I am me

Lohbado enjoyed contemplating self-consciousness. Everyone has a sense of being somebody, a sense of being me. I am me. One is a subject in a world of objects and other people. One is born into a world. The world will continue after one dies. One's consciousness of being somebody lasts a lifetime, even as many changes occur. Whether one is ten years old or sixty, one still feels "I am me."

Lobhado thought of this consciousness as being similar to a variable X. Let X = me. X exists in relation to a river of thought, a flow of sensations, the cycle of seasons, impermanence, change. X is not some single fixed material entity. It's an invisible process, in the mind. The mind thinks I am me. But Me can't be seen, unless one identifies Me with the body.

One can't see thoughts. One can't see emotions, only the expression of emotion. X involves an illusion of being at the centre of things. X is of utmost importance. X is concerned about maintaining the health and wellbeing of one's body/mind continuum. When a group of Xs get together, there's often conflict, as each X feels it is more important or special by virtue of being X. The most extraordinary thing about me is I am me. There's only one me. Once I'm dead, this me will no longer exist, unless one dreams about me or X existing independently of a body. Lohbado was unable to imagine how X could be without a body. Thoughts generally swirl around the reference point of the body. One's consciousness is intertwined with embodiment.