Impressions of being under observation.

Yeah, thats what it was like for me too. My dreams used to run like movies. Not any more though, no free films for me

Hi kakariki and Welcome to EvC! Interesting you say this. I am naturally very selfish and have to make an effort not to be. I wonder whether this trait of mine conflicts with my perception of what is appropriate in society?

Schraf likes to call it your conscience.I disagree. I can tell the difference between my conscience, and God most of the time. Usually God is your first impression, then your conscience takes over.When your doing stuff, and your mind is occupied by the task at hand, your mind is clear, and God can come through. It's when you stop the task, and then say wtf? was that feeling I had, and then justify it away.I guess you could start asking yourself, or start praying to God, to reveal to you why you feel this way.It could be something from your childhood, or your upbringing that makes you feel like that. If your asking God, and He reveals that to you, it may possibly be something you need to be released from. I pray a prayer of "good enough" over you right now.Or you could relate it to God, in the sense that, the bible teaches us that we were created to worship God. We do this in spirit and truth. We are also to do things to God to the best of our abilities.
This feeling you have of being watched may be a gift from God, in that you strive for excellence. Not everyone is like that. God created you for that, and he is always looking over your shoulder, to see how your doing with it. Maybe one day you'll look back and say, how's that? That's how we give glory to God.It would seem we are born with a sense of "something more". People who don't believe in God, will say it's just because there is more. Other's will think it's God. To me, that is our free will, deciding if it's God or not.So it's not a fact that I can tell you about, it's your choice.What leads me to this? Why God of course, He's the one who calls us, and looks over our shoulders.

If you believe in ethical egoism, then you'd probably say that it doesn't. And everyone's selfish to some degree, but you're also naturally altruistic. People who argue otherwise usually run into a few contradictions. At any rate, this is going off topic so I'll stop here.

Thank you for the welcome Larni!Going by what has been said on this thread, I think that this is a blend of both conscience and self consciousness at play. That feeling of being watched could be attributed to the latter and then your conscience telling you that you can't cut corners when people are watching...

No worries Kakariki, (what colour are you, yellow red or orange?)I've always thought of conscience as a sub conscious perception of risk to self and subsequent rumination about said risk and self consciousness as basically performance anxiety so I reckon you could have it right there.It certainly seems more reasonable than a supernatural entity.

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(what colour are you, yellow red or orange?)

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I think I'll go for orange, because they need the numbers!

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I've always thought of conscience as a sub conscious perception of risk to self and subsequent rumination about said risk and self consciousness as basically performance anxiety so I reckon you could have it right there.

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Hehe... think of all the good things that may come of it - very conscientiously doing your recycling, and not mixing the aluminium with the tin cans. I just hope the audience doesn't start heckling - you might develop a compulsion for ironing your socks and alphabetising your book shelves ("by title!... no, author!")

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It certainly seems more reasonable than a supernatural entity.

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I agree. However, I imagine that the perceived sensation of being watched by "God" may be of some comfort to some people, hence that conclusion.

That got me thinking, OCD has a 'need for imposed order' component, does religious ritual have it too? I think the comfort comes from the increased sense of control from doing 'insert task here' to the standard that oneself sets (OCD?), or of ones god's standards (religious observations) and that this can get translated (after the event) into spiritual fulfilment (religious orientation) to anxiety reduction (secular orientation).I wonder if the propensity of having feelings of observation (whether the observer is a god or non-god) is correlated with obsessional/compulsive behaviour?I smell a PNT.

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That got me thinking, OCD has a 'need for imposed order' component, does religious ritual have it too?

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A quick search shows up many hits on OCD and religious ritual

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Specific obsessions and compulsions vary according to the individual’s religion. An Orthodox Jew might worry that he did not perform a particular ritual correctly. He might obsess about this for hours. A Roman Catholic might go to confession several times a day. Another individual could believe that anything he does might be sinful. This individual might become so paralyzed with doubt, that he or she becomes afraid to do or say anything at all.

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http://www.ncpamd.com/scrup.htm

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I think the comfort comes from the increased sense of control from doing 'insert task here' to the standard that oneself sets (OCD?), or of ones god's standards (religious observations) and that this can get translated (after the event) into spiritual fulfilment (religious orientation) to anxiety reduction (secular orientation).

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From what some of this information says you're definitely right.

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I smell a PNT.

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EEK!

I should hope I'm close, it's my job PNT = Proposed New Topic

I have never had this feeling.

i experience this in the way you put it. but the feeling is more of a panel of judges. i have often contemplated if the feeling of them was a sign of distress.but distressed or not, if i am alone, the awareness and feeling of the presence of the judges becomes more evident.

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keep your mind from this way of enquiry, for never will you show that not-being is
~parmenides

This is a novelty; I agree with you totally.When I used to work nights in a secure unit I would smoke out the window (this was not allowed) and I would always feel more 'observed' when I was on my own at night.If I was catching a a sly fag on day shift with a colleage I would 'sense' nothing.I wonder if this is an expression of human group security?

I'm not sure honestly, it used to happen all the time and more pronounced, but after i debated these laws here and realized God, i cant say I've felt it much if at all...perhaps it could be that as long as i was following my will, and not the will of God, that the "judges" (either in my mind from my awareness of an inner battle, or truly sent by God to make me aware of him), were watching me to lead me to a will that was beyond my own, but the will of the Lord.its a hard topic for me, because its linked to the human mind, and so is God, because God has a consciousness, that you can become aware of, once you have a "true" awareness of him.but its easy to have what you desire of mind twist the truth, but like a psychic, this is the way God or satan can come to you....like i said...hard to explain..but..ok hows this:when i was in a debate about gravity with "lucy the ape" i kept having a repeating thought: "what if apes are a devolution of man"
i noted it in the conversation, an dismissed it for the time, but it didn't go away, and soon after i was in a debate concerning "lucy" and prompted research and an argument , without m really knowing anything at all until the time came upon me.when i realized initially in my first debates here, the God was, with no doubt, God came to me, and i was very afraid, and even tried to deny it, but it couldn't be denied, and God made himself known to me, and showed me things through thoughts, and they were true. but also did another come, which said things different, and tempted me to call myself God, because God had revealed the power of true faith to me, and i was afraid. but my heart would not believe the lies, and i claimed with my heart: glory belongs to God! and his will, not mine be done!but so also did i realize at that time, that there will be men who will in their hearts believe satan. and then knowing the truth of how faith works, call themselves Gods. and do many things. and that as it was written, by their fruits will they be known.i tell you these things because the "watchers" (judges) may have a great relevance to the coming of God in someones life, even tho telling you these things here may cause men to hate me, or to shrug me off, but even as i said it before, i say it now, not my will, but Gods will be done, and it is in my heart to tell you these things. so as it is, i pray it is Gods will.Gods will be done, so be it.

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keep your mind from this way of enquiry, for never will you show that not-being is
~parmenides

I'm sorry tesla, but I really don't undertand the way you write. What are you trying to tell me?