Acknowledging the lizard refers to the prehistoric part of the human brain that is resistant to criticism, punishment, or embarrassment. No one wants to be embarrassed or laughed at so we avoid situations in which we would expose ourselves to that sort of attention. Similarly we try to avoid anything that would lead to self-disappointment or punishment. We have become conditioned to be fearful and avoid things that might be risky, but beneficial to ourselves.
Failing is a key part of what we must learn to do to overcome our lizard portion of our brains. The ability to accept failure, take it gracefully, and try again, is not only a way to overcome fear, but also a way to learn. If you never try to become successful you will never learn what does and does not work. Everyone can be successful at something if they can recognize how they need to go about achieving their goals. Resources are a factor, but resources are being made more readily available every day.
Connecting is arguably the most important resource our generation has. The ability to converse easily with someone thousands of miles away to get advice, seek criticism, bounce ideas off of, even just be personable with, is simply astounding. We no longer have to spend an obscene amount of money to get a name out on the internet and available to billions of people. We can publish our personal arts to all these people and those who like it will share it with their friends.
I’m acknowledging my own lizard this year just by writing these blogs. These aren’t something I would’ve done on my own, but I see how helpful they can be in making me think differently, analyze more critically, etc. Not only has it provided an outlet for me to express my thoughts, but this blog will be connected with everyone else who has internet access. I have to think carefully about what I want to express because billions of people could be reading my entries as I type this. It’s interesting to know that this resource is something that could be what lands me an interview, or sparks a random conversation with someone I’ve never met, or never would have had the chance to meet. At the same time I know that a lot of what I type here is opinionated. Some of the billions of people (perhaps every single one of them) might completely disagree with what I have to say. This degree of failure does not appeal to the lizard-brain portion of my thought processes. Quite the opposite it’s telling me “don’t post that shit, it sounds dumb. You’re gonna get laughed at for saying that you moron”. On the other-hand I’m also being graded on some of these for a class I’m currently taking, so if I do not complete them I will get poor marks, which is another form of punishment that the lizard-brain does not want. I can already vouch for the fact that networking through online social tools can create connections with people you never would have expected to meet. I’ve talked to artists, game designers, code-monkeys, journalists, but most importantly: friends. Everyone I’ve connected with I consider a friend because I’ve adopted the “be generous” layer also described in the “Brainwashed” manifesto. I don’t mind collaborating and doing favors for other people I meet randomly online, because that not only gets me experience in something I’m interested in, but also builds and strengthens my connection with others, as well as gives me more things to put on a resume.
In regards to whether or not these exercises are effective or not, it all depends on what each individual takes out of them. I personally feel they’re helpful, but counterproductive to the “let’s kill the lizard-brain mentality”. They promote that we have to connect or we get punished, which will eventually become a faulty system and basis for thinking. We must encourage people to overcome these hindrances on their own; the problem lies in how we measure how well people do that. The educational system is entirely outdated, but what could possibly replace it? I will be curious to see what evolves from my current generation as we learn to break the mould and lizard-brain mentality.
In regards to whether or not these exercises are effective or not, it all depends on what each individual takes out of them. I personally feel they’re helpful, but counterproductive to the “let’s kill the lizard-brain mentality”. They promote that we have to connect or we get punished, which will eventually become a faulty system and basis for thinking. We must encourage people to overcome these hindrances on their own; the problem lies in how we measure how well people do that. The educational system is entirely outdated, but what could possibly replace it? I will be curious to see what evolves from my current generation as we learn to break the mould and lizard-brain mentality.
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