The Unity in Separation

I have always been able to identify the consequences of self awareness much easier than the rewards; the objective knowledge that I am alone, that we are all alone, and that we all die alone. Never a believer in consequence without reward, I always assumed the rewards of self awareness were technology, or other intellectual advancements, things that "better" or prolong our lives, repair us when we’re broken, or entertain us when we’re bored. But all of these rewards are for a different system, with it’s own consequences, and the rewards of self awareness are in fact much simpler.

The irony of it hit me tonight, and just about knocked me over the way such hidden yet obvious pieces of perspective seem to do when they come along. The objective awareness that we are all alone, when elevated, simply means that we are all alone together. Being able to step outside of oneself, the ironic fundamental aspect of self awareness, we are able to realize that other people, while separate, feel much the same. Objectively we are not alone at all. We are allowed to empathize with others, to share in their joys and pains, be it a neighbor or friend, a fictional character on a screen, or a person long dead who’s mind managed to make the arduous journey through time via personal documentation and preservation. Creatures who are not self aware can not do this. The lion knows not of it’s own eventual demise, but it also knows not the lioness, or even it’s offspring. By failing to understand that he is alone, he becomes just that, incapable of sharing in the plights of his brethren.