i'm going to experiment with a linguistic construct.  perhaps it will be useful to use the word "cortex" instead of "the me" to indicate that thing that "knows" itself as separate from everything else.  these past x months i've been using "the me" like that, the two words, to refer to that self-reflective function, the thing that knows itself.  my colonoscopy experience with the sedation that put "the me" out of commission while allowing the rest of the organism to respond to the staff in a socially standard manner sufficiently demonstrated that the self-reflective function is only a part of the package and mostly apparently not necessary.  The dream of dictators everywhere: a nation of talented but non-self aware slaves.  Interfering busibodies everywhere always trying to own other peoples' "mes."

the part that wants and the other part that notices that it wants.  the part that notices i'm going to call "the cortex," see if that approach clarifies anything.  because a fully functional socially interactive thing lay there and responded during that procedure when "the me" was shut down.  they told me when they asked that thing-that-was-not-the-me how it was doing it answered "fine."  probably it thought it was "me."  but when "i" came back i didn't have that sequence in the memory, so how was that "me"?  obviously it comes in pieces, the pieces don't all recognize each other.  "cortex" disengaged.  another level competent in social levels but separate from "cortex."  next time i should ask them to engage that thing in philosophical discussions or to characterize its emotional state, see what its good for. 

alternatively, is it possible to separate the cortex completely and go through life without that continuity of consciousness thing: "me."

i have a client in norway with whom relations exist in areas other than strictly business.  we briefly discussed the crazy shooter incident.  of course here in usa we have many such incidents, mostly much smaller, actually single murders by crazies, lots of them, essentially.  i was making my point about humans essentially never mobbing a dangerous human, reverting to absolute individuality, most submitting or running, very rarely an individual going against the danger.  he agreed, then he said that sometimes a leader comes forward, other people will join in.  that is true too, but relatively rare.  most of us engage in aversive behavior in the face of violence.  we shrink away, do not want to deal with it directly, wish we were somewhere else, what can I do?