Today I learnt how information breeds awareness and perception.

I spent the morning fastidiously going over screeds of information on several topics, flicking through obscure references and ingesting a disproportionately large amount of information. Then I went outside to get my lunch.

Never have I felt so aware. I was looking on the world with new eyes. It was an amazing experience -- I really noticed things. The same way a child discovers the world for the first time. And it was not that I hadn't seen it before, it was that my blinders were off. Removed by the wealth of sheer information that I'd absorbed.

And the things I noticed were small, but amazing. The way people don't look at each other on the street. The way the shopkeeper automatically and mindlessly asked about my weekend. The way people never look up. More. So much came out of a five minute round-trip. And why? Because I was in information-absorption mode. Who cared that the information I had been studying was totally unrelated to my experience. It was my mental state that caused my heightened awareness. It was like a drug.

It's wearing off now. Life is becoming subdued once more -- my internal filters are coming back online. I'd best get back to work, finish off that document.

Today I realised that knowledge seeks company and information breeds awareness. Let in a little and you'll notice a lot. And it's good. I suggest you try it. You probably already have.

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