Self Aware

[alyra]

wait. we aren't really self-aware at all. we can only be aware of what is not-ourself, but never of ourself itself. 

[Nahm]

If you can't define it, it's probably you. 

[alyra]

nothing can really be defined with any accuracy. words are all an illusion. 

 

of course, everything is as one, so all is me. in this we we are self-aware, because everything that we are aware of is our self. however, this loses grip of what I am referring to - when we search to strip away the external things we are aware of in pursuit of understanding this phenomena of "self" that we believe we name when we say "I" - what is that? we cannot look directly at it. we cannot look directly at our self. if we can be directly aware of something, it is necessarily not ourself. in this way, there is no way to be self-aware. 

Edited February 15, 2017 by aryberry

[Loreena]

Your external appearance is what defines your identity externally. But there are many facets to your inner personality. When a person asks you to describe yourself, you will probably have something to say about yourself. Those words in your mind define who you are. You have thoughts and emotions constantly emerging in your mental matrix. When you have greater self awareness, you are more aware of them, therefore also more capable of discerning them and understanding and controlling them. But once again if you are referring to everything inside of you as ego, then detachment from it also means losing the sense of self and who you are. In that case you are still aware of a body that exists. But the mind never completely stops thinking, so you can always be aware of your thoughts. If you detach from your sense of self then there is no real self and therefore no real awareness. It depends on your interpretation of what that 'self' is. This can be pretty confusing like going round and round in a circle. It all comes down to your interpretation of self. If you currently identify with who you are, then your self awareness is measured by the extent to which you are aware of how you are, what you do, what you feel or think. Greater self awareness means better control and autonomy, better understanding, better connection to your deeper instincts and so on. But this is just the practical way of looking at it.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Loreena

[Salaam]

1 hour ago, aryberry said:

 we cannot look directly at it. we cannot look directly at our self. if we can be directly aware of something, it is necessarily not ourself. in this way, there is no way to be self-aware. 

Well there's your problem, you're not supposed to look directly, but in parallel, because we are reflective in nature and learn, develop, change, and move through contrast (the difference in motion created by two or more things having an influence on each other). Like the influence a powder can have on human oils to make finger prints visible when police dust a crime scene. Through their interaction and connection, we are given the capability to see and make use of something that would otherwise be outside of our awareness.

We have a lot of different parts as human beings and we have access to a wide array of emotional spaces that through experience and interaction and eventual internalization develop what we call our identity. Eventually we can hold multiple spaces in parallel. and reflectively regard ourselves and be self-aware to a greater degree than previously afforded.

Personally my self-awareness is so deep that I have to restrain it's depth or else it will make me sick, because awareness has a weight and influence to it all it's own that can disrupt the integrity of very fragile things within our subconscious. With capability comes responsibility and the need to balance and harmonize. Too much depth can cause drag on things that need a certain degree of flow for their health and proper function.

Edited February 15, 2017 by Salaam