“Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought”
W. Shakespeare, “Hamlet”

You are on a road outside the city, the road is a bit unkempt and a bit crowded in both directions, but you are in a hurry. So, whenever you can, you deftly overtake anyone in your way, without thinking too much. You are no different from hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of other drivers who are on the road somewhere in the world at that moment and you don’t see anything extraordinary in this behavior.
But…how so? What do you mean “Without thinking too much?!?”

Two questions arise from this:

1) Are you aware of the fantastic amount of data that must be taken into account for a single overtaking?

First of all, our speed, then the speed of the car we want to overtake, the speed of the truck coming from the other direction, checking for enough space to overtake, the distance needed to re-enter our lane and at the same time checking that at that moment a car – or even the one in front – does not have the same idea of ​​overtaking. This without taking into account all the environmental signals that we continuously monitor: that a pedestrian does not throw himself in front of us, that we do not hit a pothole, a strange noise, etc. The list is endless. And yet we make the decision in a microsecond and overtake “Without thinking too much”.

2) Are you aware that if you make a minimal mistake in these calculations, you can hit the car or truck coming towards you head-on, so the chance of losing your life is maximum? In other words: Are you aware that you are making a decision that can have deadly consequences “without thinking too much?”

This thing – and indeed any action that involves motion calculations – seems so trivial and natural to us that it is difficult for us to realize how fantastic and efficient it all is. In a microsecond the brain perceives all the data it needs, processes it and acts practically instantly.

But it doesn’t end there, of course. The fact that we move involves giving commands to the muscles and this happens while the vascular, hormonal, immune, digestive systems, etc. continue to do their job without stopping, keeping the homeostasis of the general system ready to intervene in case of emergency: if while you are monitoring the overtaking space an unexpected car appears from somewhere, how long will it take for all your survival systems to activate? Practically instantly!

I hope you will take a few moments to reflect on the fantastic capacity for calculation and reaction that we have within us. It would also be worth considering that animals have the same capacities, in some cases even greater, but we will talk about this aspect on another occasion.

Now, let’s imagine that we no longer want to rely on these instinctual, animalistic systems and that we want a “mathematical” certainty. How many pages of calculations would we need to make the simple decision to overtake a car? Given the time required, will we still be able to overtake any car? Obviously not!

Hypothetically assuming that we were able (fortunately we are not) to control the involuntary systems of the body – apart from the probable disasters we would cause by disrupting a perfect balance – do you agree that we would be drowned by an amount of information that would immediately block the rational mind?

This whole approach aims to draw attention to the fact that inside us there is a practically unlimited amount of absolutely perfect processes that we have in common with animals and that have been built up over millions of years of evolution.

We have no idea about this immense amount of procedures until – due to an emergency that jeopardizes our physical survival – they are automatically activated, leaving us surprised and bewildered: “Did I do that?” It is as if another “FORCE” has taken control of our behavior. This is real personal development!
It is very likely that you will not have the opportunity to be attacked by a lion, but if it happens to you, the body will know perfectly well what to do, either in order to maximize your chances of escape or – in the worst case – to suffer as little as possible while being mauled by the lion.
As I have already mentioned, these ‘reflex’ reactions that we have in common with animals, for our own good, have this characteristic: of being ‘automatic’, extremely fast and beyond conscious control.

We humans, unlike animals, however, have an extra “weapon”: the ability to predict the outcome of an action, and when the situation is not dramatic – to evaluate the alternatives and make the most appropriate decision.

This fantastic evolutionary progress is exactly what makes us human: the ability to foresee consequences. The ability has allowed humans to achieve incredible results, but unfortunately it also comes at a price: when we try to predict a consequence – because we will never be one hundred percent sure of the result obtained and we do not know if we have sufficient and correct data – all kinds of fears, doubts and remorse will inevitably arise that often paralyze any attempt we make.

As Hamlet  said : “Conscience makes us all cowards!” Paradoxically, we make a decision in a microsecond that can cost us our lives and we get stuck in trivial daily decisions due to circular thinking. Obviously, this circular thinking can be torture, paralyzing any action or making it extremely dangerous. Imagine: if after you have started an overtaking you start to wonder: But should I do it or not? Is it good or bad? Accident guaranteed!

So, what would be the solution? To act irresponsibly in any situation without thinking too much about the consequences? Honestly, if I look around, I have the impression that for some this is the solution: living in permanent disorganization, bombarding rational thinking with various more or less recognized drugs: alcohol, heroin, tobacco, but also loud and constant music, workaholism, sex addictions and the whole range of temptations that distance us from our core of consciousness. I don’t think we will get far doing this.

The other solution is exactly the opposite: in total silence – angels speak in whispers – let us calm the rational mind with all its prejudices and paranoid influences and access this reservoir of infinite knowledge at our disposal.

It’s something that mystics, shamans, masters, writers, artists, businessmen have always done.

No genius in the past was so arrogant as to declare that a symphony or a book was a personal creation because they knew that “someone else” was moving their hand. It is no coincidence that since Homer, the Muses have been invoked.

In conclusion, to benefit from this fantastic power of creativity and performance, we need the confidence and the right technique that will allow us to enter this flow of creation and power.

It won’t be easy at all, it’s a lifetime’s work. But the results will exceed all expectations.

A greeting,

Bruno