[a_subsystem]

It is the excrement of thought produced by not 'being aware' as the Buddhists put it. It is the waste of not pouring one's attention into being in the body. When delusion/sleep/loss of 'consciousness' takes hold, this waste will flood into the brain without cessation.

[feoren]

Chill out. Do you not see the arrogance in telling people that what they spend their quiet attention on is childish, stupid, and "excrement", but what you spend your quiet attention on -- your breathing, your heartbeat, the sound of your liver producing bile, whatever -- is enlightened? You don't sound very enlightened to me, you sound like someone who dips their toe into a cherry-picked version of Buddhism so you can feel better than other people.

[a_subsystem]

Of the three, I would exclusively only classify what people put their attention on as excrement, not childish nor stupid. Childish implies only children do it. Children are, in fact, more capable of comfortably settling into their own being up until around 3 yo. Stupid is a value judgment that I can't find much use for excepting as in describing politicians and the daily utturances to my wife that make our relationship a bit more unnecessarily 'gritty', let us say.

I suppose I'm a bit confused as to what you mean by 'quiet attention'. Does that mean when by one's self or in other similarly externally quiet situations, or by 'quiet attention' do you mean attention that seems quiet to all other because of its nature being inward, inside the individual exclusively?

I'm not sure why you're discussing enlightenment here, as I haven't mentioned it. I like to imagine and hope that I do feel better than other people in general, yes. For these and many other reasons, I can most assuredly assure you that I do not consider myself to be 'enlightened', whatever it is that you mean by that word.

I use the Buddhist term 'being aware' to denote that one is sensing and feeling and turning a part of one's attention inward. I freely admit that I don't know a terrible great deal about Buddishm, nor study it any longer and nor do I formally meditate, in the case that it may soothe your nerves. Rest easy knowing I am but a simple heathen.

All other activity of the mind that involves discarding this most energy preserving and growing mechanism (being aware) that is built into us all, these activities which result only in expended energy, are specifically excrement of thought by comparison. They come of their own volition and without us asking or trying, just like the shit out of our asses.

[ConnorMooneyhan]

But it actually seems to serve a useful purpose, namely memory consolidation and differentiation between objects/experiences.

[a_subsystem]

Only when we are not being aware is it possible that we forget.