Mind has physical existence. Mind is related with brain as
brain is center of nervous system. We can precisely say that without brain
there cannot be any psychology. Human brain is a very complex system which
remains as yet to be understood completely. It is assumed that there are about
86 billion neurons, each connected with ten thousand others. Any physical
alteration to the brain causes impact on mind, no matter whether injury or
drugs. Human intelligence is connected with evolution of the human brain over
the time.
One can say mind is product of the brain. The brain
functioning, though complicated, is mostly based on the bio-electric signals.
Rather functioning of neurons depends on bio-electricity generated in the body.
Mind is overall functioning of the overall excited cells in the brain that
varies or fluctuates with several physical reasons and thus changes
expressions, moods, understanding etc. It is now proven that body creates
electro-magnetic fields as well and also responds to outsider electro-magnetic
fields This includes neurons and muscle cells. With magnetic fields many
behavioral effects of different intensities have been reported. For example, a pulsed
magnetic field originally designed for spectroscopic MRI was found to alleviate symptoms in bipolar patients while another MRI pulse had no effect.
A whole-body exposure to a pulsed magnetic field was found to alter standing
balance and pain perception in other studies. From this we can surmise that the
human mind (brain) responds to the electro-magnetic pulses as the brain too is
a generator of such signals of different intensities.
It has been
observed that sudden changes in geo-magnetism too, such as geomagnetic storms,
heavily impact on the minds of the people. It is not that all cells or neurons in the brain excited all
the time. There are many centers in the brain those alternatively get activated
with need and in response to the outer world, geo-magnetism is one.
Human psychology is
closely associated with brain and so the mind. Brain has physical existence
that is made of biological cells of variety of combinations. It has chemistry,
also called as neuro-chemistry, that helps overall functioning of the brain,
such as generating
movement, speaking, thinking, listening, regulating the systems of the body,
and countless others. Chemical changes in the brain, intentionally caused or
otherwise, impacts feelings and emotions. The overall thinking pattern of the
human being is entirely dependent on the bio-chemical activity of the brain. In
ordinary course, when there is no sudden change in overall chemistry of the
brain, the psychology of the person remains normal.
However,
when we say ‘normal psychological condition’, we just want to explain, a
psychology that is not disturbing the state of individual mind in question and
others. Till the person exhibits accepted norms of the psychology, in thinking
and behavior, as similar as others living in his society, the person is
considered to be normal, though he may or may not have special qualities. But general psychology of a Mexican and
American cannot be the same. Psychology of the Arab and Indian also cannot be
the same. In India alone, geographically connected regions, say like
Maharashtra and Gujrath, people have different general psychologies. Rather we
can see general psychology or the way of thinking of the people changes with region
to region that reflects in their culture. However, before going deep into this
issue, we shall focus on the brain.
Brain is a
physical entity, as I have already mentioned. Mind is product of it and so the
individual psychology. No brain, if minutely analyzed, is identical with other
and so the mind and psychology too is not identical. It is brain that gives
sense of individuality. Besides genetics, individual brains overall chemical
composition is unique. A slightest change in the composition can make
transformation in individual psychology. Sometimes it is done with drugs or
extra intake of minerals or vitamins.
Barring
few, humans cannot consume minerals directly. They are mostly in compound form
and in traces. Most of the minerals he gets from his diet. The food that he
uses as his diet is produced from some land. The mineral composition in the
diet depends mostly in which land it is produced. The water he drinks too
consists of natural minerals and its composition too will depend on through
which kind of rocks it has flowed and was gathered.
We are
well aware that water of some wells is not considered to be potable for its
being hard and of odd taste whereas some well carries potable water. And taste
of well water will change with well to well and village to village…it is not
because there is problem with water but the amount of the minerals diluted in
the water and through which kind of rock-veins the water has been flown in to
the well. Water will taste according to the diluted minerals and its density.
It may remain potable or not. The people drinking water from the wells too
consume the same minerals to the given amount those can affect their overall
chemistry. This would be in very small quantity, but their physical chemistry
will slightly differ than of the people those drink water from different well
having different chemical composition.
In
cosmopolitan era, we have forgotten many things. But if we probe it will dawn
on us that the food grains of certain kind and produced in certain regions had
different tastes. Brinjols grown around Krishna River and chilly of Kolhapur
had distinct taste and flavor. What brings that? Certainly the mineral
distribution in the lands where they are grown! The crop consumes the minerals
spread in the soil and gives the distinct flavor. We could taste it and even
now.
But just
imagine the era, not far back…just few decades ago…the people living in the
certain regions used to consume the food grown in the same lands for ages and
drank water that had similar mineral composition. They ate same animal those
grazed in the lands where grass too contained similar mineral composition.
What would
be effect?
The
overall body and thus brain will essentially contain the chemical composition
that was in their regular diet. The people living in certain regions rich with
some minerals in soil and devoid of some, show certain genetic deceases. Many
deceases occur because of lack of some or other mineral or excess of some
minerals. In body (and brain) minerals are in compound form. Chemical imbalance
can cause the psychological stresses. Human genetics too is affected by
regional geological differences. The regional genetic marks too are a proof to
make our statement true. Otherwise how the scientists could define the regional
genes?
Human
being is thus, though separate from land, still he always is rooted with the
land he lives in.
The
overall chemical composition, though differing slightly from person to person,
will remain identical in broader sense in every humanbeing in certain region
over the time. His genetic structure too will be impacted by the land he lives
in.
And so
will be impacted his general psychology, his way to look at the outer world and
the way he expresses will be somewhat identical that makes his culture and
language.
We will
see in the next chapters, in details, after all it is land which determines the
general psychology and language he speaks, he lives in!