Skip to main content

Your Mind

In this episode - Your Mind . . .

 

For a moment, picture your mind as a blank slate waiting to be coded. Much like a computer, your mind accepts programming at birth without any instructions from you. In computer language, this initial programming is defined as firmware, “Permanent software programmed into a read-only memory.”

That brings up two questions;
  1.  Is it possible to re-write the firmware that is your operating system?
  2.  Is your firmware open source code or a closed system?
What a captivating concept!

Today the social and psychological sciences tend to take the view that human beings are 'formed' socially and psychologically by nature as well as by nurture. And there are inherited traits that society can build on and modify.

Early in the seventeenth century, it was statesman-philosopher Francis Bacon who, first established the claims of Empiricism - the theory that all knowledge is derived from sense-experience.

John Locke in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding restated the importance of the experience of the senses over speculation and establishes the case that the human mind at birth is a complete, receptive, blank slate (a tabula rasa) upon which experience imprints knowledge.

Locke argued that people acquire knowledge from the information about the objects in the world that our six senses bring. (vision, sound, touch, taste, smell, and proprioception). People begin with simple ideas and then build them into more complex ones.

Is this what determines the built-in software that is our firmware? Or as individuals do we have the free will to program our mental software from the synthetic experience?

Let’s imagine the mind as a white paper void of all characters, without any ideas. Locke did not believe in the powers of intuition or that the human mind is blessed with innate knowledge. In his Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1697), Locke advocated practical learning to prepare people to manage their social, economic, and political affairs efficiently. He believed that a sound education began in early childhood and insisted that the activity of teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic be gradual and cumulative.

But what about today? Is the education we receive active or passive?

We live in a society exposed to more information in a single day than our forefathers were exposed to their entire lives. Consider the influence of Television, the Internet, radio, blogs, social media, and the deluge of information we allow to fill that Tabula rasa?

Through our free will are we allowing our blank slate to be filled with ideas that build the strength of character, values, information that teach us to grow and develop as an individual?

Or do we passively allow junk to filter into our minds and fill the slate with garbage? It’s been said that we cannot erase the garbage from our mind but we can overwrite it by each day focusing on what we want to become. Not what our environment has programmed us to become.

So, how do we put this learning into action?

Engage the power of habit and discover what moves you emotionally. Overwrite your programming with good, clean, positive, powerful ideas to rewrite your firmware.

Reflect on your experiences, write them down, then share them with others.

"All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions." ~ Leonardo da Vinci

This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening, see you in the next episode.
Labels:

Comments

Don Hanley said…
Patrick - This is a wonderful and thoughtful essay -- everyone should read - AND PRACTICE what it teaches. Now please let me know how I can save it on my computer. Don Hanley
October 16, 2021 at 11:37 AM
Patrick B. Ball said…
Thank you so much Don, I've emailed you instructions on how to share a post from the blog site. All the best, Patrick
October 17, 2021 at 6:29 AM
Post a Comment

Most Popular of All Time

Sunflowers, French Steel, and the Yellow Jersey

Watching Le Tour de France this year, I found myself transported back to August 1983 as the Peloton in Stage 10, Bastille Day, flowed through the French countryside like a brightly colored ribbon. I was in my twenties, visiting family in the Charente-Maritime region of France, completely obsessed with bicycle racing—and convinced I was much stronger than I was. My connection to cycling—and to France—runs deep. I was born in France, and my very first real road bike, at age fifteen, was a Mercier . To me, it wasn’t just a bicycle; it was a work of art made from beautiful French steel. I rode that bike for miles, through high school, into college, and until the day someone decided they needed it more than I did. I hope they at least appreciated the craftsmanship. Its untimely disappearance led me to a Schwinn Voyageur, and later, when I started racing around Illinois, to a Raleigh Competition . But during that summer of ’83, while staying with my Uncle Jean Paul in Lagord, just north of L...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rediscovering the Magic of Summer . . .

Summer mornings, especially on a holiday weekend, have a special magic. The air is cool, the world quiet, and the day full of possibilities. This July 4th weekend, Lori and I decided to capture a bit of that magic by beating the holiday traffic with an early morning bicycle ride. We went through our usual pre-flight checklist: Stretched out the morning stiffness. Filled the water bottles. Strapped on the helmets. Checked the tires. Three tires passed inspection. The fourth had apparently declared independence. The rear tire on my e-bike was flatter than a Kansas highway. “Well, it looks like we’re not riding today,” Lori said, with the calm acceptance of someone who had already mentally promoted coffee to the day’s main event. “Why not?” I replied. “I’ll ride my old bike.” She gave me that look —the one that safely translates as, "Are you sure about this? " “Absolutely,” I said. “Why not?” I dragged the bike stand out and surveyed my options. One glance at the aggressive gear...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Places You'll Go . . .

Well, the time has arrived. Yes, July's drawing near, And somehow I've managed to last seven years! I've analyzed forecasts and studied the trends, While spreadsheets multiplied without seeming to end. We've planned for the sunshine, the storms, and the load, while Mother Nature kept changing the code. But through all the numbers, the forecasts, and charts, the best part of Cenergy's always been hearts. The people beside me, year after year, Made even the toughest challenges clear. To the bright, talented folks reading this today, The future is yours now—you're well on your way. And unlike my era, here's the key: You’ll work with AI just as smooth as can be. The reports that took hours may take only minutes. The models you build with intelligence in it. The data will flow faster than ever before, While AI handles tasks that are mostly a bore! But here's my advice as I head out the door: Technology changes, but people matter more. AI can predict, calcula...
Post a Comment
Read more

What an E-Bike Can't Do

In this episode, a return to the struggle. There comes a point in life when many people decide they've earned a machine to do the hard work for them. Some celebrate retirement with a bright red Corvette—the old ads called it "The American Dream Machine." Others opt for a Harley-Davidson, because apparently retirement isn't official until you've purchased enough chrome to be visible from space. Me? I bought a bicycle. Not an e-bike. Not one with enough battery power to serve as its own charging station. Just a bicycle. People have asked me why. Bicycles have always kept me young. The exercise is good for the body, and the quiet is good for the mind. Unlike a sports car, nobody expects you to explain why a retired guy suddenly needs to go from zero to sixty in four seconds. Before the e-bike crowd starts sharpening their keyboards, let me confess something: there were several moments on today's ride when I would've gladly accepted a small electric motor—mayb...
Post a Comment
Read more