Have you ever noticed something then wondered if others could notice it as well? That something is not that obvious such as the weather change. But rather, it is an insight gained from observing certain patterns, usually over a period of time, which you have probably never worded before. On rare occasions perhaps no one ever did.
I often wonder about all sorts of matters before writing many of them down. Interestingly, since I began freely sharing this kind of unfiltered thoughts I found that I’m certainly not alone. So I keep sharing even more.
We know that some people’s awareness level is higher than others. Conventional wisdom tells us that it is due to our uniqueness as humans. Think of fictional characters like 007 and Jason Bourne as examples. Also from the real world George Carlin and Jerry Seinfeld, who are capable of conjuring a whole sketch based on a five-second encounter. Whether they were born with that exquisite attention to details, or they developed it later, or — most likely — a mixture of both is a different story.
Said high awareness allows one to not only notice things which others usually don’t, but also who notices first, last, and who doesn’t notice.
Speaking of, Dealing with High Awareness and Empathic Accuracy is another more in-depth article, which was originally incepted as an elaborate follow-up to the simple reflection: High awareness can be a double-edged sword if you don’t know how to channel it.
Now, before sharing some of my personal Have You Ever Noticed reflectons, let us first get acquainted with a couple of related terms to get a more wholesome understanding of what we are dealing with.
The first is Situational Awareness. Situational Awareness or Situation Awareness (SA) involves our ability to identify, process, and comprehend information which is constantly flowing in. It is defined as the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status after some variable has changed, such as time, or some other variable, like as a predetermined event.
In less technical terms, situational awareness is simply paying attention to what is going on around you; by scanning the surrounding environment, spotting any anomalies — danger, challenges and opportunities — while making detailed assessments.
Not just that, but situational awareness also entails performing all the above while maintaining the ability to conduct normal activities. So the essence is to pay attention to the surroundings while not appearing to be paying attention, like a spy of a sort. If one is allowed to reduce S.A to a single word, the closest would be is Mindfulness.
The second more colloquial term that comes to mind when pondering such topic is Street-Smart. Being street-smart means being savvy and experienced; it is someone who has a certain kind of intelligence that enables them to learn from trial and error. And situational awareness is gained from experience. It is the wisdom and the needed skills to survive in the real world, hence likewise called “World-Smart”. That is in contrast with following more abstract knowledge largely based on the experiences of others, such as the “Book-Smart”, who is also dubbed “Word-Smart”.
Sometimes people who haven’t had enough life — street — experience tend to compensate by hiding in books. Those book-smarts can be educated and somewhat bright. Yet neither the sole accumulation of information or knowledge nor the intellect in general are enough to lead a full and peaceful life. It is not the solution to one’s problems, THE way out, or the key to one’s reality. Excessive reading can actually turn clinical while potentially leading to a detached and antisocial behaviour as well as isolation.
Books, however, certainly have the ability to enlighten minds. For they are magical portals to other realities. They also remain great escapes. But if we become hooked on transcending the present Here and Now, maybe it is a good time to pause and reflect upon why we are constantly attempting to escape our waking lives.
Conversely, having some life experience teaches situational awareness we are discussing here. Being street-smart is also educational when it comes to relationships — with ourselves as well as with others; as it teaches us about the Human Condition. Rather than vicariously following more abstract knowledge, which is largely based on the experiences and adventures of others, this wisdom is coupled with practical, applicable skills to help us survive and even enjoy the real world.
As such, a fundamental difference between scripturalism and experimentalism will likely always exist, in terms of depth of knowledge and in terms of Truth; between imitating and creating; between following others’ paths and daring to explore uncharted territories while creating our own trails.
In some cases, by rare fortune, one kind of ‘intelligence’ may induce, inspire, catalyse the other, birthing the manifestation of a certain balance. Being “world-smart” as well as “word-smart” could then lead to an astounding existence.
All that said, observation is a great educational tool. For one, because it is through which we become aware of patterns, which are essentially the real guru. The following everyday observations were written and [some] shared on social media over the course of the past several years. You will notice that most are merely thought-provoking statements rather than actual questions requiring actual answers. In fact, excluding the couple of humorous ones on the list, the possible responses are rarely simple if we were to attempt to answer. And that is why they pique my interest while tickling my juices.
Further, “answers” received from readers can be quite illuminating. Oftentimes they act like conversation starters, possibly leading to different topics in addition to even more questions and answers. So feel free to add your own in the comments.
Now let us ponder on and on.
1- Have you ever wondered what makes us uncomfortable to walk, jog, ride, or drive next to strangers who are going at the same pace, that we usually either slow down or speed up?
2- Have you ever noticed how when we trip, slip, or lose our balance in public we always turn around and look at the ground as if we’re blaming it for our quirkiness? It’s like we cannot believe we could do this to ourselves.
3- Have you ever noticed how dogs, and cats, who attentively watch you eat — hoping that you share with them — are often tricked by thinking that whatever food falls down from your mouth or spoon or fork into your plate can be retrieved by looking on the floor underneath the table? Who knows, perhaps it’s part of their body language and they do it on purpose to show you that they actually want to eat from the food.
4- Have you ever thought of the tie as a phallic symbol and accessory used to point to the man’s ‘brain’ and draw attention to it? No, well you can start as of… now.
5- Have you ever wondered why by the end of every year some people love saying that this has been “the worst” year due to some deaths or catastrophes or whatever? It seems like they forget that every year there will be deaths and catastrophes and whatevers, as well as fun and happiness and good things. That’s how life is. Looking at the brighter side of existence is a choice. As simple as that.
6- Have you ever been tempted to cordially congratulate a woman for pregnancy but didn’t do it because you were reluctant that it might just be her belly? Say the truth.
7- Have you ever noticed how dogs, and cats, casually stretch their bodies whenever you catch them stalking you, while eating of example? We humans actually do the same.
On a similar note, cats sometimes sneakingly stretch when they really like you and want to come closer so you can pet them, yet they still want to look as if they can keep their cool around you. Apparently there is name for that specific body language and it’s called a “Greeting Stretch”, which is a posture used only towards someone the pet likes and with whom they are comfortable. I believe in some cases it is deliberately done to show you that comfort, perhaps to pet them or just as a way to express their love.
More about felines and how seemingly different they are when compared to canines can be found in Why Cats Are Not Dogs.
8- Have you ever noticed how die-hard fanatics of certain sports rarely know how to play the sport themselves? And I mean jersey-wearing, bumper-sticker violent ones who tend to overidentify with the team while losing themselves in the surrounding hyper-masculine culture commonly found nowadays.
Those who do play can also be fans. But usually, they are not the overly emotional or aggressive type who may casually get into viscous, possibly drunken fights with rival fans — nowhere other than in the very stadium they went to to watch a mere game and support their team, supposedly to also have fun in the process. Maybe the relative coolness of such player-fans goes back to having a better understanding of how the sport is actually played, and maybe also what playing really is.
9- Have you ever noticed that when two people are walking or jogging towards each other in a narrow path or passage they feel sort of obliged to synchronise their eye contact? It cannot happen too soon since it will get awkward by the time they approach and acknowledge each other — if it does happen. So what some people do is reduce that waiting time by turning their head away for a moment or two, be it left/right, down to the ground, or to face their iPods (remember those) and more recently, phones; then as they get closer to the other person they look straight again before smiling or nodding — if they do. Then again, those who exert all this effort to avoid making a longer-than-usual eye-contact are probably those who get anxiety from making eye-contact with strangers.
Yes. Someone has to put this everyday nothingness into words and I humbly volunteered.
10- Have you ever noticed how some older folks end their Facebook comment and messages with a signature? “Beautiful picture. Aunt Dolores.” Omar Cherif.
11- BONUS:
Have you ever noticed how certain delivery guys pause mid returning the rest of your payment, in hope you say: “That’s enough” while leaving them the remaining money as tips? Some of them are so wily, they know exactly when to stop counting as they have prepared the cash beforehand by placing the bills in a certain order, seemingly covering the smaller denominations which they think is fair to keep for themselves as tips. Say, I am expecting 60 back, so they start counting 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 then their speed is dramatically reduced while their hands move closer to you, as in to hand you the money. The plan is that I would take the already counted 50 and leave the rest. When you do not interfere, they have no other option than to carry on counting the remaining 10, to finally reach the total 60 of your change.
Note that the above transpires in split seconds. While it is obvious those delivery guys know what they are doing, they probably don’t know you can see through them like that, by simply observing their behaviour, in slow motion.
Another minority of guys simply claim they have no change upon delivering your order, which seems idiotic. Since the actual payment is usually covered, either they have to go down the streets to bring change and back up again, or just leave with nothing*. Naturally, and depending on the place, that *nothing [in Cairo] nowadays include 20-25 EGP added to most delivered orders.
ALSO VIEW:
Dealing with High Awareness and Empathic Accuracy
Things I Got Rid Of To Become Happier
Who Are We?
My Journey Towards Self-Transcendence
The Parable Of The Cow
What Is Overcompensation?
What Being Conscious Means
The Significance of Letting Go
Change Is The Only Constant
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