Why Your Mind Isn’t Smarter than Your Self: The On-Ramp to Awareness

It all started, with a single thought:

“If I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m having a thought about X, then who is observing the thinking?’”

Oh my god. There’s something I’ve been missing. Wait a second. If I can notice a thought occurring in my mind, then who in the actual @#$% is inside of me?! Am I crazy?

Society might tell you so. “Multiple personality Disorder.” “Bipolar Disorder.” There’s a whole slew of “conditions” out there that are meant to “label” what’s going on inside of peoples heads as “something we’ve seen before.”

So here’s a pill for that.

Before I lose you, I have to offer a FULL DISCLAIMER: Mental health conditions are REAL, and by removing the so-called “label” off of them, I am in no way discounting their existence. In fact, I fully acknowledge the symptoms that are occurring in these people.

They’re valid. They’re real. They’re difficult, and they destroy the lives of the people who suffer from them, and also those who are close to them. It’s a tragedy, but, why has our fix been to simply prescribe a pill to put a “band-aid” over the underlying problems?

When I first realized that, there was an awareness of my mind, suddenly, logic would all-but-prove that, some other entity is viewing it. Said again, if we ourselves were not self-aware, we would solely exist as well, animals. It’s a key differentiating factor between humans and other living beings.

So then why is it so hard for so many to talk about?

Fear, and uncertainty of the unknown. Protection of the ego because it may be a realm where someone is exposed to not know anything about the topic being spoken…the same one that could actually change their life.

When I finally understood that I could watch my mind experiencing thoughts, next came an incredibly empowering realization: If I can see which thoughts I’m having, well then maybe I can influence, or improve them, as it became clear that many times they happened on their own.

Enter meditation.

Yes. You are not your mind. You are not your thoughts. You’ve heard the phrase “identity politics?” It’s just a label. For people who have mistaken who they are for how the world should be. It’s noble, I’ll admit, as they by-and-large seem to want for the greater good but…it’s incredibly selfish. But that’s a road we’re not going to continue to pave over in this article.

The mind is a tool. It’s a tool through which we create perception. Thought is formed through a bodily-created desire for certainty. Sameness. Safety.

So how does that work then? We have 2 ways through which our mind creates reality:

  • The Past: Everything we know, we think we know, and that has happened
  • The Future: Our judgment of where we think we “should be/go/do”

But what about the present? Thought cannot exist in the present.

Your first thought will probably be that that’s incorrect. Well, have you ever been in “flow state,” while doing a sport, playing a musical instrument, or engaging in something incredibly demanding of your full focus?

Were you thinking?

There’s endless theory available on this topic, and if you want to skip the whole years-long runaround: Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now,” and “A New Earth” are where it’s often been seen as summed up best.

The mind needs the past and present to create thought. If the mind is impure or unchecked, it can work against us to create a reality we’re unaware that we’re creating:

  • No, don’t go talk to that guy, he’s way too successful for you.
  • She’ll never give someone like me the time of day. Maybe next time.
  • I can’t do that, people like me aren’t supposed to be that way.

Listen for the past and future references in these to justify our “safe” choices in these statements. Did you forget that we live in a first-world country where our true “safety” is all but taken care of”

The life you’ve dreamed of is through the exact fear you allow to influence your decisions on a daily basis

And so we go back to the beginning. What would begin to happen if you could quiet that mind? That mental chatter that, seems so right. Feels so right. Yes, that’s exactly what the Ego does. When you become these safe thoughts, that is, when your Identity begins to be defined by them, a False Self is created.

YES, IT’S NOT YOU.

Cultivate the separation from the mind by entering into a regular meditation practice, and you will immediately begin to lessen the hold of the Egoic mind on you to keep from you acting in ways that could move your life forward.

You. Are. Not. Your. Mind. Once this awareness is in place, the Self can begin to guide your life, in a way free of judgment and free of bias so as you are fearless in your approach to seemingly difficult situations that could ultimately give you want you want.

I hope this reaches someone. And for those that do, you are the closest to waking up next.

Hunter Armstrong Brankamp
Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade