Splitting Your Mind

[flashbandit]

That's all I know how to call this new idea I've been developing. I just want to know if it has any merit.

I've got this idea that the human mind is advanced enough that a person could simultaneously hold two awarenesses, two consciousnesses, two completely separate trains of thought. And I imagine that a group of intelligent people focussed on their inner-selves would best be able to advise me in this, meditation seems like it could be an effective aid.

IE You could write and essay while holding a totally coherent conversation.

You could solve a math problem in your mind while simultaneously planning your future.

You could read a book and at the same time talk to someone on the phone, or type up an email.

You could focus on two unrelated things completely and at the same time.


Is it possible? Is work being done along these lines?
Thanks in advance!

[GilesC]

Absolutely it's possible.

The mind is a very powerful tool capable of many thousands of thoughts going around and there's no reason that anyone can't latch onto more than one train of thought and act in more than one way at a time. In fact, people already do that. For example, look at musicians, who can read music and play an instrument at the same time, or someone in the kitchen doing the cooking whilst singing along to the radio etc.

Be careful though, not to confuse awareness and consciousness with the mind. Whilst there is a connection between the mind and these two things, they are seperate. We are simply awareness, there is only one awareness and that is what is constantly observing, never changing. Consciousness has different meanings depending on the context you are talking about it, whether you are referring to a global consciousness or physical consciousness or mind conscioussness or sub-consciousness etc.

Hugs

Giles

[flashbandit]

Yeah, it's hard for me to explain what I really mean. Of course someone can chew gum and walk and talk at the same time. I'm a musician and I can read music and play at the same time, but what I'm meaning I think goes beyond that.

Have you ever trie to have two conversations at once? It's pretty tough!

But even beyond that, almost like two separate beings living at the same time together but with one super-consciousness, if that makes sense. Not really two separate beings, that sounds weird, but like, two trains of thought. It's hard to explain, and I totally see why you're saying that people already do it

Does anyone get what I mean?

[anomalocaris]

I get what you're saying. You want to handle two entirely compartmentalized mental tasks.

I think you'd have to be careful not to create an artificially induced multiple personality disorder, because you'd be sort of training yourself to dissociate, and you might have difficulty remaining in control of it, in the same way that kids who learn to do it in order to deal with abuse can later have a very difficult time NOT doing it when they're under stress.

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by anomalocaris

I get what you're saying. You want to handle two entirely compartmentalized mental tasks.

I think you'd have to be careful not to create an artificially induced multiple personality disorder, because you'd be sort of training yourself to dissociate, and you might have difficulty remaining in control of it, in the same way that kids who learn to do it in order to deal with abuse can later have a very difficult time NOT doing it when they're under stress.

I am glad you brought this up, because it comes close to what I was thinking.

First of all: Is it possible to have 2 consciousnesses in one body ? No.
Consciousness is One. We are all one consciousness thinking that we are seperate.
Consciousness is everything, it has no beginning, it has no end, it is the one source of everything, and everything appears within consciousness.

Is it possible to have 2 personalities in one mind ? Sure it is, like anomalocaris said, it's called multiple personality disorder.
Basically it means that the mind makes different ego's within one mind.

What makes the situation complicated for someone who suffers from that disorder is that usually the personalities come up one at a time, and one ego can be oblivious of another's actions.

But in the end, it still is one consciousness.