From Mensagenda — May 2006
Blue River
by Ray Voet
Survival: The Boat
I offer a thought experiment to give insight into who and
what you are. Your choices are Survival or Darwin Award (DA) where there is no
reproduction.
Given: a boat, which may be of several sizes for this quest.
It is leaking and what are your responses?
1. Can you swim and reach safety?
2. Can you use oars or other propulsion to move the boat
quickly to safety?
3. Can you bail water and repair the leak?
4. Will you pray for help? This may save your soul,
perhaps, but not your life! DA!
5. Is it appropriate to form a committee to find the
persons or group at fault? Was there somehow an unintelligent designer? DA!
6. Ignore all and maybe it will go away? DA.
7. Is the leaking boat an omen of the future and not to
be addressed now? DA.
8. Consider anxiety, angst, and loss of control, how to
cope with chaos?
There are further scenarios possible; one needs to consider
the genetics, culture, self confidence — perhaps ego — of the personal self
and of others. Is there a façade to cover personal fear? If one has nicely
balanced levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine,a level of thought
and harmony may be possible. One might seek bread and circus with a Caesar
giving directions where one need not think!
Why do I offer this subject for my readers? Life is more
complicated, perhaps, and we need to consider options. Too often we seize a
dogma, doctrine, or belief and do not explore the consequences of our
convictions. It may be religious, political, social, cultural, or scientific,
and each needs to have the falsifiability question addressed.
The center of the SELF, capitals required, with reality of
self being scientifically questioned, may require a faith until an empirical
test or observation can assist or replace that faith.
The structure and biology of the brain may have a genetic or
environmental origin. Lyme disease, for example, is involved in a psychosis
where tryptophan does not generate serotonin used for mood processing. Genetics
and/or diet (anorexia and lack of nutrients, for examples), may prevent the
prefrontal cortex from developing properly.
I give the boat-thought experiment, and one may expand this
process to driving a car, selecting a significant other, voting, and much more.
What are the possible results if a different road is taken?
For your health in efficient thinking.
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