The Human Condition
I was recently in possession of a stolen dog due to lack of a girlfriend. I wanted to Netflix and chill and was alone. Subsequently I borrowed the neighbors outside dog.
We decided to watch wormwood and it had a part that resonated with me. Human perception is just life experiences and sensory stimulation.
I wanted to write about some of the core functions of how these processes work in our bodies and our perceived environment.
As a basic concept let’s look at the brain in two parts. You have your “animal brain”. The limbic system/cortex (automatic functions) and your logical brain (thinking).
The limbic cortex basically runs millions of calculations simultaneously without you thinking consciously about it. Things like heartbeat, breathing, and other automatic functions.
The hippocampus is where your memory is stored. Memory can be trigged by sensory input. It is also sometimes manipulated and can provide fake memories or information.
The logical brain controls your perspective and thinking. Things like making choices and personality(s).
Amygdala is where emotions and emotional memory is processed and stored. Our emotions are kind of like a filter that we use to color the world around us. They are also strong enough to affect our physical bodily functions. For example a phobia may trigger a high heart rate, sweating, and intense feelings of fear. Some may run from the object of phobia others may fight the source of the sensation. There are some whom may freeze like a deer in the headlights.
Visual cortex Is where we process and store visual information.
The visual thalamus Is where sensory input is processed and then passed on to the visual cortex. Sensory information Including taste, touch, hearing, and motor input (movement) is also processed in the thalamus.
Shaping our reality with stories:
Core beliefs are beliefs about ourselves, others, and society. Core beliefs are shaped at a young age. This is a product of being raised by our parents and environment along with life experiences. They often result or show themselves as things we tell ourselves. You might think you are beautiful or handsome. Another may be “all cops are good or bad.” It’s like a story you tell yourself about yourself or others.
Cognitive dissonance is a belief that is held about something that has no evidence to support the theory. A non obvious one is that the sky is blue. When in fact the sky is every colour and blue is just the most visible of all the colours due to the wavelength. blue is the colour scattering from the sky.
Cognitive consonance is a belief about something that there is inherent proof of. Like Marines are the equivalent of 10:1 Troops on the battlefield.
