“Our consciousness leads us to becoming self-aware, which is truly an incredible journey.”
Science has delivered many propositions and contributions toward identifying human values. It discusses human relations, emotions, the cause-and-effect principle, and the philosophy of happiness and suffering. These scientific principles apply to life events in which humans exist or their brains. However, there is an urgent need for greater consciousness awareness. This is a critical factor in understanding human behaviour and decision-making, and its current lack underscores the need for further exploration and understanding.
Behavioural science, a pivotal branch of science, is dedicated to unravelling the complexities of human behaviour. Through rigorous experimentation, it illuminates and underscores the profound impacts of conscious thoughts, habits, and social influences. The field’s theories and concepts offer predictive and explanatory power in diverse behavioural scenarios. Behavioural scientists are committed to deciphering the mysteries of human decision-making, even when it appears to contradict their long-term well-being. Their scrutiny of the influence of various incentives on motivation and behaviour and their dissection of our processes of assessing the traits and characteristics of others instils confidence in the scientific method.
When we talk about scientific advancement in understanding human behaviour, its values, and the cause of every facet of human existence via body, mind and consciousness, it raises a broader question to humans: Have Humans themselves been given the possibility to understand their behaviour, the habits, the emotions, the mind clutters, the thoughts coming and going and the how consciously the human choice something over other, or unconsciously determines the choices in his daily life events, that has created his destiny towards future, to the advancement of his life journey, How does the life affect those unconscious choices, or decision or the approach toward life is not realised the truth of his fundamental human nature?
When we talk about consciousness, we often refer to making a conscious or unconscious choice. In its literal terms, consciousness defines being aware and responsive to one’s surroundings. Humans and animals may be regarded as conscious beings in several senses. First, they are sentient beings who can sense and respond to their world. Second, wakefulness is the capacity to be awake and usually alert. Third, the most important thing is to be aware of not only conscious creatures but also aware that they are aware, thus treating creature consciousness as self-consciousness. The first two, the conscious being and being wakeful, are qualities of humans and animals as conscious beings. According to Buddhist philosophy and scientific disagreement, plants are considered non-sentient beings. Self-consciousness applies only to humans because only human consciousness can be wise, Vivek, and conscious. This emphasis on self-consciousness enlightens us about its profound role in our behaviour.
Another point of human consciousness, in a particular situation when a human is not awake or alert, is the state of sleep. Or an example where the patient anaesthetically went into sleep or coma. In these states of deep sleep, consciousness doesn’t be helpful. It is contrary to the very nature of consciousness regarding wakefulness. So, while awake, alert, and aware, humans have conscious minds and thoughts and can use their wisdom, Vivek. Self-consciousness allows humans to behave towards other sentient and non-sentient human beings with choice. How can sentient and non-sentient beings have the potential to discriminate and use their consciousness? A person who knows that an animal has the same cognitive system, the ability to feel and respond to the situation, still treats him as if it doesn’t affect the animal. The treatment was so harsh on animals that more than half of the world’s population became an animal eater. No one wants to care about the feelings of those animals because we have used the full potential of our consciousness.
As intelligent beings, we often believe we know everything about ourselves. However, scientific theories about human behaviour can only take us so far. We may have acquired a knowledge of the world, but we still need to gain an understanding of ourselves. Animal existence is Unconscious, but human existence is a Mind phenomenon. We are not fully conscious of the things happening in the world or within us. The more we move towards being mindful of our consciousness, the more we enhance the quality of our mind, thoughts, and intellect.
Consciousness is the quality of mind, and awareness is gaining total wisdom. So, as we move from unaware existence, that is matter. We move towards understanding. Consciousness means witnessing. Witnessing the thoughts, the mind, the body, the senses, the world around us, and the very nature of our consciousness allows us to become aware and make conscious acts towards ourselves and other beings, irrespective of their sentience. Once that is achieved, you will be one step closer to awareness, and the more awareness you become of yourself, the more you move towards attaining total awareness, the knowledge of Atman. We can call it divine, but remember, the difference is in consciousness between matter, Prakriti, and the divine.