Sunday, September 22, 2013

Why you can't control your thoughts

Sociopaths can't control what they think. That may be scary, but there's something even scarier -- neither can you. From New Scientist via Gizmodo:

Forget complex math problems, logic puzzles, memorization. The hardest thing you can try to do with your brain is to not think about something. It's virtually impossible. But why? As New Scientist explains, it has to do with what thoughts are actually made out of.


Keeping up the religion theme from last post, some people have told me that it is not enough to do the right thing, you need to also have the right intentions or motivations. Vice versa, it's not enough to avoid doing wrong things -- you cannot even desire the wrong thing. The evidence that Christians give me is Matthew 5:27-28:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

The thing is that research suggests that the average college man thinks about sex a couple of times an hour and the average college woman only slightly less frequently. That's maybe a million times in a lifetime? A lot of sinning. But let's get away from silly sex sins and get more serious. What about killing? Have non-sociopaths ever thought, "I could kill that guy!" Have most people? Has everyone? Everyone except Gandhi and Mother Theresa? I guess we're all sort of scary that way. But it's probably good that we're like that. It might explain why we are on the top of the food chain instead of extinct.

25 comments:

  1. but i can controle what other people do)

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  2. then what about self hypnosis?
    and hyperfocus?
    that's just bs?

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    Replies
    1. You can reprogram parts of your thinking patterns and some of the unconscious parts of your mind, but some aspects will always stay. Your innate urges, the primal functioning of your brain, and much more is something you will never really control. Try not thinking abouut a pink elefant, same as the example in the blog.

      A young healthy and sexually active male will in most cases react physicly to attractive women not related to him regardless of his intent to to be faithful to his spouse. Certain parts of us just react. According to science we have evolved throughout hundred of thousands of years. Many parts of us are remnant system from a a looong time ago, primitive and animalistic.

      If there is a God, I am very surprised if he doesn't understand and know this. You can't judge an animal for feeling its instincts. A human has the mental capabillity for more delibarete control of actions, but the instincts are still there.

      Place a group of men and women in an closed confined area, and you will see only the strongest are able to control themselfes. All sorts of shocking behaviour will unravel. Signs of parts of us who urge us into thoughts and action we not intend to start with.

      Reminds me of a reality show where couples agreed to date others to see if they could trust theyr partners. Needless to say, urges can arise with any attractive other signifacant. Believing in Hollywood love to save you is a naive dream. Sexual urges is what brought us to where we are today, and keeps us as a species on this earth. One good example of hard control.

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    2. No problem with this basic state of the art's or life assessment, but in case you are an expert.

      But isn't that a bit Freudian? It's all about sex ultimately?

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    3. Does anyone really ever "control themselves" or is "controlling yourself" just certain instincts that we've labeled "controlling ourselves" winning in the mental debate with the other instincts.

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  3. and meditation techniques?

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  4. What Jesus Christ was demanding on "The Sermon on the Mount" was
    impossible. He, himself knew that. So why did He say those things?
    He was introducing the concept of "grace" as opposed to "works."
    Self righteous people have always been under the assumption that
    because they refrained from acting out on their baser instincts, that
    they were "good enough" to gain salvation through self repressive
    "works." "Sure, I'd like to ring that guy's neck, but you don't see
    me doing it do you?" "I'm not like those animals that are incapeable
    of exerising self control!" "Besides, a cop might arrest me!"
    What Christ was saying was that "haughty" attitude was not good enough.
    The pious people who externalize religion could be rotten to the core
    on the inside. And since all wicked action stems from the "inside" it
    was not good enough to appear "pure" you had to BE pure on the inside.
    Religion stresses the external. Attend Church on THIS day of the week.
    Eat that food as opposed to this food. Don't touch dead bodies, etc...
    Christ said it was the things on the INSIDE of a man that defiles him
    not the outside. He critisised the religious authorities for white
    washing the outside of tombs, while inside they contained decaying and
    rotten bones."
    That is why it is necessary to become "Born Again." You cast off the
    old "material" life (By dying to it.) and are "raised up" into a new
    spiritual life.
    The Ten Commandments (which could NEVER change the "inner man") have been
    junked! What matters now is, "Putting on the "new man" who is neither
    Jew nor Greek (Gentile) male or female, but Christ is all in all."

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    Replies
    1. Are you real? - I had to take out some "ultimatelys".

      If being born again is about getting pure on the inside and this was Jesus's aim and core message, what exactly interests you in psychopaths?

      Now one of the suggested patterns of the psychopath is that he is someone who does things or plays games with people to get some type of advantage, or satisfy his self-interest.

      Don't you ultimately have a really solid self-interest too? To change the world, quite possibly make Jesus return and/or being born into some type of after live or a world were people only treat each other kindly? Admittedly, I do not know much about born again people.

      Why do you think Jesus showed interest in sinners? From your specific perspective what is are the sinners about in the real world now? Meaning: How are you supposed to deal with them? What exactly does Christ's offering himself as as the ultimate sacrifice, so people didn't need to buy cattle as sacrifices anymore, on the temple mount anymore, mean to you? That was pretty expensive, if you had to do it there. And if you brought them along, there was a high risk they could get a scar on the way, which made them unusable as sacrifice.

      If you were really born again. How exactly did you get born again?

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    2. now there is a mistake: Jesus's should be "Jesus'", I guess. Correct? Or is it Jesus'es? No looks odd.

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  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. This was an interesting post. Certainly food for thought. (groan) However, have you looked into Stuart Hameroff and quantum consciousness? Origins of thought and consciousness may reach even deeper. It does seem to be related to patterns, at some fundamental level. Organization and configuration. I wish I had more to say on this, but this is probably one of the more intriguing posts I've seen so far.

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  7. @ Leander John 3:5 Matthew 28:19, Luke 1:35, John 5:43, John 14:26, ACTS 2:38, Isaiah 28:11, ACTS 2:4.Galatians 1:8-9, Matthew 15:13-14, Matthew 24:11.

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    Replies
    1. Romans 8:9, 11 Thessalonians 1:8-9 all of you may want to hearken to the word and measure yourselves to these scriptures

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  8. Don't be decieved by those who tell you "just believe, accept him as your personal savior, your saved" false! James 2:19-20 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?There is one God, and his name is Jesus Christ.

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  9. See Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 43:10-11, Colossians 2:9-10, 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them: and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

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  10. His true church are the born again, repented,Baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,the Holy ghost filled believers, God to live in them.Acts 7:47-50 But Solo man built him an house.Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?God clothed himself in flesh, created a body by moving on Mary causing her to conceive, thus he is called the son of god, the flesh.When Jesus referred to the Father it was flesh referring to spirit.Perhaps like I pray to the Lord living in me, I testify to the truth of the only new birth.ACTS 2:38

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  11. You all must obey Jesus's command in John 3:5 by acts 2:38 or else 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

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  12. Meditation can help shut the mind down. Meditation is not jut sitting and thinking of nothing... it's a very deep process but the good thing is that, in order to learn it, at least from Buddhism, all you need is rationality. I have no faith at all and will question anything. If you think your thoughts (!!) are overwhelming you, take meditation seriously and you'll be fine.

    As for thinking about killing, I never think about killing specific people. I mostly think that, if I ever have to kill someone, it should be done neatly. Dumping is the most problematic part but the killing itself is not that smooth. I'm no sadist and I'd rather not have to kill someone (I'm a fucking Buddhist!) but if a person threatens me (or my close family) that person will disappear into thin air..

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  13. SOCIOPATHS!! OH MY GOD~!!

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    "-„_::::_„-*__„„~"



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  14. You do not generate your own thoughts, that why you can't control them. All thoughts come from the universal consciousness, they simply flow through you.

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  17. We're all fucked anyway

    ReplyDelete

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