Monday 26 December 2011

Lets begin the journey 1: The brain


When we talk about knowledge, we often believe that among differences of human being is the level of knowledge in regards to their brain capasity and capability. Actually, our brain capability ARE THE SAME in general (except for medical conditions)'The only difference is the set of our neural network pattern. Hmmm... I'll explain. I am intrigue to share about the brain because its the core of our physical life. another Hmmm... I'll explain as well. The key in attaining peace is to use the brain to come out with series of output in serving our heart. Keep "hmmm"ing... In the other hands, our brain is the key for others if they want to keep us away from the truth. Hmmmm... again. and why they want to do that? long hmmm.... and what we need to do? hmmm... Insyaallah, I may shed some light into your hmmm...


I was born in an average family which Islam being our foundation of living. We practice Islam as how our ancestors taught us. To be honest, I follow the way of life of a "muslim" even without knowing the truth. Until there was sometimes back where I start questioning on the path I walked. Where does it head to? Seriously, I dont know back then. My move forward action is just to live as how other lives, yet I feel like missing something. The riddles kept tangling inside my brain yet I kept it within my silence as everytime I asked, negative reactions been smashed unto me. The simple, one answer that I always got was "Don't ever question about your faith, as you shall become a disbeliever, in the hell u should end". This is what Sam Harris is talking about, a "no entry" sign towards reasoning and thinking.

My father (may he rest in peace) had once taught me on how to be excellent in academic, in getting the knowledge. This was the point in my life where it significantly develop me as who I am now. As a preparation for my academic assesment, he told me that to understand what you learn is to find the similarities between subjects of study. I didnt get it at first. How come mathematics, history and Syar'iah (Islamic Law) study has similarities? Nevertheless, I tried and guest what, It was beyond words, I did not only find the relations, I now accessing a new world of knowledge which everything is connected and the best of all is, it clears my path towards knowing my purpose as human, peace. its so wonderful. It's worth the universe to buy this great feeling (and you know that universe is infinite, right? think about it). Expressing my feelings is beyond words, its hard for me to ilustrate what I am going through in pictures or words... Ok, keep it simple, I will start with sharing on how our brain works.


The brain is a set of neural networks which existed with the interconnection of neurons, a particle or cell which means nothing alone at first, yet became very important when it interconnected with other neuron. Get it? I strongly suggest you to complement this article with research of your own for better understanding. God willing, I'll try to put it simplest way I can.

An input shall triggers this neuron to be connected in creating a perception. Our input devices is our senses. What we read, see, hear, taste, touch shall send a signal to this neurons to start working, get connected and create perception. This shall later be the core or the center of control of our actions (output). I will further explain by telling you below on how brain works, item by item for better understanding, and the graphic below may gives you some enlightment to it.


1. Input (circle of input neural pattern)

Each time we use our senses, it shall triggers numbers of neurons in our brain to connect and creates a pattern. This is a kind of data which we call knowledge that creates experience. This experience alone is enough for us to create an assumption (a belief that needs further analysis by getting more and more data). Here is the beauty, our experience can be strengthen, from the experience to become a perception by further analysis of new sets of data. The more we collect the data (the knowledge) the more stronger it became and creates an idea or theory which later will directly affected our judgement in causing an output (action). As we start translating the idea to our practices, no doubt it will became an input to us back and off course to others. The more brains reacts to the same idea (the same neural network pattern), it will become a fenomena. Once more, I suggest you to research further.

Let me explain it in an example: Slapping own face for most of us is a moronic yet insane act. (forgive my words). But why, some tribes/groups do more than just slapping to their face and punishing their body as a ritual? it simple, they have gone through the brain process as explained earlier. First, they look at others who are doing it (creating experience), plus listening to the idea that doing that is good (creating perception) noticing the influence of others who been praised for doing that (building it to idea), and having an occassion which the whole society is accepting it (it became a fenomena). The question about it is good or bad, right or wrong, is another story which I am surely will share in another topic, Insyaallah.

2. Processing (Strengthening the idea) and output (actions and practices)

As described above, the experience shall be strengthen with one word, REPETITION. repeating the trigger point of the idea which came from our neural network's pattern, will further strengthen its connectivity which we are able to strongly put it in our acception or rejection region of idea. I wont explain long on this as it is really simple to understand. Remember the first paragraph of this article, where I use a lot of "hmmm". Read it back and I can assure you, that you will start "hmmm"ing with your mouth or just in your mind. It really works no matter how the input shall look like, a direct message, indirect or even subliminal messages. 

This is how we have been "mind-controlled" by others.  Let us think, for my fellow Muslim, do you really need a prayer mat to perform your solah? Does it really matters if you hang a selected phrase from the Quran as decorations in your house, yet you didnt read the Quran each day and treasure the knowledge in it? Does the separate terms of knowledge of dunya and knowledge for akhirah exist, or there is only one big knowledge? for my fellow Christians; Does wearing the hijab for women only good for women priests? Did Jesus asked us to decorate tree on his birthday? Does the cross is really a symbol of the teaching of Jesus? All of these are ideas comes from repetitions of the brain practices and creates a belief. I didnt say its wrong, its for you to decide, which actually "someone" had given us the guide on how to decide on this which I shall share on another big article.

This is the same thing which happens when we memorise things. By understanding and further strengthen it with repetition. The method uses by Muhammad so that he and his friends able to memorize the Quran, word by word. Understand it first and later followed by repetitions, wheather reciting it, sharing it as well as practising the knowledge daily.

The same concept also had been used by succesful marketeers in selling their products. I share my experience, I use colgate (allow me) as my toothpaste. Do you want to know why? because my mother uses colgate for our house since I was a kid, with frequent advertisement in TV, plus 7 out of 10 of my friend's house uses the same brand, not forgetting the billboards, posters etc, guess what, when I am in a supermarket, even out of my full awareness, I take colgate into my basket...

This is due to the strength of the idea are so good, due to the sturdy connection or network pattern involving certain neurons, when we want to process it into output, no need for high activity level of the neurons to produce back the experience. In other words, the same process happened yet in a much and much more faster than normal.

3. Acceptant and rejection of idea

How we accept and reject thing is simple to understand if you understand now the creation of neural network patterns. Its okay, let's recap as well. an idea is created when there are set of neurons connected (Let's say A and B). If there is another neuron been triggerd by another action/input (neuron C) in needing to complement the set of A & B, this shall take is into a dilemma, as it now became ABC. If the AB is so strong, the ABC is wrong as we only accept AB but if we strengthen the idea of ABC, it can make the other way around. The main point is, our perceptions shall be treated in binary mode, either 1 or 0, accepting or rejecting. I dont know if this is the way of explaining it, research more my friend, we do this together. One word is certain, by our brain alone, with all other stimulus taken into account, we cannot decide which is right or wrong, only wheather we want to accept it or reject it.



As of now, the journey is just a step ahead from the door, more and more to be explored and shared with all of you. Keep researching for more (I repeat this again to trigger your brain to do it). As you may notice, I didnt put any citation or quotation in this article, intentionally for you to explore yourselves from where this knowledge came from or to confirm on certain point.

Let me once more remind you, this journey is purely to find peace for all of us, the ultimate solution on for humanity.

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