PROWESS
Developing the Efficiency of the Mind
The brain is subject to a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. This means that it is forever capable of physically changing. Within every moment of learning, the brain’s neurological network “re-wires” to form new and more efficient pathways. This is what we perceive as gaining wisdom or intelligence. The process is very energetic in our youth before slowing down in adulthood but it never stops. The more the mind is used, the faster and more accurate it becomes due to neuroplasticity. The less the brain is used (in case of allowing the environment to think for us like watching television) the less the need to improve occurs and our brains can literally “rot” (diseases such as dementia). Learning therefore should be a lifelong endeavour. The increase of neuronal density (additional neural pathways) allows the brain to process information with ever increasing efficiency. What this means is that as long as the brain is kept in a state of learning, it will effectively become faster and more efficient.
Memory as an Encoding of Efficiency
It is not known what the limit of memory is. The central nervous system is the most powerful and complex data sorting machine ever known, vastly superior to any supercomputer. Memory can be sub-divided into long-term and short-term. Long-term memory can be improved by way of situational effect. Long-term memory permanency comes from trauma (which can be good or bad). Traumatic experiences are kept in long-term memory, therefore to remember things long-term, simply add trauma to the situation. In regards to short-term memory, progressive overload can force the brain to build towards accommodation. By increasing the expectations through mental exercises, the brain will begin to construct the capacity to handle the expectation with greater efficiency. This is seen in the decrease of reaction time and the ability to preserve a facsimile of a real sensation in an ideal thought accurate enough to recall with minimal distortion (such as remembering faces and names).
The brain is subject to a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. This means that it is forever capable of physically changing. Within every moment of learning, the brain’s neurological network “re-wires” to form new and more efficient pathways. This is what we perceive as gaining wisdom or intelligence. The process is very energetic in our youth before slowing down in adulthood but it never stops. The more the mind is used, the faster and more accurate it becomes due to neuroplasticity. The less the brain is used (in case of allowing the environment to think for us like watching television) the less the need to improve occurs and our brains can literally “rot” (diseases such as dementia). Learning therefore should be a lifelong endeavour. The increase of neuronal density (additional neural pathways) allows the brain to process information with ever increasing efficiency. What this means is that as long as the brain is kept in a state of learning, it will effectively become faster and more efficient.
Memory as an Encoding of Efficiency
It is not known what the limit of memory is. The central nervous system is the most powerful and complex data sorting machine ever known, vastly superior to any supercomputer. Memory can be sub-divided into long-term and short-term. Long-term memory can be improved by way of situational effect. Long-term memory permanency comes from trauma (which can be good or bad). Traumatic experiences are kept in long-term memory, therefore to remember things long-term, simply add trauma to the situation. In regards to short-term memory, progressive overload can force the brain to build towards accommodation. By increasing the expectations through mental exercises, the brain will begin to construct the capacity to handle the expectation with greater efficiency. This is seen in the decrease of reaction time and the ability to preserve a facsimile of a real sensation in an ideal thought accurate enough to recall with minimal distortion (such as remembering faces and names).
Practicum
To increase the efficiency (or prowess) of your mind, you will require the acceptance of trauma and exposure into your life. The body is conservative and the appeal of being conservative tends to bleed into the mind (a form of exposure). Thus, in order to form new neural pathways, we need to discover new experiences of varying intensities. In short, we need to continuously discover new environments, be they negative or positive. Again, fear will become apparent in these situations but we must remember that fear is an imagined filter and whatever we imagine we can also imagine the alternative. You need to make this choice first and foremost. You need to choose to remove fear. Once this is complete, a very brief window of opportunity will open for you to engage a new environment. It is this brief moment when you need to act. Learn to recognize them and learn to take advantage of them. If you do act, you will then enter upon a new environment and the mind will immediately enter into a concentrated, investigative mode. You will be at the most sensitive level possible as your mind attempts to receive the maximum amount of stimuli. Your curiosity will run rampant. Allow these moments to happen. Try your best to not become defensive as this will inhibit the input of the sensations. This is fear in another form. Do not expect to become a master of this new environment. This requires repeated exposure. Solely attempt to ascertain the type of trauma. Is it a negative (avoid in future due to danger) or positive (increased future exposure would benefit)? You can then begin to categorize the information.
Continue to search out these new environments. They are everywhere around you, all of the time, with only your conservative self blinding you to their presence. While you search for the new, remember to return to the recent. You will find that after the primary exposure, the fear filter will automatically be dampened, extending your window of opportunity for exposure. You will also be less over-whelmed by signals as your memory induces the mind to bypass unnecessary signals (efficiency). This repeated exposure eventually forms neural pathways that fuse the information in perceived permanency. Eventually, with time, you will enter into what was once a new environment and you will question why you ever felt apprehension for the environment in the first place.
To increase the efficiency (or prowess) of your mind, you will require the acceptance of trauma and exposure into your life. The body is conservative and the appeal of being conservative tends to bleed into the mind (a form of exposure). Thus, in order to form new neural pathways, we need to discover new experiences of varying intensities. In short, we need to continuously discover new environments, be they negative or positive. Again, fear will become apparent in these situations but we must remember that fear is an imagined filter and whatever we imagine we can also imagine the alternative. You need to make this choice first and foremost. You need to choose to remove fear. Once this is complete, a very brief window of opportunity will open for you to engage a new environment. It is this brief moment when you need to act. Learn to recognize them and learn to take advantage of them. If you do act, you will then enter upon a new environment and the mind will immediately enter into a concentrated, investigative mode. You will be at the most sensitive level possible as your mind attempts to receive the maximum amount of stimuli. Your curiosity will run rampant. Allow these moments to happen. Try your best to not become defensive as this will inhibit the input of the sensations. This is fear in another form. Do not expect to become a master of this new environment. This requires repeated exposure. Solely attempt to ascertain the type of trauma. Is it a negative (avoid in future due to danger) or positive (increased future exposure would benefit)? You can then begin to categorize the information.
Continue to search out these new environments. They are everywhere around you, all of the time, with only your conservative self blinding you to their presence. While you search for the new, remember to return to the recent. You will find that after the primary exposure, the fear filter will automatically be dampened, extending your window of opportunity for exposure. You will also be less over-whelmed by signals as your memory induces the mind to bypass unnecessary signals (efficiency). This repeated exposure eventually forms neural pathways that fuse the information in perceived permanency. Eventually, with time, you will enter into what was once a new environment and you will question why you ever felt apprehension for the environment in the first place.
My Prowess
One of the methods I have undertaken in order to push myself into new environments is to seek out and attempt to join social or professional groups. This is above and beyond simply making new friends but discovering recognized organizations and attempting to join them. To do this requires the lowering of self-created barriers. It requires that I reveal myself to others for examination. The groups have requirements and they need to test me to see if I meet them. I have done this with a variety of groups including esoteric social establishments, professional organizations outside of my realm of expertise, volunteering my expertise or knowledge to other social groups and organizations and lastly I joined a fitness centre and forced myself to habituate to a different social class based upon an alternative set of principles from my own. Of course, the development and publishing of this website is also an attempt to reach into a new environment as well. All in all, I forced myself to adapt to the new situations. To form new neural pathways without removing any past connections. I have diversified my stimuli and I have learned to ignore the fear that should have held me back.
One of the methods I have undertaken in order to push myself into new environments is to seek out and attempt to join social or professional groups. This is above and beyond simply making new friends but discovering recognized organizations and attempting to join them. To do this requires the lowering of self-created barriers. It requires that I reveal myself to others for examination. The groups have requirements and they need to test me to see if I meet them. I have done this with a variety of groups including esoteric social establishments, professional organizations outside of my realm of expertise, volunteering my expertise or knowledge to other social groups and organizations and lastly I joined a fitness centre and forced myself to habituate to a different social class based upon an alternative set of principles from my own. Of course, the development and publishing of this website is also an attempt to reach into a new environment as well. All in all, I forced myself to adapt to the new situations. To form new neural pathways without removing any past connections. I have diversified my stimuli and I have learned to ignore the fear that should have held me back.