RE: How conscious are you
What scale of conciousness?
Where does a 7 year old kid plot on the scale?
Where does a tree plot on the scale?
Am I not the effect of the Universe, am I not it's manifestation, it's agent, and conciousness?
If the universe is not conscious and I am conscious, then conciousness exists at my point of self definition and not at the point of the Universes definition from self.
A part of an unconscious whole can be conscious when the part that is concious exhibits concious behaviors and not unconcious behaviors; while, the unconcious part exhibits unconcious behaviors and not concious behaviors.
"It could be, that being conscious is an illusion. As thinking, feeling, beings, we are aware of a myriad of various stimuli. Is this consciousness?"
I'm fairly certain I am concious, afteral I am typing this.
Generally conciousness is a sense of self control, more effectively, conciousness is a point of self reflection to which the individual is empowered to be a singularity, i.e. a person or point of presence of omni faith. Science may alter this to "a type of brain activity"
Trees are an idenity ~ meaning that like another object outside of the centric corpus idem they exist independantly. Trees however are see scientifically as an organism that generally does not have a central nervous system therefore does not have neuronal interchange or in that sense a personality, they are logical in that within a basic level they grow towards light and based upon their chemical make up they will exhibit the same qualities every time. This of course is 'true" scientifically for all biochemical creatures including humans, however the inherent complexity of behaviors and the tracking of "mnemonic" growth creates more of an abstract sense to "conciousness" as not necisarily seen wholely at the chemical level, but rather at a number of factors on a smaller scale including electronal, neural firings, and neural electronal storm in effect with biomatter and brain chemistry, in effect of nervious system messages to various organs. Of course science is not the begining or the end all, and there are a number of alternate less psychotic and ultraempirical idenities towards "existance and reality" such as spirtualism, and faith centered modalities that rest at placing "a mental plane" beyond the physical and logical planes. That is the logical plane emerges from the occult while the physical plane emerges from the logical plane. You see it occur in polytheistic cultures on some occassions, through concepts of DIETY as being centric to an object identity. Thus we are subject to the OBJECT or DIETIES we interact with. Thus we as the centric "neutral" force, take on a being of the avatars that have came into existance for us, and those that we 'worship' or keep affinity to in our "place" of interaction with those dieties show our OWN place in the overal pantheon or interaction of the dieties. Thus in that sense we are a god or demigod of sorts, however in full awareness we as existing are in whole with "the god" of all gods, that being that beyond our own perception, where we truely exist al. Ultimately we are one and an effect of communication of that god. In effect we are a focal point of awareness of that god, and in that sense are a manifest destiny of that god. Therefore the True god is the only truely concious entity, as it exists only when there is a point of existance however not necisarily at a logical or physical layer but an existential modality that encapsulates the true inherent purpose meaning and being of god.
In some cultures trees are nature spirits, this includes some native cultures. Oddly the native americans, and the bible in a way sort of as well the Norse all have a type of tree of knowledge. So perhaps trees truely do communicate knowledge to us, and give us life.
"What is it that makes us conscious? "
I think that a centric modality makes us concious, that is when we know we exist and are able to recognize that existance as being capable of self "relization" we are concious. Sentient may be more of a capacity to interact with the environment independantly.
"Why are Humans & animals conscious, but plants and inanimate objects not conscious? " I don't so much agree with that statement, I think that everything has a spirit and lifeforce that gives it a level of awareness on the spiritual plane. Physicality reduces to Stimulus Response and at that point physically nothing acts independantly but as an effect of a field of interaction based on a set of physical laws based upon assume static environmental interaction. I think that people are fooled into seperating plants and animals based upon affinity and mobility. That is plants don't make noises or move that much, especially the concept of being stationary, i.e. vegetables, vegetated. While animals have a assume aural and motion based actions. Younger humans may be more attracted to noise and movement or two strong sense sight and hearing. Touch is not utilized as much notisably as a means of communication, while smell may be a more subconcious interaction unless "strong". Simply our senses for animals and humans sight and hearing are more active so chances are they are classed based upon mobility and affinity of "goal centered" communication.
"Concious = ability to realize that I exist"
Using that definition it reduces to ethics, the benifit of the doubt is given to all things as being "existant, and potentially self aware" We treat things based upon our understanding of them and the application in goal oreintation over the whole of the interactions effect. That is things that we see connect to other things work in potential systems. Through practice we create systemologies for potential occurance, and most heavily weighed is what is our strongest emotional leaning to future judgement of our intended interaction. That is where the neural storm is in effect at guiding the physical and mnemonic action. "That creates emotion" from chemical physical trancendance, where our "existance" qualifies it as experience, everythign is "Energy" scientifically regardless. It has to be measured somehow.
Spiritually however, we are in divine correspondence in not the "effect" of where we are, but a state of what we are. Temporality and Logic can not properly explain a all state.
I think what you are hitting on is the idea of item casting. Or creation of the "meaning" of objects. That is largely media. Ultimately there are modes of thought "knowing through experience in belief, innately exiperienced through our "physical state", spirtual knowing, this is an acceptance of "god beyond the lesser planes" as being the inspiring force in creating "interpretation" There are many factors scientifically from cosmic rays to cell degredation to magnetic feilds etc.. that effect the way we perceive an otherwise static environment. It is all signals in that sense. However we are not "only receiving signals, as an energy force, we can interact with the energy around us, to create our interpretation of that energy. We also exist the capacity to change our mnemonic, this could get stuck in the modality of automatism and stimulus response, however in faith we are "with god" and beyond the confines of stimulus response.
