Your Thinking Brain
I'm not picking my nose; I'm pointing to my brain
I thought I would start off on a humorous note with
the title of this article, but there is nothing funny about the
subject for today, which is our BRAIN. Of course, our brain is a great
gift.
For example, it allows me to write this article and
you to read it. And it is thanks to brains that we have computers,
airplanes, space travel. Great things are possible when we remain in
charge of our brain and direct it to do our bidding.
But for many, it is the brain that is in charge, and
our body that does its bidding. In other words, some make the brain
their servant, while many become the servant of their brain. Let me
explain what I mean by beginning with a brief introduction to our
brain.
Our brain is really three brains stacked on top of
one another.
The first is our brain stem and cerebellum. Together
they form what is often called the 'reptilian brain' because it is so
primitive and similar to the brains of reptiles. This brain developed
about 250 million years ago.
Next we have the limbic brain, which rests on top of
and around the 'reptilian brain.' It is also called the 'mammalian
brain' as it is similar to the brains of mammals that developed about
60 million years ago. This brain is also called the midbrain since it
rests in the middle of our three brains.
Our third brain is our thinking brain and is called
the cerebral cortex or neocortex. It is the wrinkly surface of the
brain that we are all familiar with and it is divided into two
hemispheres. It is the biggest part of our brain and it covers
the limbic brain. It developed very slowly in mammals and by 40,000
years ago was already a powerful computer that eventually blossomed
into the miracle of our present brain.
Our 'reptilian brain' can be called a reactive
brain, for whenever a threat appears it immediately causes the owner
of the brain to flee, fight, or surrender. It is a protective or
survival mechanism. While it serves animals well and rescued primitive
man from many dangers, today, it is the source of much of our
problems.
The problems faced by primitive man were those of
survival, such as food and shelter. But for most of us, we are no
longer facing problems of that magnitude. Yet, we are programmed by
our 'reptilian brain' to AUTOMATICALLY run from danger. Since most of
us no longer face grave danger, our 'reptilian brain' reacts to
imagined threats. Why are so many people angry all the time?
Because they imagine that they live in a hostile
world and their primitive brain puts them in a FIGHT or attack (anger)
frame of mind. If we imagine someone doesn't like us, we sense a
threat and we automatically shift into an attack 'mode by criticizing,
insulting, or arguing with that person.
If we imagine our job at the office is too difficult
to handle, we are programmed to FLEE (run away from or avoid) our
responsibilities. And if we find a task overwhelming, we may react by
SURRENDERING (believing it is hopeless and that we are helpless, so we
give up).
Our limbic or 'mammalian brain' is the seat of our
emotions, which are valuable messengers, if we listen to them. The
problem is, whenever we experience a negative emotion, such as fear or
anger, we automatically REACT by fleeing, fighting, or surrendering.
In our case (as humans), our 'reptilian and mammalian brains' work as
a team and form what can be called our 'old brain.' Designed to
protect, it now holds us back. Using our old brain to guide us is like
using a vacuum tube in a microchip world. Don't send your thinking
brain (neocortex) on vacation by living your life on autopilot, unless
you want to be a zombie!
Why don't more people do something about this and
correct their behavior? Well, easier said than done! You see, first of
all, we are PROGRAMMED to flee, fight, or surrender from real or
imagined threats. This isn't always bad. For instance, suppose I am
crossing a street and suddenly a speeding car comes veering in my
direction. If I were to stop to think and analyze the situation, I
could very well get run over and killed before reaching a conclusion.
The fact is, sometimes there's no time to think.
That's why we are programmed to react to danger
without thinking.
But what is the reality? We rarely, if ever, need to
act without thinking. No question about it, in most cases, reacting
without thinking instead of thoughtfully thinking things through leads
to more, not less problems.
Another reason for not correcting our behavior is,
as we allow ourselves to succumb to our natural inclinations
(programming), we established a HABITUAL PATTERN, and habits are hard
to break, aren't they? But wait, there's more. Our bad habit then
causes us to experience failure, and repeated failures cause us to
think we are failures. In other words, we form the BELIEF that we are
destined to fail. Our belief, in turn, acts as a SELF-FULFILLING
PROPHECY, which further entrenches the behavior in our lives. As we
experience one failure after another, they REINFORCE our belief,
proving (in our mind) that we are indeed failures. So, our
programming, habits, and beliefs act as strands of a powerful cable,
seemingly impossible to break.
But break it we must, for if we don't gain control,
we will live in fear, acting out as a shadow of our true potential.
Would you want to drive on a major highway in a Model T Ford? It makes
just as little sense to allow ourselves to be lead around by our 'old
brain.'
When we allow our 'old brain' to run our lives, we
come to believe people are 'threats' and the world is 'unfair.' We
revert to infantile behavior, making demands, and expect to be catered
to by the world. Making demands is foolhardy because they will never
be met, and failure to meet them leads to frustration, intensifying
our suffering. And each time we make a demand, we are running away
from life. Instead of being grateful for all we have, we spit in the
face of life and ask, "Is this all you are going to give me? I want
more! I'm entitled to it!"
Yes, we want more, but we don't want to work for it.
Why don't we want to work for it? Because we imagine work is painful,
and that triggers an automatic reaction from our 'old brain,' which
causes us to avoid it.
It's clear that we need to put our thinking brain
back in charge, but how do we do so? Here are steps you can take:
1. Understand the process. That's the purpose of
this article.
2. Learn to feel your emotions. That is, don't act
on them but feel them, become aware of them BEFORE you act. Think
before acting.
3. Once you feel your emotions, ask yourself, "What
is the message they are conveying?" If you are feeling good, the
message is you are doing the right thing, so keep on doing it. But if
you are feeling bad (angry, sad, unhappy, anxious), the message is you
are doing something wrong; you need to do things differently.
Ask yourself, "What am I doing wrong? What should I
be doing?
What is something I can do now, however small, to
get closer to a solution to my problem?"
4. If you want to change, but feel resistance,
understand that is your old brain trying to get you to duck your
responsibilities, avoid work, or criticize and blame others. Tell your
old brain, "Sorry, I'm putting my thinking brain in charge of my life
and I expect your full cooperation."
5. Learn the differences between real and imagined
threats.
Having a speeding car veer at you or being caught in
the midst of a raging forest fire are real threats. But being insulted
or laughed at are imaginary threats that lack the power to harm you,
unless you succumb to the call of your 'old brain.'
6. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, feel sorry
for others, and make the world easier for them (and yourself) by
accepting them. When you learn how to respond appropriately, you not
only shift from misery to happiness, but you make a solid contribution
to the world.
7. Realize that people are decent at heart, but
because they live in fear and are troubled, they treat others rudely,
but all of this changes when YOU change. Open your heart and you open
the door to happiness.
8. Accept that neither fear nor suffering gives you
the right to make demands. Rather, your fear and suffering need to be
transmuted to strength and compassion.
9. If you don't understand, it's not about ME but
about WE, and then YOU, you're missing the point of life. Devoting
yourself to WE and YOU fills your life with meaning, purpose, and
fulfillment.
10. If you find this material difficult to accept,
it is not surprising for we are programmed to run away by denial,
rationalization, and blaming others for our failures. Keep reflecting
on these ideas until you can apply them and reap the rewards of a full
and balanced life.
11. If you do understand the material, make sure
your understanding is more than intellectual, but experiential. That
is, integrate the material into your life and experience it fully.
12. After learning important psychological
principles, too many people use what they learn to judge the behavior
of others. But we can never know the true motives of others because
there are countless explanations for doing the things we do; we can
only understand our own motives. It is only when we apply these
principles to ourselves that we can benefit. So don't try to apply
what you learn to others. To be useful, it needs to be applied to
yourself alone.
THE POINT OF IT ALL We are not meant to grovel in
self-pity, but to stand tall as we vanquish every doubt and fear. Just
as blood surges through our body, nourishing it, the life force or
life principle surges through our spirit, empowering us if we only
tune into it.
By life force I mean that power which shouted itself
into existence and since eons past propelled life forward, always
changing, always adapting, always surmounting every obstacle.
Cataclysmic events could not stop it, for the
greater the hurdle, the higher it leapt, the greater the problem, the
stronger it became.
Yes, that mighty life force is ever at our side, but
how do we tap into it? We do so by meeting it halfway, by acting as if
we have the power, by taking the first step. As we move toward it, it
moves toward us. This great power is always available, but like the
sun, rain, or wind, we are free to harness it or ignore it. The more
we call upon it, the more we shall overcome, and the more we overcome,
the easier it will become to overcome more.
Every challenge we face is a call to greatness, an
invitation to discover our power. How shall we respond? Your brain is
no stronger than its weakest think, so think carefully!
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