Tag: Stories

Our fascination with story ©2018 Joan M. Newcomb, CPC

We are addicted to the news, TV series, books, and Social Media. We can’t get enough of stories about people’s lives. What is up with that?

Part of my story, Rego Park, Queens, NY

On one level there’s escapism from our own story. Our lives feel frustrating and painful. We find relief looking at other people’s lives, real and fictional. If they’re having a harder time than we are, our lives aren’t so bad. If they’re doing better than we are, it can give us hope. The possibility is out there to succeed or solve our problems.

On a greater level, however, it’s our innate instinct as Consciousness. As Consciousness we’re creating our particular life story but also as Consciousness we’re creating *all the stories* that are, was, and will be. 

Now, Consciousness doesn’t perceive things in a linear fashion, it’s all happening at once, simultaneously and instantaneously. Through our body, our physical vehicle, we take in the stories from the perspective of time and space. We learn stories as history, we watch current stories as news, we imagine future stories as fiction of some sort.

Our fascination with story is centered in our creativity as Consciousness. We have a continuous impulse to create in this world. We are so creative that our individual timelines aren’t enough, we have to write books or read them, we have to learn how other people do things in the physical realm as well.

We see other evidence of our creativity as Consciousness, from playing with model trains, designing fish tanks, gardening, and online games of the same ilk.  We’re mimicking in the physical what the part of us that is nonphysical effortlessly brings into form.

The desire to escape is the body-personality aspect of us, that feels powerless over the story, that wants to change, fix and improve it. It’s the mind machine that wants to be in control.

As Consciousness it’s a different impulse, it’s diving more deeply into the physical experience full of love and appreciation for all of it.

In escaping, you’re not really leaving discomfort of your life in order to feel better but to numb stop feeling anything at all.

In diving in as Consciousness, you’re embracing it, beyond the discomfort and conflicting feelings. As Consciousness you have an inherent love and appreciation for it all.

Where are you with your story? Where are you with your story in amongst everyone else’s story?

You needn’t run away, nor dive in. Just stand in the present moment, shift your perspective to that of Consciousness, and notice your reality reorganizing!