IF YOU SAY SO
Not a single human
being is alike in cognitive development and awareness; we don’t look alike and
we don’t think alike.
Every once in a while I like to take you on a philosophical
journey and the topic I will address in this article is cognitive awareness and
learning. And more to the point, how
reliable is it? I will start with one of
my own phrases that I’m particularly fond of.
“We all view and interpret the world from within the limited parameters
of personal knowledge and experience.”
Our judgements and opinions are based on the reference points we’re
familiar with. And I will give you a
very simple example. When a 2 year old
saw my puppy, Toby, for the first time (he’s a blue-merle Aussie, which
basically means that his coloring is black, blue and white), his mommy
exclaimed, “Look at that cute little puppy.”
And the 2 year old replied deadpan, “Doggie dirty.” From a distance and for someone his age and
never having been exposed up close to a similar dog, Toby could indeed appear
as if he had slept in a dirt or oil barrel.
He associated the dog’s color with dirt.
“Wash your hands, they’re dirty.”
There was a reference point there somewhere, as association made. In this case, black. And dirt is black.
Accurate cognitive awareness and association takes time to
develop and heavily depends on the subject material which in some people may
remain incredibly limited due to a lack of interest or being the recipient of
limited learning, and it therefore leads to a lesser degree of cognitive
awareness and accuracy.
Most of us are
skimmers.
The bulk of humanity consists of skimmers and skippers and it
all boils down to exposure, opportunity and interest. Most people skim through life, intellectual
surface dwellers, because we either fail to show them the heights and depth or
they simply don’t care. No
motivation. No interest. There is that famous phrase, “You can lead a
horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.”
Cognitive awareness and learning in a highly interested and
motivated group of individuals will explore and tackle any subject with a much
greater degree of accuracy (truthful if you like) than a group content to mimic
the attitudes and behaviors of the tribe they belong to. What we’re exposed to as youngsters, although
it is foundational and haunts us until the day we die, is highly suspect. Look no further than religion and how we’re
spoon fed from infancy with religious truths and certainties. We’re all raised to accept and adopt and not
to question learning. Drilled into us
from conception is conformity and compliance.
Religious education for instance is about acceptance without question
and we don’t confront our little ones with theological questions and dilemmas that
academics to this day are struggling with.
“Does God really exist? Did any
of these miracles and stories every take place?
No, the opposite is true. We want
to move forward with accepted comfortable truths and associations. What we want for our children is to give them
a solid foundation and it might not be truthful or correct. Our attitudes and morals are therefore
skewered and highly suspect from birth and it illustrates that life is not
necessarily about fact and accuracy, but about comfort. Things that make us feel good.
What do we
believe? Who do we believe?
When the leader of a nation proclaims that all illegals are
drug users, thugs and criminals and repeats the message over and over again,
this doesn’t mean that the listeners actually believe the message, but it
becomes part of a tribal camp registration with all the adherents shouting
hallelujah in unison, reaffirming their faith in each other. The tribe consolidating and it has little to
do with stupid or smart people, but about taking sides, about association. You want to be in, not out!
Genius is not the rule,
they are a rare exception.
You can’t have heightened cognitive awareness without
interest and fascination, without determination and ambition and I will once
more entertain you with a simple example.
A mathematician can stare at a complicated math equation scribbled down
on multiple chalkboards and be absolutely fascinated, his or her eyes roaming
over the numbers and symbols and especially if it is something new, intriguing
and promising. I could walk past that
same chalkboard and I wouldn’t be interested at all because I haven’t got a
clue what I’m looking at. What’s up
there is totally meaningless to me.
The mathematician could look at me with incredulity, his or
her eyes feverish with excitement, bursting with enthusiasm and exclaim, “This
is enormous and this equation will change the world.” And my reaction to this revelation, “If you
say so”
How we react to
information is dependent on interest. We
only pay attention to what matters to us in the moment. Life and living is basically a selfish
pursuit and it neatly explains our indifference to anything that doesn’t
directly affect us. We hear what we want
to hear and we are, what we are.
Everything else is window dressing.
Blame our short
attention spans.
Besides dubious acquired knowledge our sensory sensations
experience a short lifespan as well.
Very little we absorb or are exposed to leaves a lasting
impression. My little 2 year old is just
making his way into the world. Most of
what he will encounter in his formative years is through osmosis, all the stuff
that is passed on from their parents, siblings and teachers and whatever else society
throws at you. What he gets is their
truths, opinions, impressions and beliefs.
Questioning, doubting and exploring starts at a much later stage and
accuracy and depth will depend largely on personal interest, fascination and
ambition.
Average is the norm and
below average is the new norm.
I love listening to music, but sheet music is Chinese to me. The notes mean nothing. My interest in music is limited to listening. I am tone deaf, can’t hold a tune or remember
any songs. I have no interest to
learn. I am a listener and not a
player. Humans are underachievers, not
super achievers. Even highly motivated
people are a rarity and when they do excel it is only in limited bursts. In the natural world there is not a single
animal species that behaves like we do.
There is cognitive awareness and learning, but none display the
obsessive behaviors that have evolved in humans. None of them care what we care about, none
even display an inclination of wanting to join us. Blissfully unaware of our struggles they only
care about living for today. Their
ambition is limited to take care of today and hopefully it will take care of
tomorrow.
The tree of life is
ours. We’re not unique. We just took a slightly different path
But, all lifeforms follow the same evolutionary pathways and
patterns; all of us are basically lazy and opportunistic. The lion pride will go after the young, the
weak and vulnerable. I mean, you’re not
going to throw your back out pursuing the biggest, strongest and fastest. What’s the point unless you’re eager to prove
a point! Now, that is something humans
do on a regular basis!
There is nothing sadder than watching a skinny, hungry lion
slinking away after yet another unsuccessful hunt. Nothing worse than an empty belly and it
results in anger, disappointment, frustration and rejection. All negatives. We respond in kind and we do it with
millions. With billions!
Few of us lead. Most of us are followers.
I have never been able to sit through an entire meeting
featuring motivational speakers and put up with their phony enthusiasm, the
well-rehearsed lines, the talking points and they’re all so eager to pass on
their secrets and the key to success. An
energized crowd leaves the room with determination and resolve when they should
be walking out scratching their heads.
“Why is he/she making a living as a motivational speaker? Why is he still a salesman and not the owner
of the dealership? Does Bezos go out on
motivational speaking tours? TV
evangelists are another breed I find disturbing, whipping up a crowd into a
frenzy with their zeal and manipulative level of crowd control and their
reassurances. Some will leave you with
the impression that they’ve actually met the guy and heard him speak.
Some of us do better
than others.
The most powerful people in society are those who excel at
getting other people do their dirty work for them, and, with enthusiasm. Willingly; rallying, motivating, signing up
new members, knocking on doors, phoning, donating, attending meetings,
cheering, putting up posters, wearing party gear and extolling the leader’s
virtues and charisma.
Even the best of us are
limited.
When it comes to sheer genius and power, even the most
celebrated and powerful usually excel at only one thing. Few people in history have been
multi-talented and excelled at two different disciplines with an equal measure
of success. Winston Churchill was a
career politician, diplomat and bureaucrat and in his spare time he liked to
paint. Some of his paintings have sold
for a lot of money, but had he been an average citizen none of those paintings
would have made it to a gallery or auction house. They’re mediocre. People love to own something that has
belonged to someone famous or infamous.
A nail from the cross, a gun that belonged to Al Capone. Some collectors are simply not very fussy or
discerning. You won’t find a similar
example in the animal world. An eagle
picking up a piece of scat from the fierce head of a lion pride, a memento to
cherish and to decorate his nest with.
In the animal world shit is shit and is treated as such. It is typically human habit to elevate shit
to greater heights.
Explaining
complacency. We’re not raised to
critically examine and question.
We’re getting back to that osmosis thing. So many things we cherish and absorb are rooted in our tribal past and in the awkward learning processes all humans have to master. And we’re losing the battle there as well. Too many people and too many problems and as a result we’ve abandoned our basic tribal customs of inclusivity and caring for all. The ‘nobody left behind’ kind of thing and I’m not referring to learning your ABCs. And life is not fair, never has been and never will be. In the real world somebody always gets to eat more and that is the way of the world. We used to take care of everybody and now we’re leaving billions of people behind in a world that is disparate and divided.
Our explanations are
all over the place.
The residue of tribal learning and the efforts humans have
put in explaining the world and all its mysteries and tribulations have led to
an institutionalized acceptance of the weirdest things. Leaving the natural world behind and
deviating from natural processes we have been busy orchestrating the most
bizarre explanations to give life meaning.
To explain things.
I will give you an example most of us are familiar with. You’re setting out on a religious retreat and
you do that to either affirm or reaffirm your faith. You hope to leave rejuvenated, strengthened,
inspired and energized. Kind of getting
back to that motivational thing and why I personally shy away. However, you’re not expected to emerge in
jubilation yelling, “God doesn’t exist, it’s all malarkey. Free, free at last.” Sorry, Martin, I just couldn’t resist!
All of us move forward based on established, comfortable
truths. That is how most of us are
raised. And the truth is based on what you believe, have been told and raised
to believe. No challenges. No critical thinking or an up close examining
of fact. We’re all products of past
experience, passed on from one generation to the next. Is that so?
Yes, all that muddling is ours and always will be. We’re struggling so hard to be different, to
be better and once more it is that so-called superior intelligence of ours that
at times is a cause for celebration, but we usually disappoint.
I hope you didn’t expect a cheering section emanating from my
court. I am not a pessimist nor an
optimist. I’m a realist. Going with the flow preserves my sanity but
as a writer, a student of philosophy, history and the humanities I love to
share my observations with you. Feel
free to comment or share. Join the
conversation.
A lot of the articles on my blog hail from my novel: Twilight
Musings, a compilation of essays and articles of our times. You can receive a free e-copy of this novel
by sending me an email at wbes6646@gmail.com
No strings attached. I
don’t keep a mailing list and I rarely respond or correspond.
Purchase Energy & Origin from KDP Amazon.ca
This is a book that should be mandatory reading because it
explains who we are and why the road ahead is a bumpy one. Energy & Origin is a profound read and it
radically changed my thinking and approach to life.
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