The Human Brain and The Human Mind

 

When asked about his boxing strategy, Muhammad Ali said, “kill the head and the ass will die.”  Although most neuroscientists would not necessarily articulate that truth like that, Ali was right on the money.  The human brain is the most important organ.  Since this discussion is about humans, we should start with the brain.  

 The human brain and the human mind are not the same.  The human brain is part of a visible, physically tangible world known as the human body. Most human brains weigh 3-pounds or less. The external contour of this 3-pound organ is extremely folded and convoluted. Neuroscientists refer to these convolutions as gyri and sulci.  

Aesthetically speaking, the surface of the human brain is ugly, at best.  However, while these convolutions may not be pretty, they vastly increase the brain’s surface area, subsequently increasing the number of possible connections between brain cells, and thereby increasing its computing power.  Microscopic examination of the brain has revealed that the brain’s 100 billion cells make approximately 60 trillion connections (synapses) with other brain cells.  These synapses weave an intricate tapestry of living, brain-cell fibers creating a rich and complex communications network called the human brain.  

Conversely, the human mind is part of the invisible, transcendent world of thought, feeling, attitude, belief and imagination.  The human brain is the physical organ most associated with the human mind and human consciousness, but the human mind is not confined to the human brain. Intelligence in the human mind permeates every cell of the human body, not just brain cells. It also extends to the environment and the Universe.  Consequently, the human mind has tremendous power over all human bodily systems and is dynamically engaged in most enterprises in the Universe’s commerce. This level of engagement thereby makes the mind a fundamental currency in the Universe’s economy.  

Take a moment to sit with this thought process and allow it to change your world view.  Could it be that the mind/body connection is not merely the plaything of the perennial hippie? Is it possible that attention could be just as influential as many of the drugs that people use to stimulate or dull the cells of the body?  Before surety is possibility.

Mukti.