For some reason, all evidence to the contrary, we seem to think that the way our minds make meaning out of the world at any particular moment is truth and that our mind is somehow unaffected by inputs, external or internal. Like we’re objectively observing a movie instead of living in it. And that somehow our brains are logical, calculating, and rational at all times in all circumstances. Somewhat like having little Spocks in our heads bending over the monitor looking at the rest of us as inputs into his scientific equations from which he can create a logical hypothesis.
But it just ain’t so. Our brain, even the logical left side, is a physical organ which is dependent on a great deal of our physical anatomy for basic functional needs like blood, oxygen, nutrients, spinal fluid, plus the input from sensory organs, and is bathed in the chemicals we put out to control various functions in our lives that make them…well…lives. And the lack of any of these things, plus the state of the body, the emotions that influence the body, the soul which guides the body all effect what the mind perceives, how it perceives it, and which affects what meaning it can make out of it. Which is just another reason why I’m constantly amazed at human beings and how we manage to live even semi-coherent existences of free will. Life is complex and we are amazingly beautiful, complex creatures which can dazzle right up until the point that they scratch and unmentionable area, hawk a loogie in the street, or pick at their nasal passages. Then everything goes back to status quo.
However, the thing to know is that what we think about things, the impressions we get about a situation in the moment, the meaning we make out of it aren’t necessarily or really ever the absolute truth about a thing. They are influenced by all kinds of things including when you last ate and how much sleep you got the night before and what got said between you and your honey and the roommates and the kids this morning before you walked out the door. So when things seem to be horrible or frustrating or incomprehensible or in need of immediate adjustment, you might want to take a minute to see if part of the issue really is about you. Not in a judgmental way, but in light of the mechanics. Do you need to eat before you make any decisions? Would a nap make things better? (In my opinion its a very underutilized and valued remedy to many things) Could you think more clearly about this if you resolved a ‘discussion’ you were having with xxx person?
Sometimes absolute thinking gets you absolutely no where. Learning how your body works can help your mind see things a bit more clearly.
