There is a difference between alert and aware.
Alert is a threshold to full attention and reaction. It is the light on your dashboard that tells you an event within the car is taking place and requires immediate intervention.
Awareness is a higher state.
If a driver is aware of when the last tune up or oil change occurred, is listening for changes in the sound of the engine or way the vehicle interacts with the roadway, it is possible for the driver to know about changes in the vehicle and make plans long before the alert lights come on.
Be aware of your body and surroundings and your time in alertness or hyper alertness (when the dashboard idiot lights are stuck on without reason) diminish.
Reserve your fight or flight stress mechanisms dealing with real emergencies and not just the ones your mind’s idiot lights conjure.
</sermon on the box>
I keep this up as a reminder of where I was at the beginning of my practice. While i still think it is partially true, I also think it is utter bullshit. Please do not consider the above to be a true definition of the English words Alert and Aware. To attempt to define anything is a symptom of a sickness that mindfulness attempts to help correct.
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