Something that resonates with me from Week 7 is humans’ capability of adaptation. Despite every presentation introducing a different topic, they all shared one aspect: how humans coped with difficulties. It seems as if we were predisposed to endure whatever consequences we are placed under, even those of war. This goes along with my belief that no soul is given to endure more than it can bear, so we see a lot of times in wars individuals creating a living out of nothing, out of scratch. Whether it were food, clothing, detergents, or even electricity that they somehow create out of other humans’ disposal. It shows that there is a solution to everything which one will only discover as your last hope drains away, and I find that to be bewildering.
It is as if one’s brain forces them to come up with a solution after they’ve attempted everything that came to their mind. It makes me believe in the power of controlling your brain rather than it controlling you, or not allowing your unconscious to suppress your conscious mind. It even makes me believe in the power of despair. It is that triumph when you ask your brain for a solution, and it generates it, rather than telling you you’ve tried everything on Earth. Somehow, despair stimulates ideas or generates energy despite the emotion of despair containing low energy waves. This makes sense, as the process goes like this:
Sometimes, we feel comfort in our sadness that if we were offered happiness, we would reject it at the moment. This is because the feeling of sadness requires less energy and is rather slow, while happiness requires a load of energy and a spurt of dopamine release. Therefore, feeling upset allows you to digest the sorrowful occurrence without enforcing a spurt of positivity; it heals you. Nevertheless, one can’t remain sad forever, and this is when you get a sudden emotion of being just fine and continuing your life normally. The same process applies to despair and the generation of ideas which all connects back to the magnifient power of the brain. As Alex Mayhew said, “It’s both hopeful and terrifying to consider just how adaptable humans are to the world around them and how easy it is for us to normalise crisis. I think that helps explain why humans have been so successful, and why we, to this day, still migrate across oceans (and endure great dangers and traumas) to try and create a better future for ourselves”.
https://www.lse.ac.uk/research/research-for-the-world/society/the-great-war-crisis
