Yet another way to describe the apparent goal of activity such as this would be to go beyond calling it the attempt to "understand the nature of the mind," or the attempt to "know yourself," and move on to the purpose of comprehending the nature of the mechanics in us that produces a sense of there being a "self"....a self which has a mind....a self which we seek to know.

One minute "we" (our "self") is our digestion--is what we ate--and the next minute "we" (our "self") is based on some momentary neural response to a fright just experienced--while at yet another instant, our sense of ourself is tied to a passing memory, or arises from the flu we've just contracted.

Nervous system consciousness seems constructed not only to help direct our responses to our external and internal environments and thus, at least indirectly, help us define to ourselves "who we are"--as distinct from our environment. In addition, the nervous system also seems to use consciousness as a means to keep certain inherent aspects of ourselves from ourselves. It employs the mind (the function by which we "know") to keep us from fully knowing--what we are.

Further note (still considering this model), as regards the idea of changing your state of conciousness: What we have historically referred to as "being asleep" is a condition in which your mind wanders from you--which lessens the chance of it focusing on you--and thus reduces the possibility of you gaining any real knowledge of what you are. Ergo, from an ordinary view, the more you "sleep," the greater is your level of comfort with ordinary life.

Or: The Less You Know About You, The Better.

Previous Disquiet