Delayed Gratification - Waiting for the Reward

We live in a world where everything is designed to give instant results.

Drive-throughs, pre-packaged food and microwaves allow us to eat in minutes without having to invest time and energy into preparation or to wait for regular cooking times. The internet provides us with information that we might otherwise have had to research in a library or gain from interviewing an expert. We don't even have to dial full telephone numbers to reach friends or family because of speed dial. Everything is designed so that we get what we want instantly, and credit cards challenge us to "buy now and pay later" even though we will pay more for the purchased items because of interest charged.

Living With a Clear Consciousness

How often do your action, reactions and emotions surprise you?

If not often, there are two possibilities. The first is you're an enlightened one who spend decades in meditation, tracing the counters of your own thinking.

The second?

You're not as introspective as you think.

"Of course I got angry when that bus driver smirked at me. That was natural, who wouldn't?"

Well...

A lot of people wouldn't. Including you, had circumstances been slightly different. So why did you react this way to this situation, when other times you wouldn't?

Your consciousness is opaque to you. That's because the vast majority of your mental experience happens outside your awareness. You carry lessons from your childhood that you've long since forgotten, even as they control your actions.

That's why travel broadens your mind. You see how other cultures act and it shines a light onto your programming. Onto things you took for granted - things you assumed were common sense.

It's an excellent start.

But you are more than just your culture.

So much more.