suliqyre:

Our ability to reflect is powerful. We can see ourselves in the context of the past we remember and the possible futures we imagine, which allows us to judge our past actions and plan our future actions accordingly. We use this power to develop sophisticated knowledge of the world, which in turn allows us to create complex technologies that further expand our abilities. The benefits of doing so are undoubtedly good, but with them comes a serious cost.

Reflective consciousness is not just powerful, it is a superpower, and as such, it is challenging to wield. Its power can easily overwhelm us and our entire lives can be taken over by its unrelenting judgments. For these judgments are never limited to the present moment, they are always oriented towards the future as intentions: we intend to get what we want, to avoid what we hate and fear, and to live out our beliefs.

We become attached to our intentions because they feel so close to what we need. We allow them to dominate our attention and manipulate our actions towards their particular ends. This produces suffering both because the world is never exactly what we intend it to be and because our actual needs go unmet. The result is that we suffer regularly from regret, stress, anger, grief, anxiety, despair, and many other painful feelings.

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