What Goes Through My Mind

I plan to post the questions, thoughts, ideas and concepts that I consider as I try to explore and unravel the secrets of my consciousness. I would like to make it clear that I am not religious at all and do not believe in any God. All of the things I post are reflections of the thought processes I am having, and not neccessarily what I believe to be true. Please message me with anything you think I should consider, any corrections you have with things I have said or anything you'd like me to post about (if relevant, obviously).

[analysingmymind]

Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. And even in the best of all hearts, there remains ... an unuprooted small corner of evil

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

[analysingmymind]

The Essence of Human Companionship

During my studies, I recently read the idea that narratives are 'the very essence of human companionship and communication'. What I think this means is that language and the ability to communicate is the basis of all relationships. It is through language that we form friendships, families, associations and any other companionship imaginable. How is it then, that in a world where communication is both global and instant have these companionships deteriorated so much? There is no longer any sense of community in first world countries. Parent and child relationships are suffering. What about the bigger world? If communication is so vital to companionship and currently easily obtained, why is there so much separation and division worldwide? The whole world is against itself depending on culture, religion or political beliefs. What went wrong?

[analysingmymind]

All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts and made up of our thoughts. If a man speak or act with an evil thought, suffering follows him as the wheel follows the hoof of the beast that draws the wagon.... If a man speak or act with a good thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him

Gautama Buddha

[analysingmymind]

Why Can't Kids be Kids?

"It’s hard to stand up for yourself when you don’t know who you are. We’re expected to define ourselves at such a young age, and if you don’t people do it for you (faggot, slut, fatty). At the same time we're being told what we are, we’re asked what we want to be when we grow up. I always thought that was an unfair question that presupposes we can’t be what we already are. We were kids."

[analysingmymind]

Discovery is the ability to be puzzled by simple things

Noam Chomsky

[analysingmymind]

Quantum Entanglement

Whilst considering quantum entanglement, the thought occurred to me that perhaps people's minds act in a similar way. By which I mean, could each of our consciousnesses be connected in some way and interact with each other instantaneously, regardless of distances between them? Obviously, if we are, it's unnoticed by us consciously. But perhaps we are subconsciously or maybe only when separated form our physical selves.

[analysingmymind]

Probability of Getting a Functional Protein by Chance

I was recently looking at the probability of getting a functional protein by chance.

The final probability of getting a functional protein composed of 100 amino acids is 1 in 10^125 (for reference, there are only about 10^80 particles in the universe. 10^125 is an unimaginably large number. It's a 1 followed by 125 0s). Even if you fill the universe with pre-biotic soup, and react amino acids at Planck time (very fast!) for 14 billion years, you are probably not going to get even 1 such protein. And you need at least 100 of them for minimal life functions, plus DNA and RNA.

Basically, the probability of life taking place is pretty much 0. This suggests some form of engineering. Please don't misunderstand, i'm not saying this is evidence for a God or creator, but i'm open to the idea of the universe being conscious (as proposed by many quantum physicists). More on that to come though!

[analysingmymind]

Do we Live in a Virtual Reality?

Moore's law states that computational power doubles approximately every 2 years and eventually we will reach the stage where computers will be able to artificially create a virtual reality which is indistinguishable from our own. This begs the question, how do we know it hasn't already been done?

[analysingmymind]

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.

Carl Sagan

[analysingmymind]

States of Consciousness and Drugs

I just posted this quote from Lilly (1973): “Not to be in the higher state and to be and to see the higher state is to be in disappointment”.

To me this is similar to the feeling people who use drugs regularly, or depend on them, get when they come down from their high. When using drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy) you feel eternal bliss and happiness. So, when you come out of this state of consciousness or state of eternal bliss, it can be extremely disappointing and you want to return. Therefore, many drug users choose to reuse or use different drugs to try to return to such a state. I think this would be true for any drugs though, not just MDMA.

I'm not really sure where i'm going with this, i'm just drawing a comparison. I guess it's important to note, though, that these high levels of consciousness you can enter through drugs can be accessed in other ways, with better results (without damaging your body or mind).

[analysingmymind]

Not to be in the higher state and to be and to see the higher state is to be in disappointment

Lilly, J. C. (1973) The Centre of the Cyclone

Lilly says this when discussing the disappointment he felt as he returned from a high state of consciousness (+12 in his book for those interested), in which he felt eternal bliss and extreme joy, to a lower state of consciousness (+24).

[analysingmymind]

The Immortal Jellyfish

I recently read about the Immortal Jellyfish that basically returns itself to infancy whenever in mortal danger or dying of old age. It can do this indefinitely, and is therefore theoretically biologically immortal. I was wondering, but couldn't find out, whether or not the jellyfish retains any memories (such as where to find food) or anything that would prove whether r not the mind was intact after the rejuvenation. If it was, wouldn't that prove the separation between mind and body and that the mind can exist regardless of the body's state? Reincarnation springs to mind.

[analysingmymind]

A 5 year old girl told me today that 'love is when you want someone to be there when they're not there' and that 'love is when you never want someone to leave'.

[analysingmymind]

Rhetorics

Are the questions you ask in your mind rhetorical or not?

[analysingmymind]

The Concept of Money

'At its core, money is a beautiful concept. Let me be very naïve for a moment as to reveal this core. The spiritual, if not historical, essence of money is: I have something you need and I wish to give it to you, so I do and you feel grateful and desire to give me something in return, but you don’t have anything I need right now. So instead you give me a token of your gratitude: a useless pretty thing like a necklace or a piece of silver. That token says I’ve met the needs of other people and I earn their gratitude. Later when I receive a gift from someone else I give them that token. Gifts can circulate across vast social distances and I can receive from people to whom I have nothing to give, while still fulfilling my desire to act on the gratitude those gifts inspire within me.'

[analysingmymind]

There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it

Singer M. A. (2007) The Untethered Soul. The Journey Beyond Yourself

[analysingmymind]

'Humming' Through Life

If you hum whilst you read you can read much faster because you can't say the words you read in your head (try it!). It's because you are aware of the words and comprehend them without having to consciously remark on them.

So, if you could find some way to metaphorically 'hum' throughout your life and remove your inner voice, would you be able to go through life more efficiently per se? You'd have no worries, cares or concerns .. but would still take in all the information presented to you openly and intelligently. You'd be at peace. Like a monk, perhaps? I hope you see my basic point anyway.