Consciousness is the State of Mind of a waking individual.

Consciousness is the normal waking state.

Consciousness allows us to perceive and interact with the world around us.

Consciousness is part of our environment. It is one of the parts of our environment that is "in" us.

One's consciousness can be altered in many ways, such as:

a.emotion (ie fear, anger)

b.mental health

c.drugs

d.sleep deprivation / fatigue

e.lack of consciousness

f.misperception

g.deception

h.distraction

i.deprivation or over abundance of stimuli

j.stress (either mental or physical)

k.physical injury or sickness (eg - loss of blood, adrenaline, disease, etc...)

Altering one's consciousness can also alter one's ability to interact with their environment. The ability to interact with one's environment can be heightened, diminished, or completely removed. And as such, alter one's ability to execute offensive and/or defensive maneuvers.

Individuals have varying abilities to control their consciousness. Some factors that control consciousness are:

a.attitude

b.self-control

c.attention

d.degree of commitment to purpose

e.maturity

f.mental speed