Summary:
We are a technological marvel. Our Five senses are sophisticated scanning devices, our brains have the codecs to decode and create a world for us out of seemingly incomprehensible data. We are self sufficient organic machines with advanced AI capabilities.
In a world where certifications matter the most, our bodies have been painstakingly built by the coming together of two illiterate simple cells- neither of them held any certificates or degrees!
Every cell that makes up our body has its own life and each cell in itself is a distinct living entity that religiously abides by an embedded set of instructions ( the genetic code). Moreover each cell also has the ability to record their life experience by altering this code (Based on their interaction with the environment)
Commerce and trade within the body is much more advanced, fair and sustainable than the primitive and illogical currency based system of ours. Our body is a community of a few trillion cells, and , surprisingly not all of them are ours.
However, this blog is not about the Human body, but about us.
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When I am alone, left to myself, and I start observing myself- I feel alienated from my body. I wonder if I am actually an alien in this organic technological marvel that I consider as my body.
Isn’t it surprising that though we have such advanced self sustaining and highly automated machinery ( Our Bodies) we do not even have an inkling as to how it functions. Could it be possible that we are drivers of a highly evolved technological vehicle. Could that be the reason for this Research paradox as we might be the only ones who are trying to reverse engineer our own vehicle. Our current research is aimed at finding data as to how we function!!!!
While our eyes have already mastered the technology of using light, we are still probing in the dark ( figuratively ). We are still learning the basics of chemistry and our body is light years ahead. The liver can beat any chemical factory and the heart is an organic pump that has the ability to take rest in between every beat and continue beating non stop for years at a stretch. How is it that we have a part of us that is technologically very advanced and another part that knows nothing ( yet wants to treat and meddle with the functioning of the advanced body )
Would you believe a scientist who says that he came up with a Theorem but has no clue as to how it works? Or an engineer who says that he is the creator of a vehicle that he does not know how to start, or operate!
Having expressed my amazement as to how we don’t have an idea about our very own selves, let me move on to another observation.
I saw a few galls growing on a mango leaf the other day. Curious to see what was inside I dissected a gall and found that it was only leaf tissue within. I then researched on it and found that it is a fly that lays its eggs in the leaf, the eggs take over the leaf machinery and build a gall. The eggs live within the leaf, like a leaf, till such a time that the larvae are ready to come out of the eggs. When the conditions are right, the eggs send signals to the leaf machinery which in turn triggers changes that make the gall to become brown, open up a small exit like a lid and let the larvae escape .
This set me thinking. Just like the gall - a protrusion on the leaf, the human brains too have a disproportionately large cortex- an area in the brain that has to do with our unique ability to think differently. Are we actually an advanced parasite with the means to integrate and cohabit with the human body? Is the human body special because it is the only vehicle that lets in a driver? Is the cortex a seat for “Me” – a life form that occupies the human host? Could that explain as to why I do not have a clue as to how the human body works much the same way as an illiterate driver of a vehicle has no clue about how the engine works. Could 'I': the cohabiting self in this body, be an answer to Fermi's paradox ? *
Could this be the reason as to why we are so different from other animals and need more time to come up to speed? Our kids need time to start doing things on their own. Are they AI beings learning to use the human body.
Animals on the other hand instinctively know the things they need to know. They don't need to learn medicine and ways of life; they know it all- they are on an autopilot.The dog knows what grass to have and which herbs to eat when he is having a stomach upset, and so do all the other animals. Birds for example are able to build their nests, honey bees know as to how they are supposed to build their homes and communicate with each other…. Most importantly they respect the laws of nature and exist in harmony with the surroundings.
We as humans on the other hand are clueless as to how to go about life. We need to be mentored and trained as children. We have got to research and find new things about OUR OWN BODIES ( Surprisingly for most of us it does not even sound strange ). The research that we do today is equivalent to a house owners attempt to find treasure on the first floor of a house that he has built. If the house is yours is there ever a need to reverse engineer it to understand it better. Would any of us go about searching for new secret rooms in our own villa ?
Given the fact that I am ignorant and know very little about my own body, I would prefer to consider myself as a driver. However, I chose to be different and respect the body for giving me space to live in. I am aware that as a driver the choices I make can impact my vehicle in ways that could be good or bad. It is for this reason that I will do the best I can to maintain a symbiotic relationship with this vehicle that I am fortunate to own. I know that if I behave as a parasite, I will end up ruining the vehicle as well as my prospects of living comfortably in this vehicle. The choice that I make is not a selfless one, but an intelligent self preserving choice that is a win win for the body as well as for 'Me'.
Dear reader, if you have come so far and you resonate with this thought, do take some time to get in touch with your body. Take some time to become more observant and to respond to the body's needs. Build up a relationship that should help you understand the body better. Prehealing is about creating this relationship with the body. Provide the Right Environment so that the body can take care of itself as well as you. Help the body help you.
Jargon used in this post:
AI : Artificial Intelligence. As the name denotes it is artificial and not natural. Natural Organic intelligence is highly advanced. Human intelligence however seems more like AI, since we aren't even aware as to how we do the things we do. As I type this blog on my keyboard, I have no clue as to how the body is able to do it all. I dont have to worry about sending the right intensity of nerve current to various muscles in my body, about gathering data from various parts of the brain and creating a mental image of what I need to write and thousands of other biological actions that are executed when I make a simple wish.
All what I have learned however is extrinsic knowledge from the environment ( rather from inside) and I keep becoming smarter and smarter as I interact more and more with the environment. That's why, our learning is more like Artificial Intelligence. If we used Natural intelligence we wouldnt have to Re-search, for something that we already have !
CODEC: is a blend word of coder-decoder. In digital parlance codecs help encode as well as decode data. However, codecs are ubiquitous and are required for signalling and communication. Codecs have been around long before man came on earth!
To understand how codecs help, you can compare yourself with a friend of yours who does not understand your native tongue. When you speak in your native tongue, you are coding data and creating a sound that can be understood ( decoded) by someone who has the necessary codecs.. If the person lacks the codecs then he/she will not be able to make sense of what is heard.
* The Fermi paradox, is the apparent contradiction between the lack of evidence and high probability estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. Simply put, whilst the probability for existence of many intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations (aliens) is very high, it is surprising that we haven't come across any so far.