Can Fish See Water? Why Paradigms Matter Now More Than Ever (Especially During Finals)

Have you ever stopped to wonder: if a fish has spent its entire life swimming in water, would it even know what water is?

That’s kind of what it’s like being a human with a paradigm.

We don’t usually notice the invisible lens we are looking through. We just call it reality. But what if much of what we think is “just how it is” is actually just how we have been taught to see?

As I share in my book Ascend to Your Cosmic Self, in Earth School we are in finals, not the end, but a time of integration. And the only way to pass isn’t by memorizing facts... It’s by seeing the whole picture. That starts with understanding the paradigm we are swimming in.

What Even Is a Paradigm?

A paradigm is the internal map you use to navigate the external world. It tells you what to expect, what’s real, what’s worth believing in. It forms early, shaped by culture, family, education, and then quietly directs your choices like background music in a movie you didn’t know you were starring in.

And when life starts to feel overwhelming, disconnected, or strangely limited, it’s usually not because the world is broken.

It’s because our paradigm is outdated.

Outdated Paradigm: Brain = Boss

In the old paradigm, modern science told us the brain was the CEO. Thoughts were a by-product of neurons firing. Push the right button, get a thought. Like a coffee machine producing espresso - reliable, mechanical, and entirely physical.

But here’s where the story changes.

Maharishi Vedic Science offers a different view - one that ancient rishis “cognized” long before lab coats and fMRIs. It says:

Consciousness is primary. The brain doesn’t create it - it reflects it.

Think of the sun, a mirror, and a reflection.

The sun is pure consciousness.
The mirror is your nervous system.
The reflection is your experience of life.

If the mirror is dusty (hello stress, anxiety, distraction), the reflection is unclear. But the sun hasn’t stopped shining. Meditation, stillness, and inner work? That’s how we clean the mirror.

The Brain Is Cool - But It’s Not the CEO

Neuroscience now confirms what yogis knew long ago: the brain operates differently depending on how conscious we are.

When we are stressed or reactive, the amygdala takes over. That’s your survival brain - the “low road.”
But when we pause, breathe, and reflect, the prefrontal cortex activates. That’s the “high road” - the space of empathy, vision, and wise action.

So while the brain is powerful, it’s more like a conductor following a cosmic symphony than a solo act.

Your state of consciousness influences which pathways light up and how you show up in the world. This is why ancient practices like Transcendental Meditation aren’t just spiritual side quests. They are tools for neurophysiological integration, aka, rewiring how you meet life.

Paradigms: The Hidden Curriculum of Earth School

Here’s the real twist: your paradigm is what shapes how you interpret everything - science, spirituality, politics, health, even yourself.

Ever wondered why two people can watch the same debate, read the same research, or walk the same street, and come away with completely different conclusions?

That’s paradigm-laden perception.

It’s not just what you see...It’s how you’re seeing.

And when the water you are swimming in starts to shift, from fear to love, from separation to unity, the whole ocean looks different.

So, Can Fish See Water?

Yes, but only when it pauses long enough to realize it’s been swimming all along.

The paradigm we have been living in may have helped us survive, succeed, or stay safe.

But the real question now is:

Does it help us evolve?

If not, that’s okay. That’s exactly what finals are for. Not to shame us for what we don’t know, but to reveal the brilliance we are ready to remember.

So let’s clean the mirror.

Tune into the field.

And step into a paradigm where truth isn’t just “out there” - it’s alive within you.

The final? It’s open book. And the book... is you.