synaptic churn

People understand ‘reality’ by making mental models based on what they already know. Thus, for example, our heavenly father ensures that the sun moves around the flat earth.

Early models were simple in terms of the number of causes and effects. For example man sees lion approaching (stimulus), brings up earlier example from memory and reacts (response) by climbing a tree. There will be about four nerve cells involved in carrying messages between about three modules in the brain.

BUT that is seriously over simple. Natural selection has no forward plans and neither does it have stand alone, rigid modules. There are billions if not trillions of connections between nerve cells to act as causes, and a similar number of effects.

The mind does not hold steady in discrete processes and events. It is better to think of ongoing networks and webs. Any given synapse hosts a multitude of globules which simultaneously act as stimulant or inhibitor in many processes or events.

An everlasting synaptic churn.

headspace

I like this web site
Cute graphics and Andy has a soothing voice

https://www.headspace.com
/

selfish time

‘I’ am aware of a feeling that time has been wasted. The topic could be explored and expanded by using the journalists’ six questions -

·        What? – a feeling about wasted time

·        When? -  it floats in and out of awareness

·        Where? – in the mindbrain

·        Who?  - the conscious and the unconscious selfs.

·        Why? – because of being aware of changes in the external and internal environments.

·        How? – either of the two selves focus awareness on the topic

BUT - Why that particular topic at this thought moment? (Note – Thoughts are mind made and are linked to feelings and moods. (TFM)). 

The unconscious dredges up ‘eternal verities’ more or less related to the topic. Sometimes the linkages are not clear. Here for example are some wise sayings from the natal sub culture that have come to mind.

• ·        Al’ age disnae come its sel.
• ·        Respect your elders and betters.
• ·        Little children should be seen but not heard.
• ·        Neither a lender nor a borrower be.
• ·        Never let the sun set on your wrath.
• ·        it’ll a be the same in a hunner ears time.
• ·        When the good lord made time he made plenty o’t
• ·        Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
• ·        The devil finds work for idle hands.

SO - the mindbrain churns out TFM in a continuous stream in response to changes in the internal or external environments.

There is a large collection of written words that have been generated by ’me’ over the last 50 years. Many of them are now embarrassing and therefore contribute to mild stress. This might be viewed as therapeutic and as a source of motivation to creative thinking about the behaviour of the two selfs in the sub-cultural milieu.

Conscious	Unconscious
self	Self
Linear TFM	Parallel TFM
Enantiodromia
Yin/yang

Enantiodromia - the tendency of things to change into their opposites, especially as a supposed governing principle of natural cycles and of psychological development. From Greek, literally ‘running in opposite ways’ (Ref Heraclitus, Plato, Jung and from Eastern cultures – especially Taoism)

BUT this story does not make much sense. There is too much self and Self. It is thus egoic. And thus, in this case, a waste of time. 

SO is interaction with the concept of ‘waste of time’ a waste of time?