If you pay attention to your senses, you’ll notice that they are always ‘on’.
Hearing, sight, touch, taste, smell … constantly wide open and actively receiving input from the ‘external’ world, which your brain then interprets and makes decisions about.
Is this consciousness? I’m not sure that the senses define consciousness, but it’s part of the equation.
You see, even when your senses are ‘running in the background’, meaning that you’re not consciously thinking about the sound of those birds chirping, you are hearing them.
Our nervous systems are always paying attention.
Kind of like how kids are sponges soaking everything up – every cue, every tone, every movement.
You are too. It’s just that you’re more familiar with patterns and recognize which ones you can ignore more quickly.
The Healthy Path 