I'm sharing a comment from over at Center For Inquiry on a thread titled "David Bohm - Dalai Lama conversation" which looks at the Infinite Potential video about the work of David Bohm and it's "astounding implications." The video is about happenings in the quantum realm, Planck scales, while we humans and the consciousness our biological bodies produce, live in the macro biological realm of Earth.
A tree is to the Observable Universe, as the Planck scale is to an Atom.
My problem with this Infinite Potential video (all the others like it) boils down to discussing human consciousness without ever discussing Earth, or Evolution, or the fact that we humans are evolved biological sensing creatures.
Understanding our human consciousness requires appreciating the reality, that it is our bodies that produce our consciousness - and it is a half billion years of evolution that created the body you inhabit. That understanding changes your mind’s relationship with that body of yours, to the better.
That’s first base towards making sense of the human that you are and that I am. Nothing about us can truly make sense until we’ve achieved such a fundamental insight.
INFINITE POTENTIAL
CFI: "Mathematics describes the logical relationship between “values” at all levels.
The universal logic of mathematics is demonstrated with algebra, where all values are symbolically represented by letters instead of quantified symbolic values (numbers). ..."
Correct, no argument—but that’s all it is. It’s mathematics.
What does it offer to a living person who’s trying to make sense of all their conflicting emotions, desires, guilt, fear, love, death, inadequacy, and so on?
Can you show me anything in that video that actually helps us humans unravel and start making sense of our "Consciousness"?
“Infinite Potential”—in our physical realm? Try imaging it.
How about, doing the best we can with what we have?
We need Infinite Understanding.
Not in a literal sense, but in the form of a deeper dive into deep time—into how Earth evolved our bodies, and where we acquired this or that feature.
Understanding the peace found in realizing:
“I am a filament in Earth’s Evolution.”
Okay, rather than infinite understanding, how about a solid foundation in the fundamentals?
Let’s begin with a deep appreciation for the Physical Reality ~ Human Mind divide, and everything that flows from it.
That approach leads to an appreciation of the partnership between one’s body/brain and mind.
An aside - Recently, I’ve slowly started writing my memoir, so I’ve been more focused on my early childhood memories than ever before. I’ve come to remember that, since my Audubon days, I’ve had this sense of my body as a separate entity from “me.” I had the feeling my body possessed knowledge, awareness, with a will and abilities beyond what I could reach with my mind alone.
In my twenties, I realized that my body took better care of me, than I did of it. That realization deepened my respect. Which in turn, had me paying more attention to the signals my body sent to my mind, inevitably getting better at caring of myself.
Later, I dove into learning about the pageant of Evolution, which continues adding to increasing insights along with a sense of being grounded, that no religion can offer.}
Back to the video.
In these discussions, there is almost never any mention of Evolution—none in this one. Let alone any deeper dive into the biological foundation of our consciousness. It’s always staring at the unreachable tiny, or cosmic - what about Earth?
When can we start realizing and discussing, that Earth is the root of it all: our physical body and brain getting on with the business of living creating our consciousness and sense of self. Same as it ever was with every creature that has roamed this miracle planet.
I don’t understand why this is left out.
Please—can anyone explain why Earth seems so trivial to so many great minds?
Why doesn’t anyone mention the accepted biological reality that it is our bodies, in the act of living, that produce our thoughts… and it is our thoughts that produce our sense of self?
Show me anything in that video that genuinely relates to our humanity—or offers tips for gaining deeper insight into ourselves. Grand notions and math can’t help us understand who we are.
I apologize. There was a time when this sort of thing sounded more interesting to me.
But there’s nothing in it to help me understand anything of importance—to help me/us live on this planet and deal with other humans and with myself.
That’s why, for me, this doesn't get past mind-candy. It’s intellectual entertainment. And not coincidentally, it’s been one heck of a nice ride for these celebrity thinkers we’ve come to know and love.
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Another Round
I wrote the following late night, after finished the video and reviewing the transcript, that I had copied into a document to write notes on. I wish I had more time to cull through it and pull out quotes worth responses, but I simply don't have the time. Still, since I did spend a lot of time with the following last night I figure I may as well share it. For whatever it's worth, even if it repeats some of the above.
Right out the gate, waving the promise of “Infinite Potential”?
Think about those words: Infinite Potential.
That may work in the world of the tiniest, and mathematics, but in terms of relating to this physical world of ours - it is, to be polite, meaningless.
Nothing in our realm of physical reality, Earth or Solar System possesses infinite potential, matter and life is nothing if not potential-constraining. With focus on the immediate task at hand, doing the best it can with what it has. Along with a need for pretty exacting precision and replication, or none of this around us could have been created.
Beyond that, I don’t see what it offers to a typical human-being struggling with making sense of oneself, and our connection to reality, and our own behaviors, desires, impulses, and those counter-productive ‘issues’ that seem to keep repeating themselves.
We are born into an unforgiving world, then we age, and then we die - how to keep that from driving one stark raving mad late nights when sleep won’t come?
Where does this stuff help inform us on how we relate and interact with other people, and situations, and ourselves?
What bothers me is it’s often peddled as self-help, when it’s simply another well constructed motivating story. Yes, people do need motivating story.
But to get deeper into the self and consciousness requires an evolutionary appreciation for this biological creature that produces your mind and sense of self.
This starts with understanding origins, not just my birth, parents and the generational heritage woven into my body. But my body itself, with its roots that go back a half billion years. I found that learning about the pageant of Evolution and life with all the developments, innovations, learning, while dealing with a constantly changing Earth, added a depth of understanding to my interior, that’s impossible to convey, but I know it and feel it.
Learning to understand how every facet of my body evolved in its own time, and adapted and passed along successful elements, always striving to do a better job of sensing, processing, behaving.
With the wonders of modern scientific advances, today’s human has intellectual advantages like never before.
I can look at images of my anatomy and coupled with my imagination, I have an internal awareness that was never available before. People tell me, we are blind to what’s happening inside our body and it doesn’t make sense to me.
Today I can couple my imagination, with scientifically accurate knowledge of my insides. Best example, the bowels, when they act up, we’re all aware of them. I found it’s amazing how much manual manipulation, with fingers pressing in good and deep, can do. A few minutes looking at an anatomy chart gives one all the info they need.
Want infinite potential? Learn to eat rationally and massage your belly, and billions could be saved. And don’t forget to exercise regularly, even if it takes a pushy doggie who loves a walk every hour or two, to get this 69 year old out there.
Same goes for joints and all the rest, the information is out there. I was curious and paid attention, I developed a deeper understanding that’s helped me adjust as my body ages, which at 69 is feeling better than it has in a decade.
It takes curiosity and initiative, and that’s where we’ll find untapped potential within ourselves.
We can’t truly understand our biology without understanding Evolution. I don’t mean knowing what the word means! I mean taking the time to learn about deep time and how it actually unfolded upon this singular planet, to the point of achieving a gut level (visceral) understanding.
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