Numbness of the Mind
The human brain is so lazy by default. If I were to compare it to an animal, this visual comes to my mind:
You have to train it, trick it, and bypass its defense mechanisms to take on more work. Otherwise, it will trick you into thinking you are tired, that's all you can, that's above your possibilities, etc.
Humans are highly adaptable to changing conditions. I would say like cockroaches, if that wouldn't feel offensive. 😀
But the default response to potential changing conditions is fightback. Why change? You are so comfortable as you are, you already know all you need to know, no additional effort is needed.
But if the human being faces strong adversity, an extraordinary transformation happens. They have to tap into unimaginable resources, quickly learning new skills and finding the energy to work as much as needed, activating survival instincts, if need be.
It's a bit like the lioness in the image at the beginning. She's resting conserving energy in the tree, but when she or her cubs (if she has any) are hungry, she needs to go hunting, whether she likes it or not, whether she has enough energy for a full hunt or not. Maybe she gets lucky and can steal the kill of a smaller hunter, like a cheetah. Poor cheetah, huh? Doing all the work, spending all that energy and ending up with a few quick bites before the big boys come to the table.
Anyway, I find it remarkable how much a person can change when they are forced by circumstances, and the brain can't play tricks on them any longer.
To some degree, it seems these mind games are only possible when someone hasn't reached a point where hard decisions and actions need to be taken or else...
In a way, that's probably a good indicator. If your mind still persuades you that you are too tired, it's too difficult, you can't do it, you probably haven't been with your back against the wall, and like the lioness, in the situation to hunt or die. Civilization spared many of us from a day to day existence, where if you don't hunt, you die. But that also comes with a numbness of the mind, which tries very hard to elude the prospect of more work.
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Great write top. The human brains works with what you feed it with and it is also controlled by your mind and thought.
That is true. "Garbage in, garbage out!" is the saying...
The human brain adapts to things very fast and that’s why whatever we do for twenty one days tends to be a part of us…
Ever heard of that before?
I read about it, but it seems it's a myth. How long it takes to learn a new habit depends on the habit and the individual, which to me makes more sense.
The good thing is the way the brain learns so very fast
The brain may be lazy but able to adapt to things very fast
Yeah, but it sometimes needs to be pushed into a corner and have no way out before it gives all it can without trying to find easy solutions or a way out. Either that, or "bribed": Ok, let's push hard now, there's a great vacation coming... Or something similar.
It's amazing how much we can push ourselves when we're backed into a corner. The mind's tricks are just hurdles to overcome no doubt
Yes, incredible! I've always been fascinated by the different speeds at which we operate, depending on situation. It's like we are programmed to conserve energy, even though we rarely need such a restriction nowadays, at the level we needed it when we were forced to hunt to stay alive.
absolutely right on that brother
When things get rough, people have to choice but to adapt. When you aren't left with many choices, you just have to deal with it or give up.
That's not an easy period one has to go through, but it's in most cases transformative. It leaves marks but also shows a person what they are capable of.
I think that humans are developing stuffs that makes it difficult for them (us) to be pushed to the extreme. However in a situation where we have no choice, this is where our capabilities to adapt becomes evident.
That is true. Society helps us rarely be put in the situation to face extreme situations alone or as a small group. When however something like this comes up, most people first panic. Some keep it cool, others get a grip of the situation in time. Others remain panicked much longer, particularly because they never faced serious adversity in their lives and don't know how to react.