The Mind*Brain Matrix

We imagine that our thought can be kept secret, but it cannot — it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance.

— James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy? The brain wants to be right. In fact, it has to be right at all costs, which often compromises your happiness. Your mind, on the other hand, just wants to be happy. And while both your brain and your mind are "all about me," the brain is the small m in me, and the mind is the large M in Me.

Now, the argument that scientists are likely to make is that when they open up the head, all they find is the brain. So where's the mind? The mind is like electricity. Electricity is energy that can't be seen, but you know it's there when you turn on a light. The mind is energy that can't be seen, but you know it's there when your focused awareness is present in the moment. The mind is undetectable yet distinct from the brain.

We're beginning with this concept because it's the starting point for all the other parts of The Mind*Brain Matrix. Most of us have grown up believing that what we're thinking at any given time is what we're supposed to be thinking. After all, it's our brain doing the thinking. On closer examination, however, we find that what pops into our heads appears to be quite random as our brain wanders.

The premise of The Mind*Brain Matrix is that there's a difference between the brain and the mind. An easy way to think about this difference is to equate your brain with a computer and your mind as the conductor that directs the brain to use the knowledge, memories, and experiences stored in your brain's computer. Your mind should always be in control. Would you let your home computer run your life? There may be a time in the future when computers will be able to (or even worse, want to) run your life, but for right now, you should be in charge. Computers are great at doing many things, but the beauty of being human is that we can reason with our heads and our hearts. The computer, although evolving, can only operate using the information programmed into it.

So let us look at how this programming works. You do something multiple times in order for the brain to learn an activity, whether it's tying your shoes, adding numbers, driving a car, or smoking a cigarette. The brain turns that activity into a behavior. Once it's a behavior, your brain promotes it to make your life easier and to help you survive in the world. Imagine if you had to learn everything you know all over again every single day.

Smoking cigarettes was included on the list because you can create unhealthy behaviors just as easily as good ones (sometimes more easily!). The brain isn't going to question the behaviors you perform; it's simply going to continue to follow those behaviors until the mind intervenes (or doesn't).

See, your mind is responsible for how and whether the content and behaviors stored in your brain are exercised. If you choose to keep the mind out of the process, the brain will operate independently. If you've learned only useful behaviors, you might be fine (as long as someone else's brain doesn't get in your way), but what if you learned an unhealthy behavior? If your mind doesn't do anything to modify that program, the brain will continue to run that program until it destroys you. The brain doesn't care. The brain isn't designed to care. Conversely, your mind is designed to care. The mind is where your judgment resides.

To simplify this interaction, let's use the example of a parent and a child. In this case, the parent is the mind, and the child is the brain. When you're a baby, you're fully dependent on your parents or guardians. As you grow, you still rely on them for guidance and support, but they're supplemented by teachers, coaches, and, to a lesser extent, peers and relatives. Hopefully, to an even lesser extent, you're also influenced by the media, but I can't leave them out (although we all might be better off if we did!).

Would you tell a two-year-old something that you know wouldn't be in the child's best interest? Of course not, because you know the child wouldn't question what you're telling him or her; they would just do it. Similarly, the brain doesn't question what you tell it to do. If the mind doesn't correct the situation, the activity will be reproduced until it becomes a behavior.

In your early years, most of what your mind and brain do are basic activities performed by your parents or guardians. These activities require little thought, mainly due to the fact that you have little knowledge or experience to draw from in making decisions. To this point, the brain of the child is getting its direction from the parents. It's for that reason that the parents need to take an active role in their child's life. If the adults around you are taking their responsibilities seriously, you'll get loving attention and be read to, and you'll get good nutrition, plenty of restful sleep, and a healthy supply of physical activity. All these positive experiences will begin to establish healthy habits, both mentally and physically. However, if the adults around you are negligent in their responsibilities, a two-year-old brat is likely.

If that two-year-old bratty kid just wants what it wants — no explanation needed and none given — chances are more likely than not that real fundamental development may stop. I know in psychology circles it's a bad word to talk about...