How does your mind work?

This is deep and thoughtful, so please don't comment with a simple rejection of this. If you disagree, or wish to share your own opinions, by all means. But please, bear in mind that everyone has had their own experiences that may lead them to believe or discredit certain ideas/ideals, etc. This is to be taken seriously please, and do not write it off as some stupid stoner idea.

Disclaimer: If you understand my punctuation and style of speaking, this will be much easier to understand. I do not claim to know the secret of life, not do I believe I have found a path to nirvana. This is for personal reflection, analysis, and whatever else you may feel to do.

Tunnels Theory

A basic introduction: The mind has a thought process for all things, that occurs continuosly. This is just one metaphorical way to describe it that i imagined and detailed one day after a good thought-provoking toke.


Now onto it for real:

The basis for this is a "flow" (named for easy referencing, but not truly defined). The flow is the change; the process of changing and the actual changes themselves that occur. (I now grant, this is a definition, but it is not...well, definite. if that makes sense to you. I'll let you form your own opinions). As you flow through each tunnel, and move from tunnel to tunnel, this is the process of living. If you are able to truly and legitimately follow one tunnel through to its end, you achieve great happiness and success. However, the trick is to find your way through the tunnels. Each tunnel has an infinite number of levels (depending on how you decide to seperate/define them), each of which represents an element of understanding. Sometimes one level of understanding is sufficient to navigate through, and sometimes it's necessary to follow more than one at the same time. [ The tunnel is the general idea, while levels represent specifics. If some of the specifics are disagreed upon (by those in the group, or by you...), the end result of happiness and joy is still just as sweet. ]

The basic foundation of these tunnels is your "key tunnel", or "comfort zone". However you'd like to name it, this is the path where you know your way, you understand how to move from begining to end. Yet, it is not applicable to all aspects and senses of life, so it becomes necessary to risk and explore other tunnels. (Each tunnel is entirely different, say, one has to do with work. one with girls (or guys), one with interpersonal relations, one with group collaboration, one with intrapersonal thought, etc.). The problem with always following your key tunnel is that you are not able to switch as easily from it. The desire for the end result can easily complicate matters if you do not view the other possiblities with equal enthusiasm and consideration.

In between each tunnel are also an infinite (for lack of a better term. infinite is not definite, it's just that with further consideration, everything can be broken down more. somewhere the limit must be accepted if one is to move on) number of "transition tunnels". these provide a means for the mind to think logically though actions, and to follow a changing course of action. They give continuity to thought, even when the tunnels to be followed are radically different. The transition tunnels offer no reward if followed through, only more confusion and dissatisfaction, and so are named "transition" tunnels.

Each level, tunnel, and transition tunnel is open to change and variety. It depends on yourself, the group you are in, or any other factors that may surface. Granted, you can never really know every single factor on all the earth, but the broader your perspective, the more accurate your assumptions can be. Also, the closeness of the group (on opinion of the distinctions) affects greatly the ability to achieve the joy waiting to be found.





This entire theory is just that, theory. No sense is to be gained from it except what you can find. If there are any questions, please ask and I will try to clarify.

When I first became a toker I came up with a theory of how my mind worked that I would occasionally spew out to friends at the pubs in Mex (only bars that would let me in at 15). For the life of me, I can't channel my theory I need a toke for that, so I'll be back . However, it is a very hard thing to put into words so I give you alot of props for giving a good image.

thanks man. i'm not sure whether or not it says exactly what i was htinking, my notes are kind of jumbled. but such are the limits of the written language...

So, wouldn't your choice of "Tunnels" eventually become the driving force of your destiny if you let it? I mean, okay, sorry if I'm misunderstanding this, but you make choices and you follow certain paths in life, and these choices, or tunnels, affect your happiness, environment, etc. I think that looking at it that way, you can begin to see that certain "tunnels" go in directions that can cause you to lose control and force you into other "tunnels" you'd never go, where as some other tunnels would allow you more choice and freedom.
For example, if someone is offered Crack or Heroin and they take it, the resulting factors could bring that someone into situations that begin to steal control from that individual. Perhaps becoming addicted to Crack would force you to be desperate for money and commit a crime, which could force you to hurt or kill someone which in turn then affects everything you think or do.

When I was a kid I enjoyed stealing--it was a fun thrill. Now I don't steal anything, and I am incredibly honest, but it is because I believe that what you do affects the world around you. If you are a thief, you will soon find yourself surrounded by thieves. If you are a negative person, you will find yourself surrounded by negative people, which in turn fuels your original negativity. The same goes for everything, good or bad. For as much as I believe we have a soul, I am certain that we have a brain in our heads, and a brain is in many ways like a computer. It can only output what it put into it.
This is kinda how I see your theory. Certain choices in your life take you into certain situations, and those situations have a profound impact on your thought process. If your thought process is affected, you will begin to behave a certain way and your personality and environment will change accordingly. We have a choice in the way the world interacts with us. Not always, there is a Butterfly effect that can impact you from the actions of others, but ultimately, we choose our friends, we choose where we hang out, what we consume, and what values we hold. It is the little choices that build up-these little things that we can control pile up until we are seemingly powerless against them.

That, or I misunderstood you completely. Good post either way.

UncleSunny said:

So, wouldn't your choice of "Tunnels" eventually become the driving force of your destiny if you let it? I mean, okay, sorry if I'm misunderstanding this, but you make choices and you follow certain paths in life, and these choices, or tunnels, affect your happiness, environment, etc. I think that looking at it that way, you can begin to see that certain "tunnels" go in directions that can cause you to lose control and force you into other "tunnels" you'd never go, where as some other tunnels would allow you more choice and freedom.
For example, if someone is offered Crack or Heroin and they take it, the resulting factors could bring that someone into situations that begin to steal control from that individual. Perhaps becoming addicted to Crack would force you to be desperate for money and commit a crime, which could force you to hurt or kill someone which in turn then affects everything you think or do.

When I was a kid I enjoyed stealing--it was a fun thrill. Now I don't steal anything, and I am incredibly honest, but it is because I believe that what you do affects the world around you. If you are a thief, you will soon find yourself surrounded by thieves. If you are a negative person, you will find yourself surrounded by negative people, which in turn fuels your original negativity. The same goes for everything, good or bad. For as much as I believe we have a soul, I am certain that we have a brain in our heads, and a brain is in many ways like a computer. It can only output what it put into it.
This is kinda how I see your theory. Certain choices in your life take you into certain situations, and those situations have a profound impact on your thought process. If your thought process is affected, you will begin to behave a certain way and your personality and environment will change accordingly. We have a choice in the way the world interacts with us. Not always, there is a Butterfly effect that can impact you from the actions of others, but ultimately, we choose our friends, we choose where we hang out, what we consume, and what values we hold. It is the little choices that build up-these little things that we can control pile up until we are seemingly powerless against them.

That, or I misunderstood you completely. Good post either way.

Click to expand...

yeah dude. nah you got it, just took it more than i did. I've always looked at it like, I have the tunnels and options to follow, but there are, at every instant, transition tunnels that you can choose to take. obviously, it means switching trains, losing possibilities, but it also means gaining them. it's always a trade, and you've just gotta find a balance.

it's like, if you're going down the road of crack, heroin, stealing, and violence, you always have the option to drop it. sometimes it might mean you die, sometimes it might mean you become destitute, or go to jail, or lose everything you ever had. but the option is there if you choose to take it. you have control as long as you keep it when you can, and don't try to get it when you can't. recognizing the world in your own worldview is key, yet there are so many worldviews, all influenced by just the small things in life.

but you definitly can lose control over it and let the "tunnels" guide you, most definitly. but you also have the ability to change things yourself. only, it goes little by little, eventually translating into a big change. because if you think about it, when you make a big decision, there are still all the little committments and decisions that come with it. and oyu then either get to stick to it or not.

therefore, i personally, prefer to view my options, live the moment, and choose accordingly. little deviations in course eventually become insignificant, yet help you define yourself over time. you are who you are at the moment, and that person is defined by every previous moment leading up to that particular moment in time, on a constant change (slight or great, but constant)

Your mind is a big computer. It takes data from your senses, processs them and then stores that data for future reference. Every emotion or action we do is a result of past influences. Therefore we have no choices in life we simply act on our previous experiences. Thats why i believe we already know what were going to do next, nothing is spontanious every decision we think we make is simply a result of 'our computers' processes and memory. well, thats what i think anyway.

Huh...???????

it makes perfect sense to me
but my friend a psychologist already came out with a theory very similar to that
its called self actualization and it was proposed by carl maslow i believe. but instead of tunnels it was a pyramid
after we hit the pinnacle of our success at one level of the pyramid we would progress until we were self actualized

UncleSunny said:

So, wouldn't your choice of "Tunnels" eventually become the driving force of your destiny if you let it? I mean, okay, sorry if I'm misunderstanding this, but you make choices and you follow certain paths in life, and these choices, or tunnels, affect your happiness, environment, etc. I think that looking at it that way, you can begin to see that certain "tunnels" go in directions that can cause you to lose control and force you into other "tunnels" you'd never go, where as some other tunnels would allow you more choice and freedom.
For example, if someone is offered Crack or Heroin and they take it, the resulting factors could bring that someone into situations that begin to steal control from that individual. Perhaps becoming addicted to Crack would force you to be desperate for money and commit a crime, which could force you to hurt or kill someone which in turn then affects everything you think or do.

When I was a kid I enjoyed stealing--it was a fun thrill. Now I don't steal anything, and I am incredibly honest, but it is because I believe that what you do affects the world around you. If you are a thief, you will soon find yourself surrounded by thieves. If you are a negative person, you will find yourself surrounded by negative people, which in turn fuels your original negativity. The same goes for everything, good or bad. For as much as I believe we have a soul, I am certain that we have a brain in our heads, and a brain is in many ways like a computer. It can only output what it put into it.
This is kinda how I see your theory. Certain choices in your life take you into certain situations, and those situations have a profound impact on your thought process. If your thought process is affected, you will begin to behave a certain way and your personality and environment will change accordingly. We have a choice in the way the world interacts with us. Not always, there is a Butterfly effect that can impact you from the actions of others, but ultimately, we choose our friends, we choose where we hang out, what we consume, and what values we hold. It is the little choices that build up-these little things that we can control pile up until we are seemingly powerless against them.

That, or I misunderstood you completely. Good post either way.

Click to expand...

I just re-read this (I can never re-read my own theories n things), and yeah. exactly! and, is it just me, or is that Karma too?>