“[...] he turns the living spontaneity of his being into something dead and lifeless by inspecting it. This he does to others as well, and fears their doing it to him (petrification). We are now in a position to suggest that whereas he is afraid not to be dead and lifeless - as stated, he dreads real aliveness so also he is afraid not to continue being aware of himself. Awareness of his self is still a guarantee, an assurance of his continued existence, although he may have to live through a death-in-life. Awareness of an object lessens its potential danger. Consciousness is then a type
of radar, a scanning mechanism. The object can be felt to be under
control. As a death ray, consciousness has two main properties: its
power to petrify (to turn to stone: to turn oneself or the other into
things); and its power to penetrate. Thus, if it is in these terms that
the gaze of others is experienced, there is a constant dread and
resentment at being turned into someone else's thing, of being
penetrated by him, and a sense of being in someone else's power
and control. Freedom then consists in being inaccessible.”