Saturday, 1 July 2017

who asks?



let it be … go with the flow
be the witness … watch the show

learn to watch … and ignore the oughts
other people’s reasons … don’t get caught

nature, nurture … and bits of chance
woven together … in a restless  dance 

change your mind … reshape your brain
do it once … then again and again

existential … left and right
reality questioned … a frightful plight

Don’t ask why … ask who asks so
Who asks who asks … who’s to know?

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

my world



Footering and telly. Time slips away. Heated leftovers. Details are irrelevant. 

But there is a background thankfulness for the plants and animals that make it possible – including the micro-organisms – and all the people whose efforts get the wide range of stuff to the Coop.
Farmers, food processors, and transporters. The makers of roads, trucks and transport cafes. Entrepreneurs with the support of bankers and insurance agents. Media people keeping an open eye on the rules and regulations. And other media people providing radio and TV. And the workers and their bosses. Division of Labour.

I was born when I was very young. Some useful mindbrain stuff (instincts, reflexes, biases) was hard wired but I had a lot to learn. My world view (Weltenschauung) was determined by my natal time and place and could therefore have resulted in my being parochial and xenophobic. But, for whatever reason, I came to be interested in a bigger picture; in finding better ways to be human.

The mindbrain churns continually and thus keeps itself abreast of ‘reality’.  Much of the hard wiring has evolved as an adaptation to changing environments over the last few million years.
We are beginning to understand the structure and function of the human brain including the prefrontal lobes as the seat of the executive functions. Everybody has a built in MBA and is thus potentially able to operate project logical frameworks. But this is not often realised.

And nothing comes from nothing. For a long time after the big bang there was only a dark soup of hydrogen.   In time stars evolved and the other heavier elements were made.

And then a miracle happened. 

Our solar system came into existence in the milky way. Planer earth came into being. There were complex molecules. They joined together in cell like structures and DNA won the struggle for biochemical survival. Then there were proper cells with nucleuses and cytoplasm. Then multicell organisms evolved - the plants managed photosynthesis which involved capturing light energy by using it to create sugar. 

Then fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. The mammals gave rise to the monkeys and apes who begat the hominids who are our direct ancestors. And now there is us and our computers and Coops.

“What’s it all about Alfie”)

Monday, 29 May 2017

habits of mind



There has recently been a change in habit formation. Past - attention was given to blogging about evolutionary psychology and brain science. Present - attention is given to recording my old songs.  

Running parallel with the above two foci there has been doodles and doses. There have been fewer doodles of late and perhaps more doses.

The non judgemental ‘witness’ has been aware of thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM) before they have a chance to swamp the attention centre. The mind state is mainly non-egoic. No self, no problem. 

BUT – of course – the mind generates many other TFM and most of them flash past faster than they can be captured as spoken or written words. They each have their moments which range between fractions of a second when in egoic mode and several hours when in peak non-egoic mode.