An illustration I find funny of the difference between ordinary ego consciousness and my idea of STO SMC consciousness is that in the ego case delayed gratification is a virtue, while for the STO SMC delayed gratification is unnecessary and even a dysfunction. For example if it feels good to eat the candy immediately, then in the SMC case it is the correct virtuous action.
Quote:"Delayed gratification, or deferred gratification, is the resistance to the temptation of an immediate pleasure in the hope of obtaining a valuable and long-lasting reward in the long-term. ... A growing body of literature has linked the ability to delay gratification to a host of other positive outcomes, including academic success, physical health, psychological health, and social competence.
A person's ability to delay gratification relates to other similar skills such as patience, impulse control, self-control and willpower, all of which are involved in self-regulation." - Wikipedia