You are the average of the five...

[LearningPodo]

I'm sure you all know the saying that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time around. Well I've been going through a little dilemma right now. I'm a college student and ever since starting college, I've felt myself getting dumber just because the people that I'm around are all low-conscious.

In high school (I went to a great school and everyone was really really rich, educated, and actualised) I felt myself growing and getting smarter everyday just by being around them. I felt greater awareness of myself and was able to see the big picture in stuff. Even after a semester or two of college spent around low conscious people, I feel myself slipping. So my question is, how can I hold myself to a higher standard without being around those people anymore? I feel like it's almost this subconscious diffusion of intellect that happens, so I have no idea how to replicate that...

[Byun Sean]

@LearningPodo

I went through the same thing in college. 

I personally just solved this by treating college like a self actualization boot camp and basically didn't socialize or go to any social events at all.

Although this approach is definitely not for everyone. 

 

If you really enjoy socializing and connecting with people try your best to find people you vibe with, (it's ok if they happen to be low consciousness) and

just hangout with them at a surface level: no self actualization stuff, just bond with them over other stuff if necessary.

Make sure if you socialize your are doing it because you genuinely enjoy it and not because you are distracting yourself from the work.

 

Too much socialization may also drain away your time you might rather have spent on self

actualization and too much self actualization could also lead to burnout if you work yourself too hard. 

It's all a balancing act. People grow at different paces and in different ways.

 

 In the end and there is no one right schedule.

 

As for that 'low consciousness rubbing off on you' idea I think that only matters for your motivation levels and maybe subtle influences on your personality. 

Thus you probably want to find lots of ways to motivate yourself in lots of ways like creating a powerful vision of what your life could be like in the future and constantly exposing yourself to people that are far ahead of you in life online, through books, etc so that you always feel motivated to reach the next level.

[Origins]

@LearningPodoIf you have no mental power. The goal should be to actualise the minds power to the point which it is above any cultural narrative, including internal memes. When the mind has no power it is swayed this way and that way, and thus this is where the legitimacy of this idea nests its eggs.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Origins

[Don Wei]

@LearningPodo I am literally in the exact same situation right now so I don't know how effective my advice is about this since we both have the same problem right now, but what I try to do is stay conscious about everything you do and take time to really sit down by yourself and think about your life. I did not only go to college but also a different country and I have not meditated for two months ! I also almost don't go to the gym either, I eat shitty food, I don't really take much care of body either. So I know exactly how shitty this feels when you live below your own standards and morals. I have also been sacrificing my sleep to study. So i'm still looking for anwsers myself.

[Vision]

@LearningPodo

I’m in the same situation but in high school.

My 2 cents;

This is an opportunity for you to develop a very rare and valuable skill; jumping between lenses

Don’t judge them for having “low-consciousness”. 

Integrate it, understand them, understand why they do what they do, why they talk about what they talk about.  

But to not let it distract you. 

Practice assertiveness, ground yourself in your vision, values and principles.
Focus on breathing whenever you find yourself getting distracted. This is a very good opportunity to practice discipline.

 

The more ambitious people may have been a lot more beneficial to your growth, but you don’t need them. You can cultivate skills to be able to adapt to any situation, this will take time.

 

We’re on the same boat man, two and a half years to go ?

[bejapuskas]

There are unconscious people who talk about meaningless stuff even in the most conscious school and work environments. It is to be solved inside. But luckily you can actually choose your friends or talk to people not only from your college, there are more people behind the walls  

[andyjohnsonman]

meaning is in the eye of the beholder. What you consider meaningless like celebrity gossip for example is incredibly meaningful to them and therefore is meaningful.