When does observing or awareness of a thought happen? Is it simultaneous with the comprehension of the thought? Or is more mental machinery, requiring a bit more time, needed to actually “process” the thought? Ok, I’m answering my own question: comprehension is pretty much automatic but still takes neural-time, so comprehension happens after a thought has been produced, or – as they say – “unfolded”. I would assume that one may acquire the knack of observing thoughts as they unfold (doubtful, but I’ll grant for the sake of argument, envisioning this process as similar to what happens during hypnagogic states). But comprehension, understanding, and insight are all more than awareness – they are a kind of after-thought.
So awareness that happens before comprehension seems pretty empty, except that it creates a sense of distance from its object. Comprehension is self-correcting as new information is assimilated.
Where does awareness fit into this pattern of production, evolving comprehension, continued production and continued evolving comprehension? What does awareness add? Could “awareness” be just another a brain region that is activated a bit after the comprehension region? And then back-and-forth they go?