Thoughts, feelings and moods (TFM) appear to my conscious
mind which is deeply rooted in an evolutionary stream that stretches back to
the big bang.
The TFMs come from the unconscious churn which draws meaning
from inputs arriving at my sense organs (eg eyes, ears etc). I ‘understand’ the
inputs by matching them with memories of similar TFMs in the past.
My TFMs are created by nature, nurture and serendipity
(NNS). Nature has hard wired (a) the range of stimuli to which the sense organs
can respond (eg visible light within the electromagnetic spectrum) and (b) a
range of high level frameworks which can be filled out during the nurturing
process. ( eg my nature creates the ability to learn a language but the details
of the particular language are provided by nurture.) Nurturing involves never-ending
womb to tomb education and enculturation. Serendipity is another name for
chance. (eg droughts and floods can give rise to TFMs about gruesome gods and
angry ancestors.)
We can summarise the thought train with a two-way formula:
NNS <==> TFM
The NNS to which I have been encultured presumably gives
rise to unconscious TFM on an ongoing basis: and some of the TFMs are passed
into conscious attention where they are ‘thought about’ and then channelled back
into the unconscious where they influence the nurturing process. It is an
ongoing two-way process;
Cause <==> Effect]
NNS is the cause of such TFMs as may appear in the
self-conscious. The new born baby has built in nature which acts as a
foundation upon which to build nurture and serendipity. But what is the cause
of the Nature? The answer is evolution which results from natural selection
acting on the variations that are generated during sexual reproduction: and
this allows for the survival of the fittest. But the ‘fittest’ what?
There are three phases of evolution – Cosmic, Biological and
Cultural. Biological evolution deals with individuals while cultural evolution
deals with groups communicating with each other using language
Reality changes from one, mind-made thought moment to the
next. The thoughts (TFMs) exist in some individual minds more than others and
their popularity is constantly changing. Minds change to harmonise with ongoing
changes in the internal and external environments. We might thus be led to ask
“What’s it all about, Alfie?
We can deal with particular topics using whole systems
theory. This involves moving from sub atomic particles through cells, from
individuals through cultures, from ecosystems through the planet, from solar
systems through the cosmos and so on till the big bang.
Different Alfies will answer the question differently
depending on their pattern of enculturation and specialist know how. For
example, those who, like me, have been got at by academia include thoughts of the:
Atomic physicist, biochemist, palaeontologist, astronomer, archaeologist,
psychologist, sociologist, anthropologist, economist, politician, ecologist,
philosopher, neurologist, cleric, historian, journalist, novelist, poet.
There is the idea of nesting. Thus a ‘thing’ is made up of
smaller things and is at the same time a part of something bigger. And, as a
general rule, a whole, at whatever level, is greater than the sum of its
individual parts.
A thing (eg me), is made up of sub-things (eg organs and
tissues) and is part of a super thing (eg cultures and technologies).
Sub-thing ↔ thing ↔ super-thing
Carl Sagan reckoned that we are stardust that evolved and
created consciousness (ie the ability to be aware of and respond to changes in
the external environment,). And then consciousness evolved and created the
concept of an ego or self-consciousness. The stardust congeals into droplets of
self-centred ego that are successful in turning increasing amounts of the
substance of planet earth into human beings.
Unfortunately this ego-centric and anthropocentric point of
view is leading to the destruction of the planet as we know it.
Fortunately ego is mind-made and has no abiding reality:
and, over the last 4000 years or so, there have been individuals who have (a) intuited
the non-abiding nature of the ‘self’ and (b) transcended it.
There are two forms of transcendence. One is ‘flow’ and is
known amongst athletes as being in the zone and by improvising musicians as
being in the groove. These transcendent frames of mind are non-egoic. Self
consciousness melts away and the unconscious is in control. The mind has a mind
of its own.
The other form of transcendence involves mindfulness. This
is rooted in Eastern traditions and comes in a variety of forms. One of the
main ideas involves watching the breath such that you become still and know the
peace that passes all understanding.
SO – “What’s it all about Alfie?”
- The ordinary mindbrain can be transcended
- It is never too late to change your mind
- Nothing comes from nothing
- The indivisible Oneness
