Greetings all… The best thing about mind, consciousness and thinking is that we can all be right – even if I have my doubts about Banjo being definite about original thoughts since conception, what with the phenomenon of juvenile amnesia being what it is. But the post actually reflected one of my definitions of an original idea – it doesn't matter if it was parody, it was an expression of an original idea.

If you go with the concept of solipsism then everything experienced by (perceived in) your mind is original.

The plasticity and inherent active pattern seeking, recognition and synaptic reinforcement which (as a gross simplification) seems to be the biological basis of our higher order thinking, goes a long way to explaining much of what has been discussed over the last several pages.

I enjoy 'pot shots' across the brow, Squeers, but think that what you say 'sounds like gobbledygook' is worth more than consideration – people who have experienced total nominal aphasia and recovered describe the experience as one of absolute total calm. After recovery, they report not even awareness of existence or wakefulness beyond the immediate moment – they certainly remember there was no conscious line of thought or reasoning.

Visualisation in this sense is like a film screening in a theatre but with no one in the audience to watch it.

Another poor analogy would be that this is similar to the brain's hard disk drive not being erased as such, rather it is that the disc directory is undetectable.

Nevertheless, my Garstang's more like a zig sag these days and I totally agree that the older I get, the less I know – though I'm confident that on this trajectory, when I know nothing I will be dead.

But I still think it is spooky that all our comments here will survive the brains that created them.

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Dear Poirot,

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" On the testimony of those original thinkers....not only verbal thinking but conscious thinking in general plays only a subordinate part in the brief, decisive phase of the creative act itself".

That more or less echoes previous comments I have heard on the subject.

I believe the principle is true not just in respect of the " decisive phase of the creative act itself" but in respect of any important matter we happen to be dealing with in our daily lives.

Experience has taught me that, whatever the matter in hand, when I reach the point where there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that I have done absolutely everything I am capable of doing in order to get something right, if time will allow (and more important the matter, greater the need for time), there is still something very important I can do and that is to "sleep on it". Not just one night but as many nights as possible.

"Night brings good counsel". Unbridled, unguided, uncontrolled subconscious activity (is it thought?) is a very precious and particularly ingenious ally. It has access to resources my conscious mind ignores.

If I really want it badly and I give it all I've got, my conscious mind can find the most appropriate response to just about every question I am capable of encountering, given the banality of my existence.

On those few rare occasions when I find myself way out of my depth, I do my best to allay my anxiety and find peace and rest in the warm comfort of my bed.

It is finally when daylight breaks, in all its awe and wonder, that the solution I so earnestly desire, finally "dawns" on me.

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Banjo Paterson,

I used the word "respite" earlier, and I think that's what you may be alluding to in your previous comment. Respite from the rational and the reasoning aspect of our thinking regimes.
We all know that if we put our crossword down and walk away, the word/answer/solution often leaps, seemingly out of nowhere, when our conscious mind is rambling about elsewhere....and sometimes strange things come about from somehwere-who-knows-where?. I was ruminating briefly a week or so ago as to where you were. I hadn't noted you posting for a while and imagined vaguely of you in France going about your business - and now here you are, as if I summoned you back to the fold or somehow plugged into the fact that you were on your way back to OLO.

WmTrvor,

"...pattern seeking..." is subliminal for the most part. An act of unconsciousness which seemed programmed into our psychological state, probably as a biological survival trait also. There is much we derive from the patterns in the physical world as in our psychological structures. We all engage in its pursuit, although mostly we're not consciously aware how much impact it has on our behaviour.

Agreed, Poirot, "…although mostly we're not consciously aware how much impact it [pattern seeking] has on our behaviour." Which is partly its usefulness in an evolutionary sense – and I believe it is significant that we have even less awareness of how such structural brain biology impacts on our thinking.

Add to that the millisecond-switching fight for supremacy between our brain hemispheres and what emerges are our thought processes.

Mix in the delta brainwave patterning (sort of clearing the temporary files and defragmenting the brain's hard disk) – Banjo's 'sleeping on it', or your respite – and low and behold, there is *You*.

Enough inspirational awe… both for reason and the human heart.

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Dear WmTrevor,

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"If you go with the concept of solipsism then everything experienced by (perceived in) your mind is original".

I'm afraid I do not qualify for that one WmTrevor. Thanks for the tip, though.

If I really get desperate about never having had the slightest original idea, I might revise my position. It sounds almost too good to be true. From rags to riches. I must admit the temptation is great.

Just one question before I go: do you have to actually believe it for it to work?

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Dear Poirot,

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You certainly have some powerful thought waves. From Australia to France in almost no time. That's great. It's certainly worth keeping in mind. If you can bring me back from time to time it's a very comfortable situation for me to be in.

I somehow feel I have a guardian angel who cares for me and ensures that I am still around.

You've made my day Poirot . You really have.

Thank you.

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