–Bicameral means two chambers. It was first used in this psychological sense by Julian Jaynes in his 1976 book The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.
Jaynes believed that up until as recently as 3,000 years ago, the ubiquitous state of mind was one in which one side of the brain spoke, while the other listened and obeyed. The voices were experienced as auditory hallucinations, and Jaynes theorized that this lead people to believe the voices were coming from God.
Consciousness to Jaynes meant “that which is introspectable.” Those of our not-so-distant past who had a bicameral mind could not introspect, therefore they were not conscious. Jaynes uses Homer’s epic Iliad as an example wherein the characters never seem to have inner thoughts in the way we perceive them today. They seem much more like automatons.
“The characters of the Iliad do not sit down and think out what to do. They have no conscious minds such as we say we have, and certainly no introspections. It is impossible for us with our subjectivity to appreciate what it was like.”
A Bicameral mind lacked meta-reflection, it could not form an account why one thing was thought or some action performed. But this bicameral mind began to break down. The environment and society we were in began asking for greater mental flexibility, and the solution was found in the evolution of self-awareness. We discovered the ability to look inwards and ask “why?”–
-Sam Brinson (sambrinson.com)
Why indeed.
I often wonder how other people think. And to that, I wonder about the level of conscious thought that others put into their every day lives. This sounds like its going to come off as the beginning to a Holiday Inn sponsored seminar on positive thinking. I should be on stage with a wireless mic attached to my face. Black shirt. Hair slicked back. Peering out at the dozens or so who have stumbled into the conference room with some last gasp hope at finding some sort of purpose in life. Maybe there are pamphlets at the door. You know, the ones with my face on the front and a vague description of my program on the inside. Turn it around and you’re encouraged to head on over to my website to purchase the package of positive thinking. Only $39.99 + tax + handling + shipping + migrant worker fees.
(PS – You can get the deluxe package for $59.00. That one comes with a shirt, poster, and a free napkin holder).
For the longest time, I’ve done my best to avoid most social situations. It’s generally just a personal thing. I’m not fond of large groups. And usually, I’m hesitant to go anywhere unless I’m certain there are at least 20 different restroom options. A younger version of myself was less bothered by the world. I would happily go out to day long rock festivals. I’d be eager to join my friends for a get together (even if those turned to large parties where drinks were just flowing like tap water). I went from place to place to place and was fine with it. Now I’ll grab a book and hide out somewhere in the house and hope that no one ever knocks on the door. The phone will ring and I’ll fight the temptation to throw it into the trash.
I look inward now and feel that I’m in a better place mentally. Maybe that is a lie I continue to perpetuate. My thoughts seem to be grander in scale. In my eyes, they penetrate every possible angle and outcome. But am I really better off than I was? Have I evolved and also experienced devolution at the same time? Have I reverted to one of my blob-like states where I just graft parts of other personalities onto mine and hope that no one notices? Are these grandiose thoughts just illusions? Am I even here? How does existence apply to me? And to that, why do I even matter?
(It’s my blog…so that’s why I matter…wait…)
I feel a disconnect with the greater populace. It isn’t one of me feeling superior or better — we all know that sure as shit isn’t the case — but one of not knowing how to connect with the rest of the world to a point where I don’t mind being around them. There’s some things that I just don’t get when it comes to public behavior. Where does the conscious mind come into play? Do people behave badly or awkwardly on purpose? Or is there something inside that lacks? A broken moral compass? Or is it something greater? It comes back to the question of why. Why act out of turn? Why be an asshole? Why treat others with immediate hostility and disdain? Are any of us any better than the rest?
The answer to that last question is generally no.
But exceptions are happily made for every situation.
Or does that burden fall onto me? There’s always a second side to any situation. To any story. Maybe the fault does not lie with the rest of folks but with myself. It’s a real possibility. One, truthfully, that could hold more weight than most other ideas. It falls into the old swampy stigma of mental health. Yep. That thing. That naughty little chunk of invisible nonsense that people do not enjoy dipping their chips into. An invisible killer.
I think we’re all in this great big mess together. Whether or not we try to make it work depends on how much the lot of us actually want it to work.
The mind is a funny thing. Sometimes literally. We’re a heaping shell of nerves and bones and blood and electricity and self-doubt and rage and sadness and hope and dismay and fatigue and regret and laziness and excitement and bullshit. All worked up and processed by that hunk of fluff inside our skulls.
The wedding is less than a month away. I get asked — especially now — if I am excited. I know I’ve touched on this before. My usual answer is no. And that stops a lot of people dead in their tracks. So I generally have to clarify. Am I excited to get married? Yes. I wouldn’t have asked her would it not be the thing I wanted most. I just don’t handle those situations very well is all. Having any sort of attention thrown my way isn’t something I yearn for. Ever. And the day is about us — mainly her — but it is a celebration of us. And we’re doing it our way (which, you know, is how it’s supposed to be).
I finished reading I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. I enjoyed it. It is one of those stories you get into pretty quick and then you find your curiosity nipping at you once you’ve put it down for the day (it’s a quick read…one or two days max). And the title is not what you think it is. A guy and his new girlfriend take a road trip to visit his parents. Things…things just don’t feel right. It comes with a strange, almost claustrophobic feel. Not a slow burn exactly — it isn’t long enough for that — but it really goes off the rails at the end. And not in a bad way.
My read before that was The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. Murder. Weird chalk men being drawn all over town. A solid debut novel. I enjoy stories with a rotating timeline. Not that every story needs that but it works when done right. There’s a lot of chatter about the ending of this one. Some good. Some bad. Some indifferent. Not sure what category I fit into. If you have a chance to read it, go for it.
I did open up the new King book (The Outsider) this morning. I’m eager to dive into this one. I had a hard time getting into Sleeping Beauties (the book he co-wrote with his son Owen). So much so that I put it down and started something else. This new one has a lot of promise — at least to start. All I need is a cool place to sit and read.
Our house does not like the term cool — unless it’s -10 outside. Then it doesn’t know what warm is. Seasonal madness. I’m miserable sitting in the office. This happens every year. Every damn year. I could grab the laptop and go into the bedroom. Turn on the AC. And sure as shit, I’d lose my thoughts and stare at this screen like I have for the past week.
But as it is, this is all I have for now.
Roll credits.
A Total Mess -- A Blog by Travis Ralston 