Arghes

Consciousness, the ability to juxtapose all qualities of the human mind into a singular thought process. As conscious beings, we are able to reflect upon ourselves. We are able to study our senses, introspect our emotions, and understand the very nature of our lives. Rene Descartes, an existentialist philospher during the 15th century, once wrote "I think, therefore I am." This quote stated quite plainly that if one being should think, it must exist, for it is able to have active thought. If one should have deactivated thought, or non-controlable thought during unconsciousness (with the exeption of Dream Lucidity, which is just the use of the imagination on a particular dream), then it is logical that active thought may be connected to consciousness. If all consciousness is active thought, then it's metaphysically possible we are all nothing but thoughts trapped inside a complex system of neurons, electrical charges, and chemical responses. If consciousness is the transmission of active thought throughout the brain, then that is exactly what we are composed of, thought. Thought though is only one sub-division of the actual mind. Without thought, one should not exist because one cannot know one exists, or know anything else exists. Other conscious beings may be able to find this unconscious, inanimate object and exclaim that this very being does physically exist before their eyes. But that being, within itself, is only physically existant based on theory. But based on theory, a rock also can physically exist. It is the science and phenomenon of thought that lets one exist in time and space. It is the chemical and electrical charges that stimulate awareness, emotion, and the thinking process in the conscious being, which allows it to exist.Thinking beings are drawn to the conclusion that time is just a myriad of choices, each one having in itself a definite consequence on one's existance.This conclusion is drawn from the fact that because each conscious being is able to produce thought, our thoughts then act upon the choices presented to us, or created by us. Hence, thought allows each conscious individual to self evaluate and make a free-willed decision. No creature able to reflect upon one's self can survive without the six conscious and unconscious features of the mind. These six features are perception, imagination, memory, emotion, will, and thought. Perception is the achievement of understanding the stimulus and material around us. Not understanding in the sense of knowing where the material came from, or what the material does, but knowing that it exists before our eyes. Perception is created from the senses and how the events in our surroundings effect these senses. When affected, our mind switches to this mode of consciousness, becoming aware of the material world around us and understanding what can be heard, felt, tasted, smelt and most believably, what can be seen. Humans in particular, when it comes to believing, are most intrigued and more believing in things they can clearly see and understand. Perception is formed on the basis that everything our senses transmit to the brain must exist (with the exeption of imaginary conjurations which occur from within the mind, and not from the outside enviroment). If not, then some oddity within the ebb of the universe, or our natural ways on this planet, has been affected by some outside force not in concurrence with the planet. If perception is misguided, or disheveled, it can always be brought back onto the path of reason. Perception is only affected directly within the individual and the senses used to acquire such a perception through the mind. If perception is questioned, such as it is in the study of metaphysics, then research can be done to try and prove some parallel universe. Brought down to the most basic of instincts, what we perceive is what we sense with our five senses and is irrefutably existant. Imagination is the creation of an image concieved completely from the mind that is neither thought of as real or present by the senses. Imagination is what has been thought to make the human species uniquely different from every other species on the planet. We are able to become innovative and imagine anything within a limit of what we actually know. Imagination does not need to obey the laws of reason. Humans desire truth and logic, with this we have within our minds the realistic portion. The opposite of this is the unrealistic portion, the abstract frame of the mind. With this we can juxtapose both logic and absurdity into a mix of ideas and objects humans can create. Using one's imagination is instantaneous, it is the actual creation of an image, whether desired or sought, that has some perceptible delay. Imagination is accompanied by originality, abstract ideas, and perhaps a form of genius. The imagination has seperated the minds of higher level thinking animals from the lower level species. With imagination we have the ability to deal and confront reality with the creative mental powers of the mind. Memory is the encoded data of all the information in a being's span of life, within retrievable amounts, that is stored in the mind. Memory is associated directly with learning and the past, which both produce memories. Not much is known on the creation of memories except for that they begin to take shape in the form of neuron networks. These neuron networks form in a part of the brain called the Hippocampus. After completion of the neuron networks, the memories move to the Neocortex. After establishing itself within the Neocortex, new passages may form along the neurons to provide faster retrieval time for the individual. Memory is another quality directly associated with consciousness because of it's immense value. Memory allows conscious beings to remember past events, and try and predict the future. It allows beings to make mistakes, not only to recieve consequence from them, but to learn from them. Memory connects the past to the present. It creates the ability to observe one's own improvement or degredation, and learn from either. Memory at times though can be misguided. If an individual lies enough times, to any other being, or just to itself, that individual will begin to believe it's own lie. Memory is easily manipulated, however, it is also easily restored. Memory is a most beneficiary development within the mind, and allows all conscious beings to evolve through learning and remembering. Emotion is the spontaneous rising, rather than conscious effort, of a certain feeling transmited through the mind. It is the chemical action involving hormones and other chemicals that produce "feelings" within our body. Pleasure, indifference, and displeasure are the three main feelings that all other feelings branch off from. Hedonism is a common factor for every animal, for it is the drive for pleasure which allows us to survive. A wolf eating it's prey finds pleasure, not only to gain energy, but so that the wolf will want to feast again. This is the animal instinct for survival. Humans, being animals, also have have these hedonistic ways of surviving. Indifference comes comes from not feeling any emotion for any event taken place. A forest can burn, and someone not sympathizing can be considered indifferent. Displeasure seems to be the largest emotion humans in particular feel. Whether it be from our own nature, or exuding from the individuals around us, displeasure comes in many different forms. When a conscious being feels displeasure, according to the behavior of that being, it will react in a number of different ways. Emotions are large contributors to the consciousness of a being, allowing it to introspect itself and evaluate which actions cause such emotional reactions. Emotion, scientifically, is the state of any mental activity relating directly to the chemical relay within the brain. Emotion, relating to the human feelings, is any one of the three main branches of emotion that an individual has spontaneously and simultaneously throughtout the span of life.