self awareness - becoming aware of yourself.

[kaleda]

When does one become aware of their own existence?

[Agni]

Self awareness- it can mean:
- one is aware of their own good and bad qualities and does not project his/her own bad qualities to the others,
- one is aware of their own desires
-one is aware of what is he/she doing/ saying etc and exactly knows why
- one is aware of  consequences of their own deeds.
I know that self- awareness mean a lot of things but now I have been trying to be self- aware in these things. I think it is very good begining, isn't it?? Am I wrong??? What do you think??

[SWM]

there must be stages and levels of awareness.

i wonder are we born with total awareness and then we narrow that awareness down to the existence that culture defines as the self.

i dont remember becomingaware of my own existence.

as a child i obviously had awareness of my self and my physiological psychological needs. food, water, warmth, security, love etc. and i was aware of me, who i am, what i like what i like to do.

but on an experential level, realising that i have an existential self which is unique and seperate from other selvesn i am not sure.

i am thinking of a growing in awareness of my self which is still taking place.  i know that i exist, of course but i am still gaining experience of my self which is refining my definition of myself.
 

[RobinVeloz]

To me self awareness is simply someone getting over their identity crisis which in most cases arises when a person is an adolescent(like myself) and usually goes on into adulthood for as long as the person takes resolving the problem.

Here's something that I found in the internet that really helps with this topic

Time Perspective
    Can you distinguish immediate gratification from long-term goals? Have you learned to balance between jumping at opportunities as soon as they are presented to you and working steadily and patiently towards your long-term goal?

Self-Certainty
    Do you feel consistent in your self-image and the image you present to others?

Role Experimentation
    Have you tried different roles in search of the one that feels right to you?

Anticipation of Achievement
    Do you believe that you will be successful in what you choose to do -- whether your role is at the
work front or home front?

Sexual Identity
    Do you feel comfortable being a male or a female, and dealing with others as such?

Leadership polarization
    Are you able to become both a leader and a follower, whichever is called for in a given situation?

Ideological
    Have you found a set of basic social, philosophical, or religious values that your outlook on life can be based upon?
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EDIT(Sorry I miss interpreted the question)::The person knowing if they exist or not might have to do with consciousness,enabling you to be aware of yourself.But if you were like an animal witch acts upon whats going on in their sub-consciousness then where would the idea of not existing be coming from in the first place.We are conscious witch gives the sence of existing(having a place in reality)...

Does that answer your question
And am I wrong about something
feedback would be greatly appreciated

[Schizo]

Hmmm...   self aware...   Ha!  Do you know what you are? 


People are under the delusion that they are self aware,  but does anyone actually know what we are...  what existence is...  NO!  We can look into a mirror and see ourselves and know that it is I, but do you know what that I is in relation to existence...  are you really an I...  or are you a complex system of atoms which merely has YOU  attached to strings and pulls them.


There are probably many degrees of being conscious...  to many to describe when you think about it on a scale of deep time. 

So the question now becomes; is self aware a descriptive term that encompasses the enormity of consciousness?   

[RobinVeloz]

I miss interpreted the question...
I think I read it too fast

[SWM]

hi Robin

despite being off topic, i found your post very useful and thought provoking,

thanks.

[Agni]

Schizo: I think that self-awareness is only a descriptive term..... Personally, I think that self-consciousness means also answers for  these questions: who I am really are, where I am and why I am here , what I can do to make it place better for others and for me.

[Schizo]

Imagine consciousness affecting society, in the sense that there is an apex of being "aware" at any given time in the evolution of human thought (based on varying logic), and that the apex trickles down into society; altering it in ways which culture new thoughts in generations to come.


This is what I mean by degrees of consciousness,  it will be like that until there is nothing left to ponder and any living consciousness associated with humans view it the same way......  this could take a long time.....  = )

Humans are a social system, together we develop a consciousness in relation to existence.  If there were not variation to humans within that system, there would probably be little progress; because, for instance, a scientist fighting to find truth may be propelled by (only as an example) the social formations of religion persecuting them and what it is they are trying to discover.       

[SWM]

Imagine consciousness affecting society, in the sense that there is an apex of being "aware" at any given time in the evolution of human thought (based on varying logic), and that the apex trickles down into society; altering it in ways which culture new thoughts in generations to come.

an example of this might be the buddha or christ like figure who takes the teachings of their time and culture to grow into teacher or leader that  transforms their own culture and leaves massive waves of changes in the prevailing consciousness. this new level of consciousness seeps slowly down into the lower levels of consciousness until two thousand years later the repurcussions of those events are still chagning lives.

This is what I mean by degrees of consciousness,  it will be like that until there is nothing left to ponder and any living consciousness associated with humans view it the same way......  this could take a long time.....  = )      

i cannot see how there will ever be nothing left to ponder. with all the knowledge that humanity has generated to date we still know only an minute fraction of the universe. even our own sphere, our physical bubble is largely a mystery to humanity, no matter how much we know there will never be room enough in one persons mind nor time enough in one persons life for them to learn all there is to learn and have nothing left to think about.

[Schizo]

Stan-  perhaps there will always be something to figure out... but from what I can gather, there  is limitation to everything...  there are boundaries which can not be exceeded, being such I will wager there is a limit to what fundamentals we can understand.


I fully, as of now, believe in repetitious systems,  space is infinite (there is a lot of space) and in that space is where the repetitions occur... from the matter which exists.  Repetitions occur primarily due to the limitations or boundaries of physical laws.  However, the scale is so massive, it seems like it would be infinite.

Similar to intelligence...  while, of course, I am talking about eons of progress...  it will eventually end.

What then...  what will humans exist for?   I will tell you...  once we stop...  we can live. 
   

[Agni]

I am very very tired but I will do everything to make myself understood;)).
I think that this social system (read: people who want to rule us, people who want us to buy things produced by them and so on) they do everything to make us completely unaware of ourself. They want us to have only superfical, artifical necessities. What do you think??

PS. I am not an anrchist;))

[SWM]

we can live now. we are living now.

[SWM]

Stan-  perhaps there will always be something to figure out... but from what I can gather, there  is limitation to everything... 

Is there a limitation to anything? perhaps everything is unlimited, all that is needed is a new perspective. (and when the doors of perception are cleansed man will see things as they truly are.. infinite, william blake and jim morrison, )

there are boundaries which can not be exceeded, being such I will wager there is a limit to what fundamentals we can understand.

man will invent things to understand. when humans come to a limititation in their quest for truth they create a new theory and investigate it. this is the reason for the mess that science and religion have created for us today.

I fully, as of now, believe in repetitious systems,  space is infinite (there is a lot of space) and in that space is where the repetitions occur... from the matter which exists.  Repetitions occur primarily due to the limitations or boundaries of physical laws.  However, the scale is so massive, it seems like it would be infinite.

Similar to intelligence...  while, of course, I am talking about eons of progress...  it will eventually end.

What then...  what will humans exist for?   I will tell you...  once we stop...  we can live. 
   

i am not convinced by your perspective. i am thinking the quest for knowledge keeps many humans alive.

well, certainly myself. how busy i make myself. i am constanly doing things. discovering things about myself and other people. creating things in my mind and making them work in my reality. if i was to stop with with my expressions of my energy i would have nothing, no life.

if i had nothing left to know. nothing left to create. nothing left to question. and nothing to communicate. i think that would be the death of my soul. in these thoughts i realise the meaning of spiritual death. i dont believe that will happen for me. i have too many experiences of spiritual life, to think of ever losing that world.

[Schizo]

Is there a limitation to anything?

Well that is a matter of speculation at this point,  besides I am merely presenting alternative ideas to convention.  All I am saying is, why believe wholeheartedly in something... why not take into account that something might not be a reality.

I will fully admit that what I am saying could  be fancy.


Why not just say, spirituality may not exist.  What if we were merely complex organizations of matter, what if we were merely organic robots(meaning we have input and output) programmed by genetics and our environment, what if feeling and thought were merely a process and soul was a fabrication of the individual.

More importantly what if we are really existing in a universe without any crutch of an afterlife or omnipresent being; we would have to survive on our own, and I feel that in order to do this we need to take away the crutch (slowly). 



Anyways, just sayin...     

 

[SWM]

Well that is a matter of speculation at this point,  besides I am merely presenting alternative ideas to convention.  All I am saying is, why believe wholeheartedly in something... why not take into account that something might not be a reality.

i appreciate that you are putting out potentialities, often do this  myself, it is useful way to question those presupposed "truths" . my own perspective on "what is reality" is quite complex to explain but quite simple for me to understand. i have a model of reality that allows for my experiences to exist in my reality and allows for my experiences to be considered as delusions or hallucinations by other people.

I will fully admit that what I am saying could  be fancy.

Why not just say, spirituality may not exist.  What if we were merely complex organizations of matter, what if we were merely organic robots(meaning we have input and output) programmed by genetics and our environment, what if feeling and thought were merely a process and soul was a fabrication of the individual.

but i cannot adopt that view because it does not fit with my experience. it would be like for me to say "the hand that i am typing with does not exist" icaanot say that because i can see, feel and control my hand. 

a view that i can adopt if you say that spirituality does not exist, then i can accept that "spirit does not exist in you reality"

More importantly what if we are really existing in a universe without any crutch of an afterlife or omnipresent being; we would have to survive on our own, and I feel that in order to do this we need to take away the crutch (slowly). 

from what you say, you are surviving in a universe without any crutch, you are surviving on your own, who would you be taking this crutch away from?


can i say that i am not engaged in this discussion with the intention of changing your beliefs in any way,
i am not about defending my belief or attacking yours . i realise that many discusssions about religion, spirituality an god are motivated for purpose of changing peoples views or defending views. that is not what i am about. unless you ask me to change you, then i would ask you to pay me to do so. lol

Anyways, just sayin...     

 

s'cool

[Schizo]

from what you say, you are surviving in a universe without any crutch, you are surviving on your own, who would you be taking this crutch away from?

Perhaps crutch was not the correct term to use; instead I will say inhibitor.  It is possible that with spirituality in our presence (human race) we are not functioning either efficiently and/or properly.  This notion asks you to peel back the curtain of the human mind and see the core functions at work.

[SWM]

i would like to make a clear distinction here between religion and spirituality. i do not consider them to be anything like each other. religions are a description of ways to achieve a spiritual connection to the universal source of "life/energy/consciousness".  spirituality is a term used to describe the knowledge or experience of feeling connected to that universal force. there are many religions, each is a description of how to achieve that connection to the universal source. there are many things wrong with each of the religions that we have today, there are also many things in todays religions that are right. the problem that humanity faces from religion is the proposition that one religion is the right religion for all men. that is an absurd idea and the cause of religious war and atrocity around the world and throughout our history.

Perhaps crutch was not the correct term to use; instead I will say inhibitor.  It is possible that with spirituality in our presence (human race) we are not functioning either efficiently and/or properly.  This notion asks you to peel back the curtain of the human mind and see the core functions at work.

do you feel that spirituality is preventing you from a true understanding of your own mind? or is this a cultural problem, like if spirituality was not in our culture we would all see thing more clearly?


it is definitely a possibility that spirituality prevents us from functioning efficiently. it is also a possibility that the lack of spirituality is what is stopping the human race functioning efficiently. 

philosophically i align myself with the latter because from my experience where spirituality is lacking in people materialism is the ruling ideal. where materialism is ruling, success is meaasured by how much you can gain from other people. this ideal sets man against man. dog eat dog. i also align myself with spirituality existentially because it gives me a broader context to understand my experiences, experiences which do not fit into a non-spiritual model of reality.

[Agni]

I have not been here for ages. I was very busy with changing my job.
I think spirituality helps me in understanding my mind. There is information about how mind works in acient scripture Bhagavad- gita. . A few years ago I chosen my spiritual/religion path. I am sure it is right for me but I know that spiritual/ religion necessities of different people are different so I know that everybody chooses the best way for themselves. In my case spirituality/religion helps me to be self-aware, but I know somebody else can see it as a limitation/constraint. But I am really happy.....
Stan, I agree with you completely: when materialism rules, there is place for using and abusing of others. Because "me and my necessities" are in the centre. Being self-aware means for me also: I am aware of my necessities and I know which one is my true....and I know around me there are people who have their necessities also

[seekinghga]

When does one become aware of their own existence?

Simple answer:  The first time that you use the word/letter "I".

Not-simple answer:  Aside from the obvious above, if one is seeking the inner depths of their reality, they need to question their reality.

"Do I believe in God?"
"Why?"
"Have I seen anything in my life that absolutely has to be attributed to a 'God'?" (aside from some notion such as "I was born, that is God" - as apart from biology)
"Does God sustain me?" -or- "Do I sustain a belief in God?"

Such questions are example.  Introspection is the way to go.   Just be sure that whichever path you choose that you do not lie to yourself in order to pander to your prejudice.  "The truth shall set you free!" - Yea, verily!