The Art of Living Consciously
by Nathaniel
Branden
Reviewed by Patricia Speer
featured in November issue of
Final Cause
The Art of Living Consciously.
Nathaniel Branden. New York: Simon and Schuster (1997)
255 pp. Available in hardcover for $23.00
"Like a light that can be turned brighter or dimmer, consciousness exists on a continuum." (pg. 9)
In The Art of Living Consciously,
Dr. Nathaniel Branden shows that the rewards
of living consciously are far greater than any burdens. Living
consciously is indeed not a burden, but an
invaluable reward which makes possible happiness and personal
achievement.
From the author of such masterworks
as The Psychology of Self-Esteem, Honoring the Self, How to
Raise Your Self-Esteem, and The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem, Dr.
Branden transports us into a world where
spiritual development achieves new definition. The Art of Living
Consciously presents a spiritual path
where mysticism and altruism are at long last replaced with reason.
Living consciously is one
of The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem. In his second book to take on
one of the
six pillars individually (the first being Taking Responsibility:
Self-Reliance and the Accountable Life), Dr.
Branden elucidates a concept integral to one’s happiness and quality
of life: living consciously.
Consciousness (or as Dr. Branden says, one’s mindfulness) is applicable
to everything we do and The Art
of Living Consciously is a wonderful instructional demonstrating what
it means to up to this challenge.
In the book’s first chapter
Dr. Branden illuminates "the first principles of living consciously".
These
principles consist of the two philosophical fundamentals: the
law of identity and its corollary, the law of
noncontradiction.
One of the first principles
of living consciously is "acquiring a sense of reality". Here, Dr.
Branden
explains the law of identity in very clear and concise terms.
The explanation is thoroughly readable.
Anyone who takes a moment to think about it should be able to integrate
this paramount principle into
his thinking. Making these philosophic axioms so accessible is
a very important feat when it comes to
educating the masses in the ways of rational thought.
Branden then goes on to present
his theory of "something" and "nothing" and how these concepts
are integral to the formation of consciousness at infancy. His
presentation of this theory dates back to a
lecture course he gave in 1959 (The Basic Principles of Objectivism,
tape 1: The Role of Philosophy), and
it is a testament to the timelessness of this carefully considered
thesis.
Dr. Branden explains "something
applies to every concept in your mind, to the entire content of your
consciousness and to the total of your knowledge, regardless of the
amount or degree of your
knowledge. It is the fundamental concept of consciousness- it
marks the start of being conscious." (pg.
21)
As he explains, this concept
of "something" is the nebulous beginning of one’s consciousness- of
one’s ability to be aware of something, whether it be a sound or sight.
An infant does not know what it is,
but he knows it is something. This is the first glimmer of conscious
awareness.
The concept of "nothing"
develops a little later. Branden maintains, "Nothing is a concept
pertaining exclusively to a relation: it has meaning only in
relation to something and denotes its
absence." (pg. 22)
It is our ability to reason
that makes us human, unfortunately from infancy when we grasp our first
precepts, on through childhood and adolescence, as we begin formulating
more and more complex
concepts, we are exposed to a great number of irrationalities which
seek to contradict reason.
As Dr. Branden rightfully
points out, "Among the many crimes committed against the younger
generation, one of the worst is that young people are taught next to
nothing about reason, rationality, or
the importance of critical thinking." (pg. 34)
To fix this problem requires
a great deal of individual motivation. Some people live an entire
lifetime
on bad premises and a low level of consciousness and wonder, "Why can’t
I ever be happy?". Others take
the steps necessary to forge forward and deeper into a life of good
premises and a higher level of
consciousness, leading necessarily to happiness and success.
To achieve the latter, one must come to
grips with the law of identity’s corollary axiom: the law of
non-contradiction.
"The laws of identity and
noncontradiction are more than principles of logic: they are protectors
of
our sanity. Ignore them and we eject ourselves from reality."
(pg. 26)
In explaining these philosophical
axioms, Dr. Branden paves a golden road to understanding The Art
of Living Consciously. Whether the reader is familiar with Objectivism
or has never read a book of
philosophical relevance, The Art of Living Consciously provides both
a philosophical and psychological
base.
In a very brief section
of Chapter 1, Dr. Branden asserts the need to resolve the seeming dichotomy
between reason and emotion. He explains the need for an integration
of one’s ability to reason and one’s
emotions.
"To live consciously is to
rise above the view of the human spirit as a battlefield of conflicting
forces
and to see not war but harmony as the natural condition of an enlightened
mind." (pg. 43)
This is a very important
statement for those who have problems discriminating between the two.
Man must integrate his emotions in accordance with reason; and leading
a more conscious existence is
the only way to begin the process.
The focus of Chapter 2 is
"Choice and Responsibility". Here Dr. Branden asserts that, "Context
determines what state of consciousness is appropriate." (pg. 50)
It is integral to devote the appropriate
amount of consciousness to what we are doing whether it be a short
or long-term goal.
At times each of us battles
with a "flight from awareness"- slack, laziness, avoidance of what needs
to be done. If one were to assume this premise in all realms
of existence, it would hasten
self-destruction. What is it in our make-up that would drive
us to such an end? Passivity and fear.
"Passivity as a policy leaves
us feeling incompetent in the face of too many of life’s challenges and
opportunities. It also leaves us with underdeveloped self-esteem...
Fear is another motive that we may
permit to paralyze thought." (pg. 56)
Whether it be a fear of making
mistakes, a fear of what others may think, or even a fear of facing
something about ourselves; fear has the ability to prevent us from
thinking rationally and limits our ability
to take action . It is only when we achieve self-acceptance and
effectively increase our self-esteem that
we can achieve our goals. Again, this is reliant upon living
consciously in accordance with reason.
Consciousness is volitional and is necessary to living happily.
Chapter 3 illustrates what
a life looks like when lived consciously. Dr. Branden explains, "Living
consciously entails being in the present without losing the wider context."
(pg. 67) Sort of like a
contextualized carpe diem. Seize the day but don’t lose sight
of what is yet to come, for it is your actions
today that will decide what will determine what will come tomorrow.
Living consciously does not
rely upon intelligence, but upon "acting in accordance to one’s
knowledge."
Dr. Branden lists a number
of factors integral to one’s happiness: the joy one can experience
when
becoming more aware of his surroundings and existence, taking responsibility
for one’s choices and
actions, seeking knowledge in order to achieve goals, developing
a respect for reality, and
self-awareness.
I found the following to
be one of the most profound statements in the book: "If we are wise enough
to base our self-esteem not on being ‘right’ but on being rational-on
being conscious-and on having
integrity, then we recognize that acknowledgment and correction of
an error is not an abyss into which
we have fallen, but a height we can take pride in having climbed."
(pg. 89)
This statement is an anthem
of self-esteem, honesty, integrity, and rationality. It should become
a
mantra.
Chapter 4 leads us to applying
our awareness to personal relationships and the workplace. "One of
the ways we convey respect for another human being is through the consciousness
we bring to the
encounter- that is, through seeing, hearing, and responding in a way
that allows the other individual to
feel understood." (pg. 96)
The application of this concept
is again a matter of context. For example, we devote a higher level
of consciousness to our dearest friends and loved ones than to our
mailman or bankteller. Dr. Branden
explains that it is inherent in our being to require a sense of appreciation
and respect from people we
love and admire. One way that we come to love and admire these
people is to experience how they
affect us during personal interactions. In turn, these people
provide a reflection of how we view
ourselves.
During his career, Dr. Branden
has developed a powerful method of delving into the subconscious
mind: sentence-completion work. These exercises help the
individual discover answers to questions at
the root of problems which otherwise may never have seen the light
of day. In Chapter 4, Dr. Branden
offers a wonderful 20-week sentence-completion program specifically
designed for raising consciousness
in the workplace.
Near the end of the chapter,
he challenges the reader to seek out and understand the reasons for
his or her beliefs. This is important for both the thinker who
knows (or thinks he knows) exactly what his
beliefs are and why, as well as the non-thinker who is full of mixed
premises and has no idea from whence
his beliefs stem.
Chapter 5 stresses the need
for self-awareness and self-examination. Here Branden resolves the
mind-body dichotomy, the conception (dating back to Plato) of the spiritual
and material as irreconcilable
opposites. In his discussion pertaining to "Consciousness of
the Body", he stresses the importance of
being in touch with our wants and needs. "Honoring one’s true
wants can be not an act of
self-indulgence but an act of courage." (pg. 135) Once again
this is a very readable section which
tackling a complex topic. Branden explains these ideas in a way
which people on varying levels of
thought can easily understand.
Branden notes the importance
of maintaining an awareness of our emotions and feelings.
Repressing our emotions affects the normal cycle an emotion goes through,
therefore leaving behind
"unresolved tensions" unhealthy to one’s consciousness.
discusses the process of unconsciousness
which many people develop to deal with emotions, leading to disastrous
psychological results, e.g.
repression, depression, anxiety.
"If we are willing to stay
fully present to our emotions without denial or disowning, the result typically
is not the collapse of reason but the emergence of a more lucid awareness.
In other words, feel deeply to
think clearly." (pg. 154)
Chapter 6 discusses "Consciousness
and Self-esteem". Here Dr. Branden describes self-esteem as
an "experience". He defines self-esteem as "the disposition to
experience oneself as being competent to
cope with the basic challenges of life and of being worthy of happiness."
(pg. 167)
Branden takes the time to
define the "self-esteem virtues" which are discussed in-depth in his book
The Six Pillars of Self-esteem: living consciously, self-acceptance,
self-responsibility, self-assertiveness,
purposefulness, and integrity.
Dr. Branden then goes on
to clear up some misconceptions by showing how "the self-esteem
movement" has misguided some who "seek self-esteem where it cannot
be found", i.e., attempting to
gain self-esteem through others. This unfortunate trend is perpetuated
by pop-psychologists who lack
the requisite philosophical base to grasp the fundamentals of self-esteem.
Near the end of Chapter 6,
Branden presents an optimistic outlook by predicting that "In the world
of
the future, children will be taught the basic dynamics of self-esteem
and the power of living consciously
and self-responsibly." (pg. 176)
May each of us play a role in making this a reality.
The book’s last chapter is
an in-depth discussion of "Consciousness and Spirituality".
Dr. Branden defines spirituality
as "pertaining to consciousness and the needs and development of
consciousness". Therefore, he concludes that "Whoever commits
to awareness and personal growth as
a way of life-which entails, among other things, self-awareness and
self-examination-is on a spiritual
path." (pg. 181)
Dr. Branden believes that
consistently practicing the virtues detailed in his The Six Pillars of
Self-Esteem can be an exercise in spiritual development.
"Whoever continually strives
to achieve a clearer and clearer vision of reality and his or her place
in
it-whoever is pulled forward by a passion for such clarity-is, to that
extent, leading a spiritual life." (pg.
181)
I whole heartedly agree with
this. Spirituality stated in these terms is a noble pursuit which
each of
us should undertake for our own sake. We as human beings have
risen above the need to worship a
deity. We have the ability to reason and the knowledge of a billion
before us at our fingertips to help us
know what is right and what is wrong.
The essence of this chapter
is a discussion on "the ethics of mysticism examined through the lens of
reason." With his exposition on the nature of reason in Chapter
1 as a base, Dr. Branden goes on to
discuss "those who claim to go ‘beyond reason’".
In one passage Dr. Branden
asks, "How many people give up their dreams and aspirations in
deference to the needs and demands of others because they dread the
charge of being egocentric?" (pg.
217)
This is emphasized in Chapter
5 when Branden discusses remaining true to our individual needs and
wants, feelings and emotions. To most, an egoist is someone who
remains true to himself. Selflessness
should be recognized for what it is: an attempt to destroy the
self in the form of actions or words.
Dr. Branden’s thoroughness
and methodology as a writer and a thinker are apparent throughout The
Art of Living Consciously. For example, whenever I had
questions concerning the issue at hand and was
asking myself , "What about this related issue?"-I would discover the
answer within a paragraph or the
next page.
In the appendix to
The Art of Living Consciously, you will discover a 22-week sentence-completion
program which will guide you along as you expand your awareness and
begin living life more consciously.
It may open your mind to thinking in ways you never thought before.
The Art of Living Consciously
accomplishes what it sets out to do: it proves how and why living
more
consciously is at the core of one’s life force, allowing us to identify
and realize our ambitions. This work
provides the most rational and methodical discussion on living consciously
to date. It is a thoroughly
supported treatise on personal epistemology. Dr. Branden combines
two philosophic axioms with 40
years of psychological practice to present a dazzlingly informative
read.
From the introduction to
the afterword, The Art of Living Consciously is an invaluable instructional
for those who wish to use their minds in order to lead a life of happiness
and achievement.
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