THE CONSPIRACY THEORY OF YOU

OR

The stories we tell ourselves about our life and who we are.

PART ONE of three:

Click to read: Part Two | Part Three

In The Beginning   

You think you are your thoughts and feelings? 

Think again.     

What neuroscientists know and we ignore. The hard wiring of conspiracy. 

Our brains speak a foreign language. They speak “electrochemical”. Everything we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste is first perceived, analyzed, and contextualized in “electrochemical”. Once a decision is made, (“Is this good? Is this bad? Is this tasty? Is this poison? etc.”), we are “instructed” to respond to the stimulus one way or another, seemingly instantaneously.

“Instructed,” you may ask?

We think we are the decision makers, the ones speaking, acting, feeling. But in fact, we are just the end of the line of multiple systems. We are the last one to speak a thought or express a feeling.  We are the “spokesperson”, believing ourselves to be “The Person”.

Think this isn’t true?”

“Do you know what your next thought will be?”

The answer is … you don’t … until it comes.

“Differences in your brain’s chemical checks and balances shape your decisions and responses to environmental pressures.” —Chantel Prat, PhD. (Author of The Neuroscience of You)

We are born. Our brains don’t know anything about the environment they find themselves in. Nerves grow according to organic principles. They create pathways, channels, local roads, cul-de-sacs, superhighways. The more a pathway is used, the more likely it will be reused. Through the laws of association a superstructure develops. Through repetition a sense of consistency comes into being. Through consistency a sense of self evolves. We become a “habit”. By translating “electrochemical” into human terms, a story emerges.

This is the personification of you.

A baby will touch and taste pretty much anything. From these interactions the brain will create a data base of experiences to refer back to, associating good with good, bad with bad and all that lies in between. A young child sees that the coils in the toaster oven are red. They touch it and learn that it is hot. This becomes the basis for comparison. If they see red coils on top of an electric stove, they may associate it with the toaster oven and know not to touch, (or forget and need the experience reinforced). Either way, once they’ve confirmed the two are associated, they will proceed with caution.

It is a process of trial and error.

Over time, words will supersede the need for direct interaction. Symbolic language frees us from having to experience everything directly. A story evolves in lieu of the actual event. We become a translation of a translation, colored by circumstance and emotion, and like the game of telephone, we are subject to transcription errors.

To understand the conspiracy of you is to realize that the story doesn’t begin with you, but with the foundation upon which you stand. Biological predispositions influence how you think, feel, and approach life, all before a conscious thought has entered your mind. Acknowledging this is the first step in extracting yourself from the “electrochemical” narrative.

(From Loy; In the forests of the mind)

“Without insight, darkness prevails.” —Tedagee

Part Two: “The Lie of “I”

Click to read: Part Two | Part Three

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In a past life, Todd David Gross had an extensive background in music and was a veteran of such rock groups as The Burning Sensations, The Band Next Door, and The Shout! He performed primarily on bass, sometimes keys, sang, wrote songs, hauled equipment and performed in downtown NYC clubs, (usually after 2 a.m. on a work night), hauled equipment back, and sometimes saw the sun rise. 

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