It means being aware of ourselves as thinking beings, knowing what we are doing and why. Certainly in being conscious we are aware of what we are thinking, feeling, and doing. When you enter a rage you lose most of your control and mental capacity. Your knowledge of what you are doing, and why, is temporarily suspended due to the intensity of your emotional outpouring. Also, when from any cause you are not fully conscious, you become dangerous to yourself and others.
History is full of cases where people of diminished consciousness have made tremendous errors.
How important it is to be conscious. The heroes of our world are usually especially conscious. Whether it's a halfback rescuing a touchdown pass while surrounded by opponents, or a surgeon deftly removing a cancer, humanity applauds intensely conscious people. Instead, you hire or prefer to work only with people who are able to be particularly aware. A surgeon at work is a particularly vivid example of near superhuman conscious activity.