What is Consciousness?

No matter how you look at the world, it’s clear there’s life here. Life seems to be rare in the universe, but it’s abundant here. It’s hard for us to imagine a world without life because imagination requires consciousness and consciousness seems to require life. Can a star be conscious? Well, maybe. I suppose I don’t know whether consciousness requires life but I can say that life is, in some way, a conduit for consciousness.

You are conscious. So am I. So are trees, fungi, beetles, and dogs, but in different ways than us. Plenty of people don’t think that’s true, but just ask any indigenous culture. There’s reverence for creation because creation is what we are–we are part of the world, not separate from it. Everything in us, from our bones to our brains, comes from the earth. Where consciousness or the soul comes from is unknown, but we came from the living things of earth, and living things have consciousness. Monkeys are conscious of how their behaviors affect their place in the social hierarchy. Plants bends towards sunlight instead of shade. Scientific materialism can’t explain how indigenous elders communicate with trees, so they say it isn’t possible. Do you believe them?

We come from the earth. We are the sum total of all our ancestors put together, including the ones who weren’t conscious (like, our single-celled relatives of 4 billion years ago). Does life beget consciousness? What about complex life? Is there a certain anatomical feature that generates consciousness, like the hind part of our brainstem, or our occipital lobe, or is consciousness merely electrical impulses interacting with organic life forms?

I have only a lifetime to ask and reflect on these questions, no answers. The known is overrated. The world is far bigger than our minds can imagine–but why not at least try?

Levels of Consciousness

If you look at the world it seems like human beings have won. They seem to be far more effective at surviving and thriving than any other complex life form. Humanity has spread across the globe and figured out how to live. They have conquered Earth; they are the champions of creation.

Humans are a unique kind of animal. That’s a given. But generally they also consider themselves on top (or at least close to the top, if spiritual beings are factored in) of the consciousness hierarchy in the living world. If you look at the premise of Reincarnation, souls climb up this hierarchy if they live good lives. From rocks to plants to animals to the most intelligent animal, humans.

But humans also have a lot of problems. They’re greedy, lustful, and vengeful. They deplete and destroy resources until only pollution is left. Not to mention the mental anguish of being a person: stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, heartbreak, and so on. Humans have existed for a while. They’e all but conquered the world. But most of them are deeply unhappy. They search for happiness in all the wrong places and are never satisfied.

A lot of other beings on Earth seems to be more satisfied than people. Trees are content growing and then being repurposed for tables and chairs. Herbs are content blossoming and being eaten. Indeed, the classic human definition for an “enlightened” person (stoic, unfazed, peaceful) sounds a lot like how plants live. They aren’t trying to change the world around them. They grow and do their best to provide shade.

Maybe humans have the hierarchy of consciousness backwards.

Your Body

Have you ever though about what your skull looks like? What about your small intestine? Have you considered that your heart is keeping you alive, but you’ll never see it working? Don’t forget your brain—how it sends neural impulses at speeds of 150 miles per hour…and how we can send humans into outer space but we don’t fully understand how it works.

Some scientists tell us we have around 37 trillion cells in our body. That number is almost unbelievable. Not only that, but each of those 37 trillion cells has a purpose. Cells work with their neighboring cells to make up tissues, and different tissues work together to form complex communication and support systems throughout the body. This leads to an organism.

Trillions of things have to happen for you to read this post right now. The fact that you can read is preposterous. Most of us take these things for granted. Really, we are living miracles made up of particles. Maybe treating one another as miracles would be a good step forward.