Consciousness (By: Carys)

  Do you guys know what does conscious mean? Like the term, awareness, it is the form of object or humans, either internally or externally, to become precarious and responsive to his or her surroundings. However, its nature has caused millennia of interpretations, descriptions, and discussions among scientists, philosophers, theologians and more. There are diverse opinions of studying and considering consciousness. For instance, in some descriptions, consciousness is correlated to mindset. But, in some scenarios, it was claimed to be an aspect. Here is the “definition” of consciousness in the past and current days------------It was explained as one’s “inner life”, world fulfilled with introspection, private thinkings, imaginations and volitions. In the other hand, to talk about today, it usually comprises of any forms of cognitions, experiences, emotions, or perceptions. This term can also be used to describe public- or self-awareness, which is either altering continuously, or the other way around. The disparate range of research, notions, and speculations increases a curiosity about if the correct doubts are being questioned. The examples of the range of explanations and meanings are ordered distinctions between self and environment, wakefulness that is a piece of cake, one sense of selfhood or soul discovered by “looking within”; becoming a metaphorical “stream” of contents, or being a mental form, event or process of the brain.

  Consciousness can be grouped in myriad paths, comprising of levels, states, and types. For the term levels of consciousness, it refers to diverse degrees of awareness, ranging from being fully conscious to being unconscious. States of consciousness is defined as the distinct condition of awareness, such as waking, dreaming and sleep. The phrase, types of consciousness mean the certain aspects of awareness, like perceptual consciousness or access consciousness. Now, let’s investigate the levels of consciousness, from high to low. The highest level, or called as the “gold medal” level, is attained by conscious!!! This level encompasses all that an individual is aware of at a given moment. The following level comes to preconscious. Information that is not currently in conscious awareness, but it can be retrieved simply. The next level of it is unconscious, where memories and thinkings are not accessible to conscious awareness. Followed by nonconscious, bodily potentials and workings that happen in the absence of conscious awareness and sensations. The lowest level is subconscious. Information that is not currently in consciousness but can be brought into awareness with some efforts required.

  After mentioning the levels of consciousness, now is time to go into their states. One of them is normal waking consciousness. The typical state of awareness during wakefulness, characterized by alertness and concentrated attention. Another type is altered states of consciousness. It refers to the conditions that differ from common waking consciousness, such as sleeping, dreaming, hypnosis and meditation. Here, let’s dig into the conditions as explained. Sleeping can be a state of altered consciousness characterized by mitigated physical activity and sensory awareness. For dreaming, it is a state of consciousness that occurs during sleeping, usually characterized by vivid imaginary and changed perceptions. Hypnosis refers to state of heightened suggestibility and focused attention, induced by a hypnotist. Meditation is defined as a practice that includes training attention and awareness, often leading to altered states of consciousness.

  Right here, its time to examine the types of consciousness. The first thing is perceptual consciousness. It is the awareness of sensory information, such as sight, sound and touch. Access consciousness means the ability to access and report on one’s mental states and experiences. There is also a type of consciousness called creature consciousness, which refers to a fundamental form of awareness that is present in many living organisms. As for global workspace theory, it suggests that consciousness arises from a worldly workspace in the brain where information is integrated and shared.

  Consciousness brings pros and essentialness to our lifestyles, and the world. What are they? Here are the answers disclosed-----------First and foremost, it is important for adaptive potentials. It is useful in survival, and reproduction. It permits organisms to direct attention and actions towards survival-relevant stimuli. Consciousness is a flexible response mechanism. It is collaborated with a flexible response mechanism that enables us to respond to scenarios in non-automatic ways, helping in planning and decision-making. It enhances social interaction. It may have evolved to facilitate social interactions, allowing us to share ideas and emotions, which can provide advantages to the survival and well-being of the category. Besides that, consciousness is prominent in cognitive functions. This includes decision-making, awareness, learning and development. Let’s talk about each of them. For decision-making, conscious representation, comprising of perceptions, concepts, judgements and beliefs, is particularly advantageous for it. In the term, awareness, it allows us to be meticulous of our internal states and the world around us, which includes sensory experiences, such as tasting appetizing delicacies or experiencing feelings. In the standpoint of learning and development, it plays the earnest role in learning by enabling us to be more aware of our selections and the potential consequences of those choices. Apart from that, there are other considerations that correlated to consciousness like evolutionary perspectives, social impacts, business and leadership. To talk about evolutionary perspectives first, consciousness is likely a product of evolution, with its key adaptive function becoming to enable volitional movement and thus individual agency. When comes to social impact, some theories recommend that consciousness may have evolved to benefit communities by permitting for the sharing of ideas and experiences. In business and leadership’s shoes, expanded consciousness in a business context can lead to better decision-making, improved performances, and a cosmic capacity for adapting to different scenarios.

  After mentioning about the importances of consciousness, in the other hand, I am going to narrate about the negative influences if people lack of it. Absence of consciousness, whether temporary, such as fainting, or prolonged, like coma, has significant negative impacts. To start with, impaired of cognitive function might occurred. Loss of consciousness can lead to memory problems, sophistication with attention and concentration, and a general slowing of mental processes. In addition, it cuts down self-awareness. This is because their alertness has decreased, awareness of self and surroundings are diminished. What’s more, people have the inability to provide response to external stimuli. Unconscious individuals are unable to react to sensory input, functionally putting them at risk in outrageous circumstances. People also facing the challenges of social isolation. Disorders of consciousness can lead to social isolation due to an inability to interact and communicate with each other. Not only that, but they might also lead to physical harms. They can lead to falls, injuries, and crucially, mortality, particularly if occurs in a treacherous environment. Furthermore, memory impairment occurs. Memory formation relies on attention, which is compromised during unconsciousness, which might lead to amnesia both for the period of unconsciousness and potentially for some time before and after. Additionally, brain damage happened when humans lack of consciousness. Traumatic brain injury leading to loss of consciousness can prone to bruising, tearing, bleeding, and other physical damage to the brain, functionally leading to long-term complications or death. In some cases, particularly with severe injuries or underlying medical conditions, loss of consciousness can be a predictor of increased fatality. The last point is that it leads to coma and vegetative state, which is also called as a “vegetative human”. Chronic disorders of consciousness, such as coma or vegetative state, pose significant obstacles for both the individual and their caregivers, which requires extensive medical and ethical considerations.

  There are many ways to increase consciousness among people. What are the procedures to do so? Firstly, we should practice and learn to be grateful to what we have. There is a saying, trade a person’s appreciation and the world alters instantly. The most rapid way to increase consciousness is to adopt an abundance of mindsets. Instead of concentrating on what we don’t have, we should focus on all the “presents” life that has given us. Regularly expressing gratitude for the good things in our lives can shift our perspectives and expand positive feelings. The examples of practicing gratitude are as shown here: go for a walk and appreciate the refreshing air in our lungs, take a minute to be thankful for cuisines in our refrigerator and gas in our own car. When an individual experiences a life from a location of appreciation, he or she becomes more conscious of others’ emotions as well. Other than that, we should learn to give back. What does it mean? It is defined as contributing back to the others. This way can be getting started by donating a tree, then thinking about all the other ways we can begin giving back and enhancing our ability to be conscious to others.

  Aside from that, we can conduct meditation. To be conscious of other people’s emotions, we must also master our emotions at the same time. It defines that we should practice our mindfulness too. Paying attention to our thoughts, feelings and sensations in the present moment without judgement is prominent. The saying goes here; spirituality is just like inhaling and exhaling. Through meditation and prayers, our own soul is inhaling spiritual light. As we are of services to others, our soul exhales or shares these divine blessings. Just like with our physical breath, we cannot select to only inhale or only exhale. This balanced rhythm of attaining blessings and sharing them is the secret to a life of sustained spiritual fulfilment. The benefits of regular meditations are improving our focus, letting our hair down, and enhancing our self-awareness. Conscious breathing, where we pay attention to our breathing throughout the day as an easy way to ground ourselves in the present world. For instance, mindful movement like practicing yoga and tai chi aids in connecting with body and increasing awareness of our physical state. Through this, we gain insights into ourselves. We can understand our core values and help us to align our actions and with our beliefs. We can also spend time in nature. Connecting with natures can make us unwind and promote a sense of awe and wonder, increasing consciousness. Moreover, we can seek for feedback. We should ask trusted individuals for feedback on our own behaviour and how we come across to others. We should set intentions and act consciously as well. When talking about setting intentions, before engaging in activities, we should do so for how we want to show up and what we want to attain. We must choose something actively. We should be mindful to our choices and their potential impacts on ourselves and others. We should embrace compassion by treating ourselves and others with kindness and understanding.

  Plus, we should nourish our mind and spirits. We should minimize distractions by reducing exposure to excessive digital media and other distractions to form space for mindful awareness. For example, smartphones, computers, tablets and laptops. We should maintain a healthy lifestyle by maintaining a balanced diet. We must eat according to the food pyramid. Reduce the intake of cuisines with high intake of salt, sugar, or fast-food. They might lead to crucial health issues like heart diseases, kidney failure, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. We can plant fruits and vegetables to cook for ourselves in our home. They are indeed fresh without the usage of herbicides, pesticides, and cheap. We must reduce going to restaurants or stalls to have meals. Exercise regularly to remain cardiovascular fitness. Prioritizing sleep till it is adequate is crucial in cognitive functions and overall well-being, which are essential for consciousness. They relax our mind to keep us focus in the next and following days. Along with that, we should learn and grow. We must engage in activities that challenge us intellectually and promote personal growth. Engaging in high-level connecting is also essential as we are able to connect with other people on a deeper level and engage in meaningful and beneficial conversations. We can make a lot of pals to strengthen the bond and make it to become more intimate. Finally, we should seek uplifting experiences. We must surround ourselves with positive influences and activities that lift our spirits.

  In conclusion, consciousness is a very momentous attribute in our entire life. Therefore, we should incorporate the practices above to cultivate a greater sense of self-awareness, presence, and intentionality, leading to a more conscious, desirable and fulfilling life. We can do it!