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The Mind Is Simply A Reflexive Muscle
People feel guilty because they think of something bad or wrong. I feel that as long as you don't allow these thoughts to permeate (don't give the flame an abundance of air basically) then you should feel no guilt because the mind is merely responding to the environment.
 Damien  15 Oct 2008 18:52
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To a certain extent, I am for this.
If you eat well, and train regularly, it grows. In those respects, it is like a muscle.
It is a product of it's enviroment, like those who need to use certain muscles in their job.
 
 2free  25 Oct 2008 01:14
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I'm just going to post here because I feel that this debate needs some explaining. Let me list a few points real quick so that people can understand exactly what I meant when I created this debate.

1) I did not mean to say that the mind was literally a "muscle." Obviously the mind is something different and far more complex, but what I really meant to say is that the mind works LIKE a muscle in the sense that it is reflexive.

2) Branching out from point #1, I am not implying that the mind is entirely a "reflexive muscle" because I think some people think I meant to say the mind randomly brings things up and leaves no room for original thought. You as a person are capable of original thought, but the mind also sends random thoughts to your head that sometimes you yourself are confused about. A pseudo-explanation of this would be dreams; do you control your dreams? For the majority of the time, no you don't.

Please take this information into consideration before posting. Thanks.
 
 Damien  16 Oct 2008 12:55
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 You really need to define your use of the word mind. Since you are speaking of guilt, this leaves the door open to the spiritual. Most sprirtual humans would combine much of the "mind" to the spirit.

What you state in your description is of course, true. A person can insulate their mind from guilt. They can use their thoughts to justify anything or simply to say justification isn't an issue.

If their is a soul and a person insulates their soul....
by  justsumguy
 25 Oct 2008 00:27
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The mind is a spiritual outline of our soul.

(WRONG SIDE)
 
 verum  15 Oct 2008 19:50
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Hmmm I could have sworn biology class taught me that the brain is an organ.
 
 hodver  25 Jan 2009 18:11
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 Alright, alright...if you read previous posts, you would know that I didn't mean my statement in a LITERAL sense. I wasn't calling the brain a muscle because it is a muscle, I was calling the brain a muscle because it WORKS like a reflexive muscle; sometimes your brain is running and you yourself are thinking, "Where the heck did that thought come from?" While your thoughts are your own, they are sometimes not shaped by you. A perfect example of this is your dreams; your brain is still your brain, yet you have this crazy dream that you did not come up with.
by  Damien
 27 Jan 2009 12:18
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I doubt you comprehend what you imply.
 
 keepmindok  16 Oct 2008 01:09
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 Enlighten me Keepmindok, why you think I don't know what I'm implying. And while you're at it, let me know what you think I am implying. Thanks.
by  Damien
 16 Oct 2008 12:41
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If the mind was nothing more than a reflexive muscle, original thought would be impossible.

It probably does function as a reflexive muscle in many situations, but it is much more than that.
 
 ur_wrong  16 Oct 2008 00:00
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 I apologize as I did not mean to say the mind was "just" a reflexive muscle as it is much more than that. My statement meant to define how the mind reacts to the environment and how not every thought that crawls up your spine and into your brain is one that you created; sometimes your mind merely translates things as a reflex and you are left with a thought that you did not will to create yourself. Would I be correct in saying this?
by  Damien
 16 Oct 2008 12:43
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The mind is far beyond any muscle. It's purely a system of our nerves, which I don't think is a muscle. I may be wrong.
 
 imright20  15 Oct 2008 22:40
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 Heh...you're being way too literal with the context of what I was saying. I don't mean to say that the mind is a literal muscle but rather one of its basic functions is to create like a muscle. You know how you have motor skills where you don't necessarily will yourself to do anything but your body does it anyway? I feel like the mind can sometimes bring up random thoughts in your head that you yourself did not will to be created. I feel as though your mind reacts to things that you yourself don't even realize it is reacting to.
by  Damien
 16 Oct 2008 12:46
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The mind is not a muscle. And we need guilt in our lives in order to recognize remorse. No guilt, no conscience, no remorse...
 
 goober  15 Oct 2008 19:51
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 My comment was not meant to remove guilt entirely, but how realistic is it for me to feel guilt over every bad thought that creeps up in my mind? I agree that no guilt leads to bad things, but too much guilt is crippling. Why should I feel bad for every thought in my mind? Sometimes the mind works too fast that I can't control every thought and something is bound to pass through my moral firewall that I have up. What then? Should I punish myself for these thoughts?
by  Damien
 16 Oct 2008 12:48
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Sometimes when you play with fire you burn more than your fingers, so I'm declined to disagree with your motion.
 
 Endy1  15 Oct 2008 19:32
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 Your analogy is too vague for me to assume what you are implying. Could you be more specific? I think you meant to say "inclined to disagree" as well...heh. Thanks.
by  Damien
 16 Oct 2008 12:49
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