Consciousness and Oblivion

It is so important to be conscious. I don’t mean just understanding what’s going on around you but also being able to process your surroundings and express your concerns about them. Realizing the value that a moment can have, absorbing the true nature of something. I believe that this consciousness, this realization of living, is the most powerful trait a person may have. I always felt conscious and aware of everything that’s going on from a very young age, which made me a very skeptical and sensitive person. I believe that the reason some people are more sensitive than others is because they can understand everything in a deeper meaning.

By comprehending reality and actually being aware of what is going on and what life is, people get more emotional and thoughtful, because it is too much for the human brain to process so deep information about the world. That’s why as humans we use less than 30% of our brain. If we used the 100% we would get totally crazy, because we would be able to understand things about the world that from our human nature we are not capable to handle emotionally. Imagine being able to understand that the universe never ends, or that time doesn’t really exist, or that the universe will never stop existing. It’s our nature’s way of protecting us from realizing those scary truths.

My biggest fear has always been, is, and will always be oblivion. I am more scared of losing my consciousness than of dying. Because what is the point of living if you don’t comprehend life exactly as it is, in its most truthful and realistic way? If you can’t communicate deeply with other people and understand their view of the world, why even bother having human connections? If you don’t express your concerns about what “life” is and what it means to exist, how will you realize your own existence? 

But in the end, is consciousness a good or a bad thing? On one hand, you get to discover the world in its true meaning. On the other hand, will realizing those truths make your life better? The ultimate goal of life is pure happiness, right? Spending your life worrying about things that your brain is not able to control can make you feel scared and insecure, but also informed and aware. It’s safe to say that an easier and happier life is spent by not worrying about things, not caring about finding a deeper meaning to everything. By not being completely conscious, you protect yourself and ignore the scary reality of existence, which makes it easier for you to be happy and stress-free.

So, I guess there’s two ways to live your life, and I’m not sure if there’s a correct one. You either deal with life exactly as it is and concern yourself with everything that’s happening, or you choose to ignore the deeper and scarier meaning of life and end up happy. The most logical thing is to choose the second way that leads to happiness. But how is this happiness not fooling you when you know that there are so many real things about the world that you haven’t taken account of?