Metaphors and the metaphysical
An old piece I started writing in 2015, but finished in 2017. Good science. Poor theology. Do I speak truth or dangerous verisimilitude?
Hebb synapses
In vision neuroscience, the concept of a Hebb synapse is that the brain has many random connections at birth. The more one is stimulated, the stronger that connection becomes and the easier it is to achieve that pattern out of habit. The other connections wither away. It takes extraordinary circumstances for these perception patterns to change throughout life, say for example, a blunt trauma force to the head. You either screw up or reboot.
Beyond visual physiology and psychology, we humans are creatures of habit, we find comfort in that. Sometimes we fancy ourselves fascinated with the new and fresh experiences, material goods, personalities we meet, but innately we eventually get drawn back to the familiar and comfort of what we know best. After all, there is nothing new under the sun and once you see a dark cave, a tall mountain, some extraordinarily tall trees, and bizarre beasts, you've seen it all.
If our boundaries are pushed so that little remains outside our comfort zone, I wonder what the limit of our metaphorical Hebb synapses will be. If it is God we know and rest so well in, would our ties to the desires of the world be snipped away more and more over the course of our lives? How vast will our ties to what is good, what is pleasing to the Lord and heavenly hopes grow?
Over the past year, it seems like blunt trauma to the head to lose ties to some of these things. That there is no security in self preservation and pride but that it drives wedges in your relations, that losing a job despite your working abilities does not negate your worth, that being a friend isn't just for the fun times but it means it is ok to reach out for help and give them the chances to love, and conversely that being a true friend can mean expecting nothing in return are some hard hitting but extraordinary patterns that are changing in how I think. But above all, despite God feeling so far away at times, it is the truest lesson to know that that I was brought at a price, and the Holy Spirit dwells in me always to comfort, challenge, and transform me - opening my stubborn squinty eyes to see the world and others through not the lens of good feels or positivity, but the lens and heart of Jesus Christ. And that's why, even when I'm stripped away of so many familiar ties to worldly things and desires that are not necessarily bad, I have found better patterns and know to be patient and wait on the Lord.
Allergies
Humans have the most interesting variety of allergies - from banana to beef to the most natural seasonal changes - expressed in sneezing and rashes and all sorts of bodily exclamations of NO. Something is terribly wrong, our own bodies are rejecting what is logically harmless, and even nutritional. Our very own immune system rebels against us. Mango is no longer a delectable summer fruit, but a sensorily pleasant weapon of death.
When will the ills be corrected? How long must we wait for the full restoration of all things of the soul and body?
Meanwhile, have the grit to hold a metaphorical slice of mango in one hand, and an EpiPen in the other.
Hebb synapses
In vision neuroscience, the concept of a Hebb synapse is that the brain has many random connections at birth. The more one is stimulated, the stronger that connection becomes and the easier it is to achieve that pattern out of habit. The other connections wither away. It takes extraordinary circumstances for these perception patterns to change throughout life, say for example, a blunt trauma force to the head. You either screw up or reboot.
Beyond visual physiology and psychology, we humans are creatures of habit, we find comfort in that. Sometimes we fancy ourselves fascinated with the new and fresh experiences, material goods, personalities we meet, but innately we eventually get drawn back to the familiar and comfort of what we know best. After all, there is nothing new under the sun and once you see a dark cave, a tall mountain, some extraordinarily tall trees, and bizarre beasts, you've seen it all.
If our boundaries are pushed so that little remains outside our comfort zone, I wonder what the limit of our metaphorical Hebb synapses will be. If it is God we know and rest so well in, would our ties to the desires of the world be snipped away more and more over the course of our lives? How vast will our ties to what is good, what is pleasing to the Lord and heavenly hopes grow?
Over the past year, it seems like blunt trauma to the head to lose ties to some of these things. That there is no security in self preservation and pride but that it drives wedges in your relations, that losing a job despite your working abilities does not negate your worth, that being a friend isn't just for the fun times but it means it is ok to reach out for help and give them the chances to love, and conversely that being a true friend can mean expecting nothing in return are some hard hitting but extraordinary patterns that are changing in how I think. But above all, despite God feeling so far away at times, it is the truest lesson to know that that I was brought at a price, and the Holy Spirit dwells in me always to comfort, challenge, and transform me - opening my stubborn squinty eyes to see the world and others through not the lens of good feels or positivity, but the lens and heart of Jesus Christ. And that's why, even when I'm stripped away of so many familiar ties to worldly things and desires that are not necessarily bad, I have found better patterns and know to be patient and wait on the Lord.
Allergies
Humans have the most interesting variety of allergies - from banana to beef to the most natural seasonal changes - expressed in sneezing and rashes and all sorts of bodily exclamations of NO. Something is terribly wrong, our own bodies are rejecting what is logically harmless, and even nutritional. Our very own immune system rebels against us. Mango is no longer a delectable summer fruit, but a sensorily pleasant weapon of death.
When will the ills be corrected? How long must we wait for the full restoration of all things of the soul and body?
Meanwhile, have the grit to hold a metaphorical slice of mango in one hand, and an EpiPen in the other.
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