I would like to spend some time talking about
the marvelous organ we all possess and reliably take for granted – the human
brain. On
average the human brain weighs between 1300 and 1400 grams (about 3 pounds).
The Neuron
It is within this organ that consciousness arose during the course
of human evolution. This profoundly
organized structure is the site where all our perceptions arise and is the
origin of our personal identity and our personality. This brain is the
site not only of our often unruly emotions but also of all the elemental
qualities that make us sentient beings – our intellect, our ability to reason, to
learn, to think, to analyze the world around us, to problem solve, as well as our
creativity and our judgment. It is also the
center of our moral and ethical universe.
My point is that this marvelous organ that we
possess is capable of so much more than we seem able to utilize. With this amazing organic wonder, we can
certainly fashion a better and more sustainable world than the one we have
created to date. Collectively, we have
done an abysmal job at fashioning viable and enduring habitats for the globally
far flung members of our species.
Instead, we have allowed short-sited and often emotionally-charged visions
of our world to dominate our thinking and shape our misguided perceptions as to
what constitutes successful living. We
have allowed the darker elements of our psyche - embedded within the lower
brain - such as fear, vanity, violence and greed to dominate our thinking and
sculpt our existence.
We are quite capable of transforming the world
of humans into one in which all people can prosper and develop into individuals
that actively discover and realize their full capabilities and potential. We are quite capable of creating a world
where hunger and war and needless suffering are effectively eliminated and one
in which the future holds promise for everyone.
We are quite capable of finally and irrevocably removing ourselves from
the endless cycle of violence and retribution that we have endured for millennia.
Why we continue to fail so miserably at
realizing what we already possess is a mystery that continues to haunt me and
will most certainly pursue me to my grave.
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