Self Reflection Byte - Our Personal OS

What is an Operating System (OS)?

As per Wikipedia,

An Operating System (OS) is a system software that manages computer hardware & software resources, & provides common services for computer programs.

An OS is what co-ordinates between the computer hardware & software to ensure seamless & optimal usage of system resources. For example, if we "click" on a program or file, the OS "understands" the click which in turn co-ordinates with the hardware & relevant programs to ensure the file or program gets opened. Examples of OS are Windows, Mac OS or Linux.

Just like an operating system is the soul behind the working of a computer, I believe we have an OS deep inside each one of which is the basis of our thinking & actions which in turn is dependent on variables in our environment.

So, there is an internal OS and it's relation with the external environment which we will describe under:

1. Personal Wiring or Individuality
2. Tuning with our environment

Personal Wiring / Individuality

We all know that:

1. No two persons are the same &
2. We are wired differently

I always wonder why people think differently & have different perspectives.

1. What makes us different?
2. Why do we think differently?
3. Why do some people see stuff that others do not?

We are all shaped by our environment & experience. As we move forward in life, which in itself is a net sum of our prior decisions, we have our mental models which help us to make sense of our present & then carry forward that experience into the future.

In addition to our experience, however, there is something more deep or internal that we need to explore. It is as deep inside each one of us as it is vast in outer space. But why do we need to explore inside ourselves like exploring a deep cave?

1. To understand ourselves better
2. To be more aware of our reactions to situations
3. To be able to step back & see the big picture of any situation

Each one of us has an operating system which guides us in our thinking in addition to our external environment. What is this operating system? I'm not sure.

This operating system makes us think & make sense of the variables in our environment. It is wired in a particular way which is unique to each individual. No two operating systems are the same.

It takes variables from the environment as input & feeds it into the system. It generates an output called "experiences" which in turn helps us in various situations in life going forward.

I read about an experienced firefighter who "felt" that he had to evacuate his team due to some sounds he heard when the fire was raging in a house. Immediately after he evacuated the team, the floor gave way thus resulting in lives saved. A novice wouldn't be able to discern the situation from the sounds because of lack of experience.

Experienced people can see patterns or through situations which can come only from their experience.

We need to maintain this operating system by reflecting & being aware of it's presence. Automatically when we reflect on our actions, we go back to the reason why we acted a particular way. It tries to give us output through "voices" we hear. It is up to us to hear those voices.

Some call this operating system "Principles" or "Conscience" where we have a set of rules which govern our thoughts & actions at all times.

This operating system or "Principles" or "Conscience" has to be used constantly otherwise it gets deprecated. That is when the moral or personal decay starts. It is the same like an old computer which cannot be used because it's OS is not updated or upgraded periodically.

How do we maintain our OS? We can do so by

1. Reflecting on our thoughts & actions,
2. Following our passion, what resonates with us & drives us.

Why does following our passions result in better OS inside us? That is because our passion is what drives the OS to be better. It is like an upgrade. We follow our passion, we are directed to another level which in turn becomes a positive loop where following our passion leads to us understanding ourselves more.

Each & every move forward requires us to think, introspect & reflect. Even when we move forward, there is no guarantee that we will move forward. We may fall, we may move backwards where we have to again rethink our options.

We doubt ourselves, we question our decisions. But what keeps us on the path to following our passion?

It is this OS which somehow tell us what we are doing is right despite all the negative signals we are getting from our environment. We may need to change course, refine our actions but it will guide us forward.

This makes us more attuned to our inner thoughts or inner selves as we are doing what resonates with us. Only something which is attuned to our inner selves resonate with us.

What does this mean?

Tuning with our Environment

Meditation for ages, has been the prescription for mental health & has never been more relevant as much as in the present times. During meditation, we hear to

1. Relax
2. Breath deeply to relax

A friend of mine during our discussion on a morning walk was saying that the ancient saints or monks knew about "inner selves" & the way they found easier to be in touch with it is through meditation.

He was saying our body is nothing but a medium through which ideas can flow. It is very much like Bluetooth or Wifi. But the only thing is , like Bluetooth or Wifi, we need to be able to connect to the signal.

I was just listening some moments before this talk to a podcast (How I Write) where the guest (Kevin Kelly) was saying that a wealth of knowledge is available out there in the universe & we need to be "ready" or in tune to receive that wealth & give it back to the universe.

As each one of us is wired differently & so have their own way to "connect" to their operating systems (OS) or "inner selves". Meditation can be one way. Some people love walking, running, jogging. listening to music or any other activity which makes them relaxed & open to "signals" to connect to that knowledge around us.

Then we share that knowledge out to the world again putting it back to that knowledge bank where it came from.

These outputs can come out as writing or music or any other creative output. We learn to write or create music, iterate, learn and share the output to the world. The more we learn or the more output we create, the more we become in tune with that knowledge base which makes us create more & so on resulting in a positive loop of creativity.

Photos by Josh Appel / Cathryn Lavery / Centre for Ageing Better / Birger Strahl on Unsplash

We create something when we are in tune with that knowledge bank or the "Universe" which holds all that knowledge. We are the conduit in the right circumstances. This happens when we meditate or run or walk or in a shower or just doing nothing. Do what works in line with how you are wired.

It is all linked. Our OS defines who we are & how we are in tune with our environment. Once we are in tune with ourselves, we become a conduit or medium through which the universe shares its knowledge with us which we then share with the world through our creative outputs thus resulting in a positive creative loop.

Life = A Journey

I like to see life as a journey or an exploration - to learn & understand about our environment & deep within us which in turn requires us to reflect about our actions & the environment around us.

We explore -> find what resonates with us -> reflect -> go deeper & then explore more.

We find things on the way that catches our attention, makes us at peace with ourselves or reject what does not work. This in turn makes us more attuned to the environment resulting in "signals" which flows through us & comes out as creative output.