Darwin’s Natural Selection and the Map of Consciousness

Some people really do stupid things. Things normal (conscious) people wouldn’t do. Have a look at the newspaper, TV or internet and you will find plenty of examples. There are people who stick their head out of a moving train and then, oh what a surprise, are killed by a pole next to the railroad tracks. I had a girlfriend who called this kind of stupidity nature’s way of dealing with stupid people: Darwin’s natural selection.

Of course, not everyone is doing this kind of crazy stuff but there are people who end up with more trouble in their lives than others. People that end up in bad situations over and over and in general cannot handle life very well. Stress and anxiety are dominating their lives. I certainly know a couple of people who fit this category. You probably do as well. Ever wondered why it is so difficult to help them, even if you clearly know the answer? How come they can’t handle life as well as others do? Could it be that it is their level of consciousness?

I had not thought of natural selection and unconscious people for a long time. But while I was thinking what to write for my next blog topic, it popped into my mind: Is there a relation between the level of consciousness (how conscious or unconscious people are) and all the good or bad things that can happen? Is this just like natural selection, survival of the fittest; giving the more conscious people an edge, a real advantage in life?

It’s a well known fact that happy people are more successful than others. So do more educated people. But are they successful because they are happy or educated, or because they are more conscious? Is it this clarity in consciousness that makes them more successful? Success of course can mean different things to different people, depending who you ask and what their level of consciousness is.

If you look at David Hawkins map of consciousness (a scale of 1 to 1000, beginning at guilt and ending with enlightenment) you will see that at a certain level (200, courage) there is a tipping point towards life supporting consciousness. Above this point better things will happen to you. Btw, this scale is not limited to people, but can be applied to groups and countries as well. It certainly gave me a whole different view on conflicts between countries.

The work of Ken Wilber and his integral approach is also pointing to this direction; research on meditation does too. Even teachers of the Law of Attraction (like Ester and Jerry Hicks) speak of higher levels where you can manifest things easier.

Thinking this over, it all makes perfectly sense. With a relative low level of consciousness you don’t have the same overview as someone with a higher level of consciousness. You act and make decisions based on the level you’re at. You are not aware of any other, higher, alternatives. You make decisions that may appear strange to someone who is at a “higher” level of consciousness, a higher level of awareness. That person certainly wouldn’t do those things, or at least has more options to chose from.

Compare it to the Empire State building, New York City: If you are at street level you don’t have the same city view as someone standing on the observatory deck (although one can argue what the best option is, drinking a beer in the brewpub at street level or having to wait in line for two hour to reach the top of the building).

Now before you think you are one of those people who end up in trouble all the time, and may not be that conscious, don’t be that hard on yourself. Learning how to live consciously can be a great journey. The good news is that consciousness can be trained. Meditation is one of the best tools for this. Even 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference. Check my article on Meditation for further info on meditation and what methods are out there. Another good resource for Meditation is PeacefulProsperity, a site owned by a fellow blogger.

Raising you level of consciousness and awareness can also be done with various methods like The Sedona Method, Byron Katie‘s The Work or Eckhart Tolle‘s teachings (to name a few).

Dr. David Hawkins

If you are not familiar with David Hawkins and his map of consciousness I highly recommend you read his book Power vs. Force or check out his audio programs.

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2 comments… add one
  • Find yourself with a smile... Sep 14, 2009 @ 5:42

    I liked this post a lot… even before I saw the link to my site.

    I’ve also been influenced quite a bit by the work of David Hawkins and Ken Wilber.

    I’m using what I’ve learned from them as partial inspiration for a membership site.

    I would love to get a discussion about this going in a forum… consciousness, energy, philosophy, meditation… an obscure liberal arts extravaganza!

    keep smiling,

    Ben

  • map of consciousness Dec 12, 2009 @ 0:09

    Dead on! I fond more information here too- map of consciousness

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