YOUR BRAIN
AND THE BIBLE (1)
Your brain has its brilliance,
its flaws, it has an ability to pay attention. But its level of focus and
attention is dependent on how you direct it. Now the question is, how much can
you or do you pay attention?
PAY
ATTENTION
Attention is your brain’s most
powerful tool to make sense of busy world and streamline the thousands of
things a day competing for your time and energy. Scientists are finally
beginning to understand what attention is and how it takes shape in the brain. As
we try to focus on one thing to another thing and think we have a grasp of
what’s going on in our environment several million things changes in our
environment that we aren’t aware of or conscious of. Even though we think we are
paying attention. We all know change is constant. And in a rapidly changing
world where the universe is moving in several million light years we do not
notice the changes in occurrence when we seat comfortable in our living room
watching the Television and we don’t feel we are going to fall down because the
earth rotates very fast everything we take it for granted that everything is
stable.
Several millions of information,
data and thoughts shift through our mind at great speed, and with this
foreboding we read the Bible and we think we are actually getting the best out
of it. But in reality we are not. That’s why statistics revealing a higher
number of Christians who knows how to quote the Bible rather than Christians
reflecting Christianity itself. In “The Lost Symbol” controversial Writer and
Author Dan Brown, tries to show the world his idea of what the Bible means in
generations past and what it means to the modern world. He typifies his story
with his popular Character “Robert Langdon,” a Harvard Symbology Professor who
at the end discovers that the lost symbol referred to is the Bible. In general
terms, can you remember the last time you read the Bible beyond the line? Well,
you can be surprised by that question, but it’s painfully true. Can you remember?
The Bible has most of its messages beyond the line.
Typical urban youth goes to
Church on Sunday with a tablet in hand (preferably, a Lumia, Samsung or Apple),
with the earpiece plugged into his ears in what leading Psychologist Researcher
and Writer “Daniel Goleman” calls a Universal snub. He can quickly flip through
the numerous Bible Application he has on his device (thanks to the millions of
programmers) in a response to the Pastor’s message and immediately switch
applications to something that interests or fascinates him the more. Of course
if asked by the Usher if he’s listening to the message he’d just quickly with
the tip of his finger flip back to the Bible Application (thanks to Windows
phone 8).
I know you’ll find this article
rather interesting and amusing. But am I trying to put on the youth? No.
adults, elderly ones also have their share of this modern era.
ARE
YOU STILL PAYING ATTENTION?
This paradigm changing expository
article will delve into attention, perception and thoughts during and when
you’re reading the Bible showing you how you short-circuit your brain and
reducing its potential when you’re supposed to get the best out of the Bible.
When next you want to read the Bible, find a quiet place, make sure you have a
jotter with you. Read a line for five minutes. I repeat, read a line for five
minutes and write all you can interpret from it. And you must be aware of that
flicker of thought which can switch your mind from paying detailed attention.
In that fraction of a second, you’ve short-circuit your brain. Professor David
Strayer’s research at the University of Utah has shown there is no such thing
as multi-tasking only short-circuiting of the brain. Your brain can never do
two things at the same time, it will have to stop one to focus on the other. If
you think you’re reading the Bible while talking to another person or listening
to someone or something at the same time. You’re not reading your Bible with
your full attention.
Many of the world’s leading
attention experts live in Las Vegas, they are not scientist though but are
magicians. Magicians believe if an audience attention can be drawn to something
else, something on another level then they can quickly make subtle changes that
the audience wouldn’t see. Audience don’t see the changes when they are made
not because they’re not paying attention, it’s because they can’t pay attention
to everything at once. And like I wrote earlier, this makes the brain
prioritize what to focus attention on. Your focus might be on the obstacle you encountered
and with that mind read the Bible. What interpretation do you think you will
get? It’s most likely what is related to the obstacle you’re facing. But do you
notice your absorption rate of the words and how much you can remember of the
exact words you read some minutes ago? How about the interpretation of what you
read in your present mental state. I.e. without using a biased, prejudiced or
boxed mind. In actual fact we know less of The Bible than we think we know. The
way a mourner who just lost a loved one will interpret a Bible passage will
certainly be different when interpreted by someone who just won a million
dollars. Remember, we use the same brain to interpret and analyse. What makes
the difference then?
Join me next month on Your Brain
and the Bible (2)
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