From The Creative Impulse text:
"Our insistence on cognitive knowing may already have robbed us of some of our capacity for being human."
Humans are emotional creatures who just happen to have the ability to think in such a way that separates them from most animals, save for the occasional trained dolphin and soccer match-predicting octopus. Humans can solve complex riddles, use basic math formulas, and even make that nearly impossible decision about whether donuts or muffins would taste better for breakfast. Cognitive knowing, or "left brain thinking," has unfortunately removed and isolated humans from the splendor of nature they once were connected to, leaving humans with a skewed, undefined sense of what being human really is. Being human is not just experiencing emotions, senses, and stimuli, but it is not acting rational and logical constantly. Rather, being human is the sum of these parts. Though my colleague Daniel believes that "rational and logical thought is one of the biggest pieces that make up the puzzle of a human," I believe he has failed to bring up the point of how human emotion is undoubtedly intertwined with rational thought. One does not exist without the other. If humans were completely emotional and sense-oriented, humans would die out relatively quickly, for simply hugging a stone tool with love or breaking it in a fit of rage would squander the precious opportunity for progress and advancement. On the other hand, completely logical human beings would most likely contemplate the many uses of a saber-toothed tiger's fur while the tiger gleefully gnaws one's ribcage, for without fear, humans would know no means of self-preservation. It is through the usage of both characteristics that humans have thrived. Intuition, senses, and emotions have kept humans alive long enough to let their brains create tools and weapons to help protect themselves better, inside and out.
However, with the incredulous advancement of technology in recent years, the balance between the emotional and logical aspects of being human has shifted. In a world of glowing rectangles, immunizations, and devastating weapons, society has deemed that the emotional side of humans is no longer needed. The original instincts and emotions of humans has helped preserve the species, but better upgrades are now available. Humans think they don't need intuition, for guns protect them. Humans don't think they need fear, because scary movies are just too frightening. Humans think that others will solve their problems, and there's no need to care about actions.
They're wrong. Dead wrong.
With the loss of such humanity and emotion, the capacity for being human has been robbed from beneath our very eyes! Distracted with the latest, shiniest, and smallest gadgets, we humans barely notice that our brains are becoming emotionless, logical, and addicted to technology. Some people may believe that people as they are now are the very epitome of being human, but if they would look ever so slightly inward, they would notice that the only difference between our brains and our "user-friendly" computers, is that one still resides in a fleshy body whose uses become more limited by the day.
You make a fair point about the need for balance in the use of the brain as with most things, but I fail to recognize yet how the left brain is more "rational" than the right. While the balance is ideal, a leaning towards the right rather than the left would impose less on the planet and on the human spirit. Rather than depleting connections to the world and to Dreamtime, the human population would progress not toward shiny gadgets, but shiny visions of what is beyond our comprehension. What Freud called the subconscious and Jung preached as evidence of archetypes, is the basis of the human story that we grow through personal experience in a cyclical routine. While the left brain would interpret this as being trapped, the right synthesizes it as a continuous state of being with all that is or has been given life. We as humans have not had the capacity for humanity robbed from us; we gave it away in exchange for "knowing" what happens next.
ReplyDeleteYou have certainly touched on the complexity of what it means to be human. Without both their emotional and rational sides, human beings would be unable to thrive as they do. But with the complex jumble of emotions and vast array of more practical perspectives, it is difficult to determine the primary motivator behind human behavior. For example, an individual may play a (logical, left-brain) computer game because it causes him to feel brave, or excited, or simply satisfied. And the opposite could be true of some seemingly emotional activity.
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree that technology has caused a shift towards more left-brained functioning, and that it may have therefore decreased the frequency and degree of human emotion. I myself readily admit to spending too much time on a certain well-known social networking site. But I believe it is a positive sign that people are beginning to recognize this problem of "shiny gadgets". It is my hope that with time and awareness, the focus will shift back towards interaction and expression of emotion.