fear and cowardice. This can be done.

In meditation, you are taught many things. You are taught that you can see your emotions, your thoughts, but you are sitting still, and no reaction is occurring to the thought or emotion. In living we think we must respond and act to every thought on a whim and often without thinking.

You learn that the actions and thoughts are separate and you soon come to see that the thoughts itself have no control over you, this makes for better judgement and right course of action. You see your map, and you realize you are the captain of this ship, you can choose to change the orders, kick out the voices of certain crew members with destructive chatter, or ignore it. That you are not each voice that runs in your mind. Those voices are the maps we have drawn and the scribbles of each intrusive hand that has scribble on our map.

Most people will follow one voice that tells them to do something, then follow the next voice that tells them not to do the first thing they decided to do, without awareness we live in insanity.

The more we meditate the more we can come to design our world, to live outside our inner voice, to be in control, shape the blueprint of our world, the perception of it, and we can see much more clearly. We can begin to navigate our lives, we can begin to see how much power and control over our lives we have. Yes, in-between the natural laws of gravity and rules to follow and all the uncontrollables we still have a lot of power to shape our lives. That even with the laws of gravity, we have learned to defy them and create aircrafts to leave the earth.

We are powerful beyond comprehension and we don’t map our lives but remain living in a life unmapped or mapped by those who have also not mapped their lives. The blind leading the blind.

So we must learn to take control of our ship, and be the captain of our soul, this is my map, that is your map and so where will you journey?

What will you explore?

How will you draw out your map when the opportunities of what to draw are infinite?

Witness the mind, be aware of the thoughts, witness the map and chart a course into the infinite, otherwise we will only face the darkness of the end of life as a slave to time that drags us into oblivion. I hope your map draws out the happiest life full of great adventures and opportunities that you choose and have designed for yourself, that each choice improve your life in richness and does not eventually take away from it at the end.

Good luck on your voyage.

Much love,

Lucky Nghi