Simply stated, our bodies are biological machines. Miraculous from one point of view, like a computer would be miraculous to a cave man, but machines nonetheless. They function mechanically, meaning they require no thought. They follow programs, rules, and guidelines governed by physical laws. Hearts pump, lungs breathe, hair grows, stomachs digest, nutrients are sorted, waste eliminated, incredible in their way but mechanical in how they function. Most people see the logic of this.
“But what about emotions?”
They have a profound effect upon us. They come without words. They carry a chemical charge and are one of the main driving forces in our lives. Often we define ourselves more by how we feel than what we think.And yet, emotions, like our bodies, function mechanically.
Think not? Consider how an emotion is constructed:
Information comes in through the senses. Our brain has to analyze what is happening, go through its library of past experiences to determine its emotional value, i.e. is this good, bad, happy, sad, etc., and then manufacture the requisite peptides (proteins) to circulate throughout the body to create a visceral sensation that matches it. Fear, anger, happiness, love, etc. And it happens instantaneously, or at least it appears that way.
But is it instantaneous?
The language of “electrochemical” proceeds at far greater speeds of interaction than we are capable of processing and performing. In “electrochemical” perhaps it takes hours, days, weeks. In human terms it all happens in less than a quarter of a second. We interpret an immediate reaction as a true accounting of ourselves. We then create the requisite thoughts to support it and go out into the world to enact it. This is the face we put on, this is the genesis of the story we tell ourselves about who and what we are.
If that was all there was, we would be doomed to a life of stimulus-response. The life of a machine that simply follows a program and appears to be alive. This is the grim and zombie-like existence sci-fi warns about.
But Nature, in her wisdom has produced a collaborator, a counter intelligence. A tool for righting a system gone wrong. She gave us the ability to separate from what we think and feel, in order to observe ourselves from a neutral corner. It has been called the Observer-Self. Psychologists utilize this phenomenon to help their patients look at and resolve patterns of thinking and emotion that threaten their wellbeing.
“In-Sight”
To bring the light of consciousness into a dark corner. It is this very same intelligence that the mystics call upon to experience an expanded sense of self in the universe. Eckhart Tolle calls it “the formless self … the arising consciousness. “
The conspiracy of you is a lifelong process. In the early years it goes unchecked and unquestioned. Over time cracks appear. We find that certain ways of being do not serve us well. The external world pushes back. Negative thoughts and feelings arise. Versions of ourselves no longer serve us but become their own opposite. We get depressed. Self-deprecation sets in.By placing our identity in our mechanical manifestations we allow the conspiracy to hold sway over us.
One technique to help loosen its grip is to think of oneself in third person. Instead of saying or thinking ‘I am sad’, say he/she (or your name) is sad. Or define a mood by recognizing it before it finds a reason in the outside world to attach to, and say, for example, “There is negative energy circulating through this body.”
Giving up the personal “I” provides a moment of separation, and the Observer-Self can emerge. This is the realm of possibility. The realm of spirit. Rather than being driven by a narrative that conspires to keep itself in place, it is a doorway into the present and freedom from the madness.
From Loy and Beyond:
“The sun strikes an object which casts a shadow. The mind-of-the-body is the object. You are both sun and shadow. You are the energy that comes and goes. You are the flow.” —Donan
The conspiracy theory of you ends when you let go and step away. It ends when you are able to pick and choose how you will be in each moment. An admirable goal. A lifelong pursuit. The adventure of self-discovery. “To boldly go where you have not gone before.”
But make no mistake, the conspiracists will “not go gentle into that good night.” They are mechanical manifestations, hard wired and will always reassert themselves. You can resist or try to change them, but in the end that won’t work. Fighting them leads to self-deprecation and depression, (another tool they have for keeping themselves in place). Our real opportunity then is to change our relationship to them. To simply observe and not embrace. That is the path to freedom.
There are many systems and schools of thought whose main aim is to recast the narrative and focus on extracting you from the conspiracy.
From Stoic philosophy, to the tenents of Mindfulness, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, (and all the other Isms). From the teachings of Echart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, to name a few, to Kabbalah, to the 4th Way, to the myriad of “mystery” schools out there.
From Loy; In the forests of the mind
“Holding to the past to remain the same is an end. Letting go the past to find oneself, a beginning”.
—So what are you waiting for?—
Other Relevant Quotes
“An unexamined life is not worth living.” —Socrates “We suffer more in our imagination than in reality.” —Seneca “You are not responsible for what you think. You are responsible for what you say.” —Tedagee “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” —George Elliot “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” —Marcus Aurelius “Thinking is difficult that’s why most people judge.” —Carl Jung “The quieter you become the more able you are to hear.” —Rumi
Todd David Gross is the author of the award-winning Loy series. A dystopian fantasy that explores the nature of man.
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.
