You know how we have an "inside," which is our thoughts/feelings/memories/etc, entirely private to us as individuals; and then we have an "outside" which we all share? And we can take things from our "inside" and put them "outside" if we want, in the form of speech, writing, art, or whatever, and can take outside things and put them inside by observing?
Okay, so I was thinking about my conscious experience, because I definitely wouldn't consider it to just be "my brain" in its entirety. There's a lot of stuff I'm largely unaware of in my subconscious, and all the automatic regulatory stuff like pulse, digestion, etc.
But I guess the part where I feel like I'm "here" and "conscious" occurs on the boundary of my "inside" and "outside." I'm privy to what I sense of the outside world, and have access to some of the higher-order thoughts in my mind. And I think maybe my conscious experience is located on the boundary between these two things, and "my" main function, the part that feels "aware," is the feeling that arises from regulating the import and export of ideas and intentions? Considering which ideas to output to the outside world, and which things from the outside world to put into my own thoughts and learn from?
I guess that would make sense, considering the prefrontal cortex is thought to be key to conscious awareness, and is also responsible for cognition and moderating behavior, which is pretty much what I described above.
Anyway, I was wondering if we can talk here about our conscious experiences, and how fucking weird it is to feel aware of our thoughts and of the world.
wtf why does Zig Forums attract so many schizoposters?
Isaiah Morales
What's schizo about being conscious?
Camden White
I'd talk to you if I had time, but I don't at the moment. This thread deserves more attention, though.
Luis Sullivan
Wish we could talk too. It's hard to find people interested. Thanks for the bump though!
Bentley Walker
Consciousness is a sense, just like taste and vision. A continous experience is what consciousness is.
Ayden Cox
this is too much introspection for like 99% of this board. you won't get much of a conversation out of them about this. i'm sorry.
Ryder Morales
I have narcolepsy and sleepwalk all the time. My experience has convinced me that what we call consciousness is actually a small part of our overall condition. There's so much I can do while asleep and I'm aware how little control I have over myself due to my conditions while other parts of the brain that I have no real control still function. I'd make the analogy to a program, the consciousness is the view but the model and controller are our subconscious mind.
Mason Powell
>mvc analogy
That's actually pretty cool
Colton Gomez
desu, this stuff scares me and I prefer to not think about it too much.
Andrew Morgan
>this stuff scares me why?
Blake Cox
It's not about that dude, it's the fact that there's no fucking point to this thread
Chase Collins
Not that guy but it is a little odd to think about. It's when you think about the random intrusive thoughts or noises in your head. You didn't consciously think about them, they just happened but why? It's like having another self in there that you have no access to.
Luis Bennett
theres no point to any of the threads on the board though
Robert Reed
solipsism. dude. whoa.
Daniel Young
>Random intrusive thoughts or noises in your head. You didn't consciously think about them, they just happened but why?
YES. I started getting weirded out while I was writing the original post, almost sort of depersonalized.
Jacob Young
>I started getting weirded out while I was writing the original post, almost sort of depersonalized. Why not explore that feeling? Why do you run from it?
Bentley Sullivan
Reading behaviorists like Sapolsky convinced me how small a part our conscious experience really is, compared to all that's going on inside our brains. Desires, intrusive thoughts, immediate reactions to stimuli. Signals coming not from a singular subconscious monolith but several components, often competing with each other.
Noah Reed
Well I mean, I did dig into a little to write the post. That's really what I hope to do with others in this thread. I have to say I worry about losing some sort of agency over my own mind if I look too closely.
Ethan Baker
Research Vedanta, you're asking the right questions; I recommend Swami Sarvapriyananda on youtube, watch his video with Deepak Chopra if you have an hour to think about these things
Levi Evans
This is based, really like your thread op, bump. I have never really considered but what you said makes sense. >The conscious exists on the boundary I like this idea a lot, the inside is more subconscious while the outside is more senses and stimuli?
Jeremiah Clark
>the part where I feel like I'm "here" and "conscious" occurs on the boundary of my "inside" and "outside." Yeah, if there exists anything we can consider "free will", it occurs where physical and mental reality clash. But yeah, don't worry about people thinking you're a schizo for typing shit out like this. You're pretty much tapping into the information that makes LSD supposedly enlightening, and I don't think you're on acid. So you're on the right track to learning that most people need felonious drugs for. Born too late to explore earth. Too early to explore space. Just in time to explore the human mind.
Austin Williams
>Deepak Chopra I agree with this except for Deepak Chopra, whom I suspect is a hack.
Thomas Smith
Chopra just asks Swamiji introductory questions on Vedanta, Chopra plays a very minor role
Evan Martin
>I have to say I worry about losing some sort of agency over my own mind if I look too closely. I assure you that you only have more agency to gain from understanding how your own mind works. I mean... that seems pretty obvious to me. There's a certain give and pull to learning anything. Realizing what you do and don't actually have agency over in your mind is the first step in realizing your true potential. Rather than just arrogantly claiming that your whole mind is your bitch that you control 100%. You can't get to the maximum potential as a human if you ignore all that is negative and only shoot for positive. You realize what is inherently negative so that if you can do something about it you can, and if you can't do anything about it you don't need to be living in anxiety or denial about it.
Juan Parker
this thread is especially stinky, however
Chase Nelson
>confirmed npcs
Luke Edwards
I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock into any specific cultural perspective of the metaphysical mind or spirituality (though Indians are some of the best when it comes to this stuff). You need to realize that any specific thing you read or hear about anywhere else has been generated through their own geographic cultural lens. There is truth to all of them, but every one of them should first be viewed as an allegory for something that is universal. I'm not versed at all in these Swami's views, and I don't doubt that they have good info, but like any other source, it's an allegory for a universal truth.
Anthony Gomez
Dubs offers excellent advice
Isaac Brooks
Based and Guenon-pilled
Michael Clark
i appreciate this thread, op. wish there were more like it.