I may have written about this before since this bothers me from time to time. This time it's triggered by Abi's post. So, here goes...
Many years ago, my children were small, and I found myself very intolerant of their minor transgressions. It worried me. For some other physical problem I went to a doctor. There, I discovered I was hypertensive and the doctor prescribed some medication. I took the pill and lo behold! after just a couple of days, I was much calmer, much more tolerant of my childrens' transgressions....a much better person!
So, I am a better person on the basis of a few milligrams of a chemical compound. Which is the real me? the very irritable person before the medication, or the much less irritable person after taking the medication? What kind of person I am, is defined by some chemical. Then, if my irritabilty had not been just a case of yelling at my children (bad enough) but had gone to a higher level, like shooting at a stranger who bumped into me on the road, or some such thing, is my crime not really mine? Also, since there is a medicine that has made me calmer, there must be some other chemical taht makes me angrier. If I was given that, and then committed a crime in anger, am I not culpable?
Our brain works on neurotransmitters...chemicals control whether I am sad, happy, angry, even my thoughts, to some extent...everything that I think define me.
So if everyone is given exactly same cocktail of such chemicals, can we all become people with one type of personality?
Like frontal lobotomy was used years ago to treat violent psychotics, will this dehumanise us?
It seems like that.
But why should it? In any case, it's the chemicals that determine what kind of person I am.
4 comments:
I experience this every month before my menstrual periods. Approximately one week before the period starts, I am miserable, anxious and everything seems bad in life, and I typically take out my anger at my husband and sometime at kids. As soon as period starts, I am much calmer and things seem fine in life. I apologize to my family and we move on. I used to react on these physical changes much more earlier, but have gotten calmer over the years. Yes, we are what our chemical in brain tells us, but I guess we do have an inner personality. These chemical acts on top of that.
The actions of chemicals are ephemeral. We get a sense of relief upon intake of a pain killer. But its effect would at max be for a day. After dumping some chemicals into your body, you might have calmed down but may be within a week or two you would have been back to your true self. Now the chemical will attract you to take it. This is exactly the reason why many get addicted to drugs, alcohol, cigarettes etc. This is why experts always warn us from the use of such chemicals which in the long run will only poison us.
The true character of a person though can never be decided by a chemical. It is determined by his subtle thoughts and actions. His physical and mental training. One becomes a scientist as the wish to become one lurks deep within him, on the other hand one becomes terrorist when he is hit by crude vengeance.
If you were given a chemical that would push you to shoot at someone and if you happen to meet her late (after the effect of chemical has dropped down), instead of greeting her with bullet, you would greet her with flowers
The word "me" defines an individual, and the Indian spiritual system has long recommended against too much emphasis on "me".
Personally, when I am not having my "me" moment, I like to believe that I am one with the Lord, which happens to be Shiva. That does not dehumanize me, it only reinforces my long held belief that there is something beyond me, which is the greater sum of all of us -- together.
And, if you believe in Shiva and also in chemicals that can "modify" your neurotransmitters, you should try a harmless little leaf, which is very dear to Shiva. When ground together with almonds, cashew and pistachio nuts, and mixed in milk, it can give you great relief -- from the affliction, that is known as "me".
Peace!
I have been thinking on this very problem as well. Looking at it from a scientific and objective point of view: from a very fundamental level, all such emotions are truly controlled by emotions. For example, we know, all of the thinking process is due to the communication between electrochemical neuro-cirtcuits, which are chemical and electric in nature. But we should also keep in mind that one can control the blend of these emotions to some extent. I observe that although one's emotions are 'fundamentally' (=anatomically) chemical, but one can condition them: e.g. we learn to control them while we are growing up, through the society, parents and so on. So I guess although these are chemical, and can be altered by injecting drugs and so on, but one can condition them and have some control on them as well.
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