FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
Fundamentally, life is an energy system (Elizabeth Duffy), and every system has processes which repeat
over and over again. For humans, these include breathing, pumping blood, digestion, removing wastes, and
many more including thinking and sleeping. Every system has a range where "top" (or optimum) performance
is attained. But this peak performance degrades as it falls out of that range. For instance our bodies
can exist easily within an outside temperature range of about 70-75 degrees fahrenheit where our
internal body temperature is maintained close to 98 degrees fahrenheit. As the outside temperature
changes, our bodies must compensate for the lack or the excess of warmth. At freezing or boiling
temperatures and without protection, we will certainly die, for these extremes are far outside the
tolerances of the human body's performance ranges.
If we think of our lives as akin to a spinning toy top, then our optimum state would be an
unrestrained, undisrupted, and "balanced" high spin (optimum well-being). But if the top meets a wall or
a bump on the floor, it begins wobbling and may fall over (death). Sometimes, though, it survives the
momentary wobbling (imbalance) and spins up again.
For most of us, life is spent doing a lot of "wobbling", but we keep working hard to "spin up" again.
Since we sense this "wobbling" and enact behaviors to counteract it, we must be a special type of system
- a "control system" (see William T. Powers). All control systems have a tight range of optimum performance
which is called a "reference signal" or "set point". For humans, this point of ideal performance is called
"homeostasis" (see Walter Cannon). Homeostasis is a state where we would be "spinning like a top". Evidence
points to the hypothalamus as the location within the brain where this reference signal is monitored and managed.
We recognize homeostasis by our personal sense of well-being as well as feelings of happiness and euphoria.
Essentially, "health and well-being" = "homeostasis" = "systemic balance" = "optimum existence" =
"happiness, contentment, and peace of mind". And in this optimized state, we are truly alive and well. In
fact, being in this state feels so good, that it has also been called the "reward system" since this state
is related to acheiving success and overcoming obstacles and challenges. Obviously, we have many words which
relate to this "feeling" or "emotional" state. Yet, all of these terms are recognized as being "positive",
and we try to recreate such feelings and emotions.
The common denominator of the universe is energy, and Einstein's famous equation, E=mc²,
encapsulates this into an all encompassing law of the universe, a law called the Conservation of
Energy or (effectively) the 1st law of thermodynamics. So, if feelings and emotions are anything, then
they must be energy. And if one "emotion" differs from another, or if one "feeling" differs from another,
then the difference must be in the flows of energy within the body.
Though various authors ascribe different attributes or criteria to "feeling" versus "emotion", the
crux of the matter falls within identifying which of two fundamental subsystems are operating during the
feeling/emotion. The two subsystems are the Internal Control System (predominantly the parasympathetic
nervous system or "Rest & Digest" system) and the External Control System (predominantly the sympathetic
nervous system or "Fight or Flight" system). When a person (probably all mammals and many other creatures)
believes it is safe, the Internal Control System (ICS) takes control and provides pleasant or
"positive" feelings and emotions. All systems are "go", all systems are fed, and all systems are balanced.
Happiness, peace of mind, euphoria, nirvana, feeling great, homeostasis - whatever you want to call it,
the ICS is in charge and effecting this state.
If risk or danger is perceived, then the External Control System (XCS) comes into play by first,
reducing energy flows to other subsystems deemed not critical to "fight or flight". Such non-critical
subsystems include digestion and the immune system. (Why waste resources fighting a "cold" or processing
"lunch" when you are running from a lion?) As blood flow is diverted to the extremeties, or conserved for
use by them, blood flow to the torso is sacrificed, which we sense as a "sinking feeling in the gut" or
even nausea. This sensation is deemed "unpleasant", stressful, and "negative". The more risk or danger
that is perceived, the more the XCS shuts down the ICS. When in terror, the XCS is at "full throttle" and
the ICS is virtually turned off. We do anything possible to avoid or escape this feeling/emotional state.
Thus, positive feelings and emotions are tied to the ICS (healthy, happy, & balanced)
while negative ones are tied to the XCS (stressed, unhappy, imbalanced).
In summary, the brain is a Perceptual Control System (William T. Powers) maintaining homeostasis (Walter
Cannon). The two primary systems effecting homeostasis are the Internal Control System and the External
Control System . The Internal Control System (ICS) manages homeostasis/balance while the External Control
System (XCS) manages interaction with the external environment and sacrifices balance in order to survive.
The external environment is inherently risky, so the XCS is a defensive system which conserves resources
while operating. The mind is a subsystem within the XCS and includes all of the senses which sample the
external environment for information. Because the sensed information must be either sought or avoided to protect
homeostasis, the mind assesses positive and negative "value" to what is sensed (Victor S. Johnston). This
value system is unique to each individual and dynamically changes through the person's experiences.
Having been sculpted by Natural Selection (Charles Darwin), the brain/mind mimics it for making choices
and decisions. Thus, Survival of the Fittest (Herbert Spencer), or more correctly, competition of ideas via
"best fit", rules the decision-making process. The evidence points to the pre-frontal lobes piecing together
alternative plans for behavior. These various alternatives are designed to either protect or improve the
organism's state within the outside world. Recent research suggests that these alternative plans compete
within the nucleus Reticularis Thalami (nRT). Of all the competing plans, the one which musters the most
powerful coalition of neuronal circuits "wins" and activates behavior (B.J. Baars, C. Koch, J.G. Taylor,
and others). This also appears to be the mechanism by which the brain retrieves information from memory -
using a "best fit", "winner take all" process (O.G. Selfridge, Dominic Massaro).
Plans which are executed regularly become optimized (habit) and fall out of conscious control - thereby
enhancing the speed of enactment (a survival advantage). Any musician or athlete is well aware of this trait.
Motions which are time-consuming and learned slowly at first become smooth, fluid, and fast after hundreds
or thousands of repetitions. Virtually everyone experiences this phenomena when learning to read and write
- slow and difficult at first, then fast and easy.
The main facets of the brain/mind appear in the Emotive Energy Behavioral Diagram (EEBD) below.
To understand the diagram, begin by clicking on the Value Scale, then the two main
control systems (ICS and XCS). The Resource Usage System would follow next, and the Efficiency Curve last.
The Science & Nonduality Conference was held in Marin County Calif. on Oct. 21-25, 2009.
The Emotive Energy Behavioral Diagram (EEBD) was given as a "poster presentation" along with many
other similar presentations. These are the EEBD slides:
Emotive Energy is a term to encapsulate the key factor of living organisms - climbing toward
"negative entropy" (Erwin Shrödinger) and "ratcheting away from equillibrium" (Stuart Kauffman).
Just as "centrifugal force" is a term to mask the complex underpinnings of a phenomena by focusing upon
a key effect, "fleeing the center", Emotive Energy masks the complex underpinnings of life by focusing
upon a key effect of life - avoiding equillibrium. Bluntly, Emotive Energy is the energy of a living
system or "autonomous agent" (Kauffman). Therefore, it is energy used for escaping equillibrium.
Emotive Energy climbs toward order and complexity, just as it avoids chaos and simplicity.
The term is not as restrictive as terms implying "biology" or "DNA".
Emotive Energy is purposely broader to accommodate systems not presently acknowledged as "alive". In
other words, Emotive Energy is a superset intended to include all known life forms, but it is also
intended to include other forms not yet known nor described. For example, a robotic system could be
designed to "ratchet away from equillibrium" as well as to "reproduce itself". But any robot, no matter
how life-like, would not be considered biologically alive even though it may be an Emotive Energy system.
We are all headed toward greater complexity due to each person's creative expression as
well as the creative forces of the universe (see Erwin Shrödinger and Stuart Kauffman). In
other words, at the beginning of this 21st century, there are over 6 billion "spinning tops"
in the world, and they all are trying to keep spinning despite the addition of "new tops" and
despite the problems left by the "old tops" that have departed. Thus, this requires that we
grow in knowledge and creative problem solving abilities.
With the "spinning top" analogy, the number one goal is to keep "spinning" - to optimize our
well-being and happiness, to maximize homeostasis. To do so, you need to maximize your understanding
of the world you live in and know where the "walls and bumps" are. Your purpose
is to grow in understanding of yourself, your inner values, and the world around you as you seek peace
and happiness. To fully express your unique gifts - your ideas, experiences, feelings, skills, and talents
- you must learn and appreciate what makes you "spin", what specifically promotes your personal health and
happiness as well as what pitfalls cause you to "wobble" (stress & disease). Above all, you must "get real good"
at recovering from "wobbling". Again, you must grow in knowledge and creative problem solving abilities.
We live within an "ocean" of complexity and change (see Heraclitus). To survive and thrive, we must
find out how to "spin like a top" and "how to avoid the bumps and the walls". Fundamentally, we need to
seek what brings health and happiness and to avoid what causes stress and disease. Whatever
promotes our individual health and happiness we refer to as "good". Whatever brings disease and destruction,
we call "bad". These two general terms form the basis of our value system - what we like, love, fear, hate,
ignore, etc.
These two fundamental needs, seek "good" and avoid "bad", have physical roots in the workings of
the brain: the Rest&Digest system (parasympathetic nervous system) and the FightOrFlight system
(sympathetic nervous system). These two systems are constantly active to varying
and opposite degrees. As one turns up, the other turns down. And we recognize these two systems
within our system of values by what we like, what we don't like, what we love, what we fear, etc. And
our purpose is to create uniquely personal paths which lead us to what we love, while avoiding what we
fear. This is a constant challenge given the myriad of dynamic facets of this universe - most of which
are outside of our personal control.
Your specific purpose is of your own choosing. Becoming aware of your personal preferences is the
beginning. As you grow in knowledge (the arts, science, marketing, mathematics, etc.) and as you develop
skills, you prepare yourself for opportunities that may arise in your future. The greater and more diverse
your knowledge and skillset, the more opportunites which you can take advantage. Your path should include
specific and deep understanding what you enjoy doing, and then developing knowledge and skills in that area.
And to create the deep understanding, you must first experience as much of the world as you can. As you
experience the many facets of the universe, you find yourself being drawn in some directions and not others.
This is your innate value system "talking" to you through the language of feelings and emotions.
This is an ongoing and frequently confusing process, and some never resolve what they truly want to do
with their lives.
When you are "feeling good", all of your bodily functions should be within optimum ranges. When you
are "feeling bad", some bodily functions are impaired. It appears that when endangered, the mind/body
shuts off or reduces bodily functions which are not critical for "fight or flight". This conserves
bodily resources - a smart idea when you don't know how long nor how hard you must fight or flee. Digestion
is one of the functions shutdown, so a "sinking" or sick feeling in the "gut" as blood is forced from the
interior torso and channeled to the extremities, is a signal that the FightOrFlight system has taking
control. As blood and resources are pumped back into the torso, a feeling of euphoria marks the increased
control by the Rest&Digest system.
The existence of an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent supreme being cannot be proven at this
time, unless you consider the known laws of the universe as God. But if the question is, "Can
God exist?" - the anwer is yes. If the "reality" that we witness and act upon is "virtual reality" -
an idea recently posited by the 1999 Warner Brothers movie, The Matrix - then God can easily exist.
If the universe is WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get), then the personal God promoted by most
religions probably does not exist. The evidence, though, is beginning to favor a "virtual universe"
as we discover more about the mind and the mathematical underpinnings of nature. And if the
universe we experience is virtual, no outward human technology would reveal it since all of the
tools we create and sense (touch, smell, see, hear, and taste) would all be formed of virtual
"stuff".
Similar to the previous question, if the universe is "virtual reality", then an afterlife would
certainly be possible. If the universe is WYSIWYG, then the likelihood of an afterlife is severely
diminished or eliminated. However, as our research into the human mind becomes deeper, the more we
find that consciousness is a virtual system (see Christof Koch). In fact, we readily acknowledge
at least one form of virtual reality - dreams.
This goes even deeper into speculation but has been suggested in film. Again in The
Matrix, humans live in a virtual world, but they are being used or "farmed" as energy resources.
Though the insight into virtual reality was intriguing, the suggestion
that we might be used as "batteries" fails in that "recharging" us (food & life support) requires more
energy than we produce due to energy loss (entropy). To be plausible, some ultimate energy source that
defies entropy or, at least, has a seemingly unlimited supply (like our Sun), needs to be included.
And with such an energy resource, why bother with "battery babies"? Though the The Matrix's "human
battery farm" is very questionable, the suggestion of a virtual universe has merit.
Even with the fledgling "virtual systems" of today, they have important applications for training
such as flight simulators and other simulators. And the more the trainee believes the sensations
and perceptions are "real", the more effective the training becomes. It would seem plausible that
a "virtual universe" might provide training for the offspring of an advanced civilization, and we would
be that offspring.
If scientists believe that the universe is over a dozen billion years old, would it not be
possible that some civilization, somewhere in our vast universe, was 1,000,000 years ahead of us, or even
just 100,000 years more technologically advanced than we are? The virtual system that such an advanced
civilization could be capable of creating would be mind boggling to us. But to prepare us for
existing in such an advanced civilization, the "virtual universe" we live in might provide vital
training to prepare us. The Star Trek television episode, "Errand of Mercy", provides an intriguing
view of such an advanced civilization with mind boggling capabilities - the Organians.
If such a life form does exist, and we are its offspring, then a "virtual reality school" suddenly
becomes reasonable. In which case, we would be students enrolled in a "Virtual University" to prepare for
our future life in a far advanced society of beings. And our training would be mostly the "sculpting" of
our individual value systems - our understanding and application of "right" and "wrong".
But, again, this is all speculation and can neither be proven nor disproven at this time.
What is life?