A Need for a New Perspective

Imagine the paradigm shift that occurred when Galileo defended the heliocentric theory of the solar system Copernicus proposed. Despite the Catholic Church's aggressive attack, he stuck to his beliefs, offering his observed changes in the tides as evidence of his beliefs. Today, of course, we take the heliocentric perspective for granted as being the accepted view of our galaxy. Imagine the paradigm shift when by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek first discovered red blood cells and bacteria under the microscope. Despite some initial resistance in accepting his discoveries, his findings were eventually accepted. The discovery, of course, revolutionized how germs and disease have since been approached.

In this light, it's not difficult to appreciate how shortcomings still exist in many facets of science and medicine. Research for a cure for cancer, the ability to formulate DNA-based treatments for genetic disorders, and other research endeavors for obscure medical solutions persist in the vacuum of seemingly endless perplexities. It is within this framework that a fresh perspective on how our minds function is offered. Despite all we have discovered about the human nervous system, so much remains unanswered. We seem to be just scratching the surface.

What we have learned thus far about the function of the brain has indeed been astounding. Our brains contain between ten and twenty million neurons, and these numbers don't include the much larger number of non-neuronal brain cells. And while the function of these neurons and other brain cells is somewhat understood, their entire array of functions remains quite elusive. Each of these neurons has thousands of interconnections with other neurons and other cells. The resultant neural network encompasses hundreds of trillions of connections, through which mental processing occurs. Depending on which pathway is stimulated, an almost infinite number of results can take place. This fact alone humbles the most dedicated theorist and medical researcher.

It is a modern-day understanding that these neurons communicate through various electrical impulses and through the release of chemicals called "neurotransmitters." And a large amount of information is known about the brain's anatomy, chemistry, physiology, and interaction with other systems. However, the ability to account for human behavior and perception has yet to be well explained despite current knowledge. Theories have so far fallen short of explaining how we perceive the world around us and what we know to be our own personal selves.

The theory of evolution cannot easily explain the development of complex human organs, such as the eyes. Quantum mechanics cannot explain the human mind or human consciousness or the macroscopic aspects of the universe.

The theory of relativity also has its own limitations. None of these theories can explain the unique behavior of human beings or the concept of ego or the self. The pursuit of mechanisms that absolutely determine observed outcomes has taken science a long way in understanding the laws of physics and the laws of nature. The pursuit of mechanisms that absolutely determine observed outcomes has taken science a long way in understanding the laws of physics and laws of nature. But these fail when trying to account for observed reality.

On a basic level, we can look at how we perceive the world. With our current knowledge, we know an object with illumination of light projects an image on the retina through the lens of the eyes. From the retina, chemical changes occur that cause neurons to generate electrical signals along the optic nerve to other regions of the brain. These nerve projections then allow us to see the object in the external environment in terms of its size, color, spatial relation to other objects, and so forth. But despite these defined mechanisms, a mystery remains as to how one perceives an object and becomes aware of its existence.

According to our current understanding, the brain's perception is created through various information inputs it receives. Sensory input is assimilated from various sensory receptors, and the perception happens. But how does this phenomenon truly occur? And how does a person become aware that what is perceived is reality or unreality? And how does the seemingly unpredictable human behavior that results react to these perceptions? These are the areas where current science falls short.

The question arises regarding how the brain, physical stimuli, electrical impulses, and chemical reactions culminate into a perception of the outside world. Unique oneness theory has been created to help explain this process of perception.

For perception to be experienced, the brain must produce an exact replica of the outside world. Without the brain's ability to produce an exact replica of the external environment, perception cannot happen or will be significantly inaccurate. In fact, inaccurate perception is what leads to hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, and other states of misperception. This is the fundamental foundation of the unique oneness theory.

The second concept of the unique oneness theory pertains to the unification of objective reality and one's subjective experience. Perception can be accurate as described above, but if there is a failure to completely integrate this perception into subjective experience, the potential for perceptual dysfunction again exists. For the perception to be experienced as a true subjective experience, the subjective and objective must be meshed into one organic, inseparable unity.

The third concept of the theory pertains to the unique nature and experience every single person enjoys. The organic unity between subjective and objective experiences comes together to create a unique reality. In other words, the subjective and objective unification differs slightly for every person, thus making it unique. This unique reality, through which the perception is experienced for an individual, has almost unperceivable differences from the true external reality. And because each person's subjective experience is different, each person's perceived reality is unique for that person. Scientists have recognized three states of consciousness: a state of wakefulness, a state of deep sleep, and a state where active dreaming takes place. Of these states of consciousness, two are actively engaged in using the perceptual system. In wakefulness, we perceive our actual external environments and incorporate these perceptions into our subjective experiences. However, in our active dream states, we are using our perceptual systems as well. The difference is that instead of using sensory input from the external environment to create a perception, internal brain stimuli from memories and experiences provide the stimuli to create the perception.

Just as each person's perception of reality is unique and unified with his or her subjective experience, each individual's dreams are unique for exactly the same reason. The only difference between active dreaming and wakefulness is the activation of external sensory stimuli and the level of awareness and consciousness present. In this manner, consciousness and awareness influence perception. And in fact, the same perception of self and ego is influenced by these factors as well. Each of these will be defined in greater detail in subsequent chapters and integrated into unique...