(… continued)

In addition to the senses you had as an animal, you now have that most marvellous instrument of awareness – the mind.

It is as though your world has just exploded in scope, variety and possibilities. The power of the mind to perceive, to analyse, organise, classify, quantify and control is dazzling and unparalleled. Along with the mind, your sense of ego is now infinitely more developed and refined. Your interactions with the world are now far more complex and comprehensive. Your instincts are now guided and overruled by your mental awareness and growing moral compass, your sense of right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust.

As an individual human being you play numerous roles in your family, at school, in society and even on the world stage. You study and learn the sciences, mathematics, history. You gather information, form and hold opinions, views, biases and prejudices. You travel the world, absorbing its cultures, customs, languages, sights, sounds and experiences. You play sports and games, enjoy hobbies and passions. You pursue multiple jobs and careers, from servant and labourer to landowner, employer and tycoon. You accumulate possessions and wealth, you acquire status and power.

You give and receive.

You immerse yourself in the arts, poetry, music, painting, architecture. You cultivate a rich aesthetic sense. You are involved in all manner of relationships and interactions, yielding a vast catalogue of experiences. You soar in untrammelled bliss, and plumb despair’s depths. You taste the joy of success and bitterness of failure, the devastation of loss and tragedy. Your renown spreads far and wide. You experience pride and humiliation. In addition to your explorations of your physical and social world, you dabble in the metaphysical, in religion, spiritual teachings and practices.

(… continued)