Sunday, June 11, 2006

Drop of Consciousness

Apologies if I'm repeating myself, I just can't remember. ;-) For a very physical explanation of consciousness go here.


I do my best thinking in the bathtub. I think it has to do with the water, which is the most prevalent and vital substance on our planet. And the fact that we call our consciousness a "stream" is significant because it suggests that our consciousness is like water in the way it behaves. I like this metaphor. I like that it implies our streams are only part of a larger network of something in the same way that water streams, rivers, and oceans (as well as clouds, rain, fog, etc.) are all the result of water's behavior on our planet. What makes this a metaphor and not a real analogy is that we really don't know how consciousness behaves other than what parts of it we can study within the brain's activity.

I wrote a much longer bit about stream of consciousness, but because I've been feeling really stupid lately I decided to leave only a little drop of it here. The rest is still in the reservoir.

4 comments:

QUASAR9 said...

Let it flow, Rae

Little trickles can join up and form mighty rivers, bringing fertility to the land, or flood damage

Clouds can gather together to form great storms, bringing life to parched land or causing flashfloods

Like humanity & common thoughts, or common purposes, they can be both good (positive) or bad

Streams of consciousness
'well' in our minds
'flow' through our thoughts
'splash' into our lives
'wet' our lusts & appetites
'rain' on our parades

Rae Ann said...

Q, yes, the water is constantly moving and recycling. Maybe our consciousnesses are like that too.

QUASAR9 said...

metaphor or analogy not simile.

When the rains stop falling on the Mountains, and the streams stop forming rivers, the rivers dry up.

Rivers do sometimes change course, and so do human thoughts/beliefs.

Here's looking at ya.

Rae Ann said...

Q, Zeppelin quote for you, "An' though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea." from the song "Ten Years Gone." Sure, sometimes that river dries up, but the water hasn't disappeared into nothingness. Man is no god. He only wants to be.