If you have ever taken a psyche class, then you know this concept is not new. There is an entire field of study that discusses this area of human development. There are a number of Greek words that you may be familiar with that seem to explore some of the concepts discussed in the previous chapter. The purpose of this book is not as a challenge of these ideas, but rather we will run parallel to these facets of human consciousness as we examine the full scope of the pattern that these fractal concepts actually reveal.
Scientifically minded people with various degrees will often dismiss the collection of writings commonly called the Bible. This library of amazing stories is often seen as nothing more than quaint moral and ethical lessons designed to help people from bygone eras come to terms with a world they barely understood. When a psychologist reads these seemingly impossible accounts, they may chuckle that anyone with an ounce of education could believe anything that is written in these seemingly disjointed accounts of humanities' encounters with a supreme intelligence in the universe.
For a person with this kind of background certain expressions found in the Bible may further the belief that this book is not to be taken seriously. One of these expressions is the phrase "heart". Throughout the Bible this word is used to describe something that many would doubt our physical blood pumping four chambered organ simply does not have the ability to do. This book, which is thousands of years old repeatedly uses the word heart to describe our emotional center. The idea that this muscle inside of our chest cavity has any bearing whatsoever on our motivations is laughable at the very least and insulting to anyone who knows anything about anatomy. However, as more research becomes available, we may discover there is far more to this concept than is currently accepted.
As I contemplate this truth, I am reminded of a movie that may give us a link to how we may be misreading these words and missing the truth that is right inside of all of us, but perhaps just not where we thought it was. The movie I am referring to is "Star Wars", specifically episodes one through three. One planet that stands out in these films is known as Coruscant. This planet was located in the very heart of the galactic republic. What is humorous about this name is it is very similar to the Spanish word for heart; "Corazon". The word heart does not always mean a literal human heart. It can also be a reference to something in the center of something.
So, if our literal heart is not what the Bible is alluding to, what else could it be? Many scholars have concluded that the mind is the true meaning of these references, but that does not make sense because the scriptures will often contrast the heart and mind as if they were in conflict with one another. There is an entire universe to discover inside the human brain. Modern research has mapped the brain but still is virtually in the dark concerning all the intricacies of this marvel of engineering that many would like to credit to blind chance. I am not here to debate with your personal elephant, but I digress. We will get to that later.
For the moment let's see if we can discover the location of our personal Coruscant. For the Bible to be true we need to search in a place that matches the description. Where is our seat of motivation located literally? We know it has to be somewhere inside our skull cap. But where? Would you like me to tell you? It should be simple to find. Our human brain has been broken down in various ways, but we are going to go with the number twelve here. These parts are known as the:
(1) Occipital lobe,
(2) Frontal lobe,
(3) Temporal lobe,
(4) Parietal lobe,
(5) Cerebral cortex,
(6) Cerebellum,
(7) Hypothalamus,
(8) Thalamus,
(9) Pituitary gland,
(10) Amygdala,
(11) Hippocampus,
(12) and finally the mid-brain.
All these various sections join in various ways to align our mind while also keeping the rest of our body operating. Physically our brain has three major regions. These are the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem. Now beyond all these big words that few can pronounce is the inner-lower region of our brain. Located on both sides of the thalamus is what is known in scientific fields as the paleomammalian cortex. In Layman's terms this is known as the limbic system. I realize your head may be spinning by now. I know mine is. Simply put, your seat of motivation is located in the heart of your brain. It shares both hemispheres of your brain and it is responsible for virtually everything we are going to explore through the pages of this book. You might say this is the elephant in your brain. Within the limbic system we are endowed with emotion, behavior, motivation, long-term memory, and the ability to smell.
That's right folks your little inner elephant has nostrils on his little trunk. This helps him to never forget what he loves, and what disgusts him. These are facts that have been researched and are the basis for discovering even deeper things about ourselves. Up to this point you may have thought I was off my rocker, but now you are hopefully at least starting to see that there is something to this concept of an elephant in the room. The elephant is not our enemy. Other people's elephants are not our enemies either, but we just discovered this hidden truth about ourselves. So we may be quite ferocious at the moment since our whole life may be dedicated to a struggle for supremacy. What are we supposed to do with this information? Most of us may be adults as we are reading this and like a literal elephant, we cannot forget the terrible experiences we have had in life. We may be held back by seeming barriers that keep us from our true potential. We may be weighed down with anxieties that make us feel like we are drowning figuratively speaking.
If this is how you feel right now then don't panic. Stay calm. Like little mice your experiences may be overwhelming your senses right now, but now is not the time to start a stampede. Now is the time to discover the true power you possess. You may need to take a step back and discover what is really at the heart of all this fear. Your impeccable memory may be just what is required to begin a process of rediscovery. As you travel back to your youth we will start again from scratch. We will take the first steps as you begin the process of "Raising Your Little Elephant".
As you turn the page try to remain calm. Our childhood can be a terrifying place. Our memories of it can be like a fun house mirror. What do I mean by that? Like a funhouse mirror, memories may not appear as they actually occurred. This is a critical point if we are to discover the truth hidden in plain sight about ourselves.
YOU ARE READING
raising your little elephant
No FicciónAn uplifting story about our seat of motivation.
