We are really not that rational!
We are really not that rational! - Mindfulness and Walking Zombies.
(From journal entry 16dec2011)
After learning Psychology, and reading on Mindfulness, it is becoming clearer to me that human beings are really, not rationale creatures.
From the psychology, neurological, brain stuff point of view, we have theories and concept such as:
Conditioning,
Cognitive Inner working Models,
Cognitive Biases, Distortion
Priming, subliminal Stimuli
Advertising theories
Parenting + Attachment pattern,
From counselling / Psychodynamic (defense mechanisms + transference)
Norms and Group dynamics (Prejudice? Cultural Social?)
Brain functions – Limbic (emotions/reflex) over Prefrontal Cortex (rational thinking?)
Limited Attentions (Monkey business)
Beliefs / Delusions / Explanatory Model
Habits, Memory fallible
Mental Illness & Brain injury/diseases
Education / Exposure and individual experiences
Cognitive Inner working Models,
Cognitive Biases, Distortion
Priming, subliminal Stimuli
Advertising theories
Parenting + Attachment pattern,
From counselling / Psychodynamic (defense mechanisms + transference)
Norms and Group dynamics (Prejudice? Cultural Social?)
Brain functions – Limbic (emotions/reflex) over Prefrontal Cortex (rational thinking?)
Limited Attentions (Monkey business)
Beliefs / Delusions / Explanatory Model
Habits, Memory fallible
Mental Illness & Brain injury/diseases
Education / Exposure and individual experiences
more….
Any one of these concepts shows that, we are not entirely in control of our mind! We are not aware of WHY DO WE BEHAVE THE WAY WE BEHAVE!
In us, there are many Computer Programmes, or Brain Programmes. Stimulants around us, can triggers any of these programmes in us and we act like robots, auto-pilot. There seems to be a mind behind the mind in us. We think we are thinking.
Look at the people commuting in the morning. MP3, ear phones, looking at their phone, all moving around.. i wonder how many of them are fully aware, conscious of their actions.. I bet most of their actions, movements are automatic, without given much thoughts.
People are living in that semi-asleep state consciousness. Sort of like the Web of One (in the previous entry), we are living in a bubble of awareness. We do not appreciate our reality. Our views are tinted.
Our appetites, motivations, actions, source of emotions and our habits are unchallenged, unexamined. If that is happening, then decisions we make are not really rational. It’s just automatic, reflexes learnt from the past (that is past but is screwing up our future).
Then imagine the whole group, in a team, department, company, community, country, society… all just following each other. How scary? Then if majority of humans are unaware of this, and IF handful of others discover this… i wonder how easy it is to sway the behavior of the rest of human race. There you have a conspiracy and a blockbuster movie plot.
Then imagine the whole group, in a team, department, company, community, country, society… all just following each other. How scary? Then if majority of humans are unaware of this, and IF handful of others discover this… i wonder how easy it is to sway the behavior of the rest of human race. There you have a conspiracy and a blockbuster movie plot.
Moses Hng
PS: so, what is enabling me to write this?
PS: so, what is enabling me to write this?
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