I feel like everything is conscious. When I say everything, it is crucial to understand what that entails. To "exist" is the sole parameter for being. All things within our universe exist. Every thought, every dream, every object, concept, and theory; All that we can imagine: It all exists. Does God exist? Yes. Is God physically possible¹? No. Our laws of physics dictate what can be transferred from the realm of our imagination to the real world. Is that to say that what we imagine does not exist? Of course not! It would be ridiculous, for instance, to suggest that a circle does not exist, or a triangle, or the number one. All of these things are too "perfect" ever to be done justice in any human-made replica. Yet, we still consider them existent. How does this tie into consciousness?
An electron is conscious; there is no reason to think it not so. Why, then, does an electron act in such a mechanical, predictable, and unconscious way? An electron does not possess a brain. Therefore, there is no way for it to control its body. That is the sole purpose of the brain, keeping our body alive (we have yet to find a part of the brain which generates consciousness). Being alive, however, has no correlation with consciousness. Life is an evolutionary goal achieved through the lottery of nature.
Being conscious merely is to exist. All things in our universe exist. If they were not to exist, they would not be considered a part of our universe. If we entertain the multiverse theory, there could hypothetically be a universe where all "things" within it do not exist, but do something else. All things here exist; all things there do something else. It is important to note that we cannot conceptualize what it is they do, nor put it into words. If we could imagine it, it would, therefore, exist (putting it into our universe, not that universe). We'll give a name to what it is they do, though. Everything in this universe nacks (this is an entirely arbitrary word that represents the sole parameter for being in this alternate universe). If something did not nack, it would not be in the "nackiverse" (just as things must exist to be a part of our universe).
The philosophical tradition has had a clear bias towards a binary view of "being" (I use this word reluctantly; the entities in the nackiverse cannot be if they do not exist). It is either to be or not to be. What if there was another option—or infinitely many options?
You may say: "There is no evidence to suggest that inanimate objects are still conscious of their existence, despite their inability to feel emotions or move about." To this, I point you to the atypical psychedelic drug "Salvia Divinorum²." To this, you may respond, "Those are hallucinations; those aren't real!"
What is real?
The word itself is so mushy and ill-defined. That is why I have come to the previous conclusion that everything is real. How could it not be? The definition of "not real" is anything that cannot be conceptualized or manifest itself in our universe.
It is a complex idea.
1: Physically possible meaning: According to our knowledge of physics, could it be replicated from our imagination into the physical world? A note: I am open to the idea of a god, but I feel it is ignorant to view the world with only one set of eyes. I do not confine myself to a single school of thought.
2: This highly dysphoric plant will produce extremely intense psychedelic experiences. Many people describe turning into inanimate objects, or seeing "entities". As it is with these types of experiences, words are too ineffective to describe them. People also report experiencing "eternity" and intense, hellish fear. It is a very mysterious drug, due to its extremely high potency (comparable to LSD), extremely intense effects (equivalent in INTENSITY to that of DMT, though obviously, its effects are very different), and reverse tolerance (each successive use becomes stronger and stronger). It is very short-acting (5-10 minutes), but very dangerous due to its dissociative effects—Some people will move around on the drug without being aware of their body, causing a mess or injuring themselves. A sitter is absolutely necessary.