Morning guys.
I often wonder what people make of the kind of ridiculous titles I give these things, and if they make sense to literally anyone BUT me. Perfect sense to me, but not everyone is me. I’M barely me…
But that’s already enough existentialist speculation on the idea of Self™ and self already.
So, I was thinking about a concept the other day. As I do.
The concept being that the more we live a certain way, the more we slowly autopilot our lives because that way we don’t HAVE to think. So, we start living the programming of the known past, in the ideally now predictable future. Thank you for the thought provocation, Dr. Joe Dispenza.
The phrase “days of future past” came to mind when I was considering it. Which is an X-men movie title if you feel like you’ve heard it before. About the paradoxes of time travel and changing things in one place to affect the other.
Which made me think about a few other things like that.
Allegedly, according to science (I know I just did sarcastic font there, but this is legitimate research with high degrees of statistical accuracy and significance…), up to 50% of our memories are suspect when it comes too accuracy. And clarity. And, by extension, value. Well, accuracy value anyway.
What if those two things are related?
I can probably make my case for that slightly better. And still make my usual “what do you want” rant at the end. Look forward to that!
So, there’s this thing called neural pruning. Basically, when our brain isn’t using a neuron, it just shuts it down. Decommissions it. Taking up valuable energy that cold be used elsewhere. “Trying to be efficient here!”, kind of thing.
If we get rid of potential circuits, while at the same time never challenging what circuits we’ve already made VERY well-trodden and worked in, what’s the likelihood of the meat popsicle and its gooey grey center (sorry, that was the best metaphor for crassly describing a brain I could think of…) will want to do anything about not being “efficient” and doing something different?
I agree Merl, pretty low.
In a nutshell, we are living our past into the future. See? Those days coming are days of future past. As in, more of the past in the future? Yeah, I know, you got it. Don’t mind me. And yes, I am aware that this is not the only interpretation of that phrase, but its mine and I’m sticking with it. For now.
Back to inaccurate memories.
What if, and hear me out a sec Bess, what if the misrepresented memories are a way in which we… streamline(?) the objective truth of the past to make acting out more of it in the future that little bit more acceptable to us? To be more invested in that predictable future, if its more a rough approximation of the past, without all the precisely and vividly remembered scary bad bits. Or the scary unknown bits. Or the scary “may accidentally have the good shit turn out to be not so good shit” bits?
Yes, I’m aware I’m being extremely cynical here.
But maybe it IS all a method of self-preservation. In terms of our ego with misremembered stuff, and our energy and effort in terms of not changing what worked in the past to map out the future?
Maybe something to think about anyway. Okay, okay, maybe something for ME to think about and bore you guys with later.
But, the implications are hopefully worth considering on you end of things at least.
If this is how our brains and bodies are built, is it any wonder that we get stuck in old stuff? Past traumas and limiting beliefs and learned behaviours and so on?
Which is ironic, because we have that stuff which is aimed at trying to keep things the same, but we have ALL these other cool systems of adaptation that are there to make change more impactful and valuable.
You know what? That actually sounds like the point.
Those adaptive cool elements within us ARE working when they try and keep us the same and “efficient” and pruning shit off of ourselves. Because its adapting, successfully I might add, to things being exactly the same from day to day.
“Gee,” I hear you lament, “it’d be a shame if we kept living out a pattern that was actually a bit crap, wouldn’t it… getting really good at living a crap way. And being super invested in that. Ugh…”
I mean, it sounds delightful, doesn’t it…
You know what’s really cool though?
That days-of-future-past stuff? You don’t have to choose that.
You can choose something different.
Just depends on what you want. Or at least don’t want. For the time being, that might be enough. Because, hopefully, that realisation and those questions create a bit of self-awareness. Which is kind of a big deal if you’ve ever listened to me rattle on about this stuff before.
How do we change the future?
By becoming aware of the things we do to create it in one way, the old past-y way. And invest in new fancier things we can think and feel and do to create it in another.
If you leave autopilot on for too long, our past does all the thinking for us. Maybe that’s been very awesome for you. High five, is nice! (think it in a Borat voice or it doesn't count!)
But if not… How much longer do you want the past to be your future too?
Time for an oldie but a goodie…
Past You got us to here. But future You needs our help if present You wants things to turn out different.
If you don’t choose to change, you wont. And the longer you take to choose, the harder you own damned self will make it to change later on. And that’s just you. Let alone all those other people and things floating around that want you to stay the same. And they do, because that way, they don’t have to change either.
Ewww...
Who are you? Your past? Or the energy ghost pilot telling that stubborn meat popsicle and its baggage who’s boss!
What do you want? More old shit? Or cool and interesting and shiny and sexy new shit?
Old you did fine. Are you still happy with fine?
Be kind, be smart, be your best you. No barfights.
“If you want something new, you need to stop doing something old” Peter F. Drucker
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