The Mind Is Dumb to the Future: Part 1

Shell of Self-Preservation

One of the challenges of life is to understand that you were born without limitations. A pulsating blob of possibilities. The conditioning of the mind from childhood is designed to keep you from killing or harming yourself. It is this very safety mechanism that builds and maintains a shell of self-preservation and keeps your life in a pattern of prediction based on the past, but the mind is not the present you or future you. The mind is a former self that knows nothing of the future and is always responding to stimuli that aren't present now but were present at one time in the past. The mind is dumb to the future.

However, its pattern of prediction is of great value. If you are still alive and reading this then it has worked so far, right? Yes, in a way. It has kept you from stepping in front of trucks, jumping off bridges, going down dark alleys at night in strange and unfamiliar places. Unfortunately it has also kept you from saying hello to someone because they might reject you, from applying for a job that might be at the edge of your skill set, caused you to give up before even trying something new, made you feel it isn't worth it because you don't stand a chance. Since the brain is unable to accurately predict the future it responds to new experiences with its knowledge of the past. But the past is not the future. Fear and Panic are not always the appropriate response. You can't stop the stream of consciousness but you can learn to ignore or interrupt it when it is not being helpful.

Some people call it the brain, some call it the mind, the id, the superego, ego. What ever you call it, it's you first, then it. If your name is George for example call it 'Little George', unless that's already the name of some other body part, then name it something else. Seriously, give it a name you can relate to. A name without power. How can you control something as powerful as the id, superego, ego, mind, brain? But be sure it's a name you can be friends with. A name of something you might be in charge of, like the name of a pet. A pet can be allowed to be itself much of the time but some of the time it needs your control. It needs your control in order to be happy, in order to know what you want, in order to not be in a state of fear, panic and tension. It needs you help and guidance. Have you got the idea? Whatever you call it, it belongs to you, it is your subject, under your rule.

Joseph Valentinetti is an author of novels: fiction and fiction based on fact. He writes articles on a variety of subjects, from impressions of travel spots to speculating about the name of the moon, but his focus is on his writing and author interviews. Get better acquainted at. http://www.valentinetti.com/viewre-views/ Join his site, pick up his feed and become part of the dialog. Read A Book.

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