Have you ever been in a position where someone shows you a different route or way to work, shows you a different approach, or teaches you something new? Have you ever taken that different route or you keep telling yourself or that person when you see them, "I swear I'll try (insert whatever you learned or need to do different) tomorrow. It feels like tomorrow never comes. You go right back to doing the same exact thing you've been doing. It's not that you don't care, it's not that you're not trying, you're really having a hard time remembering. You might start to think, "My memory is slipping, maybe my nightly glasses of wine, beer, shots of 151, JD, marijuana, lack of sleep, poor diet, or simply aging might be the case; it could be, diet and memory go hand and hand but if you're under 25, I doubt diet is your main problem (However you should switch your diet for future reasons but that's for a different post). The biggest reason for this "forgetfulness" especially for people over the age of 25 is something called Brain pathways.
What are brain pathways?According to Google, "A neural pathway, neural tract, or neural face, connects one part of the nervous system with another via a bundle of axons, the long fibers of neurons. A neural pathway that serves to connect relatively distant areas of the brain or nervous system is usually a bundle of neurons, known collectively as white matter." In a nut shell brain pathways are roads we frequently travel down; kind of like the road you travel everyday to get to work. William James talked about how the brain develops many different pathways over the years; these pathways are deeply embedded. We have so many existing pathways in our brain that we end up not using some and they shut off. As we get older, we end up taking the same path which makes it harder for us to learn new information, harder for us to be influenced. In order to stay versatile, its encouraged as we get older to keep learning. The brain is naturally lazy. The brain only makes up 2% of our body weight, yet uses up 20% of our daily energy intake.
When ancient man had to hunt and food was scarce, it was a plus to be lazy and cut corners wherever you could cut them; it was survival. As we evolved, that stuck with us. Even today if I ask you to go to the top of the tree to get an orange, you're response would be, "Stupid! there's a fruit at the bottom of the tree." Which, you're right. For de Neys and colleagues said, "Although we might be cognitive misers, we are not happy fools who blindly answer erroneous questions without realizing it,” concluded the authors. While we may be hard-wired by evolution to conserve our mental energies by cutting corners — a strategy that may often lead us into error — we are not, it seems, blissfully ignorant of our brain´s lazy little tricks. A strategy that may often lead us into error"....keep that in mind. It takes three weeks to form new pathways in the brain.
Every three weeks, someone has a new pathway set up in their brain and that pathway is being embedded deep. From the time we were born, pathways are being displayed in our brains. Think about it, we live in a society that's so negative and our brains just so happen to be set up the way they are. Manipulation comes from a multitude of things. Deceiving is a form of setting up a pathway in the brain. If every day for a month, someone tells you these shit flavored cookies wrapped in the red and yellow package with the elegant writing and catchy commercial is good, after three weeks, you're interested, you begin to conform and a pathway is set up. You don't like the way shit taste. But the soft and flaky texture, the moist bite that's sweet and sugary, with a the light but some how heavy undertone of shit has sold you. This shit has people saying. " I hate the way shit taste but this cookie right here..." Once you realize this, you begin to understand, its a pathway in your brain set up by a company so you can by their product. They used primal urges to provoke hunger, they set up pathways, they made you eat shit and enjoy it....that is the mind fuck of the human brain and that is society today.
7 billion people on this planet and each every single one of us has a multitude of brain pathways. Racism is a behavior that is taught. Whadda ya know, new brain pathways are a product of learning shit! I digress...William James said that, "In most of us, by the age of thirty, the character has set like plaster, and will never soften again." If you're a bigot, a racist, sexist, or etc, its not that you're stuck in your ways, you choose not to change your view on life. For the future: How do we fix this mess? Well knowledge is the key. Stereotypes of all kinds should reside, telling kids when they're young that," its okay to eat high calorie food, you'll work it off" isn't correct. If you're an active kid you'll burn the calories; but that's not the problem, the problem is you've set up a dangerous pathway for this persons future.
Conforming, pathways, and etc is how we are wired; since we know that, its time for us to set up different pathways. As of now we can't change our genetic make-up but we can control what is given to us and realize habits or behavior we find hard to break is a pathway. It might seem difficult but remember, it only takes three weeks for a new pathway to set up in your brain. If you continue whatever you're trying to change within in those three weeks, you'll notice its becomes second nature. Every now and then you may find you revert back because as mentioned, the brain is inherently lazy and those pathways are deep. One thing one will notice is that everyone on this planet has similar pathways in there brain yet we're suppose to be individuals...why? That's the power of marketing, that's the results of billions of dollars spent on marketing. Don't believe me, look at cigarette companies and ask smokers why they won't change brands even though there is no difference (Besides the price) between Marlboro and Camel.We all have different personalities and that won't ever change unless something dramatic happens; however pathways is what connects us, makes us similar.
In conclusion, society as a whole, 7 billion people have a common pathway. All it takes is a lot of money, the understanding of the human mind and one becomes God to some degree. Jordan shoes are a brand targeted towards athletes, kids, young adults, hip-hop and urban areas. If they wanted to, they could stop targeting and target towards people who live in Turkey or France and all of a sudden they have a new hot button. We as a society have that option to change.I don't think brain pathways is the only step but it's one step. Brain pathways change our thinking. Society has one mind frame with a bunch of individuals; the individuals fear being rejected by societal norms. Societal norms, quotes, sayings, the way we treat each other; every day we notice or we ask, "Why do I say or do (insert whatever you say or do) because its outdated. For example, in the past, being gay was frowned upon, you kept it a secret from family and friends and if people found out, you were made fun of for being gay; today we make fun of you for trying to act heterosexual (a person who likes the opposite sex) when you are a homosexual ( not a Homosapien. Homosapien = Human). We make fun of lying or at least its a start. Challenge yourself, what do you want to change in the future? What behavior do you contribute towards society you want to go away? Trust me, I'm asking you this question and looking in the mirror wondering the same thing. None of us are prefect but together we can create a perfect society....eh, I don't like that last line, its kind of cheesy...but you know what I mean. lol see you soon. peace. =)
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