We Are All One (Consciousness)

Well all right then. First off I'd like to say that I come from a heritage of both pagan and taoist beliefs, in which this idea, in some shape or another, is a central concept, so I've been having this discussion for a while. Unfortunately, though, I don't believe the conclusions I've drawn will make as much headway as you hope. Skipping to the end, a "Very hard thing to prove of course, because we can't even know if each other really exist" pretty much sums up my opinion on the matter. I fully acknowledge that I have no idea what the answer to this, nor do I think I'm capable of coming up with one. It's one of those things that really just can't be proven given our current circumstances. But we can try. "At the root source we are all linked" I generally agree with the theories that provide for these origins, that life stemmed from a common ancestor and matter taken in the shape we can observe probably originated from a single event, however there's an incorrect conclusion being drawn there. A single point of origin does not imply that all descendants are the same thing. "Intrinsically same at the root source" is a bit of a confusing statement, because at the root source, a common ancestor, there is only one item in the set, so it would be the same as itself, which I suppose is true, but then, "we" are not that common ancestor, so to say that we are intrinsically the same at the root source is somewhat like saying, "We are the same because we come from something that's the same as itself." The thing is here that we are related to and descended from the 'root source' but we are not the source itself. From the perspective of the inherent wholeness you're suggesting, the leaves on a tree are not the same as the seed from which the tree sprouted both physically and chronologically, even if they are, holistically, the same tree. Otherwise I accept those premises. As for the second portion, I see two arguments being, one, "As humans we feel split from others because we all perceive the world through a different mind," and two, "Much like atoms are the building blocks that connect all physicality, this inner space of awareness could be the foundation of all minds." Neither of these, to me, seem to be addressing the topic that "We are all one." You talk later about different techniques one can use to "observe, rather than engage" one's mental activity. You postulate that the mind, or more specifically the conscious mind, is a tangible entity that can be observed under the correct circumstances, and this tangible mind is what gives us our distinct, individual identities. This is important to the topic, but isn't actually supporting it as it is. Suggesting that consciousness is tangible doesn't suggest that all tangible consciousness is a singular thing. Similarly, "Split from others because we all perceive the world through a different mind" seems to actually contradict the topic, if we all perceive the world from a different mind, then how can we all share a single mind? I do think where you're going with it is important, but it needs elaboration and connection to the original premise of a shared consciousness. With the "inner space of awareness", the issue is the same as the first. There could very easily be something, physical or immaterial, that serves as the functional element of consciousness, I personally wouldn't be surprised if this was the case, however, that still does not imply a single consciousness. The entire universe as we know it may be made out of atoms, but there isn't just one atom. Even if two atoms, say of Hydrogen, were physically identical, there would still be two distinct Hydrogen atoms. The same would apply here. Even if all consciousness was made of the same source, the consciousness themselves are still distinct. Now, some other food for thought, before we can know if consciousness is shared, we need to have a clear idea of what consciousness is. This, unfortunately, is where the discussion breaks down, because as far as we know it's impossible to answer that question. If a consciousness is the sum of one's memories, then it's impossible that it's shared, because memories are infinitely unique. If consciousness is simply awareness, then that raises further questions. What are the bounds of awareness? If it's something that occurs perpetually in the moment, then what happens when you sleep? Or blink? Or lose your train of thought? How can a consciousness be universal if we can't even figure out when consciousness is present? If, on the opposite hand, it is a universal, what causes the divide? If we are both one mind, why am I not you? How do I know I'm not you? How do I know I'm a single me, rather than a collective of different mes that make up what I consider my conscious identity?