The human mind is an amazing organ, by far the most complex organ in the known universe, yet so user friendly, any idiot can utilize it. The mind can be programed to preform the most complicated external task, while still maintaining, the complete organization of your entire bodily function. This post will dive into some of the human brains wonderful features as well as some of the unusual.
I am quite sure that there are many people who just drift through life and never question anything, going through the daily motions. Maybe that's fine for some, but I am not content to be a passenger on this voyage called life. I cannot just placidly look out the window as my chauffeur takes me on my way. I must ask, how is it that this car moves, how does the engine work, how does my driver manipulate the controls to get the desired results, how can I manipulate the controls. How can i drive this vessel. Good news for me, because it is within every one's ability to grasp the wheel and steer. Yet before we start out on the road, lets take a quick drivers training course and familiarize ourselves with some of the controls.
Reason and Automation
The automation portion of the brain handles basic functions that your not even aware of, signaling the heart to beat, breathing, digesting, and the like. Fortunately for us, automation handles these bodily duties without every consulting higher reason. Since the automation portion of the brain controls all the bodily function, this leaving you free to focus on whatever you want. I'm sure that if the opposite was true, most of us would forget to do breathe several times a day.
Automation contains many learned things as well, language, memory, motor skills. Maybe you've taken for granted the complex symphony of muscle movement that is necessary to walk. This is due to the fact that few of us can remember far back enough to reflect on what is was like to learn this daily task. Learning to play a musical instrument is a perfect example of how higher reason delegates its responsibility to automation in regard learned behaviors. Initially the muscle movements are slow, and one struggles, every motion must be calculated. Then with time after the correct movements are repeated enough, the automation portion of the brain is programed and takes over, and thus one can preform a complex task without any conscious effort.
The automation portion can also be reprogrammed. Sometimes automation is programmed poorly with bad habits. Memory is a good example of this, as well as speech impediments. (that are not the result of physical issues) Go take a look at any memory builder book, (you can find them at almost any book store.) Thought patterns that are typically handled by automation can be reprogrammed as well. Depression, Obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders. Generally these are thoughts patterns that have been programed in a manner that is not beneficial. For more information on this type of "Re-wiring", check out my post on the subject look up cognitive behavior therapy
The mind has a safety mechanism in regard to automation. For example one cannot make your heart stop beating with thought alone. Perhaps this is not only practical, but due to the fact that it is automation that was never learned. To summarize, if it was learned, it can be relearned.
Consciousness
Who are you? What part of the Brain is the "YOU"?
The concept of self is one of the most fascinating features of the brain. I like to define the concept of self as: An organism's with an awareness that has evolved to the point of being aware of itself.
Yet there is a more precise definition. I suspect that you are like me, in the sense that most likely you feel that there is an "I" that is control of your decision making; pushing buttons evaluating incoming information from your senses. This is not true, as science learns more, they are discovering that this notion of an "I" is an illusion. The concept of self is really a storm of neurons strung about the brain all competing for immediate attention. When one neuron shouts louder that the others, the sensory data is evaluated the brain concocts the single self impression. (-time magazine, Jan 27, 2007).
Maybe its hard to grasp this concept, yet if we think about it in simpler terms that we can relate to, this concept becomes a bit more clear. If i asked you: What is it that you drive to work?, you would say "A car". You would not say "I drive a gasoline fueled automobile that uses combustion to convert kinetic energy into torque." If i asked you; "What is that creates the illusion of control? You would not say " I am the result of a billion neurons constantly competing priority to be recognized." If the concept of self was compared to a car, the car itself would be our body, the neurons would drive the car, yet a different neuron or group of neurons would be in control every second. The concept of self is how the passenger of the car relates to the driver, no matter which neuron is driving, you feel as if it is your driver. (maybe that doesn't simplify anything, lol! but what the hell, its worth a try.)
Sometimes the brain is to complex for it's own good, so next time i will discuss some of the anomalies that arise from such fancy engineering. Addiction, egomania, mass hysteria, schizophrenia and many, more stay tuned!
I am quite sure that there are many people who just drift through life and never question anything, going through the daily motions. Maybe that's fine for some, but I am not content to be a passenger on this voyage called life. I cannot just placidly look out the window as my chauffeur takes me on my way. I must ask, how is it that this car moves, how does the engine work, how does my driver manipulate the controls to get the desired results, how can I manipulate the controls. How can i drive this vessel. Good news for me, because it is within every one's ability to grasp the wheel and steer. Yet before we start out on the road, lets take a quick drivers training course and familiarize ourselves with some of the controls.
Reason and Automation
The automation portion of the brain handles basic functions that your not even aware of, signaling the heart to beat, breathing, digesting, and the like. Fortunately for us, automation handles these bodily duties without every consulting higher reason. Since the automation portion of the brain controls all the bodily function, this leaving you free to focus on whatever you want. I'm sure that if the opposite was true, most of us would forget to do breathe several times a day.
Automation contains many learned things as well, language, memory, motor skills. Maybe you've taken for granted the complex symphony of muscle movement that is necessary to walk. This is due to the fact that few of us can remember far back enough to reflect on what is was like to learn this daily task. Learning to play a musical instrument is a perfect example of how higher reason delegates its responsibility to automation in regard learned behaviors. Initially the muscle movements are slow, and one struggles, every motion must be calculated. Then with time after the correct movements are repeated enough, the automation portion of the brain is programed and takes over, and thus one can preform a complex task without any conscious effort.
The automation portion can also be reprogrammed. Sometimes automation is programmed poorly with bad habits. Memory is a good example of this, as well as speech impediments. (that are not the result of physical issues) Go take a look at any memory builder book, (you can find them at almost any book store.) Thought patterns that are typically handled by automation can be reprogrammed as well. Depression, Obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders. Generally these are thoughts patterns that have been programed in a manner that is not beneficial. For more information on this type of "Re-wiring", check out my post on the subject look up cognitive behavior therapy
The mind has a safety mechanism in regard to automation. For example one cannot make your heart stop beating with thought alone. Perhaps this is not only practical, but due to the fact that it is automation that was never learned. To summarize, if it was learned, it can be relearned.
Consciousness
Who are you? What part of the Brain is the "YOU"?
The concept of self is one of the most fascinating features of the brain. I like to define the concept of self as: An organism's with an awareness that has evolved to the point of being aware of itself.
Yet there is a more precise definition. I suspect that you are like me, in the sense that most likely you feel that there is an "I" that is control of your decision making; pushing buttons evaluating incoming information from your senses. This is not true, as science learns more, they are discovering that this notion of an "I" is an illusion. The concept of self is really a storm of neurons strung about the brain all competing for immediate attention. When one neuron shouts louder that the others, the sensory data is evaluated the brain concocts the single self impression. (-time magazine, Jan 27, 2007).
Maybe its hard to grasp this concept, yet if we think about it in simpler terms that we can relate to, this concept becomes a bit more clear. If i asked you: What is it that you drive to work?, you would say "A car". You would not say "I drive a gasoline fueled automobile that uses combustion to convert kinetic energy into torque." If i asked you; "What is that creates the illusion of control? You would not say " I am the result of a billion neurons constantly competing priority to be recognized." If the concept of self was compared to a car, the car itself would be our body, the neurons would drive the car, yet a different neuron or group of neurons would be in control every second. The concept of self is how the passenger of the car relates to the driver, no matter which neuron is driving, you feel as if it is your driver. (maybe that doesn't simplify anything, lol! but what the hell, its worth a try.)
Sometimes the brain is to complex for it's own good, so next time i will discuss some of the anomalies that arise from such fancy engineering. Addiction, egomania, mass hysteria, schizophrenia and many, more stay tuned!
1 comment:
Great work keep it coming, best blog on earth
clomid
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