Thursday, February 26, 2009

Some Last Thoughts


It's clear from some of your comments, that this is a subject people are thinking about. How about this: The mind is something that does not age. Those little old ladies you see walking with their walkers - are thinking the same way you are. At least, they are thinking the same way they always thought. The mind does not have a "little old lady" version of itself. It was the same as a child, as it is as a retiree. I don't know about you, but that came as a shock to me. As a young woman, I viewed aging as something that happened to every part of self. It is true of the brain, and all other bodily parts. But the mind stays the same.

Think about it. Do you "think" any different now then you did ten years ago? (I know you are probably wiser, and more mature, but I'm talking about the "voice" in your head - is it ten years older?)

So if the mind is an interaction of the brain and the spirit - is it our soul?  

12 comments:

Andrea said...

I could not agree with you more! I had a conversation with one of my children just last week about this very subject. Just because I'm aging on the outside doesn't mean my thoughts, feelings, desires are aging!

Kathy's Klothesline said...

I think you might be right. I think my mind may be sharper, with a lot more insight as I age....maybe this is our consolation prize for the failing flesh.

Nancy said...

Andrea - I think we are saying the same thing - our mind does NOT age - only our bodies and brains age. Amazing isn't it?

Kathy - Maybe it is because our mind has learned to focus on the important things; or maybe you have learned to control "the drama queen".

Lindz said...

Wow! This is an interesting topic. I don't know that my mind has changed in 26 years but I do know that I have been exposed to many influential people and experiences that have changed the way I view things. I have always thought that inside of every elderly person there always remains intact the person who they have always been, sometimes it is just harder for them to express it for whatever reason (or ailment.)

Butternut Squash said...

You don't mess around do you! That is the giant question. I have never heard a completely satisfactory answer to the question of soul, there are only beliefs. I believe that we are all parts of God. That you and I are one, preceiving the world through sepperate vessels. Many people hate this idea, because it means that their soul is not there own... but isn't that what some religions point to? (Your soul belongs to God or the Devil...) If the god in me recognizes the god in you, what choice is there but to treat each other with complete compassion? If we do not treat each other well, we only damage ourselves. In this context, insanity becomes varying degrees in the disconnect with God, i.e. the ego run amuck. Some parts of god are born into broken vessels, and sometimes we can patch these up a bit. Sometimes, as we age, what we often call the mind, and everything associated with that ego, dissolves, going through dramatic personality changes. What is left is a vessle that can not remember the names of his own children. But the awareness of God has not left, it has only shifted. We are not gone, we have merely changed form.

Peace.

Unknown said...

Hmmm this is a fascinating thought that I have never considered before! But I think it's true, we just tone down everything with aquired wisdom, age and control!

Nancy said...

Lindz - I do think the "young" resides in the elderly. The body and brain begins to break down so people aren't as able to communicate, but what are they really thinking?

Thank you, Butternut. Well said. A part of the whole. I
also liked your term "broken vessel".

Brit Gal - Yes, I think we acquire wisdom through trial and error - thank goodness, huh?

Rose said...

I have to admit the first two parts of it got me thinking about age, etc. I cannot believe how well your blog goes with what I posted a few minutes ago. Funny I almost missed this one. I saw the one about Lu and nearly missed this one. Spot on.

Reya Mellicker said...

This is a totally fabulous bunch of posts - about the brain.

I think of the brainstem as a partner to the more sophisticated parts of the brain. Without instincts we would be dead. To me it is not an "overlord" in any way. The frontal cortex is so in love with itself it tends to want to be in charge at all times. Only in balance with instinct does the rational side of things benefit us.

I highly recommend "The Feeling of What Happens" by Antonio D'Amasio, about emotion and the body in the making of consciousness. Fascinating book!

Thanks for these posts!

Nancy said...

I totally agree, Reya, about the brain stem working in partnership with the other parts. It is so amazing how they all have a job to do. I will look for that book, thanks for the tip.

Rose - I'm off to read your post.

susan said...

Yep, just the same.. but at least now I know I was a very smart 6 year old.

Kathy G said...

HI!

I found your blog on my Google Alert today; my blog, The Second Half of My Life, has quite a similar title! I enjoyed reading a bit of your writing.

I'm pretty sure that I think the same way I did when I was in college-25 years ago. I hope it'll still be working the same way when I'm tooling around with my walker.