The concept of awareness

The concept of awareness is essential to understanding the human position in evolutionary time and our responsibilities as the most aware species on the planet. The Egyptians mistakenly attributed the center of awareness to the heart and carefully removed and embalmed it for use in the after life while the brain’s sole purpose was believed to be to produce mucous and was sucked out and discarded. We now know that awareness is the product of synaptic activity in the brain. We are learning more about brain function with every new tool invented to trace and measure its activity and we no longer dispute that it is the organ responsible for awareness. Signals from our sensory and tactile organs lead directly to the brain for interpretation and response and once there, they record their passage and leave open the most used and successful response paths and dim those resulting in inappropriate or injurious responses. Awareness is the ongoing mixing of sensory inputs with learned and genetic synaptic paths. From this simplistic overview responses by any living form would seem to be mechanical and predictable but this is not what is observed. From even the simplest of multi-cellular forms complex states of awareness have evolved in concert with the evolution of complexity in shape, function and form. Evidence for this early connection between form and awareness exists in all single celled organisms. Some respond to light, some to vibrations, some to changes in temperature, and some are tactile. Single celled organisms were the only living forms on earth for most of its evolutionary history and they developed sensory complexities long before the advantage of joining into groups of cooperating cells began their random testing’s against changing environments. One of the best examples of early awareness, and its relationship to more advanced states of awareness, is the amoeba. Amoebae are propelled by many cilia along their perimeter and move and change directions quickly as they move about in a drop of water. Under a microscope they appear to be choosing a new direction every second as if making decisions, and in a way they are, but not in the way we think. An amoeba’s cilia beat in concert until it runs into another amoeba or an object where its cellular wall dimples inward at the point of contact and the electrical differential between the outside and the inside of the amoeba’s cellular membrane reverse polarity. The cilia in the dimple respond to the change in polarity by reversing direction and steer the amoeba away from the obstruction. The amoeba has reacted to a tactile input with an electrically directed response, much the same as synaptic responses in a complex brain offers a choice or directs a response in a multi-cellular form. Seeing an analogous starting point for the evolution of awareness allows us to envision and trace the continued natural selection of advancing states of awareness from simple and mechanical to extremely complex states. It is a natural progression of an essential survival benefit from bacteria to man. Awareness is evident in every living thing to some degree and has become, within evolved organs with billions of synaptic possibilities, an organ allowing choice, inventiveness, and self recognition. Evolved awareness has become a power beyond the simple manipulation of fin or limb and has extended itself to a control over matter and energy through mechanical extensions of its sensory capabilities and mechanical extensions of bodily capabilities. Many words carry concepts similar to the concept of awareness but are not adequate to explain it and cloud a true appreciation for this evolved wonder by carrying within them egocentric and pious preconceptions these words mislead us. Words like; intelligence and cognizance are valuable as limited measuring concepts for separating classes of humans and animals but are often misused. Awareness, when understood as a natural, expression of all living things unites us with the reality around us and makes our responsibilities as the most aware animal and the result of billions of years of testing and growth, clear. We are not so separated from other forms of awareness on our planet that we can declare ourselves rulers of all things. We are as dependent upon a stable planet and the rest of life around us as we have always been. Whenever you exchange glances with a bird on a limb or hold a small insect in your hand with respect you are sharing an aware moment. The sharing is what will sustain us.

The Ages of Language

We categorize most intellectual information to facilitate selective study and learning efforts. We divide scientific endeavors into the physical sciences and life sciences, each with many sub categories, and these divisions remain fairly static. The categories in the study of human history, however, change whenever a historian imposes their own perspectives. Will and Ariel Durant, for example, divided history into; Our Oriental Heritage The Life of Greece Caesar and Christ The Age of Faith The Renaissance The Reformation The Age of Reason Begins The Age of Lois the XIV Other categories abound and each reflects the unique perspective of the scribe recording the activities of the past. I am no exception. My preference for categorization is to divide human history into periods differentiated by the preferential uses of language, not which language was preferred, but how language was preferentially used to express the most common attitudes and perspectives of the time. My categories are; The Age of Aggrandizing Languages The Age of Commiseration The Age of Allegories The Age of Directive Languages The Age of Expanded Meanings The Age of Expanded Communication In a blog of reasonable length, and considering that I do not have enough years left to duplicate the investigative detail of Will and Ariel Durant, I offer only an overview of why, and how, my categories are indicative of a separate age and hope others will follow my thinking to see if the categories have merit. The Age of Aggrandizement is long and encompasses the early development of language to include titles and self aggrandizing terms used to promote the self importance of those holding social power. From early tribal leaders to Pharaohs the languages of this period are rife with honorific and aggrandizing terms reflecting the perspective preferences of the period for inclusive social organizations under a strong leadership. The Age of Commiseration began with the introduction of monotheism and grew from the follow-on idea that a divinely appointed human might not be needed for access to the new god. Groups separated from long established aggrandized empires became outcasts and as they struggled to establish their identity and their language evolved to include many self deprecating words and phrases. The Old Testament is as much a testament to the struggle of the dispossessed as it is to the adjustment of their language to express their attitude of being the suppressed chosen few. The Age of Allegories began as Roman rule expanded into areas where languages had become truly self indulgent. As Latin began to erode the languages and perspectives of peoples not accustomed to the harsh factual meanings of Latin, those still using native tongues began to use allegories to evangelize and to avoid repercussions from their Roman rulers. Being less direct, a message or lesson given as an allegory seemed more like an example of a hidden truth than a factual comment and quickly became preferred method of speaking and writing. The New Testament is evidence of the increased use of allegories during this period with both Jesus and Paul using allegories extensively. Jesus used them to advantage by turning any event or situation into an allegorical message. Near a well he would speak of the water of life. Near the sea he would speak of fisher’s of men. During a meal he would talk of symbolic eating and drinking. Jesus spoke only to the Jews but as Paul took Jesus’ message further he Jesus’ example and filled his letters to new churches with allegorical examples and lessons. The Age of Directive Languages began as Europe developed a multitude of kingdoms and as tribal disputes in The Middle East were resolved to become the Koran. The Bible was also translated and transformed by secular rulers anxious to take advantage of the appeal of religious messages promising life after death if one were compliant. Directive passages are prevalent in the Koran and became emphasized in revisions of both the Old and New Testaments. The Age of Expanded Meanings was born of necessity as naturalists and scientists began to expose a reality we had log ignored because we were caught up in religious perspectives directing a head down eyes closed perspective as a requirement for entry into an after life. When a few brave men disobeyed church directives and began to ask nature questions using the scientific method of test and verify, nature willingly gave up her secrets, and with mountains of new information to deal with, languages had to expand. A dictionary from the twelfth century is much smaller than a dictionary from the twentieth century. The Age of Communication has grown out of The Age of Expanded Meanings. Discovery and exploration yield technological advances as a natural consequence of exploration requiring new tools and the spin off of opportunities for new inventions. From this cooperative creative system we now can talk to anyone on the planet using a small device we carry in our pocket, stay informed, learn and are entertained by thousands of communicative channels and are having our languages and our behavior changed in ways we cannot predict.