To be awake, for me, means to be self aware. To be aware of who you are, what you are, your abilities, your likes and dislikes, your pressure points.
It also means to be aware of the world about you. To know that man is evil but do good sometimes. It means to be unsurprised by the things you hear people say or do because you expect it of them. To know people and understand their motivations. To see through the veneer of civilization and morality to the bare bones of the intentions behind every action.
To be awake means to be free of social dogma and doctrines, to be free of indoctrination and belief systems that make no sense. It means the ability to separate truth from faith and to leave above the questions that trouble everyone else.
To be awake is to be truly alive.
Nice description! i'm surprised to find so many people commenting here who seems to be "awake" :)