Sleep, light and divine design for our minds and brains || John Pesebre

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In terms of years we are barely within a time frame where our species could have fully adapted to the life-altering effect of industrialization. That topic is tremendously huge. What I am humbly concerned in this blog is about how our sleep and nights have changed in the past century because of our affair with "light." From TV to electronic gadgets, we were slowly led to what we are now, light-dependent night crawlers.

Maraming mga factors why our sleeps and nights have changed pero gusto ko lang i-address ngayon is yung sa issue ng ating isipan that has has something to do with the confusion that happens with our pineal gland -- that hormone which  "regulates your daily and seasonal circadian rhythms, the sleep-wake patterns that determine your hormone levels, stress levels, and physical performance." Alam ko na may debate sa role ng non-conscious activities ng ating isipan. Tugon ko lang dito is yung binanggit ni David Eagleman, neuroscientist sa Baylor College of Medicine at bestselling author. Sabi niya,

"[T]ake the vast, unconscious, automated processes that run under the hood of conscious awareness. We have discovered that the large majority of the brain's activity takes place at this low level: the conscious part – the "me" that flickers to life when you wake up in the morning – is only a tiny bit of the operations. This understanding has given us a better understanding of the complex multiplicity that makes a person. A person is not a single entity of a single mind: a human is built of several parts, all of which compete to steer the ship of state. As a consequence, people are nuanced, complicated, contradictory. We act in ways that are sometimes difficult to detect by simple introspection. To know ourselves increasingly requires careful studies of the neural substrate of which we are composed."

It is good I think to consider the proposal of Eagleman. Marami talagang nangyayari sa paligid natin na malimit hindi na tayo conscious dito, at kapagdaka o malimit, malaki ang ginagampanan niya sa pagbabago natin -- tulad na nga nga pauno kong sinabi na role ng industrializatin at "light" sa ating mga naging nightcrawlers sa bahay man or sa work.

I just want us to consider the life habits critically as it engages sa breakneck speed an nangyayari sa atin over the past few years.

Simple proposal lang: sleep, light and divine design for our minds and brains

Sleep

Hindi na mahirap matagpuan ang science ng sleep ngayon and its relation sa positive psychology. Ayon kay Richard Taite at Constance Scharff writing at Psychology Today, sa kanilang article na pinamagatang "Three Reasons Why Good Sleep Is Crucial for Mental Health" ang tatlong ito ay,

1. The brain needs regular cleaning.
2. The brain needs time to process powerful experiences. 
3. Peace of mind contributes to peaceful sleep. 

Light

Ayon sa isang dalubhasa,

"Sun exposure kick starts the pineal gland and stimulates the mind. Any type of light exposure, either directly or indirectly, activates the pineal gland, prompting it to produce serotonin; the neurotransmitter responsible for mood and energy levels. This is why it’s crucial to avoid light after the sun goes down, because you need your pineal gland to produce melatonin and suppress serotonin. This process can only be accomplished by reducing light from electronics and lightbulbs as much as possible." -Dr. Edward Group

Yung hormone na melatonin pala helps give us not only duration ng sleep but also quality.  Sa Indy 500 na pagharurot ng industrialization, it is very easy not to notice etong tipo ng pandaraya sa ating isipan (technological hegemony, cf Gramsci) at di halatang pag control ng ating buhay ("societies of control" [Deleuze]).

Divine design for our minds and brains

Malaki ang role ng ating sleep sa mechanism  ng ating kaisipan.

Napunta ko sa reflection na ito today because I was reading Isaiah 26 where I was intrigued by verse 3 - "Thou will keep him in perfect peace [shalom shalom] whose mind is stayed on thee."  There is a basic divine design for our minds na hindi "alienated" sa Dios. Kapag nawawalan tayo ng pag iingat ng ating isipan dahil sa tayo ay "nabulag ng mandarayang mundo" (cf Gary V) there are many ways the world fascilitates further alienation. Among the most effective is altering our brain.

Maraming magagandang hatid ang industrialization sa atin, pero mayroon ding hindi magaganda. Isa sa mga bagay na nakikita ko is that because industrialization is allied with technology, both are idol makers. What technology creates is inconvenience; industrialization, the means to buy that convenience.

Now there is nothing wrong with convenience. But if it reaches a point of idolatry, then it becomes the enemies of our souls.

Our minds will wander, get distracted -- an alienation from God that creates a painful void for our self-understanding and self-concept.

An idol takes on the driver seat of our minds and subtly marginalizes God slowly out of the picture. Yes we still recall God yet they are lodged in a memory like a trunk of a car; no longer in a driver seat.