# Vivaism - **Vivaism**: The philosophy of being aware of the life and death of consciousness in oneself, and actively embracing the responsibility of living with intentionality, vitality, and awareness until the natural end of one's consciousness. ## **Key Elements of Vivaism** 1. **Awareness of Consciousness**: - Recognizing the ebb and flow of one's conscious state as part of life's dynamic rhythm. You aren't always "alive" in a full, engaged sense—but the choice to live deliberately is always there. - Vivaism acknowledges that periods of disengagement or "death-like" states can serve as temporary rest or rejuvenation but sees these as a pause before re-immersing oneself in life. - None of us chose to be conscious, yet consciousness arrived with inherent tasks and imperatives we must address. - Consciousness takes on a recursive quality: being aware of being aware. 2. **Duality of Living and Dying**: - Life and death are not just physical occurrences. There is a metaphorical life when you're fully engaged, and a metaphorical death when you're passive or disconnected from consciousness. - Vivaism does not judge or reject death (in any form) but instead affirms that as long as consciousness is present, we have the choice to "live." - We face a fundamental choice: to live by attempting the tasks consciousness assigns us, or to metaphorically die by escaping these tasks. 3. **Intentional Living**: - Central to Vivaism is the idea of taking responsibility for the act of living—not just existing. This includes making decisions with awareness of their impact on one's vitality and engagement with life. - "Only live" becomes a mantra for focusing on what aligns with vibrancy, growth, and meaningful action. 4. **Freedom of Choice**: - There is no moral prescription against disengagement or "choosing to be dead" temporarily to rest or recover. Vivaism respects this and allows individuals to make conscious choices based on their needs. - Vivaism emphasizes returning to life when one is ready. - The ultimate freedom lies in how we respond to the tasks consciousness assigns us—whether we engage with them or retreat from them. ## Practicing Vivaism * **Define** for yourself what it means to be alive. * **Identify** the tasks your consciousness has assigned to you. * **Test** each choice. Is it being alive according to your own definition? * **Don't judge** yourself if you choose to be metaphorically dead. * **"Only live"** is the mantra to increase awareness of your conscious condition.