Most people walk through life stuck at level two or three of consciousness, completely unaware that deeper dimensions of thinking even exist. Understanding these levels can radically transform how you experience reality itself.
First Person Thinking: Living in a World of Objects
When you’re operating at first person thinking, everyone around you is basically an obstacle or a helper. You see people at face value, nothing more. If someone tells you not to smoke in their house, you just think they’re annoying. You don’t grasp that they have actual thoughts, reasons, or motivations behind their request. They’re just in your way, like a locked door or a brick wall.
This sounds extreme, but watch how toddlers interact with the world. That’s pure first person thinking. And honestly? Many adults never fully graduate from this level.
Second Person Thinking: Acknowledging Different Minds
You level up when you realize other people actually think differently than you. Sounds basic, right? But there’s a catch. Just because you know someone has different thoughts doesn’t mean you care about those thoughts or let them influence your decisions.
You might understand your friend doesn’t want smoking in their house, but if you believe smoking indoors is totally fine, you’ll still see them as wrong. Their thoughts exist, sure, but they don’t really matter to you. No empathy kicks in yet.
Third Person Thinking: Where Empathy Begins
Now we’re getting somewhere interesting. At third person thinking, you can actually think about someone else’s thoughts. You understand why they want what they want. You can see their perspective, walk in their shoes, comprehend their reasoning.
This is where compromise becomes possible. You might still disagree, but now you can find middle ground because you genuinely understand where the other person is coming from. Most functional relationships require at least this level of thinking.
Fourth Person Thinking: The Gateway to Freedom
This level changes everything. You can now think about your own thinking in relation to others. You see yourself as one possibility among infinite possibilities. You realize you could be any version of yourself you choose to be.
Want to know something wild? You’re not stuck with the beliefs you inherited from your parents, your culture, or your past experiences. You can examine them, question them, and deliberately choose which ones to keep.
The downside? Analysis paralysis hits hard. You can spend hours wondering what kind of person you want to be, what career makes sense, what beliefs feel authentic. But this overthinking is actually the doorway into something profound.
Fifth Person Thinking: The Observer Awakens
I am not my mind.
When this realization hits, everything shifts. You discover there’s an observer inside you that can watch your thoughts like clouds passing through the sky. Your anger, your anxiety, your judgments? They’re just mental events you can observe without identifying with them.
Through meditation and mindfulness, you learn that thoughts arise whether you engage with them or not. You don’t have to give them your attention or energy. You can just let them pass. The observer is always there, always witnessing, always free.
Most people are so hypnotized by being themselves that they forget this observer exists. But once you find it, you can never fully lose it again.
Sixth Person Thinking: Pure Being
Beyond the observer lies something even more fundamental. Not the observer, but the I itself. The awareness that contains everything, including the observer.
There’s just beingness. Pure awareness. No labels, no identities, no separation between you and what you’re experiencing. Everything arises within this awareness, like waves in an ocean. Your body, your thoughts, your entire reality? All forms dancing in formlessness.
When you touch this level, life stops being so serious. You become lucid within the dream of reality. The monsters aren’t scary anymore because you know they’re not real in the way you thought they were.
The Challenge Nobody Talks About
Living from these higher levels can feel destabilizing. You stop caring about things that used to consume you. Motivation becomes tricky when you realize the inherent meaninglessness of forms. Your family, your goals, your problems? They’re all just projections in awareness.
You might find yourself wondering: if everyone’s a dream character, including me, what’s the point? You’re stuck balancing two truths at once: enjoying the dream while knowing it’s a dream. Staying engaged while remaining unattached.
Your Next Step
You don’t need to reach sixth person thinking to transform your life. Even moving from second to third person thinking will revolutionize your relationships. Getting to fourth person gives you freedom to choose who you want to be.
Start simple. Next time you’re in conflict with someone, pause and genuinely try to understand their thoughts about the situation. Not just their words, but their actual perspective. Notice how this shifts something inside you.
If you’re ready to go deeper, try observing your thoughts for just five minutes. Don’t judge them, don’t engage with them. Just watch. You might be surprised by what you discover about the space between you and your thinking.
Where are you on this journey? The answer matters less than asking the question.
If this post sparked a thought, shifted your mindset, or gave you something meaningful — don’t let it end here.
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