Boxes

Human brain likes to be ‘aware’. It wants to be able to say ‘Yeah, I know this. I have seen this before.’ Hence, when it perceives something new, it immediately wants to label it based on something it has previously experienced. It wants to know where to ‘file’ this new information - wanting to classify into different boxes which can be pulled from the attic when needed.

Now, when the brain doesn’t know what to do with a piece of new information it either files it under the already existing boxes in it or tries to create a new box.

I think as we grow up, our ability to create these new boxes keeps diminishing. As new- borns, when we open our eyes, everything is classified under ‘new’ or ‘weird’ or ‘ what the fuck was that?’, and then gradually we start creating more boxes: ‘food’, ‘mommy’, ‘safe’, ‘scary’…

As we grow up we keep creating more and more boxes by labeling information we process. We develop boxes of ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’, ‘stuff I know for sure’, and then slowly we stop creating new ones as we begin to feel we have sufficiently organized the information around you and well maybe I can put anything I now see/hear/smell/taste or feel in one of these several boxes I already ‘know’.

Therein lies the problem (and it is a tough one). Are you willing to create new boxes? Are you willing to accept that maybe, just maybe, you do not already know this , may be your labels do not even begin to describe what you just perceived? Or are you willing to continue living with your current set of boxes around you like a comfortable blanket fort?

My theory is that those who are still capable of making new boxes are the ones that experience the world at a different level all together, they are less frustrated and are likely to be more successful than the other lot. Thoughts?