I’m not sure if I can believe anything anymore. I’ve been reading the book Kevin Nelson’s book – The God Impulse in which he describes how the brain has different states. It can be awake, in REM (rapid eye movement) sleep or in non-REM sleep. It is during REM that our most vivid dreams occur and this shows that what we think we are seeing is really a construct of our own mind, a figment of our own imagination. Our dreams can seem very real and may well be as real as everything else we convince ourselves we see.
It all becomes fascinating when the brain gets out of sync or when different states seep into each other where the dreams appear at the same time as reality. This is known as REM intrusion and Nelson describes how he believes this gives rise to out of body and near death experiences. It may also give rise to alien abductions though that may be a step too far. He also goes on to describe how religious experiences may arise, hence the name of the book. It has helped me understand much about how the brain works.
We all know it really yet we are in denial. Our brain does not see or hear or smell anything. I wouldn’t recommend it but if you open the cranium and give it a poke you won’t feel anything. The brain has no feelings. It is an organ that takes in data and weaves it into a story that makes sense to us as an individual. It is a knitting machine that makes pretty patterns that allow us interpret the environment around us.
What you see and the way that you see it may have a lot in common with those around you yet it is always unique to you. It is your brain and your show.
They say that seeing is believing. This is true. You believe what you see but whether it is real or not, who knows?
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 