Unity and interconnectedness: Difference between revisions

There are a total of 5 distinct levels of identity which a person can experience during this state. These various altered states of unity have been arranged into a leveling system that orders its different states from least to the most number of concepts that one's identity is currently attributed to. These levels are described below:

At the lowest level, this effect can be described as a perceived sense of unity between two or more systems within the external environment which in everyday life are usually perceived as separate from each other. This is the least complex level of unity, as it is the only level of interconnectedness in which the subjective experience of unity does not involve a state of interconnectedness between the self and the external.  

There are an endless number of ways in which this level can manifest, but common examples of the experience often include:

* A sense of unity between specific living things such as animals or plants and their surrounding ecosystems.

* A sense of unity between other human beings and the objects they are currently interacting with.

* A sense of unity between humanity and nature.

* A sense of unity between literally any combination of perceivable external systems and concepts.

At this level, unity can be described as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to (in addition to the body and/or brain) specific external systems or concepts within the immediate environment, particularly those that would usually be considered as intrinsically separate from one's own being.  

The experience itself is often described as a loss of perceived boundaries between a person’s identity and the specific physical systems or concepts within the perceivable external environment which are currently the subject of a person's attention. This creates a sensation of becoming inextricably "connected to", "one with", "the same as", or "unified" with whatever the perceived external system happens to be.  

There are an endless number of ways in which this level can manifest itself, but common examples of the experience often include:

* Becoming unified with and identifying with a specific object one is interacting with.

* Becoming unified with and identifying with another person or multiple people, particularly common if engaging in sexual or romantic activities.

* Becoming unified with and identifying with the entirety of one's own physical body.

* Becoming unified with and identifying with large crowds of people, particularly common at raves and music festivals.

* Becoming unified with and identifying with the external environment, but not the people within it.

At this level, unity can be described as feeling as if one's identity is attributed to the entirety of their immediately perceivable external environment due to a loss of perceived boundaries between the previously separate systems.  

The effect creates a sensation in the person that they have become "one with their surroundings.” This is felt to be the result of a person’s sense of self becoming attributed to not just primarily the internal narrative of the ego, but in equal measure to the body itself and everything around it which it is physically perceiving through the senses. It creates the compelling perspective that one is the external environment experiencing itself through a specific point within it, namely the physical sensory perceptions of the body that one's consciousness is currently residing in.

It is at this point that a key component of the high-level unity experience becomes an extremely noticeable factor. Once a person's sense of self has become attributed to the entirety of their surroundings, this new perspective completely changes how it feels to physically interact with what was previously felt to be an external environment. For example, when one is not in this state and is interacting with a physical object, it typically feels as though one is a central agent acting on the separate world around them. However, while undergoing a state of unity with the currently perceivable environment, interacting with an external object consistently feels as if the whole unified system is autonomously acting on itself with no central, separate agent operating the process of interaction. Instead, the process suddenly feels as if it has become completely decentralized and holistic, as the environment begins to autonomously and harmoniously respond to itself in a predetermined manner to perform the interaction carried out by the individual.

At the highest level, this effect can be described as feeling as if one's identity is simultaneously attributed to the entirety of the immediately perceivable external environment and all known concepts that exist outside of it. These known concepts typically include all of humanity, nature, and the universe as it presently stands in its complete entirety. This feeling is commonly interpreted by people as "becoming one with the universe".

* The subjective perspective that one, by nature of being the universe, is personally responsible for the [[feelings of self-design|design]], planning, and implementation of every single specific detail and plot element of one's personal life, the history of humanity, and the entirety of the universe. This naturally includes personal responsibility for all humanity's sufferings and flaws but also includes its acts of love and achievements.</onlyinclude>

*'''[[wikipedia:Egolessness|Egolessness]]''' is a documented emotional state within psychology where one feels no ego, or self, and no distinct sense of self apart from the world around oneself. This is often described as feelings of oneness and being inextricably woven to the fabric of one’s surroundings or environment.

==External links==

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nondualism Nondualism (Wikipedia)]

*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panpsychism Panpsychism (Wikipedia)]