Is consciousness a fundamental property of all matter?

Consciousness might be something all things have, just like how everything can feel warm or cold.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, let's say it’s a soft, bouncy ball. Now imagine that the ball isn’t just bouncing around, but feeling the bounce too. It feels happy when it goes high, and tired when it lands. That’s like consciousness, being aware of what’s happening.

Now think about everything around you: your bed, your shoes, even the air you breathe. What if all those things also have their own kind of awareness? Maybe not as fancy as yours or mine, but still real. Like how some toys can do tricks and others just sit there, some things are more aware than others.

It’s like having a big family where everyone has different jobs. You might be the one who decides what to play, while your toy ball is the one who enjoys being bounced. Even though they all have their own roles, they’re all part of the same big, happy family, just like how consciousness could be something shared by everything.

So maybe consciousness isn’t special or rare, it’s just a normal part of how things work, like how everything can feel warm or cold.