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;

Is it possible to re-write the firmware that is your operating system?
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.

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 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

That's Funny

In this episode – That’s Funny . . . My boss said, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” So - I went to work as Batman. This week, we tackle a topic that (hopefully) tickles your funny bone: What makes something funny? Have you had a good laugh recently? Why not? In today’s critical, cynical world of stupid politics, with Trump on the news day after day and protests at many Universities, we need a break from all this strife and tension. I’m here to say we need a good laugh. Lately, I've been rolling with laughter while watching stand-up comedians like Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Foxworthy, and Trevor Noah on Netflix. Laughter has been hailed as the best medicine, but not everyone finds the same things funny. What one person finds hilarious, another might find dull. For example, check out the new Netflix movie Unfrosted, directed by Jerry Seinfeld . My listening friends, there is hope for those seeking comic relief. Let’s face it: humor is a fascinating part of

The Who Was - Series

In this episode, the Who Was? - Series . . . With over 250 titles, Penguin Random House Books Who Was? - Series tells the incredible stories of trailblazers, legends, innovators, and creators. Are you a bibliophile, an individual who loves and frequently reads books (a bookworm)? What is it that compels you to pick up a book? Is it the cover, is it the title, how about an interest in a specialized subject, or just - perhaps it's a whim? One of my ultimate goals with these podcasts is to reach a young audience. I've found that reading children's books is a gratifying and educational experience. Yes, even grown-ups can understand difficult concepts. To my surprise, both children and adults seem to appreciate the experience. With education such a hot topic in the news right now, we need to be reminded that whether it's going to school, visiting a museum, or online learning, the goal of education (both young and old) is to nurture an interest in learning. William Butler Ye

What Time Is It

In this episode – What Time Is It . . . In the era before smartphones, let’s say we’re on a telephone call, and you ask me, “What time is it?” As a five-year-old, my reply is, "The big hand is on the two (2) and the little hand on the eight (8).” You would then say, "Alright, it's ten minutes after eight o’clock or eight-ten, right?" This is how we learned to tell time as children–remember? Well, what happened . . . During dinner last week in Westfield, NJ, a retired high school teacher told our group, “Did you know that children today cannot read the time on a traditional watch with an analog face?” “Why not?” we asked. “Because of smartphones and the proliferation of digital clocks.” “Wow! That’s hard to believe.” Welcome to this week's episode of "On the Fly." Today, we'll compare classic mechanical watches to modern quartz watches and explore an unexpected social shift. To begin with, let me take you back a few days. I’m a traditionalist and pre

Power For the People

In this episode – Power For the People . . . People often ask me, "You work for a solar company; don’t you have solar on your home?” Nope! “With an astonished look, they exclaim, “Why not?” Here’s the short answer: "I monitor our yearly electricity consumption, which totals approximately 2,500 kWh.” For comparison, a Walmart Supercenter could use about 10,000 kWh daily on average. Okay, I get it. Most people might not be familiar with this terminology; they only care about how much they're billed monthly. Welcome back to On the Fly! Today, our virtual assistant, Professor Watts, will join us to discuss a program called Community Choice Aggregation, or CCA, that helps Californians choose a cleaner energy future with better rates. San Diego County is known for its beautiful beaches and vibrant community. Now, the cities of Solana Beach, Del Mar, Carlsbad, Escondido, Oceanside, San Marcos, and Vista are leading the way in sustainability thanks to their participation in a Co

On The Fly

Search This Blog