Why do we have Consciousness?

This will be my last post on this cite, as this blog is moving to http://archgeof.weebly.com/ where I will give semiweekly posts. The question I will end on is what is the purpose of being aware of the world around us and in our own mind? If you ask an evolutionary theorist, they will tell you it enhances our survival chances. If you ask a Christian thinker, they will tell you it is so you can be a witness to God's wonderful plan. If you ask a Buddhist, they will tell you not to fret, but rather to try to free yourself from such distractions. The answer I would like to give is similar to the Buddhist, it is not important, what matters is how we use are experience to improve our world and the world(s) around us. But, this topic is not about how to use it properly, but what is it for.

The universe is made of energy and that clumps into matter, so we are aggregates of matter and energy located in space and time. That is what we are, but what are we doing experiencing and thinking. There must have been that first being who said, "Hey I have a thought." Then that creature must have wondered what was going on. We began using this thought for whatever purpose it sought fit. Apparently most used it for a survival advantage, the ones who didn't might have been selected out. Then man began wondering, "How should I treat others who think," and ethics was born. Some used this to manipulate others, others used it to work with others, and still others used it to search deeper into reality for answers. The first ones we called evil, the second good, and the last sages/mad.

I think the answer that comes to what is the purpose of having conscious thought is that it is to be able to determine your motivation for acting and thus giving yourself purpose. In other words, the purpose of awareness is to create purpose. As thought becomes more advanced, we will become more adept at harnessing its powers and reaping its rewards. We should be careful and take the Bodhisattva pledge to not forget the welfare of even one being, so that no rewards come at the expense of another. In other words consciousness arose somehow, it drives purpose and it is a power we possess. Even though it is interesting how it arose, this satisfies a mere curiosity, it is what we do with it that matters in the end.