Chris Milne Writes: Poetry, Philosophy and Essays

Written Approx.: January 2021

What is the essence of consciousness?
Not all forms, the rarer kind?
For consciousness exists everywhere freedom exists:
Freedom to control, to choose.

The rarer kind is the centrality of focus.
What is the essence of self-consciousness?
For this power, seemingly only found in humans, 
Must have importance; for we are apex.

What differs it from regular consciousness?
Awareness of one’s self: I am.
Descartes “I think, therefore I am”
Captures the essential difference.

We humans know.
Animals, who lack self-consciousness,
Act based on instinct.
They intuit, they feel the best plan of action.

But we humans can verify. 
With communication, memory, and language;
We have gained the power to know things;
To have ideas match up correctly with reality.

But is the ability to know,
Self-consciousnesses essence?
It is not; why?
For knowledge is only a part.

What does knowledge do for us?
It helps us make better decisions.
The more you know, the better idea’s you have.
The better decisions you are able to make.

But what about self-knowledge?
Self-knowledge is close.
But still too cold.
To be our essence, we want to hold.

Self-consciousness makes us aware.
Aware of our own ability.
An animal knows not what it can do:
It does.


Humans know our limits,
We know our weakness:
The truest, most dreadful curse of our species.
And of self-consciousness. 

With the ability to know what we can do,
We can take responsibility.
We can say: “I can fix this.”
“I can make this better”.

With knowledge, we can correct the ills of nature.
We can cure, heal, rebuild, repair.
But we only take care of, what we take responsibility for.
And that is the essence of self-consciousness.

We gained the ability to use intentionality;
Combined with language;
To choose to take care of things.
To choose to be responsible. 

Responsibility is the essence of self-consciousness.
For that power; is to say, and mean, and know, what is ours; 
It is what makes us apex,
Makes us powerful.

We learn that we are weak,
That coldness can kill.
That we would be better if we had.
We learned about the future.

And that we could change it!!
How wonderful is that?
What species can do the same,
Yet this is what makes us insane.

For we constantly judge the now,
To the then.
For though we learned about the future;
Sometimes our imagination is too free.

But alas, I digress.
Responsibility, therefore, is our power.
Our human power to affect the world:
To make it better.

It is, therefore, the step forward.
The step to the better future,
Is found in one single idea:
What are you responsible for?

For if you are responsible for nothing,
The future is up to chance.
You are helpless;
You therefore, achieve nothing.

But if you are responsible;
For say your family, at least.
Then it is up to you; it is your fault,
If things go wrong.

To make a better future;
A world with more harmony,
More equal wealth,
And healthier and happier humans;

We must decide one thing:
Who is responsible for it?
Is it my job, to make the world better?
Is it my job, to care about you, nature, life?

For when humans finally realize;
That we contain great power;
And that we can change the world so rapidly, 
And so greatly.

We will finally understand,
This simple dictum:
The world is what you make it.