Mankind's Favorite Activity

What is the main thing most people do nowadays?  

Talk. A LOT! 
(to themselves silently, and to others noisily)

Why do they do that? Is it really to "communicate" with others, or it is to "move copious amounts of energy around their own brain", he suggested with a wink and a nod to the latter. Our brains consume and expend a lot of energy in one day, and in fact, the human brain is responsible for roughly 20% of our total calories burned each day, and that is a tremendous amount compared to the whole resting body.

We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion... a powerful, most energetic, and barely controllable emotion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, and most of the hard and soft sciences... these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, and most of the plastic and graphic arts... these are what we stay alive for. (from "Dead Poet's Society", with some additions)

We can push this a little deeper, and look into these noble pursuits from the point of view of our evolution and consciousness. From one view, the only Noble Pursuit is for Self-perfection, and the only place to begin with that concept, is to think about the Meaning of the idea of "Self-perfection", and to first consider if it even exists for you. For most people alive today, or in any generation, there is no interest in this idea at all (since I now believe it is a "diminishing concept" - extremely potent upon one's first contact, only to dwindle rapidly as the months and years pass). For most everyone, their only interest is "just getting by", and if they can manage that easily enough, then it is to increase possessions, wealth, status, even fame. Of course, none of that has anything to do with "Self-perfection". For an interesting, somewhat "New Age" take on this idea, check out:The Noble Craft of Self-Perfection.

When a person discovers they are ASLEEP, and not AWAKE - even as they are, right now, sitting in a comfortable chair, staring at a computer screen, their brain firing off comments, criticisms and complaints about hundreds of things going on in their own lives, very few of which they are even AWARE of... including what they see directly in front of their own two baby blues (your coloring might vary), they AWAKEN to a new level of appreciation - PASSION - regarding their own "Self-perfection".

While this is a very significant event in one's life, and very rare if you want to know the truth, it often does not go much further than a realization that "Something has got to CHANGE!" but then with every passing month and year, forgetfulness takes its inevitable toll, and they end up on Facebook and/or Twitter, whiling away their precious free time with "Liking" and "Sharing" other people's efforts. But, as for pushing their own mental capacities beyond what is easy and simple, and taking on some of these more meaningful questions about being alive in a human body... that rarest of gifts on this planet, at least... and engaging in some of the ordinary noble pursuits, not to mention, again, The Biggee... well, sadly, not so much.

Wondrous days are ahead for humanity, especially those who first discover an abiding INTEREST and overwhelming PASSION about Consciousness, and its relation to their own "Self-perfection". But, modernity takes an early and long-lasting toll on the level of energy for this sort of thing, turning what were born as budding Buddhas, into boring Bozos, trying to one-up and over-come everyone and everything, rather than their own silliness. Even our, apparently, shrinking brains are still quite capable of comprehending ourselves, AND the universe, if only we will Giddyup!