Pulp Fiction’s gansta wasn’t doing any kinda gansta-ass-shiz when he had his aha moment.
In fact, it was sandwiched between two such events (dumping a body and sticking up stick up kids) during brunch.
Much like most of the epiphanies in this movie which muse on about the philosophy of small-fortune milkshakes and what they call cheeseburgers in other parts of the world, it seemed to – yet again – be food that sparked Jules’ spontaneously genius insight. Who knows – maybe that’s a reflection of how Tarantino gets some of his most fantastic film concepts. Dining with a spiral notebook in tow every day. (Though between Pulp and the Kill Bill series alone, I’d imagine he’d hafta be far fatter if noms are his inspo source.) But mayhaps if my assumptions are true, our five senses do play a big role in either drawing us in or totally distracting us from these clarity moments. At least that’s what the Psych Today article I just perused had to say. And the sense they seem to focus on as playing a big role?
Sight.
Or the shutting down of it, maybe.
See, they did these brain images of folks having insight-gasms, and what happened every time was a lighting up in the occipital lobe of the brain. If I lost you there, that’s at the back of your cerebral lollipop and it’s responsible for sight – the “visual processing center”. They say that, in a way, it’s like these aha! moments are competing with your typical visual stimuli. And there’re a couple of things that set off an aha! of my own there just reading that. I mean, for the past year – when I don’t feel like meditating but know that I need to – the inquiry banging around in my brain is: why? Why do I have to shut my eyes to make the shattered glass of thought slicing through my sanity come back together again? Why can’t I just achieve that staring off into the trees? Across the lake? At my laptop while it softly plays Magic Mike Part 2? (I’ll keep it on mute, promise – does that count?) Now, understanding that it’s usually a competitive thing – that most times you either have to sight deprive of suffer deprivation of knowledge lightning bolts – I can appreciate it a little more. That’s the thing with me: I’ve gotta hear it in a language I “get” (like bio explanaches about the brain) before I can accept it on a mystical level.
The other cool sight-thing, though is this crazy experience I’ve had.
Reading that other eureka-peeps had it too sorta stunned me too, as it had to do with altered sight during this moments; not just shutting down of it. See, despite the optical-competish, there are other ways to reach these revelations – like jogging. Something cardiovascular, but not too “keep-your-eye-on-the-ball”, helps you to open your head to brain blessings. This totally explains my addiction. ’cause in a way, running is kinda like a mantra you say with your legs. So long as I don’t spend my run obsessing about time, money, or men – I come out the other end feeling recalibrated and a half. But what happens during these excursions is of even more note. Once or twice before, I’ve talked about getting to a state of aha! and seeing… differently. In the article, those who’ve also had it, describe it as “panorama vision” – with clearer, sharper, colors to everything in view. I always called it “wrap around” or “360 degree” vision, but yeah! Amazing that I’m not the only one. So….what is that? I mean, it has to do with sight as well, so is that activated occipital lobe – when I’m going at roadrunner speed and seeing my path as a passing Monet blur – having a chance to paint it more Kinkade by the time I pause to gaze at the lake? Does it have more to do with the fact that I’m forcing myself to get more oxygen to my body? Allowing my o-lobe to multitask manifesting mind gems instead’a having to battle with my eyeballs?
It’d make sense – seeing as breathing’s the basis of yoga and I mine out most of my dome gold on my mat.
Or that I write better when I’m calmer ‘n doing the kind breathing they teach preggo bishes.
That’s what it boils down to, too. Jogging or simmering in a sense-dep tank’s fun ‘n all. But obviously we can’t be functional in the world while using these tools. (Trust me, I’ve tried). So, if we can’t do board meetings blindfolded or do a conference call on a treadmill set at a steady 5.0, what’s the answer? The idea’s to lasso out a neuron or three from that supernatural language-less realm, and bring it back to be Rosetta’d into English (or Spanish. Or Sumerian. Whatever.) And as they say in Psych, that shit’s hard (which is definitely an actual, specific, unadulterated by me quote). Actually, here’s something they did actually say, if we wanna draw a “looking” analogy: that observing or trying to analyze sparks of insight is like looking at a star – you have to kind of look at it from the corner of your eye. If you look straight at it – focus on it – it disappears. Like Neo trying to bend the spoon.
I think that’s why they say worry or negativity’s such a creativity killer. If you’re on this head Ferris wheel of trying to figure out an impossible problem, it becomes tantamount to chewing flavorless gum. And that habit follows through to the moment you gain an insight. If I start out in this sorta mind-effery, it’ll follow me right to the laptop. Then, instead’a letting any ethereal sent literary gifts flow onto the page, I start Hulk smashing the thing apart to crack it open, only to obliterate whatever wonders were waiting inside in the process. The best process is always to start with mind-clearing and calm breathing. After that, it’s like a yin-yang, justice-scales, ebb and flow of creating – riding off on the magic carpet that is a good idea, but then taking pranayama pauses and pupil draping the second your think lobes start sparring. Or, to bring it full circle – like shepherding eureka sheep onto the page. Ringo’s the part of my brain that’s trying to control the aha! thought. His crazy, spastic bish is what my brain ends up doing with it when I’m not calm. And Jules is the voice of reason.
(You’d think , knowing all’a this, I’d be a helluva lot better at it by now… #i’mnot)
But I f’real wonder:
If they could they activate the occipital lobe with a gadget – to create a state of eureka – versus mere moments…
…what kinda people would we be?