The Conscious Deprivation

"What will this year's theme be for the world?"

We do all kinds of thought gymnastics to the question. Of course, this is also an interesting situation; like choosing a special theme for each year. In fact, rather choosing a special theme, perhaps we are questioning the remaining amount of our subjectivity in the world and society (let's call them “the whole” here) before we become composed of a reaction to it; I think we are searching for a name and a form to be in harmony with that whole. For example: why and how we should be most hopeful this year? What should we be worried about? What will influence our daily lives the most and how do we align? What are we going to start, stop or continue? It seems to me, the theme of the new year will be to be in harmony with the whole by finding a breath to our subjectivity once again. But how?

Well, the satisfaction of subjective needs of individuals is changing day by day. Electronic devices are the critical instruments here. Apparently they target the most basic and common human needs that are “experienced differently in each individual”: pleasure-excitement-achievement-acceptance-exclusion-aesthetic-intellectual separation-enlightenment-art-sports-gathering, freedom of demonstration etc.

A significant part of the needs for sensory, physical, intellectual and fundamental rights and freedoms have been met through digital channels. Here is a question that we will find the answer by facing/experiencing along the road: Satisfying these needs digitally “somehow” is a “human development and progress or is it a complete handing over of subjectivity?”

With many inventions and discoveries created by human beings in human history, where we have reached today and what we are experiencing is very controversial, and of course it's depend on our point of view. However, even we see that accessing an average electronic device and the use of artificial intelligence “equalizes” the way the poor and the rich access their subjective agendas, not mentioning their daily “welfare” agendas. Electronic devices; they have come a long way in relieving boredom, starting daydreaming, and being the cheapest entertainment. This shows that -in my opinion- the only issue of recent years will dominate the year 2023: As long as the uncertainty in worldly events (ie "worldly stimuli": climate-war-economic recession-politics etc.) continues (as usual), “the conscious deprivation” (as I call it) will increase.

What is conscious deprivation?

“In times of uncertainty, the state of anxiety in the individual increases not when he consciously perceives worldly stimuli, but when he transfers it to his imagination (and this shows its effect exponentially in anxious individuals). Having this knowledge, it is the voluntary transfer of the imagination/daydreaming to technology. I call it “the willingness of the sentient and sensitive adult to tame the unconscious with anxiety.” Escape? Not. In escape, the return is still open to consciousness. I'm talking about handing over this ability…

As we do know now; technology pays special attention to anxiety and pleasure so that the neuron networks in the brain could respond more sharply and quickly. Colors, transitions, sounds are sudden and mostly emotionally explosive. Even for the state of falling asleep, we can embroide the sound and image of rain and ocean on the brain with the phone light. I call this metaphorically: “Changing the definition and form of the root knowledge of the subconscious”. Juxtapositioning of thousands of images, news, alerts, notifications and exposed to totally irrelevant, unnecessary, mostly manipulative and some filled with very devastating videos, “the senses are desensitize”, or rather rthey become sensitive to digital sensation.

When consciously confronted with an worldly stimulus that causes anxiety, even the anxious individual has time to consider whether it is a real threat or not. Even if that time interval is measured in milliseconds. Yes; the decision may already be predetermined in the brain 200 milliseconds before we make a decision (vigilance potential) and taking action may be a function of unconscious inference, but as pioneering scientists such as Vilayanur Ramachandran and Richard Gregory said: “Our conscious mind has no free will, but the freedom to refuse!”. Or as Gazzaniga puts it: “People are free even if the brains are automatic”.

Who wants to be anxious anyway? Alright; what if we collaboratively and consciously transform anxiety into a prerequisite for pleasure, excitement, a sense of freedom, and a joie de vivre??No way! I call it Yes way!

What to do ? The simple things… the simple things the brain needs, which is organized chaos itself… turning routines into ritual. I’ll try to mention them next time…and on INSTAGRAM?