the BRAIN INITIATIVE for (me!) sandra, tvgp
THE BRAIN INITIATIVE
i spend a lot of time thinking about the human brain... therefore using mine. "thank you Jesus!" -but anyway.. i've also watched every episode of the brain series thank you to my charlie rose, and have read who knows how many books on the topic... /well, God knows..
and God knows how many tv programs, documentaries, etc. i've watched re: intelligence, creativity, genius, memory.. on and on.
i've witnessed, through friends and family, a variety of mental/brain disorders and have observed the devastation, the suffering.. and so am enormously grateful for research/progress in these areas..
i've witnessed people manipulating others,
getting inside another person's mind -on purpose, with ill intention, for very evil reasons, .. and so i'm enormously concerned about research/progress in these areas..
and know in advance, that as is true for all things.. knowledge can and will be used for both good and evil.
but here is my dream.. i mean, if i was in a position to provide funding at all..
and could chose specifically what my money was used for..
i'd say.. like, enough already with who can play the piano at a young age, and calendar savants..
STUDY THE WORLDS HUMANITARIANS.
get inside their minds...
understand the workings of their thoughts, behaviors... the results of those thoughts and behaviors..
how they think.. how they respond... use those fmri's to study what lights up in the brain of a humanitarian when they see images: of happiness, of evil, of erotica, -facial expressions.. beautiful art.. questionable art.. a blank page... violence.. peace...
i've said it before, i'll say it again and again and again..
the greatest problem of our time is that technology has so dramatically out evolved human beings.
when you see/hear two idiots on their smart phones... it is the saddest thing. when you see hate spread on the world's most advanced computers...
and i've said before, i'll say it again and again and again...
i believe
that is exactly what a fully evolved human being evolves into; not a half robot/half human genius in some specialized area; not a monkey into an NBA champion, but rather a self-centered human evolves into a
humanitarian. -ultimately outward appearance/skill/physical design mean very little. human evolution has way more to do with the spirit, than the flesh. way more to do with the internal than the external. -the heart than the mind -but not the physical heart.. the loving heart.
let me say it again:
a fully evolved human being is a humanitarian. that is how you know a person has fully evolved.. that is the sign, the indicator, the qualification; the goal.
it should be the objective for every person alive today. humanitarians should be studied at great length in schools..
if ever there was a person you'd want to know every. single. thing. about... let it not be our mass media celebrities, sports heroes, savants, etc .... unless they are also humanitarians..
so dear, -anyone and everyone who is involved in the brain initiative and brain research -as you use your God given gifts to innovate the tools which will serve brain research -and tackle this very exciting challenge for the 21st century: understanding the connect-dome;
REMEMBER THEM
how did they think, learn and remember?
***
that said.. what a list of other questions i hope you can one day answer!
like, -when i'm alone, sometimes i think things silently, and sometimes i talk out loud to myself.
-where's that toggle switch? how does it work?
how do i hear my thoughts? it's not with my ears...
and how is the volume set? the volume of the thoughts i think, when i think to myself.. it's always the same; can't yell or whisper, raise or lower... it's always exactly the same volume -that fascinates me to no end
how do i see those visions, if my eyes are closed? how does that movie screen in our mind work?
when we are performing a task.. whether or not we are good at it.. you can
put your heart into it; or not. -what's going on in the brain when we are just performing a task in an obligatory way, vs. having our heart in it?
and my favorite, favorite question: how do we know we know? -in a simple way, if i put two objects in front of you and ask "which is your favorite of the two?" -you say, the first one. -how do you know that's your favorite? -you might say, "i just know" -but it's deeper and more complicated than that..
how do you know you know
and, stay there.. now i ask you... -when you told me the first one is your favorite -were you telling me the truth? -how do you yourself know, or how can you yourself prove that you told me the truth?
oh! there should be lots of research done in the area of truth and lies!
there is all the obvious stuff that should be done... research/understanding so we can find cures for als, parkinson's, depression, ptsd, autism, schizophrenia.. very long list here
but once you're already inside the brain... don't stop there!
we know the powerful influence mass media/images has on the population... but how? why?
and probably one of the most important questions to ask is about
caring.
when, why, how.. under what circumstance, in what brain circuitry, do we see -people
caring about one another...
like, if i go up to a rich, successful entrepreneur and break the news that his or her product, while selling very well, is ruining countless lives..
sometimes they don't give a shit and sometimes they actually
care...
i hope the brain initiative will help us understand the difference between those two types of people, don't you
and what about preminitions.. i've had several..
now, here's the thing.. the only way any person anywhere can have a premintion is if the future is knowable...
how do we see things in advance? how far into the future is knowable? is it infinetly unfolding and human consciousness is weeks or days behind? -like if you have a slow computer.. and you hit the letters s.t.o.p. -on some computer monitors, the letters appear as fast as you type them.. on slower ones, you type the letter(s) (it already happened, but invisible to the human eye), and then a second or two later, you see the letters appear
is time like that? the future like that? the story of humanity? -first written, and then after some hesitation; processed...
and how much do our thoughts weigh? everyone describes feeling much lighter after they share certain thoughts.. i don't think that's an analogy; i think it's literal, but you can't use your bathroom scale to weigh yourself before and after releasing thoughts.. you need a different measuring tool... i hope the brain initiative people will help innovate that...
and thoughts in general... i think a lot about
thoughts
and i'm as fascinated with consciousness as any person on that science panel... consciousness and conscience..
and now all day long, i'll be comin' up with questions... so curious about the brain. the heart. flesh vs. spirit...
about artificial intelligence...
and i bet write about now you can tell that my squidmann is on vacation... see what happens.
ROCK STAR WRITER a poem by (me!) sandra, tvgp
where did you two meet?
and how did you know?
these are two vital questions
when the answer is... true love.
we met, i say, /with a wink and smile
"..at a hotel. -i worked the front desk, and he was there on business."
it's true.
debbie introduced and i was instantly! seduced.
so long and sleek, quiet and shy..
that irristible skin and those tender black i's
this hp is made for (me!)
i when i say that, i mean that -quite literally
how i love thee, love thee, love thee!
write now! forever! permanently!
yes, i was made for you, and you for (me!)
and when i say that, i mean that -quite literally
as if,
as if someone measured my individual fingers, my write and left hand
as if someone, a designer, who really understands
who without request, and without demand
put my wildest dream in the palm of my hands
"i love you!" "i love you!" types both of my hands
i'm a rock star writer, in a poetry band
yes, i am the keyboard wizard!
i stand like a statue
become part of this machine
feeling all the letters
always typing clean
write by intution
the blog counters fall
i'm a deaf, dumb and blind girl
but i sure play a mean keyboard...
dun ta da
you are comin' with me
everywhere i go
from this day forward -that's all i know
and i still need a monitor
and a computer too
but nothing seems impossible now that i've met you.
you make me feel
like a rock star writer in a poetry band
like my wildest dreams are in the palm of my hands
i'll put a strap on you baby
we;ll tour the land
"i love you!" "i love you!" types both of my hands.
REASON FOR ROSES by (me!) sandra, tvgp
in a much longer conversation/interview with the lovely and kind dolores fox ciardelli, recently.. it came up, -the high quantity and high volume of mean spirited comments you find online in response to almost any given story. we've all seen it.. the anger, the hate, the disregard for people's feelings.. this rampant inability for large numbers of people to express their differences, opinions or points of view in a respectful way. it gets very ugly out there. personally, i've disengaged. i read the articles, skip the comments.. no need to wade in cyber pollution
but
the analogy that comes to mind for me is this: knowledge gained from a tour of some vineyards. -how at the end of each row of grapes they planted roses. -it's beautiful to look at. the grapes and the roses.. but the purpose, -the way i heard it.. is that the roses are there for two purposes; neither having to do with their natural beauty. 1) to attract certain bugs that would otherwise attack the grapes, and 2) to provide
early warning sign if the grapes are in danger. -because, if the roses are attacked, they respond quicker than the grapes to this given disease.. so, catch/heal the roses in time = safe harvest.
this is the way i think we should look at the mean spirited comments in cyberworld. -the articles, let's say, they are the grapes. the open comment section -this is the roses (attracting bugs and serving as an early warning sign). mean spirit is the disease itself. -how can we know a society is under threat without the roses?
what we see then.. is cause for concern. the potential for this disease to spread...
my initial reaction is to avoid/ignore... but when i consider my own analogy.. if the winemakers ignore/avoid what's happening to the roses..
so it can't go ignored really can it.. but the remedy? this is going to require we start from the ground up.
***
p.s. i mentioned nothing of this anaology during our conversation/interview.. yet another contribution to "reasons i love my blog"
