predictive powers or construct zoo?
The human brain has evolved to make us unthinkably powerful problem solvers, yet we cannot solve our anxiety and depression. This is because our problems cannot be transcended through logic and reason, for that’s precisely what gets us into trouble in the first place. A mind is a problem-seeking-problem-solving machine. It’s constantly looking out for a “future self” or replaying memories from the past. Our minds think they know what will make us happy, but lasting contentment is always just out of reach.
If only I
land the job
get a date
have a healthy baby
buy the [insert possession]
pay off my debt
make X amount of money
save Y for retirement
then I’ll be happy.
Our brains are incredible, largely based on their ability to generate accurate, complex models of reality, and thank goodness for that. It would be hard to accomplish much if we had to navigate each experience anew. It would be nearly impossible just to get dressed. We can digest external stimuli and synthesize information to give us incredible predictive models and valuable concepts. Yet, therein lies the problem.
If we’re honest, most of our time is spent (unknowingly) in a minefield of mental constructs. We don’t interact with reality; we interact with our concepts of reality. Our advanced mental models can predict the future in so many areas (thankfully), yet this keeps us from experiencing reality unfiltered. We spend all day navigating an increasingly complex maze of concepts, and we are rewarded materially for that. Those who are conventionally “successful” (in our consumption-based, materialistic culture) are often those who have successfully navigated this construct zoo (and likely come from a privileged lineage). But so what if that does not bring peace?
The self that navigates the maze is unknowingly part of the maze. What is a self? Where is a self? Is it not a random collection of familiar yet ever-changing preferences and aversions? This self we are so skilled at protecting is another idea, perhaps the most seductive construct of all. So what do you get for navigating the relative world successfully? For many, it’s a life of regret. Freedom is not to be had, not for the self. Only in seeing through the layers of constructs can the small, misidentified, egoic self return home.
