In this article I will focus on the process that I consider to be at the core of human development – increasing of awareness. I see it as the universal key factor involved in personal growth, attainment of maturity, in career and professional development, in spiritual growth and in advancement of science.

Having more awareness as opposed to less awareness in a particular subject area is the same as noticing more detail as opposed to noticing less detail. For example, someone may look under the bonnet of a car and just see “the engine”. A car mechanic who looks under the same bonnet will see dozens of different parts, and then notice even smaller parts within each of the bigger parts.

There are numerous subject areas in which people can have varying degrees of awareness: interpersonal relationships, fashion, various careers, our body, health, intuition, rugby, finances, food, cars, building, subtle energies, computers and anything else under the sun. Generally when somebody is good at something, it is because they have a lot of awareness in that subject area – they notice a lot of detail and know how to work with it.

Awareness is increased by learning to notice more detail in a particular field. Anyone can do it by choosing a field and learning to notice more detail – that simple. Knowledge of what to do with this new information can later be discovered or learned from others. Knowledge is difficult to utilize without awareness – for example, someone may memorize the names and uses of 100 different herbs, then go into the wilderness and fail to identify a single one. Perception should ideally come first and knowledge – second.

The benefits of increasing awareness are numerous. Having higher awareness in the subject area of cars can allow a person to choose them well, fix them, maintain them well to avoid breakdowns, and avoid being ripped off at workshops. Having a good awareness in the subject area of finance can allow a person to understand how the monetary system works, to avoid debt traps, and to align their investments with the current economic cycles.

In the subject area of body awareness a person can become very perceptive as to which foods are good or bad for them, understand what causes the tensions in their back and learn to relax, sense early signs of bodily imbalance and act before imbalance turns into illness, and increase longevity by finding good balance between activity and rest. Awareness in the area of intuition can enable a person to sense which opportunities to seize and which to avoid, enable them to choose a fulfilling direction in life and know when to change it, and reveal a lot about what is really going on for people around them.

People who are considered wise generally have a keen awareness and notice things that an average person will miss. It is worth noting that wise people do not necessarily possess a lot of knowledge, and that many knowledgeable people are not considered wise.

The opposite of awareness is ignorance. Ignoring something is perceiving that it may exist, but acting as if it doesn’t. A person who wants to ignore something is essentially trying to convince themselves that something potentially real is not real – actively decreasing their awareness. In situations where the truth is uncomfortable, valuing comfort above truth creates ignorance, while valuing truth above comfort creates awareness.

A popular myth about ostriches sticking their heads in the sand is a vivid illustration of ignorance. Ostriches do not actually do this, but it is a useful parable. What will happen when an ostrich sees danger and hides its head in the sand? The predator does not disappear and gets an easy dinner – an incapacitated ostrich that doesn’t run away nor defend itself. To bring it back to people, ignorance takes a person away from the truth, dulls their senses, decreases their awareness, and makes them more vulnerable to whatever it is they are ignoring.

People sometimes take it one step further to collective ignorance – by adding a penalty of rejection for whoever does not participate. This can be hard to overcome because one has to face both discomfort and rejection for the sake of what is true.

Catching ourselves being ignorant is a great opportunity to increase our awareness. The biggest positive shifts in personal growth often occur in subject areas that we find uncomfortable and would rather ignore. Noticing our own ignorance is not a sign of failure, but quite the opposite. Because when ignorance is noticed, awareness is already increased.

I incorporate this philosophy into the Tai Chi classes at Laingholm 11. The main focus of my classes is not to memorize movements, but to learn to notice what is happening in the body and in the mind. The more detail the participant can notice, the more they can do with it. For example, the way to improve balance is to first become aware of what is out of balance, and the way to relaxation is to first become aware of what is tense. Some participants even start noticing their internal energy.

If this process sounds interesting, feel free to come and try a class. Newcomers and people who visited before are always welcome. The sessions are free of charge and no registration required. With two fireplaces and good company the room is always warm.

PUBLISHED IN MAY 2013 ISSUE OF LAINGHOLM ROUNDABOUT.