Every so often I will look through NetFlix for a movie that is far from mainstream and hopefully a little weird. With any luck, I may actually learn something from the film or possibly reaffirm something I have thought about myself. The documentary collection is my preferred place to search for this purpose, and last night I stumbled upon a real gem.

What the (Bleep) Do We Know?! is an odd film in a couple ways. First, it is filmed as a type of documentary/narrative/cartoon style that sometimes seemed a bit goofy, but still engaging. It is a film that describes the spiritual connection between quantum physics and consciousness (if there even is such a connection). In other words, this is a film that covers some pretty new age ideas and concepts that you probably don’t talk about very often, nor would you even know how to formulate words to express the thoughts addressed.

The premise of the material covered in the film is this: the universe (and everything around you) is really constructed of your thoughts more than actual substance. Furthermore, everything around you can be influenced – rather directly, actually – by your thoughts and chemical reactions in your brain. Matter is not solid; electrons pop in an out of existance and we simply don’t know where they disappear to. Because of this feeble and impressionable nature of existance, we have the ability to define what is “real” in our lives, thus allowing us to build and establish our own reality.

Lost yet? Ok, try to stay with me here.

There’s this guy from Japan – Masaru Emoto – who wrote a few books and conducted a few “experiments” that involved changing the molecular structure of water. One day he goes and fills three bottles of the same distilled water, writes out a few words on some stickers and labels each bottle. On one bottle he writes “Water”, on another he writes “Chi of Love”, and on the third he writes “You Make Me Sick, I Want To Kill You”. He then sets these bottles out for other people to look at over a period of time. Afterwards, Emoto examines each bottle’s water molecules through a really powerful microscope in a lab.

According to Emoto (and photos taken from the microscopes), the molecules in each bottle were now completely different from one another. The bottle marked with the positive message now held water that included these beautiful, intricate crystals whereas the negative bottle held water that looked more like sewage. Emoto thus concluded that the thoughts and perception of those who read and focused on each bottle actually altered the molecular structure of the water inside.

I don’t know about you, but that’s at least a pretty cool idea (I have no idea if it is true or not). And, in some way, it kind of makes sense. But here’s another example of this whole concept that has a bit more biological backing than what Emoto was doing. You also likely learned about this in Biology class.

Inside your brain there is a little gland called the hypothalamus whose job is to secrete chemicals in response to external stimuli that you experience throughout the day. Whenever you feel happy, it secretes “happy chemicals”. Whenever you are sad, it pumps out “sad chemicals”. The same goes for anger, sexual arousal, depression, fear, so on and so on. These chemicals – called peptides – then enter your bloodstream and attach themselves to receptors on certain cells in your body. When enough peptide-cell connections are made, your body then reacts to each emotion in an appropriate manner. All of this happens within a few milliseconds and can happen multiple times throughout a day (just think about all the different emotions you can feel in a day).

Your brain is also comprised of a huge network of neurons that look like spiders. Each neuron has arms that reach out in all directions and connect with other neurons, thus creating a net or web. One neuron connects to a second neuron via something called a “synapse”. Whenever you have a thought, electrical impulses fire in your brain across these synapses in order to trigger other areas of your body to react… such as your hypothalamus gland described in the previous paragraph.

Now this is where it gets cool.

The neuron connections in your brain are established based on what you are thinking about most often. Likewise, if you stop thinking about something for a long time, the connections can actually change; one group of neurons will break their synapse and reattach to another new set. You ever hear the phrase “Practice Makes Perfect”? When you practice something – or develop a habit – you are literally wiring your neurons to remember how to perform that skill over and over again. Make sense?

So where do those peptide chemicals come into play in all of this nerd-talk? Simple. The neuron network you just created with your thoughts tells the peptides where to go in your body. It also tells your hypothalamus which peptides to produce, as well as how many.

Your body LOVES chemicals. Loves them. That is why there are alcoholics and drug addicts in the world: we love to feel the effects of chemicals! That morning coffee you drink each day? It’s not just because you like the taste. Caffiene is a chemical and it invokes a physical response that you become addicted to. Same with cigarettes, same with food… and same with emotions. You like the taste, you like where you are when you drink/smoke/eat it, you like who you are with, and you like how it makes you feel. You become addicted to the entire experience.

When you are depressed, sad, angry, or fearful you are telling your brain that you need more of that specific chemical response in your body. The same can be said about love, happiness, joy, and confidence. The more you feel or think in a certain way, the more your body craves that “next hit” of that specific chemical. You become addicted to it. You’re not crazy or doomed… you’re just addicted!

That is the entire premise of all human emotion. You don’t actually love or hate a person or thing. That is impossible. Instead, you love or hate the experience of a person. You love or hate the way someone makes you feel. I know that’s not very romantic, but it’s the truth. Otherwise, you would be in love with everyone all the time and nobody would be different in your mind. Perception is the only reality any of us actually know.

So what the hell does all of this nonsense mean?

Simply this: you can make your world be the way you want it to be. If you change your perception of your life, you can change your reality. If your perception is that life sucks, then it is going to suck (surprise!). If you perceive life to be happy and positive, then that is how your life will be. Your body will become addicted to the feeling and crave more of it. It’s just simple science (or pseudoscience, depending on your opinion).

Change your perception, change your addiction. Your life is worth it.

But yeah, I thought it was an interesting movie.

Sini Will Spanky You.

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This is my signature...

I agree that you cannot change what happens, only your responses and reactions to things, but did it say that some people are chemically wired differently? Is there a natural level that your body is predisposed to and seeks or is even capable of? What is the explaination for the difference in each individual?

That's an interesting question and I think it depends on your opinion with all of this stuff. Personally, I think people are different because they have different life experiences. That's nothing new, though; in fact it is common sense. They have trained themselves to behave in a certain way over time because it just seems to work out. I mean, they're still alive, right?

The film suggests (which I don't necessarily agree with, at least not completely) that every person begins with the same "blank slate" of life which can then be altered by whatever they experience throughout time. I do agree that everyone is built the same way, but I think we all begin with different mindsets or neurological networks (kind of like a fingerprint).

I believe that I am chemically wired differently post chemo and radiation than pre...actually, I know I am.

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@audioidkid

Do you feel that comes as a result of the chemo, because of a different outlook on life, or both?

Domo Arragato Masaru Emoto DOMO domo

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"Never underestimate the power of positive thinking"

the chemo chemically changed me. my body temperature is nearly a degree lower than normal and I get sick once every 5 years or so.
the experience changed me...but the back surgery is really what changed my demeanor. I have to be careful all the time to make sure I don't get take an elbow to the spine, fall, slip, move too quickly, etc...I'm a soft shell crab with claws.
I'm a pretty positive person, but I'm extremely cautious and deliberate in my decisions. Because of this, my few loves (people, music, etc...) are the most important things in my life. I don't sweat the small stuff, that sand that fills the remaining voids is meaningless....meh. And that is only because of the tons of large things that I have had to carry over the years. i.e. immediate family health issues, relationship things..., my profession being nailed twice in a decade by bankruptcy. fun shit like that.
However, I wake up to the sun in my eyes everyday. face east, or south...

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@audioidkid

I dunno. I have 2 kids and they could not be more different. They are different genders and maybe birth order has something to do with it. My son's "ceiling" for postive thinking and dealing with some things is not even level with my daughter's "floor".