Consciousness is actually a temporary state that is limited by our cognitive functions. At this moment, we can be aware of reading this comment; our cognitive functions are doing the work through the brain. However, if we think about what we were doing when we were three years old, we will have little awareness of it, despite the fact that at that time we were conscious and had our cognitive faculties intact. Consciousness is the result of the union of brain systems that give rise to cognitive functions that, when united, produce a functional state.