There are times when the body just gives up - not just physically but also figuratively. This realization could strike at various levels. And during these moments one realizes the presence of a new world beyond.
Take the physical level for instance. Suppose you've been exerting yourself (say running) and gradually the energy from your body is draining out. The muscles are burning up the ATP and giving you the energy to move forward. Suddenly you realize that the muscles will not be able to take you ahead any more. Its that fleeting feeling when we come face to face with ourselves and question - 'How do I continue?'. This is a moment self actualization. The logical mind knows that it would be impossible to go on with the energy remaining. Just then we observe a new self - a self that believes. It believes that it's possible to move-on with pure faith. A part of us then has to take a decision, should we follow the logical or go with faith. And when we decide to listen to our subconscious self, and go on with faith, we realize the presence of a new world. A world beyond limits. Its like breaking the sonic barrier. Its like seeing the blue glow of Cherenkov radiation. Just me and my subconscious. And the rest falls in place. The muscles follow the mind and move on. It’s a new self realization. I had read in the Speaking Tree, the nature of 'fasting'. To summarize - it's to feel the presence of the body and being able to discern the corporeal self from the spiritual self. I think, taking the body beyond known limits has the same effect. A feeling of déjà vu. Being in the presence of a deeper self - the one that is the observer. It seldom has a role in the mundane activities of life. But I feel that waking this self is the key to take us beyond known limits of achievements. This presence of this self can be felt at many levels. Remember the last time when all had gone wrong and it was certain things are not going to work out. The persistence at that time evoked a new you. A self so valiant, that no matter what, it will be with you to go on. It's the same high you feel when you are very near achieving your goal - just a step away. The adrenalin rush that propels you forward towards the finishing line.
This is the subconscious you. And it's waiting to be your friend, just waiting for you to reach out.
Since the advent of civilization, humans have been trying to simplify the everyday tasks. During those days, domestication of animals for farming was a big achievement. As society developed, there began segregation of tasks. People were specialized to perform specific activities. For a period of about two thousand years before Christ, religion started taking shape. There was further differentiation of roles. During the industrial revolution 'automation' came into picture. Machines started taking over the tedious tasks that were earlier performed manually. 'Faster and accurate' was the mantra of modern machines.
This quest for automated/intelligent systems continues unabated even today. This desire to innovate and develop intelligent machines is reflected in myriad of ways. Take movies for instance. Who can forget C-3PO and R2D2 from star wars. Or the intricate mesh of 'Matrix'. Imaginations of movie directors like George Lucas and science fiction authors like Asimov & Arthur C Clark have fuelled the desire for developing such intelligent systems.
Computers have brought about a juggernaut change in the last 30-40 years. They have been pivotal in shaping the current digital landscape. Developments in AI, NN, GA have found a well-suited platform in terms of computational brawn. Development of faster and faster chips has created the new digital economy.
We're in the middle of an inflection point. The chip manufacturers have realized that the maddening pace of increasing processor speeds cannot continue forever. In the last few years, we have seen a shift from a faster processor to a multitasking processor - call it Hyperthreading, or Dual-Core. Our current Xboxes and PS2s are powered by multiple cores, some companies call it Cells. All this is a shift in focus - from speed to throughput. But then this approach also has its limits. We could have a 1024 core system running an astounding number of applications in parallel. What then? All we did was create a mainframe/grid-computer of the size of a laptop. I agree that this is great for multitasking. But is it great in terms of its ability to think?
In my opinion, the human brain is unparalleled in its ability to understand, think and analyze. It's a product of thousands of years of evolution. Using the grey matter that lies within would be the key to unravel new dimensions of 'naturally synthesized' intelligence. A baby step in this regard has been taken at the University of Florida (link).
This neuron culture could have immense applications in diverse fields - many of them can not yet be comprehended. Exiting times have just started!
