I live more vividly in my memories than I do in the present; More in my thoughts than I do in my senses, put another way.

I have been pondering a lot lately, realizing things like this. My mind is really interesting, I think anyway; It provides itself with many things to contemplate. :)

I don’t know much about the physiology of the brain but I am thinking that this is why:
The brain has many areas serving different functions, areas for your senses, spatial orientation, memory, etc. Each of these gets a different amount of use depending on what kind of person you are. I guess it would be comparable to a muscle, if you use it it grows, but it also atrophies if it isn’t exercised.

A great example that relates to what I am talking about is shown in a study i read about. In this study monks preformed a type of meditation, leaving their thoughts behind and just observing something, a flower, light, anything. As they continued this activity throughout their lives the area of the brain corresponding with digesting sensory information was much larger than those who did not.

By the way, if you have never tried meditation it is a great way to exercise the brain and relax. Keep in mind though, if you are older and trying to start, the portion of your brain required may have atrophied and it may take some time.

From personal experience this is true. I can live in my thoughts, visualize, work things through. This is definitely a result of many years of schooling, learning, making connections. There isn’t much sensory input you can get from sitting in class. The down side to this is that everything else blows by me. If it isn’t a theory or idea, say a sight or smell, I can be entirely oblivious to it.

Lately I have been trying to revive that part of my brain, sitting and just looking at things, noticing detail. It is much harder than it sounds, and if you don’t believe me then try it. But it causes me to wonder, is our education system taking away one of the most basic joys in life. The ability to experience our world. Other areas are affected as well: emotions, morals, memory, anything that makes you yourself.

This idea may be a basis of culture itself when you think about it. Entire communities and nations often follow the same systems, mainly education. How much does this mold the mind?