I coined the term “Tubaform” some time ago to denote cognitive heuristic, a lens, through which the world can be made to transform into different shapes and patterns. The tubaform can be forced onto an inappropriate set of data–Communism is the opposite of justice, for example–but when selected correctly, entire worlds emerge.
For me, the tubaform of trauma was life changing. It caused so many things to make sense, to form sensible patterns.
Dopamine regulation is another such rubric. It is ENORMOUS. Our entire world is constructed on it. I am, to be honest, overwhelmed by how important it is.
NOVELTY creates dopamine hits, and EVERYTHING on the internet, with the exception of long articles few people take the time to read any more, is oriented around novelty. Porn is just one example.
Dopamine dysregulation, in turn, affects the frontal cortex. Specifically, it decreases impulse control, rational thinking, and social connection.
Our entire society currently rests on an addictive nest of distractions which are making us stupider, less mature, and more alienated.
That something is wrong has long seemed obvious. But the sheer scope of this is overwhelming me. If someone had set out to engineer a system to make people into impulsive idiots, this would have been the system they would have come up with. And perhaps they did, although it seems more likely they stumbled into it, and quickly realized the benefits.
When a kid eats a Tide Pod, that is because they 1) lack impulse control; 2) are addicted to novelty; 3) crave attention because they feel socially alienated.
This whole thing is huge. If we survive this era with our freedoms intact, it will be remembered as a bad dream, a collective fog, an inexplicable period of irresponsibility, and widespread stupidity.
This march on Washington: novelty. Kids who can’t put two coherent sentences together, can’t name the first three Presidents, can’t begin to speak of the history of the Bill of Rights, nonetheless get excited to FEEL like they are doing something new and exciting.
In recent weeks, it has really felt like I am preparing to die. I suppose that is the process of opening to life, because feeling fully alive means sensing the nearness of death. But I do wonder–and obviously many, many millions of people this with me–how authentic goodness can survive in such a fallen world. It has always been rare, and exists perhaps in greater abundance than ever before. It is easy to be nice when you have material plenty. But there are so many ways to throw a stick into our collective spokes, and so many people trying so hard.
I don’t know what it means to say “it is in God’s hands”, but I can for certain it is not in mine. Why not grant myself peace, by making my troubles so much smaller? I will write a book one day. I will start a small church one day. Beyond that, I can control nothing.
It is always possible to build unhappiness from nothing. It is like falling downhill. But you can build happiness too. It is, perhaps, like climbing UP hill, but of course, that is also where the views are the best.
I’m sure I will obsess over this whole dopamine thing for a while. I don’t know if I will post on here much, but I can feel a long simmer going. My passions have to work themselves out. Much of my life is sort of project managing a deep soul.