Bertram Malle - What is Self Awareness?

'Self awareness' has a simple definition: the mental activity that reflects back on itself, the mental process of being aware of oneself being aware. Is self-awareness a uniquely human trait? Some animals seem to disagree. The deep significance of self-awareness is how on earth can physical processes in physical brains generate self awareness?
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Bertram F. Malle is a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences at Brown University.
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Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[@cps_Zen_Run]

Awareness is the non-attachment to our thoughts, emotions, and Ego. That these are not self. Awareness is accepting that the Ego is an illusion, and the cause of much suffering. May your day be without suffering. Peace.

[@messenjah71]

One who understands. So refreshing. I join you in these ideas.

[@matoz22]

thank you for this upload

[@evanjameson5437]

The Human condition as far as we know, is the only species that ponders spirituality and thinks deeply about expansion of life in the future, other than just searching for food or procreating. This is what sets us apart in the animal kingdom--we are self aware and we think deeply about the past, ponder heavily the future and consider the concept of the universe/cosmos, a possible Higher Power, a God and what happens to our spirit or soul when we pass away.. When you know that you are dying (other than sudden death) you will be more self aware than ever before, as you will deeply consider the options of a life after death. Thanks Robert--this is a great post!

[@chyfields]

In meditation there is a 'level', that I call level six, that is a living judgment. On this level you are confronted by all your past bad words, thoughts and deeds. I find it interesting that many ancient archeological structures have a sixth level where a demon figure abides.

[@guillermochavez2515]

@@chyfields Why do you call it level 6?

[@chyfields]

@@guillermochavez2515 I had to pass through five distinct Earthly levels before I reached that level. I've searched and there always seems to be yet another layer.

[@daveduffy2823]

My target in the last half of life I am in is to shed this concept. I want to just be, nothing else. The concept of self, as I have experienced, can be problematic. Self leads to comparison, and that causes a host of problems.

[@johnpepin5373]

I think... dogs are self aware. In a higher sense than just body awareness. They demonstrate empathy. The ability to understand what another feels, can only be based on a knowledge of one's own feelings, projected on the other.

[@tomkwake2503]

Good questions and good answers on this episode! And IMHO I will provide my own answer for what is self-awareness? Awareness of anything requires a sense of an energy form, thus two things initially exist in that exchange, the energy form and the sense that senses it (which is also an energy form). Also, in this process is a naturally embedded self assembly process. For example, like from the observation of the self-assembly of buckyballs to life itself, and ultimately the self consciousness of a human being, which is the most advanced form of thought, that we human beings become aware of, that is, the energy forms of our consciousness. The Mind's Eye is the Universal Individual sense receptor in human beings, the thought process that happens in front of it is a natural convergent self-assembly process (like in our dreams), in which the thought Convergence Center creates an energy form, which is thought itself, and the mind's eye senses that energy form. And like in science, where the observation of patterns over and in time become a energy scaffolding in which we can sense as "reality"(which may be a belief system, the mathematical or physical laws of nature, or a set of energy experiences and energy relationships, transformed into the libraries of education/objective self awareness). If we had a science of our subjective world, we may have a better understanding of what 'self awareness' is.

[@dondattaford5593]

I beg to differ that we are the most advanced conscious beings when maybe the others were content with being say for example an eagle wouldn't you want to fly like one hmm this form of questioning ourselves can be that ego thing ha heres some of my take on my consciousness I'm aware that I'm at least two differing entities of mind and body but what am I really could you believe in entanglement which I seem to

[@owencampbell4947]

We are unique creatures. We grow, we mature, because that's the plan of life. The most amazing wonder among creatures, is our developing conscious mind, our body structure, our skills and abilities, each one in its complexity unique. The purpose for our existence is exactly what's going on, evolving to better creatures. Self awareness is a process for functionality. It has to develop in the process of maturing. There are so many factors that are so important for development in general, and because these factors aren't dosed equally, that makes the difference. Self awareness is the recognition of being other than someone else. This awareness is being misused in education.

[@MeRetroGamer]

I think that we need a more precise definition of what is sentience, what is awarenes or consciousness, and what is self-awareness. I can distinguish more than those 3 "levels" of consciousness in myself though. For example, I can see differences between self-awarenes and meta-consciousness, and differences between sentience and consciousness. Self-awarenes is the awarenes of a "self" who "is conscious", and this, as I see it in introspection, is an illusion. It is just caused by the identification or reflection of mental processes with a body, and it builds up a whole construction of "being someone", which is derivative of that illusion. Meta-consciousness is the awarenes of consciousness, the awareness of "experiencing". It is a high level layer and it serves as a function to make abstractions and learn about relationships between mental states. The notion of a self is, at some extent, produced (or feeded/growed) by those abstractions. Then we have the different mental states, or consciousness, which is constituted by a kind of a "network of communications". It is information processing. Then, on the lowest layer, we have the actual *thing* from which everything arises, *sentience* In my opinion, sentience (and not matter) is the fundamental aspect of *existence*

[@wisedupearly3998]

Personal existence is found by contrast with reality (Self is found to differ from others) Personal identity is developed by contrast with others (Theory of Mind).

[@williamburts5495]

What is self awareness? Answer: I AM, being conscious that you exist is self awareness.

[@sanathansatya1667]

Self Awareness is the ability to to understand oneself as an individual in contrast to the rest and also to know how one is a part of everything else around. Realizing that the smaller self is real but the Larger Self is Absolutely Real. The quantum dance of the subatomic particles is seen as universal in self and everywhere else. To be aware of the self from within extending into the limitless. To be aware of the imaginary demarcations that creates the self is self-awareness. To be aware of the ignorance that creates the imaginary Self is Self Awareness. This ability distinguishes human beings from the self awareness of animals. Our ability to understand ourselves as part of the life with a common ancestor tracing back to the first forms of life which creates a realization that all life forms are our siblings with different characteristics as species.

[@jeantetreault132]

As opposed to all the entire human beings, who are perhaps far much too self aware of their own minds, or even their own gestures, i think that the animal species, such as primates are probably just as self aware of their own body, in general, but they will not pay any attention, to them, unless they feel any particular physical pain, for instance. However, in some cases, certain animals will have a sixth sense, that we don't have, such as predicting heavy thunder rain, or even danger, for that matter. In other words, humans are more prone to live with various apprenhensions, by reasoning with the result of different logical characterisics, wheras animals will usually tend to react by instinct. This is only my opinion. Thank you! Johnny, Montreal, Canada!

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

Are awareness and self two different things, such that there is awareness of self?

[@bluelotus542]

If the self was an illusion, who would be aware of this illusion? And again, where's the proof that conscious awareness emerges from biological evolution?

[@S3RAVA3LM]

Aware reminds me of the air; the air pervades all like awareness. The light pervades the air which pervades all. The intellect pervades awareness pervading all. Becoming aware with Intellect brings Reason and contemplation of that which is becoming awareness. When I think of self I think beyond local. To identify with objectivity is not the self. Disobjectification is self awareness. What are you truly, the All that is, or part of the All that is, or self. We may not scientifically know what the self is, we can negate what the self is not.

[@DottaNatural]

What I'm seeking, is the answers for the ultimate questions. Questions like: Why aren't we aware when we aren't born, when we are babies, when we sleep, when unconscious? Will we be aware of our death and after that?

[@dare-er7sw]

Check near death experience, advaita, nidargadat, et

[@glenbroemer]

seems like one of those 'i can't define it though i know it when i see it' type things.

[@dondattaford5593]

As we can see theirs an immeasurable amount of experiences that are really to come to you you have no control over your next experience some of you

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

Self-awareness is simply the ability to reflect upon the self -- its states of mind, attitudes, emotions, beliefs, thoughts, sensations, actions, and behaviors. The people who lack the ability to reflect in general are mostly the same people who lack self-awareness; therefore, they tend to act instinctively, impulsively, and irrationally. This is why critical thinking and philosophy are vitally important subjects that should be taught to children as soon as they are able to reflect, so as to strengthen their ability to reflect and become more self-aware.

[@dtaylor091489]

this begs the question, what does it mean to reflect upon the self? what is reflection?

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

@@dtaylor091489 if you do not already know what reflection means, then how can you even ask your first question in a meaningful way ? In other words, your first question already assumes you know the answer to your second question.

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

@@dtaylor091489 However, for the sake of discussion, let us assume that you do not now know what reflection is... How will you find out ?

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

@@dtaylor091489 you seem to be have some trouble answering this question... Perhaps, it will help if we generalize it by asking, how are questions of the form 'What is x ?' answered ?

[@dtaylor091489]

@@alwaysgreatusa223 such questions can be answered with concrete rather than abstract terms. i was confused by your definition of self awareness because it simply referred to self reflection, which to me is just a synonym for self awareness and therefore doesn’t point clearly to the phenomenon itself.

[@ptgannon1]

Sounds a bit like what Michael Graziano says in "Consciousness and the social brain."

[@runningray]

The ending was a bit confusing to me. How can we still be unsure if self awareness of the mind is only applicable to humans? A Chimp mother's relationship to her chimp baby is identical to a human mother and a human baby. What is the difference in the mothers and their awareness of the need of their babies?

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

Maybe the self comes from awareness, not awareness come from the self?

[@cps_Zen_Run]

We have the illusion of an Ego. That there’s a Mini-me inside our head. We label ourselves and are labeled by others. These, like thoughts, are not you.

[@blijebij]

Self awareness is a quality, based on the integration of information.

[@dtaylor091489]

how does the integrating of information lead to awareness?

[@blijebij]

@@dtaylor091489 Well, imagine there iwould be no integration of signals/information. There would be no shared spot. Then there could be only a reactive neurological reaction (like a robot action but no self reflection or awareness). So loads of lose signals but no observer as they are all lose ends. With only lose ends a brain is just a reactive result. For an observer that has selfreflection as well as can experience within it self at the same time u need an integrated stage, unity to some degree. With the electron thats possible. It is particle as well as wave at the same time. As particle its individual information as wave it could be integrated with other wavefunctions or the electric fields. You see that allready from electic fields that sensors pick up and ai can relate it to your thought content. that wouldnt be possible if awareness is just lose ends. So for an observer that can observe within the observer self, you need an integrated stage of information. A shared field. That would also explain things like deep stages of meditation or lucid dreams. Information integrated stage isnt limmited to just waking stage. So with just lose ends of information signals, you can not have an observer from self organisation of information that also experiences it self and within it self.

[@dondattaford5593]

Self awareness I've figured out that I'm two entities I've noticed body driven behavior and mind driven behavior example to yourself scream loudly are you able to discern a volume and some other aspects do we think with our bodies here's a even deeper question ask

[@spiralsun1]

Anyone else get the feeling that he already knows the questions he asks? He’s just being a great teacher and a dork imho… 😂 But I completely love dorks. Just to be clear 🤔🥰

[@XenomorphTerror]

No. This is actually an open topic of debate, to this day.

[@tanjohnny6511]

Before learning self awareness meditation,i regret my speech and actions alot.After self awareness,it is greatly reduce because i can feel my anger arise and not act upon it.😂

[@cps_Zen_Run]

Yes, accepting the present moment as is. Not denying our emotions or thoughts, but rather non-attachment to them. May you be content. Peace.

[@tacticalderpy2077]

Great. Now how do I turn it off?

[@gettingstrongerfriend2738]

When am I aware of my aware==ness/ seems to be time dependent. I may be aware in the NOW, possibly even self aware, but can I only be aware of self awareness in reflection. Is this the same difference between body awareness and awareness of body? Seems obvious at first glance but begs the questions ; What is body awareness vs mental state awareness and then of course mental state awareness vs. awareness of mental state ? Does awareness increase just in particular instants or does awareness also seen as a universal increase in kind?

[@MrModikoe]

mental state awareness vs awareness of mental state...do you realize there's no difference????

[@gettingstrongerfriend2738]

@@MrModikoe I do not say there is ;nor do I hold there isn't. I was posing the questions in relationship to the idea of body awareness and awareness of body seeming to have at least a difference from an intuitive if not definitional stand point and why then should that not hold for mental states, WHY-- should that be the case? If the speaker can hold that there is a difference when speaking of the body then why does it not hold for mental states too. The speaker did not refer to mental states in this way but his speaking of awareness of body etc. begs such questions.

[@cps_Zen_Run]

Time? Life happens only in the present. Awareness occurs in the Now. The Past is only a memory, the Future, imaginary. Most go through daily life in a semi dream state.

[@rileyhoffman6629]

Read Susan Casey's, "Voices from the Ocean" about dolphin consciousness. Fascinating.

[@nelsonpinheiro1148]

Voices from the ocean is real. Voices from after life is fiction. Voices from other worlds is delusional. Voices from oppress people is only the movies. Voices to speak justice I got no ears for that. But voices from the ocean is so fancy and scientifically superior.

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

Is it possible to reflect too much ? Of course. While in my other comment I made it clear that self-awareness is the ability to reflect upon the self, and that people who lack the ability to reflect in general are mostly those who lack self-awareness, there are some people who actually lose awareness of themselves by overthinking things. Consider, as a case-in-point, Rene Descartes who reflected so much that he began to doubt his own existence. While it is probable that Descartes was only using this kind of a extreme doubt as a tool to reach the conclusion he wished to establish from the beginning (his certain knowledge of his own existence), there are some philosophers who have absurdly claimed the self is only an illusion. But ask yourself, whosoever needed a proof of their own existence in the first-place ? I think, therefore I am ? This might be a comment on the essence of human nature, but it is not an actual proof, because it posits as a "proof" what it asserts to prove -- namely, the I ! If reflecting actually causes you to doubt your own existence, then you know you have gone too far -- and that you are actually losing self-awareness by overthinking things. More generally, overthinking things can inhibit a person from acting decisively -- especially in those situations that require immediate action. However, the bigger problem in this world is still that people do not reflect enough upon their own feelings, actions and behaviors; rather than overthinking things, they under-think things, and so they often act impulsively and irrationally. These impulsive and irrational actions and behaviors can have catastrophic consequences both for the individuals themselves and the society as a whole - and, for those who under-think things, yet still have some meager ability to reflect and become self-aware, it can lead to much regret !

[@cvsree]

Every living thing is self aware. But, most of them are too distracted by external world. A living being can ignore external distractions and focus on self awareness, that state is called Nirvana

[@1p6t1gms]

An page called Xavier HUBERT-BRIERRE here on KZbin has been uploading videos for more than ten years of where he has placed an over sized mirror onto a pathway in the Gabon jungle... with some interesting results. His last upload was three months ago and titled, (a teenage gorilla traumatized (?) by his reflection in a large mirror set up in the Gabon jungle.)

[@mikel4879]

Bertram's understanding of the self awareness is decent. Not outstanding but decent. On a scale ofron 0% to 100% he understands approximately 60% what self awareness is. He understands it mainly theoretically. However, the practical understanding is the most important in order to create a full artificial self awareness, a full Artificial Consciousness, full AC.

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

Is awareness aware of itself?

[@cps_Zen_Run]

You are aware of a cup. Then you are aware that you are aware of the cup. That which is aware, is your true Self. You are the Witness, the Observer. In essence, James Ruscheinski, we don’t become aware… You are Awareness. Peace.

[@MrModikoe]

but what is awareness...realize that you never not aware..realize that thinking and feelings and objective world happens because you are aware...then take out the objective and bring attention to awareness itself and realize it's never not...everything takes shape in awareness. now who are who? I am awareness, presence or the pure space in which everything takes shape...thinking and feelings are not myself, they're simply activity happening in awareness. beliefs and feelings exist because you brought attention to them or you awareness to them..simply bring attention to that which is never not..and that is awareness..awareness is fundamental, everything takes shape in awareness but not only that, everything takes shape in awareness as awareness so everthing is made up of awareness..

[@gettingstrongerfriend2738]

So where does all this awareness go during anesthesia, coma ect. not the simple activities but the fundamental awareness? Without aboutness how can you have awareness.

[@cps_Zen_Run]

Awareness is manifested in Consciousness.

[@MrModikoe]

@@cps_Zen_Run how about a brief explanation..

[@cps_Zen_Run]

@@MrModikoe Every experience, every touch, smell, sight, memory, emotion, occurs only in consciousness. Everything we experience happiness only as a modification of Consciousness.

[@pauljasmine353]

I think therefore I eat Peanut M&M's.

[@eksffa]

NTS 75

[@dondattaford5593]

You can only really assume about what you really are consciously apart from being human we know the human body part it's the what you are that is reading this and that well y'all don't know and no we aren't the best compared to other entities this is I'll go

[@N1otAn1otherN1ame]

I can't shake the feeling that social psychologists are a bit mundane. Not the most interesting discussion, so to say.

[@yesteryears6141]

Some things are better left unknown, I myself kinda like the mystery of things. I believe there's a little bit of truth to all religions.

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

Can the physical be aware of the physical, or does something non-physical have to be aware of the physical?

[@embracethemystery]

Can you provide an example of "something non-physical"? even thoughts have a physical component in terms of meat and electricity creating neural activity, so what do you mean by non-physical, and further, non-physical awareness?

[@Daysdontexist]

16th century big wigg gobbledygookers summed it up like this : I think, therefore I am.

[@maxwellsimoes238]

However last century Philosophy show " im thinking I exist " inst exist in real World. Quantun mechanic priciples is bom challenge in it. Quantun waves are keep out Descartes sentence at all.

[@leolok2632]

The professor while clear on what is awareness, appears confused with what is self. He identifies self with the sense of I, ones ego, behaviour, emotion, thoughts, mind, like dislike, inclination aversion, conditioning habits etc. He approaches the topic on conventional functional level or dimension. Suggest he refer to Ramana Maharshi, and subsequent students Pooja, Eckhart Tolle, Rupert Spira to realise consciousness as the ultimate dimension of all existence, and that the self is a projection of consciousness and is an illusion. If one fixated and becomes attached to or obsessed by such projected illusion like movie on a screen, one can never come out of his own self induced prison, dreaming and out of touch with reality of existence. To me, self awareness is being aware of o realise ones true self, namely, Sat Chit Ananda as Indian sages beautifully put it.

[@MrModikoe]

now the challenge is you becoming aware that all of that is true rather it being knowledge..

[@cps_Zen_Run]

@@MrModikoe , what part of you has always been there, with you, over your lifespan? It’s not your body, not your thoughts, nor emotions. It’s not your Ego, or even personality.

[@fortynine3225]

''Awareness is the state of being conscious of something.'' ''In psychology, the psyche is the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious.'' Making something unconscious conscious/ which is becoming aware has everything to do with intellectually critically looking at ones self.

[@charlie-km1et]

Self awareness? Are raccoons not “self aware” they are raccoons? Do skunks try to procreate with raccoons? All these aspects are aspects of culture and behavior for survival purposes. “Human Self Awareness” has more communicative aspects but this is separate from communication to someone else. “Self” implies one person. So talking to yourself. Hearing the voice in your head. Communicating to ones self. A person can write a letter to themselves. What other animal can express their thoughts to themselves outside of their own body as well as humans? There is really only a humans ability as an organism with the appendages we have that other animals don’t have that allow us to be more creative in how we interact with the world outside of the self awareness aspect as an internal secret only the person can know and even then that person can only be privy to a certain amount of self awareness. Organ function and many body, mind and brain aspects that are involuntary and not accessible to self awareness and even when they are they cannot all be accessed at the same time and then used to interact with the world. So “self awareness” is synonymous with “awareness” and in fact is just that. It’s like a white lie being different from a lie. It isn’t. If a body was a car and navigating in any direction 24 hours a day seven days a week had to happen and there was no choice even when sleeping “self awareness” would be the waking state of awareness where sleeping and the body turning over while sleeping or waking up if a noise created a disturbance that needed attention then it is still the brains awareness responding to stimuli. The mind being separate from the brain in the sense that it is where creation, imagination, day dreaming, ideas or drafting a letter over and over again to get it right happen that level of comparing oneself to others but also thinking in first and third person at the same time is unique to humans possibly intrinsically as well as extrinsically. But we can only know that other animals cannot express these intrinsic brain functions to us in a way we can confirm. Elephants that paint pictures of other elephants. Is that an elephant painting a picture of them or another elephant? Thinking about “time” is also a huge factor. In spans of thousands of years. other animals are using coloring books and humans are like Piccaso. animals create cultures like we do and we must observe others to mimic their behavior like other animals and animals have their own individuality like we do but

[@TheMemesofDestruction]

Not asking a Woman her age.

[@maxwellsimoes238]

Certainly you dont know like her because process brains her are emocional at same

[@NeverTalkToCops1]

OH, let's escalate self awareness into some woo thing.

[@eturnall383]

Ramana Maharshi

[@cps_Zen_Run]

It requires nothing metaphysical. Look for who is looking, for who is aware. You will not find a self. You are Awareness manifested in Consciousness.

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

If the self is supposed to be only an illusion, the immediate and logical question is whom is having the illusion ?

[@MrModikoe]

it's you having a dream but only this time you've mistaken it to be true..then when awakening happens you realize that the self you referred to as yourself was really nothing at all..

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

@@MrModikoe Of course, it's conceivable that a person could be mistaken about their own identity -- as in giving the wrong answer to the question, "Who are you ?" What is not conceivable is that the correct answer to this question is "nobody". Philosophers who deny the self are not saying we are mistaken about our identities, they are trying to say something more fundamental about the nature of consciousness and reality -- they are trying to say there are no selves whatsoever ! They are trying to tell us that you and I do not exist at all !

[@cps_Zen_Run]

There is a reality. You have a body. But You are not your body. It’s the "sense of self“ that is the illusion. We are not our thoughts. The Ego tells stories, and will make up stories which causes us suffering. It then tries to reduce the suffering it caused. Lol. May your day be without suffering. Peace.

[@alwaysgreatusa223]

@@cps_Zen_Run My sense of myself is that I am a substance from which my thoughts arise and which experiences life and the world through my body. Your assertions, denials and abstractions that lead you to conclude that my sense of myself is illusory will NEVER convince me that I do not exist, for the simple reason that I have an immediate awareness of myself that is fundamental to my knowing anything at all. if you try to convince me otherwise, I would like to ask you, since you claim I have no self and, therefore, do not exist : Whom are you trying to convince ?

[@cps_Zen_Run]

@@alwaysgreatusa223 , no problem. Continue taking your daily blue pill, in which you will continue to suffer. May you find happiness in the moment. Peace.

[@reinier_reigns9658]

What if you didnt born in this world

[@SpiritualPsychotherapyServices]

🐟 10. EGO (THE SENSE OF SELF): The Latin first-person singular pronoun, “EGO” (“I”, in English) has been incorporated into the English language, yet with a rather unorthodox import, particularly in spiritual circles, where it is used as a noun, although it is a poor translation of the Sanskrit “ahaṃkāra”, which is more accurately a verb. Most persons misuse the word for “an exaggerated sense of self-importance”, “arrogance”, “conceit” or “haughtiness”, etc. Compare the concepts of egoity in this chapter with the Freudian concept of “The I” (“Das Ich”, in German). “Ahaṃ” simply means “I/Ego”, and “ahaṃkāra” means “Creating the I/self”, or “Activating the sense of self”, or “Constructing one's identity”. As an aside, some Sanskrit scholars have noticed that the word “ahaṃ” is formed of a+ha+ṃ, a triad of Śiva (a), Śakti (ha) and bindu (ṃ). The whole Sanskrit alphabet is enclosed by those two syllables, just as the Greek tongue begins and ends with “alpha” and “omega”, respectively. “I am the Alpha and the Omega!”, said God in the book of “Revelations”. Incidentally, the palindrome of “ahaṃ” is “mahā”, meaning “GREAT”. The most accurate definition of “Ego/I” is: “the self, which is a conscious PERSON”. A human person is the Stainless Consciousness of Source, acting through a particular body-mind complex, which in turn, is an ever-morphing biological organism. As explained elsewhere in this Holy Scripture, the body-mind complex is more accurately described as a process (a verb) rather than a fixed object (a noun), which is why the sages of ancient India (properly called “Bhārata”) preferred to categorize all transient phenomena as “unreal/non-existent” (“asat”, in Sanskrit), rather than “real/existent” (“sat”, in Sanskrit). So how do “you” feel now that it has been demonstrated that “you” are non-existent? :-) Therefore, whenever the word “ego” is heard in practically any spiritual/religious context, it is not to be taken LITERALLY (“I”) but in the sense of “ahaṃkāra” (a mistaken sense of self-identity, or sometimes as a synonym for superciliousness). Inept Sanskrit-to-English translators are probably guilty for this misunderstanding. Unfortunately, this glaringly obvious mistake is seldom mentioned in spiritual talks and writings. False egoity (“ahaṃkāra”) is an errant conception of oneself. In other words, it is the idea that “I am an independent agent, with the volition to freely think, feel and behave as I choose”, instead of simply an unqualified “I AM” (“ahaṃ”, in Sanskrit) or at the very least, “I am all-encompassing existence” (“ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, in Sanskrit). Simply put, it is identification with anything not of the actual self/Self. In practical terms, it is any noun or adjective placed after the expression “I am”. For example, “I am a woman” or “I am rich”. So, when the true self (which is Brahman, the TOTALITY of existence) misidentifies itself with a particular body-mind organism, it is “pseudo-ego” (ahaṃkāra) but when the self/Self identifies with Amorphous Awareness (Brahman), acting through the body-mind organism, it is the “authentic ego” (“ātman/Paramātmāṇ”, in Sanskrit). Obviously, this misidentification with one's mind and body, or name and form (“nāma-rūpa”, in Sanskrit) is not a flaw of the Flawless Absolute, but merely a play of the divine comedy (“līlā”, in Sanskrit). Alternatively, one could claim that it is, rather, the PSEUDO-EGO that confuses and conflates the body-mind to be the real self/Self, because the authentic self (“ātman”, in Sanskrit) is identical with the Universal Self (“Paramātmāṇ”, in Sanskrit), and therefore cannot be deluded into false beliefs due to “its” Absolute nature. In that case, when the pseudo-ego identifies as the Universal Self, it is the true/authentic ego. This may occur during or following a peak experience of cosmic awakening, or it may ensue after a period of yogic practice (see Chapter 16 for a description of the four systems of yoga/religion). In my particular case, following decades of earnest religious practice, I rarely lose sight of the realization that I am, essentially, the All. Yet, even that understanding and realization was destined from all eternity (see the next chapter). Humans usually believe that they are a body-mind organism. Those who have awakened (or at least spiritually aware) consider themselves to not be their body-mind, but a “soul”. One who is TRULY enlightened knows for certain that he is both a human being on the relative level, but quintessentially the very ground of being in the Absolute sense. That which can perceive any impermanent phenomenon is the real self/ego/I. When properly analysed, the phrase “I am Spirit” or “I am All” (“ahaṃ brahmāsmi”, in Sanskrit) means “I, the ego (the relative persona) am Nothing/Everything/Brahman/Tao/Spirit (the Absolute Ground of Being)”. Chapter 06 explores further the nature of the Supreme Self. Finally, it could be argued, with some degree of merit, that since the English language already has a word for oneself (“I”), that we ought to keep using the English dictionary definition of “ego” (as the false sense of oneself). However, because the great majority of advanced religionists and spiritual practitioners outside Bhārata (India) who speak of these concepts, base their language on Sanskrit and/or Pali, it is far more accurate to separate “ego” (ahaṃ) from “false egoity” (ahaṃkāra). The LITERAL translation should predominate, to avoid ambiguity. “The first and foremost of all thoughts, the primeval thought in the mind of every man, is the thought ‘I’. It is only after the birth of this thought that any other thoughts can arise at all. It is only after the first personal pronoun, ‘I’, has arisen in the mind that the second personal pronoun, ‘you’, can make its appearance. If you could mentally follow the ‘I’ thread until it led you back to its source you would discover that, just as it is the first thought to appear, so it is the last to disappear. This is a matter that can be experienced.” Venkataraman Iyer (AKA Śri Ramana Maharshi), South Indian Sage. “Consciousness is never experienced in the plural, only in the singular. Even in the pathological cases of split consciousness or double personality the two persons alternate, they are never manifest simultaneously. In a dream we do perform several characters at the same time, but not indiscriminately: we are one of them; in him we act and speak directly, while we often eagerly await the answer or response of another person, unaware of the fact that it is we who control his movements and his speech just as much as our own. ... Each of us has the indisputable impression that the sum total of his own experience and memory forms a unit, quite distinct from that of any other person. He refers to it as 'I'. What is this 'I'? If you analyse it closely, you will, I think, find that it is just a little bit more than a collection of single data (experiences and memories), namely the canvas upon which they are collected. And you will, on close introspection, find that what you really mean by 'I' is that ground-stuff upon which they are collected.” From the epilogue to “What is Life?”, Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger, Austrian Physicist.

[@garywright8137]

"Man has always assumed that he is more intelligent than dolphins because he has achieved so much--the wheel, New York, wars and so on -- while all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But, conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man -- for precisely the same reasons." Douglas Adams.

[@OODeagleOO]

🙈👀

[@MrSanford65]

You can only be aware of something that’s different so I’m not sure you could truly be “ Self “ aware . And in fact when people say you lack self-awareness they only mean how you effect others. I will go further to say that if you were the only person in the world than your self awareness would never have begun , such as in an outer space where there is no up-and-down

[@jb6971]

If you could monitor a baby's brain activity at thier first glance into a mirror it might shead a glimpse into self awareness. 🤔

[@janklaas6885]

🇺🇳4:12

[@0-by-1_Publishing_LLC]

(3:50) *BM: **_"Self-awareness can be practiced."_* ... That's like saying humans can practice being _Homo sapiens._ Self-awareness represents a _"single state of Existence"_ (Consciousness), otherwise known as *1.* Every sentient human is born with this self-awareness programmed into their DNA and we all share the same Consciousness: the good, the bad, and the ugly. "We" are what you get after 13.8 billion years of evolution. Self-awareness (Consciousness) emerges within a newborn as a _clean slate_ and slowly evolves based on whatever stimuli we experience during the course of our lifetimes. Humanity represents eight billion sentient workstations passing along our information to a single, ubiquitous Consciousness known as *1.* ... Yes, everything goes back to *0* and *1* (Nonexistence and Existence, respectively).

[@evaadam3635]

Awareness (or self) is a non-physical invisible existence/entity that can not be reached by human's limited physicals senses. Therefore it is NOT possible for humans to be aware of this non-physical invisible entity that we define as "self". The word "human self awareness" is an oxymoron because how can any human be aware of something that can not be reached by our limited physical senses which is a non-physical invisible entity ? This is why NO ONE can define the elemental components of Awareness because NO ONE can see, touch, smell, hear, or taste this invisible entity which I believe is our free immortal aware soul. As I already explained here, the knowledge of the essence of our immortal souls is FORBIDDEN because it is the free split of the Holy Spirit. Again, knowledge of the essence of God is a forbidden fruit, otherwise satan may win. Our physical body and brain is NOT our true aware self.... however, because our physical body is being represented/understood as our self, this is why the words "self awareness" was coined which means "being aware of this body (represented as self) who is aware of things around it or within it". The TRUTH IS, being aware of the invisible true self is IMPOSSIBLE.