Consciousness is the direct expression of the quality of our living nature.

A healthy mind, which is rooted in one's quality of life, makes life worth living.

Solving our mental health crisis starts with the enrichment of life.

This is the first post in a series about our quest for a fulfilling life. We begin by delving into the roots of experience. To do so, we will draw on some key insights from Richard Davidson and Antonio Damasio.

Why are we experiencing a massive mental health crisis? According to Richard Davidson, the founder and director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, depression is now the leading cause of morbidity globally. Suicide rates are increasing and distractibility and concentration impairments are at an all-time high (Davidson & Dahl, 2026, p. 5).

We suffer when we see the world news. William James's search for what makes life worth living is more relevant than ever. Soon, we will have to share the planet with almost 10 billion people. How will we manage? I believe that understanding the nature of experience is a good place to start.

The Living Origin of Our Consciousness

Damasio’s research shows that consciousness arises from “feelings of existence”: quiet, continuous sensations of the body as it experiences itself while constantly regulating itself. These sensations form the living basis of consciousness.

From this living foundation arises an organism’s ability to know that it exists. And from that knowledge, the mind emerges. The mind is a living dynamic. It is the form that life takes when it perceives itself.

The Play of Consciousness

Antonio Damasio touches on the core of consciousness in a sentence from his new book:

"In this play that is consciousness, the mind, so........

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