Not realizing the difference between information, 
         and entertainment assures confusion on all fronts.
 
 

At the molecular level, everything in the universe is continually exchanging information,
but in man, certain activities of his nervous system 
do not appear to be for the purpose of gathering information, but seem to be merely stimulating, 
and entertaining to his brain.
(They still convey information, but for our present purpose we will pretend an otherwise distinction.)
 

Ranging from cosmic radiation to the food we eat,
we chemically exchange survival pertinent information both with the external world, and our internal one,
and the largest portion of the brain’s operations are devoted to the monitoring and controlling of our life at the cellular level, outside of conscious awareness.
Consciousness is some times directly engaged in survival related activity --  which can always be distinguished by the concentration involved,
as compared with the common random running of 
day dreaming.
But even when consciousness is not so occupied,
it continues to operate;
the consciousness of the brain no more shuts off at certain times than does the pumping of your heart;
consciousness does not even cease when you are un-conscious in sleep.
The operation of consciousness is a constant in man.
 
 

When consciousness does not have anything specific to do --  it plays; it fidgets; 
it attempts to entertain itself  --  and does.

Ordinary people never think about this,
much less question it;
it is unthinkingly accepted as the neural norm.

There are always a small number of people whose
nervous system does not allow them to so ignore this
situation;
it bothers them;
it annoys them; 
they think about it much, and question it extensively,
and undertake to understand its components,
and to ultimately  --  do-something-about-it!
(The “something” being vague, 
but the desire to do it --  not.)
 

Most of this minority band get early-on 
drawn into impertinent areas, ideas, and activities.
Few of the few ever clearly realize that in fact
it is the unfocused running of their own consciousness 
that is the source of what troubles them,
and even those who do, usually then fall prey to
believing that any cure for their complaint with
their consciousness
lies OUTSIDE OF
their own consciousness.
 

”After all,” (might say a mind --  if it ever pondered the matter), “If a sick patient could cure himself -- 
he wouldn’t be sick;
or an uninformed person instruct himself,
he wouldn't be uninformed,”
which can certainly sound conclusive to a mind
that doesn’t know how the mind works, 
but there is no information available 
about the mind   --   from any source;
anything you ever hear said about the mind 
is entertainment  --  and that’s all it is.
 

It may be fascinating, captivating,
and everything said may seem to perfectly, 
“fit-the-facts” about the mind,
but whatever the mind says can always
fit any facts that it itself has made up,
which is precisely all that is involved whenever the mind talks about itself.
 
 

The conscious activity of the brain that men call, 
“the mind” does not analyze and talk about itself for any reasons having to do with survival related,
information-gathering;
the only time it turns its attention on itself is when it has nothing else of any practical importance to do,
and at such times all it is trying to do is entertain itself;
pass the time in some harmless fashion.
 

If your mind is not concentrating on some physical, 
survival pertinent problem,
the noise you hear it making --  even though it sounds
like words  --  is its version of the heart’s,
”thump-a-dee thump-a-dee thump” --  nothing more
significant than that.
Six billion men, women and children on planet Earth, 
(+ or -), take no particular notice of this 
natural neural situation,
and even if it is momentarily brought to their attention,
their attitude is: “So?!”
 

The mind’s spare-time, entertaining of itself 
is primarily involved with the criticizing of the entertainment engaged in by other men’s minds;
thus be the difficulty in finally realizing that what troubles your head is in your head, 
rather than, ”out there” in other people’s heads.
Men’s minds complain about the annoying noises 
produced by other men’s annoying minds
while never recognizing the simple facts of what is going on all around them --  and all inside them.
 
 

Real, useful information is being exchanged constantly throughout the universe, 
and throughout a man’s life & personal environment,
but unless he learns to listen through the noise 
in his own head --  he’ll miss it. 
 

Here is a simple, thumb-tack fact --  which
the few can keep in their shoe  --  which
will eventually cause them to distinguish between
wheat, and the memory of the smell of bread;
just hold this thought in that vacant corner of your mind: “There is nothing the mind can say about itself that is meaningful.   There is nothing the mind can say about itself that is meaningful.” 
Nothing it can EVER say  --
nothing that is in any WAY --  meaningful.
 

This is not a theory; is not speculation --  it is fact,
and one that cannot be directly perceived 
by the mind;
ergo the, (shall we say),  difficulty somewhat
in accomplishing what the few unbeknowingly 
set out to do, (make the mind change itself).
 

No man’s mind knows, or has ever known,
anything meaningful about itself,
and if this uncontrollably rankles you,
you may well suffer from untreatable rankling.
 

The rest of you not so doomed: try it, 
just hold in mind the statement that: “The mind can never say anything meaningful about itself,"
and eventually --  it’ll hit you;
it’ll suddenly be clear, what that means --
 
               --  then everything becomes clear.

                                        J