For Your Consideration

For Your "Consideration"

by

Rick Moser

A true quest of the inner workings of human existence finds it's way to three hungry persons. Their hunger emanating from the yearning to make sense of everyday reality with particular emphasis on the "how" instead of "why". Ted, a nuclear physicist, spends most of his adult career investigating the status of particles at the quantum level.  He is certain this investigation can explain the very smallest reflection of reality, thinking such discovery will satisfy his life long desire to express his very existence as well as prove to the scientific community his findings would revolutionize the scientific method. Sue, a psychologist, finds herself in a slight quandary. She has studied not only the latest in contemporary methods to rid her clients of bipolar and  schizophrenic behavior but has practiced for twenty years attempting to implement such knowledge, with less than stellar results. Joe, a farmer, is well versed on the workings of growing food yet he yearns to understand more of his own existence and how to modify and "grow" his own consciousness to produce a more cohesive understanding of all the Earth has to impart at the most basic level. He hopes to further understand genetic manipulation of seeds to prevent insect infestation in his crops and offer more variety in final production. These three individuals have no apparent connection to one another until one unique heavenly event unites them. For many years scientists have proclaimed the Earth might be in jeopardy if some rouge meteor finds it's way to our beautiful terrain unleashing a potential nuclear winter with virtual catastrophic results. Ted has written his expose with full intentions of bringing new discoveries to the entire scientific community at the annual convention of physicists, assured he will receive accolades and commendations from all. Sue is just going about her routine affairs and happens to be a few blocks from the convention center when the rouge meteor makes it's debut seven thousand miles to the South. Joe is in town to search for a new strain of genetically altered seed just recently discovered and put on the market for initial testing in the field.

All three people have no idea what's in store for them this seemingly ordinary day. Today all apparent normal interaction between strangers will forever take a back seat to such a catastrophic event. As Ted is about to take his position at the podium for his talk the news flash erupts in every media globally. Rogue Meteor hits Earth Somewhere South of The Falkland Islands. Initial estimates are that The Falklands no longer exist, areas to the immediate West near the southern tip of South America have also been obliterated. Due to the prevailing winds in the Southern Hemisphere most of the debris and thick cloud cover has initially affected an area of approximately one thousand square miles but as winds are expected to shift to the North we will see the far reaching results circumnavigate the globe within five days.

The audience at the Convention Center stare at their electronic devices looking for as much detail as possible on the event. Ted looks at his finely crafted paper, eager to announce his scientific findings concerning the nature of a new class of quantum data and realizes his audience will probably be "elsewhere" in their own apparent stupor and hear nothing of his life's work. Meanwhile Joe decides to stop at a coffee shop less than two blocks from the convention center just as Sue has ordered a Mocha Frappe, with one sugar, in the very same Mom & Pop eatery. As everyone in the restaurant is gleaning as much information as is available at the time from iPhones, iPads, laptop computers and a TV in the store Sue reaches over and asks Joe to borrow some more sugar packets for her coffee. Joe hands them to her and exclaims "to think I am finally on the path of discovery using the newest genetically modified seedlings to increase my crop production and suddenly realize....crops for what, for whom.......in five days there will be no Sun to grow anything for at least five or ten years until the nuclear winter cloud cover subsides. Sue retorts, "I just read about a breakthrough in new methods of eliminating schizophrenic behavior in my clients, but this time next week it might be moot." Joe responds, "I wonder if it's all been for naught, maybe all my hard work on the farm is just a joke at my own expense?"

Sue mentions how she has been looking for the "method" of trying to pierce the knowledge base of psychological understanding enabling her to relieve her clients of useless suffering over bipolar and schizophrenic behavior. " Finally, the potential to connect with my patients to sever the ordinary frustration from multiple personalities and extreme emotional swings when the likelihood of survival is a major question for us all." Both Joe and Sue sit motionless for a few minutes, trying to make sense of their lives up until this very moment. Each of the two seem to be confronted simultaneously with choices never before considered. What actual meaning does their life have going forward? Up until this very day the possibility of vanishing from the planet seemed merely the prospect of science fiction novels and doomsday films. Now the potential of famine has re-kindled their desire to investigate what it all means and how to go forward with some semblance of living. Just then, after having watched his audience walk out of the convention center, a few at a time, Ted stops in the coffee shop and takes a seat between tables of Joe & Sue. Ted asks the waitress for a cup of coffee, black with one cream. Ted sips his coffee and catches the glance of both Sue & Joe as each is still sitting in disbelief of the latest news being reported over & over with all sorts of predictions of after effects from this rogue meteor strike in the South Atlantic. Ted casually mentions his breakthrough in the quantum discovery field and how he is wondering what real meaning his life has had up until now with the search for quantum particle involvement. Sue asks, "did your search take you to new internal discovery or was it just a fluke to uncover your latest findings?" Ted says, "I actually noticed a unique shift in my thinking process just days before my discovery." I found a new way to process my thoughts, instead of trying to piece together isolated mental constructs of facts I discovered a way to "consider", as opposed to mere thinking of things. This process of "considering" leaves the door open to simultaneous views in apparent opposing directions." Sue looked puzzled, as did Joe, and exclaimed, "how might one attempt to implement your method of "considering" in everyday encounters?" Joe chimed in with, "are you saying the ordinary Life produced way all of us think is insufficient to discover breakthroughs in our respective fields?" Ted retorted, "I am much more fond of my method of "considering" as a means to utilize a part of my brain that seems responsible for a sort of higher consciousness which leads to all sorts of neat discovery, heretofore inaccessible through ordinary thought." The three of them paused, no one speaking for a minute, as if to give this new process a chance to sink in. Joe said, "wow, "considering" instead of thinking of things, how weird." Sue followed up with," so what is keeping us all from employing your method of "considering" as a normal process of mentation?" Ted looked at Sue, then over at Joe, he bowed his head and put his hand to chin. "This is gonna sound really strange." Both Joe & Sue were on the edge of their seat with open ears. " I am going to tell you something that your ordinary consciousness will find disconcerting. Everything I have thought I knew up until now has been incorrect." Now both Sue & Joe are intrigued but most puzzled. "What do you mean incorrect, Sue blurted out?" Joe couldn't say a word but seemed slightly put off. Ted once again bowed his head in a repose reminiscent of a Zen Monk about to pray. This time his head stayed bowed, for a seemingly infinite period of time, until he slowly raised it and spoke,  "I must tell you there is a type of mentation unlike any I have ever experienced that has no allegiance to any part of the ordinary flow of Life produced thought. It is in fact more of this "considering" rather than ordinary thinking which enables my mentation to see things without putting my "internal hands", as it were, on the situation." Ordinary thoughts seem to always have strings attached that have a sour internal taste in my mouth, if that metaphor serves well here. I think about someone or something and that ordinary thought necessitates the use of a psychological "period" (finality) instead of a "comma" (to be further considered).

Joe can't stand it any longer and shouts, " wait a minute, are you trying to tell me every thought I've had up until now has been insignificant and unworthy based on your "incorrectness" description?" Just then Sue agrees with Joe and with heated emotion exclaims, "now you are putting me in a similar position as I do with my bipolar patients, this act of "considering" you talk of here, what is required to even access it?" Ted smiled with a grin from ear to ear and said," what is necessary for a person to adopt this act of "considering" becomes almost an act of subtraction rather than addition. If you can visualize how a sculptor sees his art in it's act of becoming (a method of subtraction by it's nature) you will catch a glimpse of what I am referring to by "considering" instead of thinking of things. Try this right now, picture in your mind an event in the past that brought you either much joy or pain such that your memory of same is crystal clear. Now attempt to "consider" the memory by removing any internal reference to the pain or joyful part. No doubt this is a substantial task requiring the use of a part of your mentation slightly to the right or left of "thinking" about it. By attempting to "consider" this memory start by trying to see what another third person observer might comment on it. Sort of let the various comments of this third person float in your mentation with no active conclusion. Then the better you get at it..... you become that third person, disinterested observer, and hold in abeyance this process, free from any final comment in either a positive/joyful or negative/painful result. This entire process happens in milliseconds at a time and can be almost completely disassociated from your ordinary process of thinking. Once again the three of them sit motionless without uttering another word. Ted takes another sip of coffee and slowly lowers his cup to the saucer. Joe can't stand the silence any longer and blurts out, "ok how does this process of "considering" enable me to access another portion of my mentation free from ordinary thought?" Sue also asks, " is this a process I can adopt on a permanent basis?" Ted laughs uproariously, "I only wish that was possible, based on my discovery of "considering" it's ALL I can do to access it several seconds at a time, and just remembering to actively pursue this method over a twenty four hour time frame  seems almost impossible with the thirty five or so years of ordinary thinking ingrained in my entire nervous system. By successfully "considering" any given event or memory you can free up the normal hard wired connections your Life produced genetic makeup keeps you tied to. This makes way for a new connection all together with minimal detriment to your ordinary thinking process. Each attempt to "consider", rather than merely think about something or someone, strengthens a new portion of your mentation and can become an internal sanctuary untouched by ordinary reality. When you can master this act of "considering" you simultaneously free up an ability to see Life in a new manner. A different meaning to all of Life is possible regardless of how damaged you might imagine your past experiences have left you."

Joe seemed in a state of shock with this revelation, he almost felt like getting up and quickly leaving this conversation, but something told him to sit for a bit and to "consider" this whole idea. Sue breathed an internal sigh of relief and for the first time, since the news of impending physical doom to the entire planet, a calm inside of her slowly manifested. She wondered if this process of "considering" might be a key to not only freeing herself from the ordinary confines of her mental confusion but possibly those of her patients as well.

Just then Ted started laughing with a voice he had never used before. Neither Sue nor Joe had a clue but started to laugh along with him. Every other person in the restaurant looked over in astonishment with a look of, what are these people doing, we are all about to die in a week or two and they are having the laugh of their life. Sue & Joe both quickly got quiet and a noticeable shift in appearance on their faces was quite evident. Both of them were attempting to "consider" this whole new act of "considering" as well as the implications of living for no more than weeks in light of the meteor strike. They each started to realize "Living" might well take on an entirely new meaning if they could remember to execute Ted's act of "considering" instead of ordinary thinking....even if only for a few more weeks.