What Part of You is You?

Huh? I thought so. What part of you is you sounds like a trick question, or perhaps even a stupid question. It is neither. Think about what goes on inside your head, inside your brain. Your brain is responsible for most of what we call you. That's why the brain uses more oxygen that any other organ in the body. It has an electrical system and a network of plumbing. The brain is busy 24/7.

Generally, the brain is directing the daily operations of your life. Your brain is responsible for your consciousness, thoughts, feelings and behaviors. First, think about consciousness. You wake up. You become aware. You attend or pay attention. You are mindful. Consciously think 2+2 =4. Did you "hear" yourself think (say) that? What part of that dynamic is you? Which is it, your thought or your consciousness of your thought, that is you?

Don't leave me yet. I know it all sounds crazy, but we need to understand this. If you "pay attention" to that voice in your head that never ever shuts up, that just jabbers all the time, you will begin to understand that voice is NOT YOU. You are the one who is conscious of that voice and you direct it. When you become aware of the voice and notice what it is saying to you, you will understand most of what goes on in your thought world is irrelevant. Yes, irrelevant or downright false.

Your thinking (inner voice) is following along the lines of what it has been taught. When you begin attending to the voice, paying attention to it, noticing it, being mindful of it and listening to it, you will be amazed at the things you were taught....and, never knew you learned. Exercise number one is to be conscious of the inner voice that is forever jabbering inside your head. We call the voice "thinking" or "self-talk".

The original question: "What Part of You is You"? You are consciousness. You are the thought director of your cruise thought life.

Bill Spears, PhD

"The Sabbatical is Over"

     Sorry for my absenteeism.
I took a sabbatical from this blog, focusing instead on my other writing assignments.
I'm back and ready to go.

     I must remind myself of this blogs' primary purpose, which is "an honest effort to raise the level of awareness related to the thinking process".

     Any discussion of thinking, as a singular subject, may seem a bit redundant or obvious. However, I am reminded of a human tendency to neglect that which is familiar or common, even if it is imperative to human existence.

     Thinking is one of those facets of life without which there can be no life, at least no conscious life.
Every behavior and emotion ultimately has its' genesis inside the cognitive processes of the brain.

     Therefore, thinking about thinking (meta cognition) should not be far from our conscience mind. There are times when listening to an individual "speak her mind", I imagine her brain producing all the words, facial expressions, body English, voice modulation, and inflections. I think, "She learned all of this, every bit of it and her brain is recalling, calculating, formulating and commanding". I then remind myself that I am doing the very same thing.

Thoughts about Thinking: The Theory of Meta Cognition