Wonderful and Terrible

 

Human Knowledge

“Everything we do, every thought we’ve ever had, is produced by the human brain. But exactly how it operates remains one of the biggest unsolved mysteries, and it seems the more we probe its secrets, the more surprises we find.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson

          Does your brain talk to you? Is there a running conversation between the “I” that you think of as yourself, and the “other” who is inside your head, but does not fall into the “I” category? This is true for me, and I don’t (yet) have a diagnosis. I think it’s just the way our brains work. If you are anything like me (and I truly hope you are) your brain is always giving you suggestions, or engaging in discussions with itself, or pointing out errors. It’s almost as if something else, some surprising entity I call the “sentinel within” is watching and commenting, letting me know when I do something right, and when I do something wrong. These seem different from thoughts generated by me, such as when I am studying, or researching, or just remembering.

          Our brains are amazing. We know all about neurons, synapses, axons and areas where certain skills are located—verbal, visual, auditory, etc. We know the chemistry and how and when it is released. What we don’t know is the “why” of any of it. Why, for example, does a memory of something unrelated to what you are doing in the moment pop suddenly into your awareness? What triggers an image of some insignificant event from when you were nine years old? What reminds you of an appointment you’ve almost missed when you are a million miles away in thought? What tells you to call a friend two seconds before the phone rings and it’s that very friend calling you. What does it mean when a thought, especially an unwelcome one, keeps nudging itself into your awareness like a tap on the shoulder? So many questions, so few answers.

          I believe there is much we are yet to understand about how the universe operates—including us. We know that we, and everything else in creation, are composed of atoms and are therefore, energetic in nature. We may think of ourselves as solid and static, but we are not. Every cell in our body, except in the central nervous system, dies and is replaced every year—some cell lines, in only a day. We know that we exchange electrons with others when we move through each other’s energy fields. We know, from research, that our aura, that is our energy field, extends for about arms-length beyond our physical bodies, and that it changes size and colors depending on who we encounter and how we feel. There is much we know, but little that we understand about the true nature of reality. I always wonder why we don’t know more—why aren’t we as curious about this as we are about, say, politics or pop-culture?

          If you are a life-long-learner, this is an area that may be filled with surprises and fascination for you. There is no more awesome, wonderful, and terrible creature on planet earth than a human being; we are the most brilliant, adaptive, and dangerous animals alive. Also, the most complex—capable of love and generosity, caring and sacrifice, but also, capable of every diabolical evil imaginable. We are a universe unto ourselves and yet part of the whole—and the more we understand this, the more we stay aware of it, the more we can contribute to the betterment and evolution of humankind. It is a sacred undertaking. And, in this case, we truly are all in this together.

                                                  In the Spirit,

                                                  Jane