Humanity Appears To Be Stuck In “Record” And “Playback” Mode
Thought is a relatively new phenomena on Earth. We could say it’s our “super power”. Maybe it’s time we understood what it actually is?
Our ability to conceptualize, and create and use language is what all of humanity has in common. It distinguishes us from all other forms of life on the planet. It’s what gives us dominion over the entire planet.
What is meant by the statement “understand what thought actually is” is understand how it actually works, what its structure is, what its properties are, and all of its characteristics, and finally, what its appropriate use is.
And what does thought do?
We could all see after observing it for ourselves that thought is the movement of memory. When someone asks you a question, during the time between when the question is asked and when you provide the answer, you’re “thinking”. That is you’re searching your memory for the answer, for something you “know”. So you either “know” or you don’t.
So the ability to “think” equates to an ability to “recored” and “playback” life experiences. That is the ability to record and playback past experiences. And what is meant by “play back” is to “recall”, or “remember” a prior life experience whatever it may be. The brain really does appear to function as a “biological computer”.
What brains in general appear to allow their owners to do is record life’s experiences and then play them back. This ability to record and playback then appears to confer special powers on a life form by providing it with advantages over other life forms which do not posses this ability. Our ability to record, or remember is necessary for us to live, it’s what allows us to do our jobs to earn a living, drive a car, ride a bike, farm, build, etc., it allows us to function in daily living. Without it we would have probably gone extinct a long time ago. But now, since we’re unaware of it’s qualities and characteristics as we’re using it, it is also threatening our demise as we can be said to be using “too much” of it. As with everything in life, we need to learn how to use it “in balance”.
Our problem appears to be that we’re stuck in this “record/playback” mode. That is we’re stuck constantly recording and playing back where we seem to wind up overlaying, or “superimposing” the past on top of the present in such a way that we’re constantly viewing the present through the past, through our memory. We do this with ourselves in the forming of a self “image”, or collecting memories/thoughts about ourselves, as well as others, and then thought enters into interpersonal relationships with ourselves and others where it causes division and conflict and so has a detrimental effect.
It appears that we wind up recalling, or “playing back” prior experiences in the present moment and when we do so, it seems to either rob us of our ability to stay completely attentive to the present moment often resulting in some form of harm befalling us in some way, or we wind up somehow comparing it with and judging it against the present moment. This comparing, and judging in tern has accompanying it a hole host of problems. As we compare the past to the present we either become desirous or fearful of some imagined future. An imagined future based on the past. This again, robs us from being able to remain with and acknowledge the present moment and meet it completely, which again, more than likely results in some form of harm or ill-fate befalling us.
So our entire lives appear to be nothing more than the movement of this constant recording and playback in the form of “experiencing — thought”, “experiencing — thought” which we have done on this planet since time immemorial. The only problem with this is we don’t yet understand the actual nature of thought, its true properties, structure, and characteristics. We don’t understand the actual effect of thought as we’re using it.
So in an attempt to understand we observe what’s actually taking place, both inside, and outside of us. So we may then observer for ourselves that we “record” and “compare” life’s experiences, more specifically the past with the present. As a result of this comparison we either wind up desiring “more” of something, or desiring “less-to-none” of something which may be seen as discontent and/or fear.
Either way, both are desire.
The positive form of “desire” is “I want”, and the negative form of “desire” is “I do not want” which we usually refer to as “fear”. So fear may be seen as the desire for something not to happen, or something to not be experienced in any way.
As a result of our near constant mental comparison of past memories with the present, desire/fear is also constantly being generated. Desire then goes on to generate conflict and division inside of us.
The desire/fear keeps us from being able to acknowledge exactly “what actually is” in the present moment. This is because, as we desire or fear we do literally become blind. That is, we go “mentally blind”. At this point the old expression “blinded by desire” comes fittingly to mind.
When we either desire or fear what’s actually happening is that we’re off in a mental projection. Our attention, instead of being wholly in the present with “what is”, is inwardly focused on a “mental goal” to be reached or attained at some future date. All the while residing in a state of mental discontent and conflict with “what is” because what “what is” is, is not yet the desired thing.
Perhaps the most damning thing of all in this process is that, by continuing to create this desired projection(whatever it is), in the very moment that the desire is created the undesired inverse, or negative is also created in the present. It is not possible to have one side without the other as per the law of opposites. This then has the effect of re-creating the undesired thing, or in other words, “persisting” the undesired thing, which then in tern goes on to “persist” the desire to have other than what is, and we have an entirely vicious, dark, brutal, downward spiral into the depths of hell on Earth as this cycle appears to carry on seemingly indefinitely. Hence some say humanity is “damned” or “cursed”.
This appears to be what it all boils down to, however, as always the reader is encouraged to look at all of this for themselves! This is something we can all do as we’re only looking at “what actually is”. The only requirement is to be physically alive, and then completely and totally mentally open and free to be able to look, observe, and study as a doctor would study a patient when looking to heal them of any ills. We are the patient. It is now time for us to also be the “doctor”.
