4 - Sunday, September 14, 1986 - North Shore News Bob Hunter WHERE DOES my mind go when it’s not working? when it IS work- does it deposit Or rather, ing, where “met? AS an exercise, try thinking an abstract thought and cry to observe yourself THINKING as you do it. Don’t try too hard. brain might split in half. Thinking about thinking is still the best game in town, since no one has ever been able to think it right through. We might have sent spaceships zipping out beyond the edge of the solar system and catalogued the secrets of the sun's energy, but no one has yet written the book on human nature itself. The problem, of course, is that we can’t agree on the basic explanation of how and why we got here or what our real func- tion is now that we arc alive. The fact that we THINK is what makes us_ interesting. Since having, a body per se is no big deal — an ant has a body too — our function has to be tied up with the capacity for thought. Yet, geez, what IS thought? When | run a_ sentence through my mind, there is a lit- tle voice talking. I hear it quite clearly. No one else does. I recognize it as ‘‘my’’ voice, since ‘t talks like me. But who is it that does the recognizing since the little voice itself is ‘‘me’’ too? And as for what the voice is saying aloud in my head — i.e., ‘thinking’? — I frankly have never been able to figure out what it is that dreams up a sentence in the first place, let alone come close to grasping the secr.. of the thought pro- cess itselt. I mean,. where, exactly, do sentences come frcm? What is the cookie cutter, so to speak, that gives them their shape? To save my life, {| couldn’t explain the conception and gestation of an idea, even though I get ideas all the time. I like the word ‘‘flash’’ to describe sudden ideas but that’s a description, not an explana- tion. The only thing that is clear is that the part of me that actually Your © strictly personal © does the thinking is hidden away somewhere deep, deep in- side. It is thoroughly invisible and does its work in utter silence. And while you can say that it is electronic in nature — that is, little pulses surge back and forth between our brain cells as we think — you can't really describe how the circuits work because it's a solid state unit. Most of the brain’s activity takes place so mysteriously that it might as well be happening on the other side of the moon for all we can observe of it. In the normal course of day- to-day events, there is simply no lime or inclination to dwell on the mystery of how and why we function as thinking beings. We just do it. We take positions and shout our opinions as if they mattered. But if we are so concrete, mentally as weil as physically, why is that we can never actvai- ly touch our real ‘‘selves**? J had a discussion with a Scientologist recently who believes he is a spirit which has reincarnated millions of times. He calls this spiritual self a **Theatan.”’ 1 don't buy Scientology any more than any other organized system of delusions, but the idea of the real self being a spiritual being that exists beyond ordinary time and space doesn't strike me as weird at all. I have been impressed over the years by the writings of **Seth,’’ a self-described spiritual entity that dictates its material through a medium, Jane Roberts. According to Seth, we are, each of us, a part of an ‘‘over- soul,’’ an entity that dwells in many bodies simultaneously in the past, the present and the future, with our fates in various embodiments having a ripple effect on other simultaneous lives. If we ARE spirits merely riding along in these bodies, the answer to the mystery of thought comes a little closer. Thoughts would be emanations from the non-physical universe, dictation from another layer of being, input from the soul. Thinking, therefore, would be a religious experience. ip rencovan Y. M.C. A. COLLE GE | “ENGLISH ” For New Canadians | starting Sept. 22nd, 7-9 p.m. Mon. & Wed. (12 weeks) WEST VANCOUVER, Y.M.C.A. __ | 926- 5541 2 £4735 Inglewood Ave. Logat Wy VANCOUVER Y. M.C.A. ‘COLLEGE | TUTORING SERVICE individual Tutoring Available “in all Academic subjects and ESL Grades 8-12 & Adult upgrading Starting Now WEST VANCOUVER, Y.M.C.A. : ee S926- 5541 20 § ; 1735 Inglewood Ave. Local LGH FORUM PLANNED Arthritis tackled TODAY A “team approach”’ is taken in the treatment of patients suffering from arthritis, according to Dr. David O’Hanton, a local rheumatologist. O'Hanlon says someone seeking Bs KIM PEMBERTON Neos Reporter treatment would not only see their teaturing O° Hanlon as a guest family physician, but perhaps a dietitian, physiotherapist, and oe- speaker. Other panelists include specialists in the above mentioned cupational therapist. A public forum on the topic of areas, as well as a pharmacist and nurse. arthritis will be held at Lions Gate Hospital Wednesday, Sept. 17, NEWS photo Stuart Davis RHEUMATOLOGIST Dr. David O'Hanlon consults with a patient. He will be speaking at a public forum about arthritis at Lions Gate Hospital Wednesday, Sept. 17, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Other speakers include a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, nurse, pharmacist and dietitian. The free forum, sponsored by the B.C. Arthritis Society, is being held during September to help promote Arthritis Month. It begins at 7:30) pom. in LGH's Medical Daycare Centre. O'Hanlon said speakers will talk for half of the meeting and will in- vite questions from the audience during the second half. “A lot of people still have ques- tions about diet and what's new in treatment,” he said. “There’s also a lot of people who think because there isn’t a cure for arthritis nothing can be done.” O'Hanlon noted in the past 10 yeacs the treatment of arthritis has improved considerably. “Many people who would have been in wheelchairs 19 years ago can now go on and play a game of golf if they like.’ He said years ago nine out of 10 patients with rheumatoid arthritis would be in wheelchairs, while to- day it's less than one in 10, “Most people with arthritis function very normally. It doesn't mean the end of the world,’’ he said. ‘Before we would put people in bed, but we've now realized how important it is to keep the joints moving.” O'Hanlon said there are 80 dif- ferent types of arthritis, affecting women and men and children of all ages. The two main categories of ar- thritis are osteo arthritis, which af- fects only the joints, he said, and rheumatoid arthritis, which affects the entire bod:. O'Hanlon said rheumatoid ar- thritis affects about one per cent of the population and is predominate in women between the ages of 30 to 40. For adults under the age of 60 the ratio of women to men af- fected is five to‘one, he said. In osteo arthritis, which is the wearing down of joints, O’Hanlon said everyone over the age of 65 will suffer in some way from this degenerative arthritis. A local chapter of the B.C. Ar- thritis Society has recently begun on the North Shore. Anyone who would like more information on its work should contact Barb Crowson at 985-1794. All GORE-TEX products are guaranteed Waterproof for 3 years #317 Pullover in mens or Detachable . Choose from 7 sizes _ and 7 colours. CASUAL LOOK #530 Many choose from, in- cluding flourescents! SKIERS!! 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