The power of thoughts!

An long overdue unfinished log, moving it from the phone draft to a blog post. Hopefully would come back and edit it!

Remember what counsellors/trainers always tell/bluff us about the Human brain?

They say that ‘average human being uses a single digit percentage of their brains processing capabilities throughout their life’
Ever wondered how this means that a ridiculous amount of processing power is being not utilised! Its like hooking up a state of art super computer with a state of the art display, and graphic engine… to play pong on it!!!!!!

Yet we say we are the smartest race of species!

Imagine someone who can use a higher percentage of the processing power, and la you imagine a superman (not being a sexist!) But a person with superb reflexes, superb analytical skills, super intelligence! Scary eh!

Although there are claims that this percentage thing (or to be specific 10%) is not really true because of various reasons. Be it our limited understanding on how our brains function. Or be it how we become a vegetable after some limited brain damage. The topic I am trying to pen today is not really this debate. I am no expert to support of refute the claims. The topic I am writing (actually drafting it since long) is about how we have structured our thought process. How everything in that sequence is conditioned to be good. And everything not in that sequence is christened evil, or bad! What’s known is ‘Good’, what’s unknown is ‘evil’ especially if its something never tried!

We are turned into a pattern generating machine, at best a pattern analysing machine. Imagine yourself in a tricky situation, let it be your favourite sport! Its the cricket season, so let’s assume, you are bowling. The opposite team needs two runs of this bowl to draw. What would you bowl?

Would you experiment? I don’t think so. Most would you go back to that one stock speciality that they have? A yorker, a slower one.. Something that you have perfected and know are good at and it is this fall safe option that you would go back to.. Wouldn’t you?

See! The whole point when I say “you are good at” suggests that its a pattern. Its something we have done in past, and it has given better results and hence inspires confidence.

But then its never as effective if you plan to repeat the same move all the time, imagine the same leg cutter or may be a yorker all the time.. And suddenly it becomes so-so.

Nothing changed except for the frequency of going back to the ‘fail safe’ options. But a whole world of effectiveness has changed with it.

However look at most of the things we do in life, and we shall notice that we have genetically accepted to behave in this manner.

Ironically we chose the same ‘fail safe’ options time and again and yet crib that things in life are just about acceptable. Be it a situation to deal with ones boss, or a demanding client. We have a fail safe option to deal with the situation. And we believe that THIS is THE most effective course of action!

Infact the sad part is that we have gone ahead ‘innovated’ and made machines work on the same logic. Look at the term “Artificial Intelligence” for us, AI is the ability to store experiences and use that for decision making!
How cool it sounds!

Duh! But when I said predict, I still meant mapping it to a known outcome, based on historical evidence. Perhaps “Statistical dumbness” is a more apt term for it!

The problem perhaps is the sheer lack of interest in wanting to experiment, or in some case think through an alternative course of action!

This is where the giving up on people, processes etc come in. And yet we stick to it and chose to complain that people aren’t nice, life is a bitch, processes are mundane. So may its time do that proverbial “Out of the box” thinking. May be its time to look at the same things differently, and who knows may be you could draw some energy from it.

Further more this is where the herd mentality creeps in. That’s even worse, cause now you are choosing a ‘special weapon’ or a course of action that’s not necessarily your best option. It is at best someone else’s comfort zone approved ‘fail safe’ reaction. That too, trusting someone who managed to get into similar situation! Heck if they were so smart, may be they shouldn’t got into such a situation in the fist place!

Go! Experiment!