The Human Brain

The human mind

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about features specific to the human brain.

The human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is larger than expected on the basis of body size among other primates. Estimates for the number of neurons (nerve cells) in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion. Most of the expansion comes from the cerebral cortex, especially the frontal lobes, which are associated with executive functions such as self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thought. The portion of the cerebral cortex devoted to vision is also greatly enlarged in human beings, and several cortical areas play specific roles in language, a skill that is unique to humans.

Despite being protected by the thick bones of the skull, suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and isolated from the bloodstream by the blood-brain barrier, the human brain is susceptible to many types of damage and disease. The most common forms of physical damage are closed head injuries such as a blow to the head, a stroke, or poisoning by a variety of chemicals that can act as neurotoxins. Infection of the brain, though serious, is rare due to the biological barriers, which protect it. The human brain is also susceptible to degenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. A number of psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia and depression, are thought to be associated with brain dysfunctions, although the nature of such brain anomalies is not well understood.

So we know the human brain can be damaged or altered in the following ways:

1. A blow to the head. Do you know anyone, at some time in their lives didn’t get hit in the head? Fist fight as a child (or adult) falling down, or dropped on their head by an adult (hopefully accidentally)

2. Chemicals: What chemicals? Drugs (the prescription kind) and Street drugs, and also alcohol.

3. What about illness?

So these are physical things that can happen to the brain that are damaging. When a brain is damaged, will it produce the most perfect of thoughts? Maybe, but maybe not, and if not, can you be aware of the fact that your thinking is a little off? Again, maybe, and maybe not.
In 1980 I talked to a genetic engineer, and had one simple question for him. Bear in mind this is when we had the “crack” babies being born, and it was getting a lot of publicity. My question was this: can these chemicals behind these crack babies change the genetics of these people? His answer was yes, so the next question was automatic; do you mean to say that we will have a whole different type of person out there in 20 years that will “think” differently than we do? His answer was simply; yes, without a doubt.

So not only do we damage our own brains, we have damaged the brains of others thru our own activities such as using drugs, smoking, and drinking during the child bearing years.
Now here is another thought that has occurred to me, and we all know by now even this may be a corrupted thought, because I definitely have suffered head injuries, and have used alcohol, as most of us here have.
As children, a newborn child, is a clean slate. There (other than the parents drug, alcohol, and smoking abuse) is no corruption of their thoughts due to abuse. The point is this, lets say a child is born perfect, no blemishes, this is a clean slate, but, what about when it starts learning. Everything we learn, and how we learn it will affect how we view and understand everything that comes after it.
My wife Jody, back in 2004 decided to work at Rainbows in Wichita as a volunteer. There were small children their, who had been so abused by this early age, that you couldn’t just walk up an pick one up. She had to be very careful with that, sometimes she would just stand back and talk to them softly, or sing to them before touching them. This is not normal; this is not the reaction of a healthy brain. It has been damaged, and it will not perceive things as what we refer to as a normal child would.
And what do we mean by normal, except things we see that appear to be within certain guidelines that most people function.

So here is the point: We cannot trust our own minds to understand perceive things as they truly are. As children, we were all abused in some way, we all learned some “lie” that we built our future perceptions and “truths” upon. So by the time we are adults, we are, in some way, all off center. We just can’t trust our own thoughts.
Lets add in another ingredient, personality. Jody and I have 9 grandchildren, 8 living and one in heaven waiting for us. 6 of these grandchildren are quite normal according to our concept of normal. Two of the kids, have unique personalities, and they were born with them. Since Kinsey was just a baby, she has had this thing for shoes, she loves them, wants to sleep with them. Why? Who knows, but it is different. So we could say, everything she sees from now on, may be well affected by how she feels they would fit with her shoes. Now, I know that’s silly, but it does illustrate a point.
Now lets re hash this. We are born as individuals. Some of us were criers, some of us were very quiet, and most of us somewhere in-between. Now we were treated differently according to these aspects. One little boy, whom I suspect was born as a crier or maybe just plain ornery, suffered abuse for what he was born with, to the extent that his own mother murdered him, beat him to death. Why would she do that? Drugs!
Ok moving along, so we have a child born with an unusual personality, or a normal personality, that child is going to be treated differently than another child.; more, or less spankings, or scolding, and etc.

1. Add to that illness that may be treated with a chemical that causes a brain abnormality.
2. Add to that a head injury.
3. Add to that abusive parent
4. Add to that, lifestyle, extreme poverty or extreme wealth, both are abnormal and damaging.
5. Add to that the lies they learn early on.
6. Add to that, all the things we learn after that first lie, that even though we learned them, we probably learned them differently.

How many have been a witness to a seemingly simple accident, yet the witnesses all have different accounts. We all see things differently.

In a court of law, they don’t try to find the “truth”, they merely try to establish a “truth”, because they know that truth is different to different people.

Lets take the gospels for example, the three synoptic accounts, those that are similar, yet they are different. You will learn later that is one of the reasons that we can trust them; there were no collusions involved. They didn’t get together and make sure they all told the same story. They told the story according to their perception of what truly happened.

So what is the point to all this?
1. We cannot trust our own minds, or feelings to establish a “truth”

2. If we cannot trust our own minds or feelings to establish a “truth” Where do we find it

3. If we know that know one can trust their own mind for the Truth, is there such a thing/

So what difference does it make?

The difference is the fly in the ointment! It s a thing we have been threatened with all our lives, that we could end up in a place called hell.

There are two options to hell; one is that it is a place you go to if you have lived a sinful life, without repentance to burn in a fire for all eternity.

Or is complete destruction, where you simply no longer exist, and are never remembered.

This is not a discussion of this topic, but mere the two options you face,

Unless, you find the “truth” and obey that “truth”

So our next question is there one absolute truth,

if so where do we find it, how can we know we have found it, and what is the truth?

Our goal with the lesson is to establish truth, that there is an absolute truth and that the Bible of the Christian faith contains that truth, and it also contains the information we need to obey the commands posed by that absolute truth.

I would like to share one more thought with you.

To find the truth we must cut though all the years of miss-learning. We must look past all the years of abuse, of physical damage, and realize we must look outside of ourselves to find the way.

I think this was what Jesus was telling us in Luke 18:15 thru 17  15 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. 16 But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 17 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

So our next lesson will be on absolute truth, is there such a thing, and where can we find it?

Spend time thinkng about that, research it, whatever you “feel” or “think” is the right way, or the “truth”.

I would like to add some bible verses here in regards to the mind. Now I know we have not proven the Bible to be the absolute truth yet, in fact we haven’t even proven there is an absolute truth yet, however, as we complete the course, and we come full circle, we will prove there is an absolute proof, we will prove the Holy Bible is that absolute proof, and when we come back here with that absolute proof firmly rooted in our minds and hearts, we will then see these verses regarding our minds are absolute truth, and in fact we can’t trust them, and must then use the Scripture as our road map of life, that leads the eternal life we all seek.
Psalms 94:11 (ESV) the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.

Prov 12:1 (ESV) Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Matt 15:19-20 (ESV)For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

Prov 14:12 (ESV) There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

Prov 28:26 (ESV) Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Prov 3:5-7 (ESV)5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 7 Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Jer 17:9 (ESV) 9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?