(From Pirkei Kinyan Da’at Chapter 1)
Consciousness is a lifestyle of attentiveness that stimulates inquiry: What is unique about this situation confronting me? How am I to relate to it? When I encounter a fellow human being I ask myself: What is special about this person and how should I relate to him or her? Can I offer help? Can I learn something? Should I befriend this person?
How shall I relate to the world around me? With consciousness I won’t make any assumptions about reality. Instead I will look at a sunrise or sunset or the birth of a newborn and be filled with awe and faith in the Creator. Without attentiveness we would take everything for granted: sleep and wakefulness, our breath and pulse, the movement of our limbs, our eating and our digestion.
Attentiveness makes people God-fearing. That is, they are aware that God is controlling the world and that they are not in control and have to respect the boundaries or rules of the universe. For example, in the Biblical story when God sent plagues to the Egyptians, those who feared God brought their servants and cattle into their houses and escaped the plague.
Clearly, hearing that disaster is about to strike doesn’t move everyone. People who are not attentive hear but it doesn’t mean anything to them. It doesn’t bring them to a conclusion on a practical level.
In contrast, the inner richness of da’at-attentiveness makes every moment feel new. The person is in wonder of his bodily functioning. It enhances awareness of one’s inner strengths and awareness of one’s relationship towards the environment. Even the smallest of events enhances awareness and is transformational for the person who is attentive to it.