What is common between Mirror Neurons, Morphic Resonance, Atomic Habits, the movie Interstellar and Gayatri Mantra
It is the value and significance of the environment.
After going through the various fantastic articles in this valuable Website, I have decided to transform myself from a consumer of content to a creator of content.
Environment and Relationships :
All that is material is a product of the environment. When you call the other, ‘the other’, do you look at the other as some kind of consciousness? This very concept of ‘otherness’, is it a material concept, or a conscious concept? Where do you find separateness — in the material world, or elsewhere? It is in the material world that there are objects. In fact, wherever you find an object, you must know that the world is material. Objects are a characteristic of the material world. What is an object defined by? Shape, color, size and most importantly — it’s boundary. If an object is not delimited, you cannot even call it ‘an object’. Correct? So when you say, “‘I’ and ‘the other’,” you are talking of two different entities, and both these entities are carrying their names, form, shapes, sizes and boundaries. They necessarily need to have boundaries for them to be separate. Right? So you are talking of two material entities.
When you say, “I and the world”, or “I versus the other,” you are only talking of two material entities. And all that is material, we said, is a product of the environment. If all that is material is a product of the environment, then you who are material, are surely a product of the other, because the other is the environment. What is it that you call as ‘the environment’? The total minus ‘you’, is called ‘the environment’. And every material is a product of environment. So the other is a product of you, and you are a product of the other. That’s the relationship between you and the other.
This has been expressed in so many ways. Somebody says, “You and the other are mirror images of each other”. The ones who like to put it more classically say, “The other is a projection of you.” Somebody says,” You and the other see two sides of the same coin.” But what is to be understood is that, the separation between you and the other is fictional. There is no real separation. Remove the other and you won’t exist. Remove yourself, and there is nothing called as ‘the other’.
Mirror neurons, a functional link between motivation and the motor system facilitates the understanding of the environment :
In the mid-1990s, scientists at the University of Parma, in Italy, made a discovery so novel that it shifted the way psychologists discuss the brain. After researchers implanted electrodes into the heads of monkeys, they noticed a burst of activity in the premotor cortex when the animals clutched a piece of food. In a wonderful truthful account, the neurons in this region did, in fact, fire when the monkeys merely watched researchers handle food.
Mirror neurons — the tiny neurological structures that fire both when we perceive action and take it, exposing the true social nature of the brain — had been identified. Since that time, the term has become a powerful buzz phrase: technical enough to impress at dinner parties; simple enough to explain to Grandma; sweeter sounding than, say, the Bose-Einstein condensate.
Psychological studies started with the idea that a solitary mind looks at the world in a detached way. Mirror neurons tell us we are literally in the minds of other people. There is a functional link between motivation and the motor system that will be used to achieve a goal. When you want something badly, our perception-action system is readily tuned to perceive and act upon the aspects in the environment that will satisfy our internal state. People tend to overgeneralize when there’s some exciting finding. Mirror neurons play a clear and important role in social cognition, but the scope of that role — and how it is influenced by other processes, such as language — remains to be seen.
The book “Atomic Habits” looks at the role of Environment in a disruptive way :
Almost any human behavior makes sense when you consider it within its context. And everyone’s main context is their environment: their physical surroundings, social connections, and everything else that forms the fabric of their life.
Most people think growth happens like this:
· A mindset shift occurs through the acquisition of knowledge.
· Behavior changes because of the mindset shift.
· Environment shifts because of the behavioral change.
In reality, it happens like this:
· Something in your environment changes.
· This creates a change in behavior.
· To rationalize the change, your mind seeks and then acquires knowledge to explain it.
It’s your environment that changes first, and you who changes second.
In his book, Atomic Habits, James Clear refers to environment as the “invisible hand” that shapes human behavior. “We tend to believe our habits are a product of our motivation, talent, and effort,” he writes. “Certainly, these qualities matter. But the surprising thing is, especially over a long time period, your personal characteristics tend to get overpowered by your environment.”
What’s interesting is that while environment is at times something we consciously choose it’s more often a matter of something we are born into, or something we find ourselves immersed in without recognizing what’s happening at all.
The movie Interstellar’s Hidden Meaning emphasizes Environments in a transcending way :
With respect to the great movie “Interstellar”, my view of time and entropy beyond physics are a father’s questions about life. The movie is about love, absolutely. The universe or the many universes in question are just the setting where Interstellar tries to explain love in a “more transcending way”. Are not we born with a limitless sense of time? Are we imprisoned by time as soon as we are born? Is “growing up” about dealing better — and learning more — about entropy? Are we born/conceived with a limitless sense of love? Time and entropy go slower where there is a strong gravitational force. Is not gravity a metaphor for ‘love’? We cannot escape entropy, time or suffering but only through the lenses of love and sharing through generations and culture. This movie makes me think and provides ways I can interpret the immense meaning of being a father and a good citizen.
In the real-world, many of us believe the human race is intrinsically valuable. Given the overcrowding and environmental issues we continue to face here on Earth, perhaps we should argue that more funding be secured for space exploration and for terraforming on Mars, Titan, and possibly small planets in other alien solar systems. Perhaps there could someday be “habitable worlds right within our reach.” Some even think we could conceivably engineer atmospheres, ecosystems, and artificially encase small planets in protective shells to simulate Earth-like environments.
Morphic Resonance enhancing the environment through intention and attention :
Morphic resonance is a process whereby self-organising systems inherit a memory from previous similar systems. In its most general formulation, morphic resonance means that the so-called laws of nature are more like habits. The resonance of a brain with its own past states also helps to explain the memories of individual animals and humans. There is no need for all memories to be “stored” inside the brain.
The history of Sheldrake’s theory of morphic resonance is fascinating, and reveals rather well how science actually operates in its search to understand the world. He made significant discoveries on the chemistry of morphogenetic fields (groups of cells that respond to chemical signals in developing organisms), and could have carried on with a conventional, and presumably successful, career. But he felt stifled by what he thought was too narrow a view of living things and instead went off to India, where he pursued a more holistic vision.
The idea behind morphic resonance is that memory is inherent in nature, so that when a certain shape or structure has occurred many times, it is more likely to occur again — not through any conventional interaction but through the new distance-defying process of “formative causation”. Based on this remarkable and revolutionary idea, newly synthesised chemicals would soon become easier to make, puzzles would become easier to solve, and video games would become easier to play as more people played them. Paranormal powers, such as psychokinesis and telepathy, would be explained because ideas in one person’s mind could be shaped by morphic resonance with another mind.
For example, it can be very hard to coax a newly created chemical compound into forming a crystal. But once it has been done in one laboratory, others find it ever easier to make crystals of the new compound. The idea being that the morphic field has learned how to do it. Or another example: rats were taught to run a maze. Once they had learned the task, rats on the other side of the world learned to run the same maze far more quickly. And could it be that the ever-younger age at which people master the game of chess is not only because of the use of computers for training, but also that the morphic field associated with chess is becoming stronger?
The morphic fields of mental activity are not confined to the insides of our heads. They extend far beyond our brain though intention and attention. We are already familiar with the idea of fields extending beyond the material objects in which they are rooted: for example magnetic fields extend beyond the surfaces of magnets; the earth’s gravitational field extends far beyond the surface of the earth, keeping the moon in its orbit; and the fields of a cell phone stretch out far beyond the phone itself. Likewise the fields of our minds extend far beyond our brains.
Social groups are likewise organized by fields, as in schools of fish and flocks of birds. Human societies have memories that are transmitted through the culture of the group, and are most explicitly communicated through the ritual re-enactment of a founding story or myth, as in the Jewish Passover celebration, the Christian Holy Communion and the American thanksgiving dinner, through which the past become present through a kind of resonance with those who have performed the same rituals before. Thyagaraja Aradhana is the annual aradhana of saint composer Thyagaraja conducted in Tamilnadu, South India. Carnatic musicians from all over the world descend and pay homage to the saint in South India. The aradhana (Ceremony of Adoration) is held every year on the anniversary of the demise of the saint. The venue of the festival is near the samadhi of Saint Thyagaraja on the banks of River Cauvery. Musicians will sit on either side of the samadhi and render the saint’s Pancharatna kritis in chorus as a mark of homage. Many exponents of Carnatic Music come to perform and are watched by thousands of ardent fans of Indian Classical Music. Watching this splendid and magnificent performance every year directly or viewing on television is a treat for eyes and feast for souls. It is also celebrated every year in Cleveland USA, Nigeria, Mauritius, and London, UK.
The Universal Law of Gayatri influencing the environment in a subtle way :
Gayatri Mantra allows one to positively influence the environment and to use divine energy for welfare of the world. Gayatri Mantra allows to develop Divine magnetism. Ignorance, infirmity and inadequacy are removed through Gayatri Mantra. Gayatri Mantra makes one a magnetic personality.
Gayatri Mantra teaches us a fundamental universal law. If we direct the output of a system back to the source, the outputs are further magnified. This law is applicable everywhere — machines, economics, mathematics, society, inter-personal relations.
“Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dhiyo Yo Na Prachodayaat” says that if the system is such that there is
Bhargo — the system is without any inefficiency or disorder, the way Ishwar is
Devasya — the source does not keep share for itself and only gives out back whatever is inputted into it.
Dhiyo and Dheemahi come from same root word. Thus if we direct our output (intellect) 100% back to source of intellect, we make it a perfect system causing us to achieve ultimate bliss.
Those who have studied thermodynamics would have read about perpetual machines. The only reason they do not work is because there are inefficiencies in process of energy conversion. Lesser the inefficiency, more the time that the machine works. This analogy also explains our position in this creation. More we direct our intellect towards Ishwar, more we receive His bliss. And when that crosses a threshold we achieve salvation. Similarly, more we direct our attention to study of source of our knowledge — the Vedas — more the bliss we shall obtain for humanity.
The recipe to get rid of all worries, all miseries, all doubts and all negative thoughts and challenges in life is thus very simply summarized in Gayatri Mantra. Simply think of the Ultimate, simply dedicate all thoughts, words and actions to Him alone. Put your best efforts and leave the rest to Him and He shall manage the rest in best possible manner as He is doing even right now!
Some may raise this doubt : If we only keep thinking about Ishwar as per Gayatri, how do we manage our day to day tasks. For example, if instead of fighting in a battle, the soldier thinks of Ishwar will he not get killed? The doubt only comes when we misunderstand the characteristics of Ishwar. This problem as indicated would come only to those who consider Ishwar to be limited in time and space. Those who think that Ishwar is in a person, body, structure or above skies or sitting on a throne would fail to achieve both Ishwar and success in mundane life.
The concept of Ishwar, as opposed to such a limited God as described above, is much more intuitive and rational. The Vedic Ishwar is everywhere. He is within us and He is outside us. He is in our books, our clothes, plants, our body, our enemies, our friends, our food, our football, our laptop everywhere. Now obviously when such is the Ishwar, thinking about Ishwar does not mean as explained in the doubt. Since Vedic Ishwar is everywhere and without any agents, you are not supposed to think of anything or any person specially or in addition to Ishwar. Since Vedic Ishwar is everywhere, worship of Ishwar lies not in any ritual of Puja or Havan or Namaaz or Prayer but each act as per its purposefulness.
Doing whatever you are doing in best possible manner is the true worship of Ishwar as per Gayatri Mantra. And better the focus, better the outcome. More you understand that its not the exam that you are giving, or it is not the war that you are fighting, or it is not the workout you are doing; it is your worship of Ishwar for a higher goal. It is your exemplification of Gayatri Mantra.
Reject all agents between you and Ishwar. Reject your attachment to fruits of action. Reject the belief that destiny is not smiling on you. Reject the belief that you need to do any particular ritual to please Ishwar or change destiny. Reject all those predictions of palmists and astrologers and their gems. Reject all those tendencies of looking at planets before starting a noble mission. Reject the feeling of you being weak compared to an unjust system.
The universal Law of Gayatri enables you to understand the immense value of Stretching in life. Stretching the Sound is Music. Stretching the Movement is Dance. Stretching the Smile is Laughter. Stretching the Mind is Meditation. Stretching the Life is Celebration. Stretching the Devotee is God. Stretching the Feeling is Ecstasy. Stretching the Emptiness is Bliss.
Thanks for Reading.
The author M.R. Subramanian (India) aka Ramanathan S Manavasi (USA) is the author of the book “The Art of Seeing — Essence of Vision and Epiphanies of Perception”