X:Code - Life Is Not Fair
So over millions of years of evolution, our brains developed finely-tuned pattern recognition systems to detect injustice.
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X:Code offers a compelling model of neuron capabilities in the human brain. Just as DNA is central to living cells, the X:Code builds neuron regions and processes 86 billion neurons to give life to the mind, wresting solutions from regional evolutionary memories. The amazing functions of numerous neuron regions attest to the ample memories available in individual neurons to enable pattern recognition.
Mirroring DNA's role in guiding biological life, X:Code manages neurogenesis, where cells multiply and migrate to form new neurons. These differentiate, growing axons and dendrites to form synapses for communication, finally assembling them into function specific regions. Continuous synaptogenesis and pruning refine neural circuits. Within neurons, X:Code matches combinatorial patterns of incoming signals against a complex tapestry of genetic instructions, protein memories, subthreshold potentials, and neurochemical signatures to trigger disinhibition.
Sequential disinhibition flashes unique goal drive impulses from perception to emotion and action through the globally inhibited system. X:Code acts to meet the current system goal in just 20 milliseconds – see a snake, feel fear, and impulsively respond. Emotions triggered by the limbic system act to inhibit access of the agnostic X:Code to the available wisdom. When emotions are calmed, millions of years of evolutionary wisdom stored in innumerable neuron regions become available.
According to X:Code theory, our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are fundamentally shaped by the firing patterns of neurons carrying out genetic and epigenetic instructions. And when it comes to perceiving unfairness, these neural programs trace back to an ancient survival mechanism.
You see, in the unforgiving environments our ancestors inhabited, the equitable sharing of scarce resources was essential for the protection of the tribe or herd. If one individual tried to hoard more than their fair share, it posed an existential threat to the group. So over millions of years of evolution, our brains developed finely-tuned pattern recognition systems to detect injustice.
When that familiar feeling of unfairness arises, it's triggered by the amygdala - an almond-shaped cluster of neurons deep within the brain's primordial regions. This serves as an alarm bell, quickly marshaling a cascade of physiological changes to prepare the body for conflict over resources.
In milliseconds, neurons start firing in patterns that accelerate our heart rate, dilate pupils, dry out the mouth, and divert energy away from digestive processes. Anger signals from the amygdala set in motion changes in the reproductive, vegetative, endocrine, hormonal, visceral and autonomic functions of the body...Anger prepares the body for action.
But the neural instructions don't stop at physical priming. Our minds also become captive to this evolutionary hardwiring, narrowly focused on the perceived source of unfairness. The mind focuses on the origin of the source of unfairness. The offender is instantly identified, anger wells up against the person who grabs more than their fair share.
At this point, we are driven by subconscious biases and distortions, with anger constantly seeking to reinforce itself while suppressing any mitigating circumstances or nuance that could defuse the situation. Our capacity for higher reasoning gets hijacked by these ancient neural programs.
The problem, of course, is that modern human life bears little resemblance to our evolutionary past of fighting over scarce watering holes. Unfortunately, life is not fair. While everybody would like to have equal opportunities and talents, the distribution of benefits is widely distorted. There will always be others with more talents, wealth, or health.
So while our brains may still be wired to perceive unfairness as a threat to our very survival, we possess the cognitive abilities to override these reflexive responses if we can become more self-aware.
Self-awareness is the key to peace of mind. By recognizing when our neural circuitry has been commandeered by primitive emotional drivers, we can pause and reframe the situation more objectively. Within 300 milliseconds, knowledge that 'life is not fair' can kick in and anger would disappear.
At its core, the X:Code perspective suggests that we are not our thoughts and emotions, which arise from electrochemical signals bouncing between neurons carrying encoded genetic instructions. We have the power to observe these programs unfolding, and consciously choose more productive neural patterns.
So the next time the world seems hopelessly unfair, remember that underneath heated emotions may simply be unconscious betrayal signals left over from humanity's distant past. With self-awareness and practice, we can sidestep the destructive thought loops of bitterness, and respond to life's challenges with wisdom, compassion and inner calm.