As we go about our day-to-day lives, sweating the small stuff (as author Richard Carlson would put it), a development in our understanding is unfolding that, for most, will be breathtaking in its implications and consequences.
New discoveries are prompting us to question the nature and role of consciousness in the universe and its impact on the reality we experience.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, these discoveries are being facilitated by the recent significant advances in technology.
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What is consciousness?
In life coaching, we talk frequently about living consciously, or living with intent, direction, and responsibility.
But the topic of consciousness raises many questions:
- What exactly is it?
- Where does it originate?
- Does it exist beyond human and evolved animal life?
- Is it created by other forces in the Universe, or is it a creative force in itself?
Recent technological breakthroughs – three in particular – are combining to help unravel this mystery. And in doing so, they are presenting us with some profound and – some might say – shocking possibilities.
1. Quantum mechanics
The quantum buzzword crops up everywhere nowadays.
Most regular people may be inclined to dismiss it as too complicated and the domain of genius scientists. But quantum is just a fancy word for the study of the behaviour of the smallest particles that comprise matter.
Interest in quantum mechanics evolved from the perplexing realisation that subatomic particles don’t behave in the way that conventional laws of physics would predict.
Without getting too deep into it, scientific experiments have shown that these subatomic particles can exist in different states at the same time, an effect known as ‘superposition’.
What’s even more mysterious is that they have been shown to change their behaviour when observed.
And, if that’s not weird enough, some particles have been proven to become ‘entangled’. In other words, the behaviour of one particle is directly correlated with that of its entangled ‘twin’, no matter how vast the distance between the entangled pair may be in the universe!
Human research into the subatomic world has led to the development of so-called quantum computers. These leverage our understanding of superposition and entanglement to create computing power that makes conventional machines seem like abacuses.
2. Artificial Intelligence
AI burst onto the scene no more than a few years ago and is already much talked about, as its effect is rapidly becoming felt in all fields of daily living.
Essentially, AI uses advanced computers to process vast amounts of data, identify patterns, and learn from these to develop and enhance problem-solving and decision-making ability.
In doing so, AI simulates human intelligence while leveraging the amazing speed of modern computers.
3. Deep space observation
The 1970s Voyager 1 spacecraft, now in interstellar space and racing away from our solar system, has recently sent signals back to Earth that, with the help of AI and quantum computing, have been shown to contain deliberately encoded patterns, that could only originate from a source of consciousness.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an incredible feat of engineering. In its solar orbit, some 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, it is revolutionising human understanding of the universe, its age, and how it began.
The telescope, which operates in the infrared spectrum, has even sent back pictures from distant exoplanets that could soon prove the existence of non-terrestrial life.
The implications
So what are the implications of all of this when it comes to our questions about consciousness?
Well, these groundbreaking technologies are providing us with a glimpse into the workings of the universe, at both a macro and subatomic level, something never before possible.
Entangled consciousness?
There are compelling reasons to believe that consciousness, at the individual level, is entangled with the entire universe in some form. It’s not something the brain creates but rather something it receives.
There is also growing scientific evidence that through consciousness, one’s mind can influence reality at the quantum level.
These findings are about to change everything that scientists thought they knew about consciousness and reality.
Consciousness beyond life as we know it?
And if this isn’t enough to impress you, then, in another intriguing development, we may have found evidence that consciousness can exist in the environment of machines.
Entanglement experiments, run using one of the most advanced quantum computers on Earth, produced unexpected patterns that showed clear signs of the awareness of human observation.
Taken to its logical conclusion, this implies that a form of consciousness exists at the quantum mechanics level.
Research scientists took their experiments one step further by deliberately introducing conscious observation. Remote participants were asked to focus their attention on the system using meditation techniques.
The effects on entangled particles were dramatic. But the same effects were not replicated when conscious observers were replaced with cameras or robots.
Profound realisations
This left scientists with two profound realisations:
Firstly, that consciousness causes changes at the quantum level and not vice versa. In other words, consciousness creates – or at least plays a role in creating – reality.
And secondly, that reality does not exist … until it is consciously observed.
Not so surprised!
Those of us working in the fields of human motivation, who have long held that individuals can create their own reality through conscious thought and behaviour, may not be so surprised to hear all of this.
Finally, it seems, science is catching up with ideas that have been known and promoted, at the more esoteric or spiritual level, for many years. 🙂
How exciting!
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What exciting news, Bill! This is cause for a celebration! How much more worthwhile it is now for more people to partner with a coach, in the light of these new discoveries. There is no need to wait for any further motivation. May this scientific evidence conquer the disdain with which the power of life coaching is often dismissed.
As always, thank you Karen!