An Odd Question...

What is the self?

The Oxford English Dictionary says "a permanent subject of successive and varying states of consciousness". 

That seems accurate enough, albeit somewhat clinical. 

I am me, Jackie, and in my day-to-day living I pass through varying states of consciousness. Happy, sad, ecstatic, mournful.... the possibilities are endless. Sometimes things are as simple as 'I feel hungry... what is the best way to get something both tasty and healthy?' In fact, this is my "state of consciousness" often enough that it sometimes bothers me how pressing an issue it is to my mind. Hmmm.

But that barely begins to tell you about who I am as a person. I guess the question did not ask 'what is your self?' but just 'what is the self in general?' But that isn't very interesting to me. Perhaps that is why I have always been split between reading philosophy and literature - I like to think about large, seemingly profound ideas, but what attracts me most are strong personalities and unique characters.