The Mind's Eye

All human beings perceive their world through the lens of the mind. But is the mind a reliable filter? All believe that their particular view of the world is correct, and that most, if not all others do not have it quite right. No one seems to question the improbability of this attitude. After all, we can see so clearly the mistakes and misconceptions of others, we naturally assume that we have good judgement. But then the other guy lives with the same clarity of vision regarding YOUR mistakes and misconceptions. And based on the same measurement, he/she believes that his/her judgement is above reproach! Thus all are just as sure of their worldview as you are of yours. It is apparent that the human animal lives in a state of general delusion. There is much evidence to support this, both anecdotal and scientific.

This is the normal and natural state of affairs. And necessary! It's a simple matter of evolution. A good example of the illusions foisted on us by the mind is the case of our perception of time and events in the world around us. Human beings experience events up to a half second after they occur, yet believe they are experiencing the events in real time. This delay is caused by the time that it takes for sensory input to travel to, be collated and interpreted by, and then rendered to the consciousness by the brain and mind to make sense of one's surroundings in any given instant. It is a scientific fact that it takes a fraction of a second for the electro-chemical impulses to travel from the sense organs (eyes, ears, skin, nose and mouth) to the brain. It takes another fraction of a second for the brain to collate the data and present it to the mind (consciousness, sub-consciousness or whatever you want to call it), and then another fraction of a second for the mind to make sense of it all and present a complete picture (video, audio, tactile, etc.) to the consciousness. To make matters worse, the mind 'fills in' the picture (and sound, and touch, etc.) based on assumptions from past experience, in the context of recent events, and then presents it to the consciousness in a semblance of order that we can understand. Cognitive scientists say that this 'filling in' makes up as much as +-80% of what we experience as 'reality' and is necessary due to the sheer volume of information transmitted to the brain from the senses. The incoming information is far more than the brain/mind partnership can process in a reasonable time-frame. Without this 'feature' of the brain/mind complex, we would be eaten by a predator before the brain could recognize and counter any threat! How long would it take for the brain/mind to collate, categorize, assemble and present all the information being received from the senses? Who knows? But if we use a linear approach to calculate the potential, and based on the 20% figure of what's currently processed by the brain in any given moment, it would take up to 2 1/2 seconds to process and provide a complete picture of the input coming in from the senses. But, who can say that the time it would take isn't exponential? In any case, it's far too long and would most likely end in tragedy for the human in question. Thus, 'filling in' by the brain/mind with anticipation and best-guessing of what's actually happening, allows us to make fairly quick judgments and (hopefully) intelligent choices regarding those events and keep ourselves out of harm's way more or less. At this point, the brain/mind complex trick us into believing that the event being presented to our consciousness is happening RIGHT NOW, in real time when, in fact, it is in the past. Up to a half second in the past. The brain/mind computer tricks us into believing that what we are perceiving is happening right now, when it is not. This is not a bug, but a feature that allows the animal mind to cope with its world in a consistent manner, avoid danger (for the most part), and survive long enough to become a sexually mature adult, procreate and care for the next generation(s) of the species. Evolution has found a compromise that works fairly well for the survival and continuation of the species. These are only two examples of how the mind deceives us. There are many more. This habit of the mind to compromise and 'fake it' are deeply ingrained and are part and parcel of the human experience.

This doesn't, however, make the brain/mind complex a very good tool for understanding the true nature of things. In fact, quite the opposite. This realization then begs the question, "So what is the difference between humans and the animals, if any?" "It is not that humans are unafraid of vacuum cleaners", as Dr. Robert Lanza stipulates in his book, Biocentrism, but that the human brain/mind complex is able to experience objectivity, in regards to its own thoughts and emotions. The animal species do not ponder or 'watch' their own thoughts and actions, they simply react. When hungry, the animal starts a search for food, when lustful, it searches for a mate, when fearful, it runs or flies away. No thought, no questioning the motive, no consideration of alternatives... just action. Most humans also follow the same pattern and are, therefore, no different from the animals. Despite this, humans DO have the ability to observe, judge, and modify their own behavior in light of experience, external (or internal!) information, and adjust accordingly. This is a most powerful tool. Human beings can literally re-program themselves to think, feel, and act in a myriad of ways that have nothing to do with instinct. Wow!

Sadly, this ability to re-program our thinking is generally abused in order to carry forward the mind's tendency to make assumptions and 'fill in' the information that it believes will fulfill its desires. You have heard the axiom "we believe what we want to believe", "hear what we want to hear", or "see what we want to see?" The bottom line is that the mind is a liar. A well-intentioned and necessary liar, but a liar nonetheless. The mind is particularly fond of thoughts and ideas that support its worldview and that it believes will provide what it desires. All are guilty of this particular deception. It is universal among human beings, however most are blissfully unaware, and that leaves them in a most precarious position.

The mind is only interested in what it wants, nothing... and no one else. Lao Tzu, the author of the 2500 year-old Tao Te Ching, mentions in the book's first chapter, "So, the unwanting soul sees what's hidden, while the ever-wanting soul sees only what it wants." Generally, humans have no use for the truth, except when they believe that it will help them acquire the object of their desire. This fact is absolute and (nearly) immutable. All are slaves of this reality. The paranoid will believe that I'm pointing fingers and exempting myself from these realities. I am not. I am as much a victim of this as anyone. The worst thing is the extent to which we are ignorant of these facts. In the story of Pinocchio, Geppetto's creation wanted to become a 'real boy' and worked hard to achieve that. Fictional Pinocchio was much smarter than we, for we are also puppets, but believe that we are already 'real' boys and girls, with free will and the ability to determine our own destiny. But, that can only be so when we are willing, and able, to see things as they are, without the distorting prism of the mind's bias. Everyone believes that he or she is the only being that sees and understands clearly. Think about it. We see so clearly the mistakes that others make, while OUR thoughts, words, and actions make perfect sense to us, in light of our circumstances and our perception of the world and its objects. Isn't it so? But do others see our behavior and actions that way? Virtually never. And does it make sense that I am the only living thing in the world that REALLY understands the world and how it works? Using Occam's Razor, which is more likely: That we are, 1) the only living being that knows and understands how the world really works or, 2) not much, if any, different from all the other people that we look upon with such disdain and even disgust?

In business, it's said that "the customer is always right". This points to the fact that all human beings are convinced that they have the correct understanding! We are so convinced that we are the only ones who think and act appropriately, that we are sometimes willing to abuse, and even kill, others who are so 'ignorant and blind' that they cannot see that 'I am the one who has the correct understanding!' In Eastern philosophy, it is said that we have lived countless lifetimes, over eons of time, and have continued to suffer under these delusions. I am in no position to speculate on the veracity of that point of view, except that it feels like it could be true. The extent of human delusion seems to know no bounds. Albert Einstein famously said, "Two things are infinite; The Universe and human stupidity. And I'm not yet sure of the first." But, of course, we think it's the 'other guy' that this truism applies to. More's the pity. That is why, for those rare few who have been able to overcome these factors, none is their enemy. They understand that all firmly believe they are in the right and feel fully justified in their attitudes, beliefs and actions, so why point the finger of blame? We can never control the thoughts and attitudes of others, and so the ignorant resort to conflict and violence to get their way. The question for those looking for answers is "Is there a way to do something about these weaknesses and illusions that lie within ourselves that will provide clarity if vision and understanding?" And if there is a way, perhaps we should focus the majority of our energies in that direction?

Signitary