5 Million Year Mind..

     

            Today, people spin their clock in very different ways. You could say we live in an era of extremes. But before we dive into where we are today, how did we get here? Clearly humans are the kings and queens of the animal kingdom. With the exception of some spoiled dogs, humans are living the best life. So how did we get here? We’re weak compared to an elephant, lion or bear. Slow enough to be outrun by most animals a quarter of our size. Our ability to smell makes us essentially blind in the world of scent. Our skin is a wussy to nature, vision laughable to an eagle, and we’re as worthless in the water as a whale trying to get around in the city.

            So, what have humans spent their time doing that has set us apart? You’re smart to ask. Humans have been investing in their minds. The human brain is roughly 2x larger than other mammals based on body size. It only makes up 2% of body mass yet it accounts for 20% of our energy consumption. Humans have placed a high premium on intelligence. Sexual reproduction awarded to the highest bidder.

            Your brain is shrinking! Ironically, the human brain size has shrunk some over the last 10,000 years... Does this explain our recent obsession with social media?

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            Small brain jokes aside, the human brain is the most amazing and complex object we have discovered in the universe to date. And you’re lucky enough to have one sitting between your ears. Packed in your big beautiful head are roughly as many neurons as there are stars in the Milky Way Galaxy – 100 billion.

            You’ve spent well over 5 million years with a pretty specific focus on advancing what’s going on in that head of yours. Let’s take a trip down memory lane to get a basic flashback. You may not recall this story consciously, but your DNA remembers it vividly and is reminding you of it daily.

            The oldest fossilized brain we have found was dated to 521 million years ago… That number hurts to even think about so let’s talk in SLIGHTLY more manageable numbers. Over the last 7 million years the human brain has roughly tripled in size. Our ancestors realized our ability to learn from the past and strategize for the future, set us apart from our predators and prey. We increased our social understanding by developing our range of emotion. Providing the benefits of working in groups. Despite the need for an awkwardly large head and excessive energy consumption, it became clear that enhancing our brain was the ticket to the good life.

            99% of your current mental hardware evolved over a span of 2 million years in hunter gatherer groups. Constantly on the move and using stones instead of smart phones. The stone age. Only 10k years ago did we start to settle down and practice agriculture. Therefore, our brains are still adapted for the stone age. And yes, there is a difference between the stone age and the stoned age in which we appear to be living.

 

 

            Clearly your brain is your most useful asset. The quality of your life is dependent on how you use your mind. The problem is, we don’t know how to use it properly. Thankfully, over the past 15 years (finally a number we can comprehend) there has been a massive explosion of science and technology in studying and evolving the brain. Billions of dollars are being funded by private and government organizations to decode and understand our brains (If you’re interested, google: US BRAIN Initiative and EU Human Brain Project).

            This is an exciting time as we are beginning to write the user’s manual for the brain. Brain hacking, and optimization is no longer a process that needs to occur over millions of years. In fact, today there are ways to get more out of your mind in just… 5 Minutes. The first step? Find the monkeys that are swinging through our minds causing distraction and destruction within our hopes and dreams.

 

“A little girl looked to her mother and asked, “Mom, where do humans come from?” The mother replied, “We were created by the hands of God.” Confused, the little girl says, “Then why did daddy tell me we evolved from apes?” To which the mother replied, “I was telling you about my side of the family and your dad was telling you about his.”’

-Witty Anonymous Mother