nature of the mind

I think a lot about the mind, and wonder what it is, exactly.

The current trend is to assume that the mind is a product of the brain and its functions.  The mind springs from the body, not the other way around.  Lots of work in neuropsychology seems to point that direction.  For example, memories can be (seemingly) deleted when certain parts of the brain are damaged. Personality changes happen when other parts of the brain are damaged.  The ability to speak, reason, control oneself, make plans, or feel emotions, all seem to be housed in the brain.

That word, "housed."  I think it's apt. 

I'm not a neuropsychologist, nor a scientist per se, but I want to believe that the mind, the self, is somehow different from the body, though it uses the body as its means of expression.  The body is a "house" for the mind.  Or the body is "inhabited" by the mind, rather than the mind being a side effect of the body, as materialists want to assume.  Of course, I may be wrong, but there are several reasons I "want" to believe this, which I'll explore later.

I don't want to fall into the trap of separating the mind and the body too far from each other.  I know they are very closely linked.  I just want to pose some ideas.

First, what if the mind weren't only housed in the brain, but in the entire body?  What if the mind were more systemic, like a holograph, than local?  Or partially systemic, and partially local?  Instincts, hunches, suspicions, the unconscious/subconscious, certain emotions-- what if those parts of the mind were generally more related to the body below the head, with reports to the control center as needed?  I wonder this, due to reported experiences by many people of memories (traumatic or good) coming back into consciousness during massages.  I myself had such an experience once. It's a pretty benign example, but I was getting a massage once a few years ago, and at one point, all of a sudden, I welled up with tears and had a really strong nostalgic thought appear out of nowhere--"I really miss playing the piano!"  It seemed that this thought/feeling was released, somehow, by the massage. I can't explain it, but I know this is commonly reported among people who get massages.

Second, what if the mind has the power to produce electricity?  We currently examine brain functions by measuring electrical activity in the brain.  When someone is engaged in an enjoyable and provocative activity (such as music, for example,) the brain "lights up" (as they say) with electrical activity in all regions.  Whereas, when someone is resting, depressed, or not fully present, there is not as much electrical activity.  Somehow, the mind has the power to create an electric current in the "wiring" of the brain.  This is one reason I (want to) believe that the mind is not merely a product of material forces, but a force that acts upon, and interacts with, matter.  What if we could figure out a way to harness the power of the mind to generate electricity for practical, external purposes?  I know that the voltage of the electricity that is produced in the brain is so low as not to be usable, but what if you could figure out a way to get a big group--say, the hundreds of people at a concert--hooked up to a generator, and add a few step-up converters, etc.?  Technology isn't there yet.  Maybe it's not even possible.  But something is going on in that mind-to-electricity connection.

This leads me to my third idea.  What if the mind (as I'm conceiving of it--a force that acts upon and in the body) IS actually a part of the observable universe, but we just haven't discovered how to observe it objectively yet? (This would bring us back to materialism, but I wouldn't care.  Materialism has led to a lot of good, as well as the bad.  If it could incorporate the mind in a better way, I wouldn't see a problem with it.)  It's foolish to think we've come to the end of scientific discovery.  Maybe 100 years from now, we will have instruments that can detect thoughts, emotions, or memories.  Or maybe we'll have an instrument that can objectively measure someone's spiritual maturity level.  Or we'll be able to objectively verify the existence of "auras" that some people claim to be able to see.  Who knows? I think something like this will happen eventually.

I was on a podcast

Just reporting that I was accepted to be on the podcast, "Thirty Seconds or Less."  Believe me, it was hard to censor myself to less than thirty seconds!  I just wanted to put an idea out there.  Hopefully I can find the right people eventually to partner with me on this idea.
http://thirtysecondsorless.net/music/

Don't fuck it up

"Don't fuck this up, girl."
"I have no idea what to say or how to act. I feel so awkward. I'm nervous, annoyed, bored, excited, condescending, hopeful, disappointed, and irritated, all at once. Why am I here? Why did I come? I'm not ready. Yes I am. I want this. No, I don't want this. Too late now. May as well give it a shot."

"Just don't fuck it up. That's all. This is your one chance. Relax and be yourself!"
"What part of myself should I be? I'm a complicated person. What angle should I showcase? And what's an appropriate topic of conversation? Why did I come? Ugh. I feel sick. Where are my GABA-calm drops? Deep breaths. This is idiotic. I'm not even interested in him, why would I be? He's a loser."

"JUST DON'T FUCK IT UP. THAT'S ALL. IT'S NOT THAT HARD, DAMMIT!"
"I'm cool, I got this. (Whatever that means.)  I'll just smile and be friendly. No, I'll look serious.  No, I'll look bored. No, OK, maybe a smile is better after all.  Too eager. Maybe something kind of in-between.  No, now I look amused, condescending, and uninterested. Let's go back to looking serious."

"You're fucking it up. Stop fucking it up!"
"Here's my chance.  I'll say something funny... I can't think of anything funny.  I'll say something insightful and profound.  No, that will seem like showing off, or, worse, I'll sound like someone who's trying to sound smart but really has no idea what she's talking about.  No... OK, I'll be vulnerable. Vulnerable is good.  Trendy, even.  I'll talk about my feelings about my life situation. Oh, that was too much information, damn. Can I take it back? Damn. How do I get out of this? Smile! Say that life is good and I'm doing great! No, that will be too saccharine. DAMN. Change the subject. My mind is blocked--what do I change the subject to? Ask him about himself.  But what should I ask? It can't be something completely predictable, which will instantly put me at the level of 'just another boring face in the crowd.'  All the other questions I want to ask are wildly inappropriate, surely they are.  And now I'm stammering and taking up too much of his time."

"Did you fuck it up? You fucked it up. Way to go."
"Well... I mean... maybe there's a chance he'll get back to me.  I mean, maybe I did a good job of hiding how nervous I was. Maybe he's interested, but just shy. Or maybe he's nervous, himself, and needs some time to think about it. He seemed kind of interested. I felt sparks. Maybe he did too."

"Uh huh."
"God. Who am I kidding? He acts this way to everyone; I'm just another person to him. He's being polite and kind, but that's all. I hold zero weight for his life. He has much bigger issues on his mind, and much more interesting choices. But still, what did he mean when he said..."

"Stop. Don't get your hopes up. You fucked this one up for good. Now go on with your life and stop trying."
"Yeah. This one was too good for me anyway.  And anyway, I'm a busy person. Who has time for men?  Good riddance."

"You're such a loser."
"Shut up. Only sometimes. I won't let that line control me. And anyway, even if I am, what does it matter? Being single the rest of my life isn't like a prison sentence or something. I can take care of myself."

"There we go."
"I won't try this ever again."

"Yeah right, we both know you're a sucker for pain. Good night, loser girl."
"Now the problem is, how do I get this out of my head and stop worrying about it?"