awakening

[moonawakening444]

beyond the self mind

knowing and not knowing 

self and Being 

learning to not know

relating differently to beliefs

we are culture

the cost of our assumptions 

learning vs knowing 

authentic experience, honesty, grounded openness, questioning

creating a conceptual world

what is a concept

concepts dominate our perceptions

our need to know level of consciousness 

mistaking the uncognized mind for the real Self

what is your self and what is being

am i a noun or a verb

doing vs being

the self identity reinforces itself

inventing personalized worlds

freedom from assumptions

self doubt

feeling trapped

suffering 

struggle

being as unknown 

contemplation 

contemplating the uncognized mind 

the nature of emotion 

fear

anger

desire

pain 

the distinction of distinction

distinctions and existence

life in the loop

 the myth of real self

mandatory misrepresentation 

living as a false self

two domains of survival: physical and conceptual 

surviving as a self

beyond happiness and suffering

perceiving something for itself

for itself vs as itself

experiencing the Truth is not the purpose of self survival 

changing from reaction to experience

changing context changes effects

getting free from our need to believe

meaning doesn´t mean anything

the possibility of direct Consciousness 

[moonawakening444]

if aliens exist and we´re just not conscious of them existing 

imagine the things we could learn

all the different ways of exploring Consciousness

[moonawakening444]

"you are the Universe moving around in a human body"

life feels very mystical these days

"The mystical is not how the world is, but that it is."

Edited April 10 by moonawakening444

[moonawakening444]

life is happening 

it´s enough to fuck my mind 

realizing everything around me....

there are no words.

i still try to articulate it though 

it´s enough!

 

[moonawakening444]

"now is not a moment...

 Now is eternity"

[moonawakening444]

YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!

try to locate your suffering in the physical world....

Edited Thursday at 07:15 AM by moonawakening444

[moonawakening444]

will there be music in the after life? 

what´s the only thing that truly matters in this life? 

what is control? 

Edited yesterday at 06:34 AM by moonawakening444

[moonawakening444]

i love being human 

who knows....

i might never get the chance to experience Reality as me again 

so i just want to enjoy it while it lasts 

it´s crazy and fascinating to think that when this ends i will stop being me 

[moonawakening444]

What is the difference between belief and knowledge?

Can we truly know anything with certainty?

Where does knowledge come from—experience, reason, or both?

What makes a belief justified or reliable?

-----

Empiricism → knowledge comes from sensory experience (what you see, hear, etc.)

Rationalism → knowledge comes from reason and logic

Skepticism → questions whether we can truly know anything at all

-----

Science asks: What is true about the world?

Epistemology asks: How do we know those truths are actually true?

[moonawakening444]

Epistemology → how we know things

Etymology → where words come from

-----

“How do I know this word’s origin is accurate?”

-----

What’s the source of this definition? (dictionary, academic source, random site?)

Is there consensus or disagreement?

Has the meaning changed over time?

Am I interpreting it correctly, or oversimplifying?

-----

When analyzing a word:

Break it down (etymology)

Check sources (epistemology)

Compare meanings over time

Question your assumptions

-----

Etymology tells you where a word comes from—
Epistemology helps you judge whether your understanding of that origin is actually reliable.

[moonawakening444]

1. Etymology (origin of the word)

The word consciousness comes from Latin:

con → with, together

scire → to know

It formed conscientia, meaning:
 “knowing with” or “shared knowledge”

Originally, this had a sense closer to:

being aware with yourself

or even knowing something together with others (like shared awareness or moral awareness—what later becomes “conscience”)

Over time, in English, consciousness evolved to mean:
- awareness of your own thoughts, feelings, and existence

[moonawakening444]

2. Evolution of meaning

This is where people often oversimplify.

Even though the roots suggest “knowing with,” modern consciousness is used in several different ways:

Basic awareness → being awake vs unconscious

Self-awareness → awareness of yourself as a subject

Phenomenal experience → what it feels like to experience something

So the original root ≠ full modern meaning.

[moonawakening444]

3. Epistemological step (how do we know what it really means?)

Now we question the knowledge:

a) Source reliability

Are we getting this from:

historical linguistics? (more reliable)

or a simplified internet breakdown? (often incomplete)

b) Concept vs word problem

Here’s the key insight:

-The word “consciousness” has an origin
- But the experience of consciousness is much harder to define or verify

This is where epistemology gets deep.

[moonawakening444]

4. The epistemological challenge of “consciousness”

Unlike something concrete (like “tree”), consciousness raises questions like:

How do I know I am conscious?

Can I prove that other people are conscious?

Is consciousness something physical, or something beyond measurement?

Philosophers like René Descartes approached this by saying:
 “I think, therefore I am” — consciousness is the one thing you can’t doubt

[moonawakening444]

5. Putting it all together

When you analyze “consciousness” properly:

Etymology → “knowing with” (Latin roots)

Modern meaning → awareness, experience, subjectivity

Epistemology → questions whether and how we can truly understand or verify it

This word is a great example of why your approach matters:

If you only use etymology, you might say:
👉 “Consciousness just means knowing with”

But epistemology pushes you further:
👉 “Is that actually what we experience? How do we know what consciousness really is?”

[moonawakening444]

1. Physicalism (consciousness = brain activity)

Consciousness is produced by the brain—like a process or output.

The brain does something complex enough → consciousness appears

2. Dualism (mind ≠ body)

Consciousness is not physical—it’s a different kind of substance.

Body = physical

Mind = non-physical

3. Idealism (consciousness is fundamental)

Consciousness is not produced by the brain
The brain exists within consciousness

Reality itself is mental or experiential at its base.

Solves the “hard problem” by making consciousness primary

Aligns with the idea that all experience happens within awareness

4. Panpsychism (consciousness is everywhere)

Consciousness exists in all matter, even at basic levels.

Not that rocks think—but they may have primitive experience

Complex consciousness (like humans) = combinations of simpler forms

Avoids the “sudden emergence” problem

Takes subjective experience seriously

Problem: How do tiny bits of consciousness combine into a unified mind?

5. Epistemology comes back in

Here’s where your original question becomes powerful again:

We are trying to study consciousness using… consciousness itself.

That creates a loop.

So epistemology asks:

Are we limited by our own perspective?

Can we ever observe consciousness objectively?

Is subjective experience a valid form of knowledge?

6. The honest conclusion

Right now, none of these fully “wins.”

Science explains mechanisms well

Philosophy explores meaning and limits

But the essence of consciousness is still unresolved

7. A thought to sit with

No matter which theory is true:

👉 Everything you’ve ever experienced—including this conversation—exists within your consciousness

That’s the one thing you can’t step outside of to verify.