Semantic Hemlock

When I was younger I came up with an idea that could there exist a thought, that if you thought it, your brain would be permanently locked up and stop functioning altogether. I started searching for it and cataloging strange thoughts. There are a bunch of strange thoughts and you may have seen some them and survived. The first ones I found are sentences that contain strange semantic loops. The first one is Epimenides paradox:

Epimenides was a Cretan who made one immortal statement: "All Cretans are liars."

So if you read the sentence the meaning of it toggles in your head depending on your mind's frame of reference from within the sentence. Here is another famous pair of sentences:

The next sentence is true.
The previous sentence is false.

But this is not good enough. We want a thought that does some real damage. Something that can lock the brain up! Something so profound that when you think it, BOOM, out go the thoughts. It's not easy to do. The next good one I found didn't do any damage but it did create a nice shower of sparks in my brain the first time I really thought about it:

Our Big Bang is the result of a star collapsing to a black hole in another dimension.

That's a really BIG thought. There are lots of stars that become black holes. And if all those black holes created billions of more star which then create more black holes, then Wow, that's a lot of time. Again, despite the shower of sparks no permanent damage.

I then started to think about the idea of a thought virus. Now there are many times of thought viruses. For example, some stupid 70s song could pop into your head and for some stupid reason you can't help yourself from hearing it in your head all day. One time I had this 70s song stuck in my head for week!

Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you

Arrrrgggghhh!!! That song is my Gom Jabbar.

Usually, 70's song viruses usually go away. But then I found a really cool thought virus. And this one never goes away. Once you are infected, you are infected for life. It's really quite disturbing to think there exists a thought that once you think it you can never get rid of it. Well, I warn you now. You are about to be infected with permanent thought virus: The idea of a thought virus IS a thought virus. Sorry, it had to be done. You are now infected. Try as you will but you mind is forever altered. The idea of a thought virus is now a permanent part of your mind. Thought virus is the herpes of thought.

Still, even with thought viruses, no permanent brain damage. So here's probably the closest thought that I was able to find. It has a few interesting properties to the thought. First of all, it takes the form of a question. Now a question is a very important type of thought. It puts your mind into a certain way of thinking. Also, the sentence itself is somewhat self-referential. The first time I held thought I did not think it was even possible for the mind to be able to utter such a thought. It's really quite strange. I've told many people this idea but most of the time they just shrug it off and meaningless gibberish. Another common reaction, and one I find really interesting, is upon first reading this strange thought many people will laugh or giggle. I've come to the conclusion that laughter is our brain's natural defense mechanism against permanent brain lock. So when you read the next thought, be very mindful how your brain reacts.

So here is the thought: Have you ever thought about what your brain is doing between thoughts?

Did you laugh? Keep in mind that the sentence itself IS the very thought being asked in the question.

So that's the best I have or have found so far. If you have any thoughts that do permanent damage just post to this thread. Thanks in advance.

Are you the dogbear guy?

Relevant ---> Dogbears can do permanent damage.

Try controlling the outcome next time you experience Déjà vu.

originally posted by: Noncents

Try controlling the outcome next time you experience Déjà vu.

There have been more times than I can remember that I've tried very hard to do this. I haven't been able to fool Deja vu yet.

Beautiful females usually tend to cause men's brains to lock up and stop functioning (properly at least).
But we all knew this...

a reply to: dfnj2015

I love, Love, LOVE paradoxes.

One of my favorites is the one about the sailing ship. (Unfortunately I won't put it as eloquently as it was written when I first read it).

Lets say you have a large wooden ship. Let's call it the SS Columbo.

You have the ship over an extended period of time and every so often you do some general maintenance and change a few boards here and there. Even though you replaced a few boards the first time, it is still very much the SS Columbo, right?

What happens when, after some years go buy, little by little you have replaced literally every single piece of wood, swapped out every single nail, bolt, screw and length of rope? Although it was done little by little, since every single piece has been exchanged, is it still the SS Columbo?

Further, if IS still the SS Columbo... what happens if you go to the pile of materials you removed and rebuilt the entire thing? Then THIS would be the SS Columbo, right? So.... which is the SS Columbo?

originally posted by: muzzleflash
Beautiful females usually tend to cause men's brains to lock up and stop functioning (properly at least).
But we all knew this...

Although we all "know it".... exploring some of the underlying causes could be threadworthy itself.

a reply to: eluryh22

If you enjoy the feeling, just let it be. Usually I didn't know what was going on until it was almost over but once I guess it hit early or something. Several friends and I were in a car driving around looking for something to do. We turned around a corner and I knew we were about to go forward a bit more then turn another corner at which point we would see a car in the wrong lane coming towards us and the driver would swerve into the opposite lane to get around it. So I told him to take a sharp turn into an ally right after the initial turn where we would have had to dodge the other car. It was a very, very strange feeling, similar to a hallucinogenic experience, but it all played out just like that. We turned, there was the car coming at us and the driver was able to hit the ally right before the other car would have made it to where we were.

I was ecstatic and laughed and said I finally did it. The driver stopped the car and everybody else just sat there looking at me for a minute until I explained how I knew about the other car. These were very close friends and I'd had some serious wtf premonition type moments in the past so they accepted it and we went on about our night.

I haven't experienced déjà vu since and that was many years ago. I do sort of miss it. So yeah, if you like that feeling don't try to mess with it. If not, I do believe it can be done with practice but you've got to be honest with yourself and not look for coincidences that aren't there and not try to fake it. You'll know when / if you do it.

The one that always did and still does confound me is this thought experiment I had one day (it was born out of trying to determine whether I truly possessed free will in the traditional sense - long story, I wrote a topic about it, but the confounding part in question was this excerpt, slightly edited):

I will attempt to decide to think of something. I decide upon envisioning a red balloon. However the question then occurs to me: why did I choose a red balloon? Why those parameters? So then I change the parameters of the experiment. I will attempt to decide to think of something that does not exist in reality (as far as I know.) I decide to imagine a green, fuzzy pumpkin (not because of mold, lol.)

However, again, the question occurs to me: why did I choose those parameters? Where did they originate from? They seemed to come out of nowhere, popping into my head at random.

So, finally, I laid out the last parameters of the experiment: I will attempt to decide to imagine something, without the parameters thereof randomly popping into my head. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I was incapable of coming up with parameters that did not simply pop into my head without me specifically prompting it to do so. Any parameters I was able to "decide" to think up literally seemed to be cropping up from the ether of my unconscious mind.

I know it sounds strange, but that one still boggles my mind lol. Though is disconcerts me less now than it used to.

Peace.

originally posted by: muzzleflash
Beautiful females usually tend to cause men's brains to lock up and stop functioning (properly at least).
But we all knew this...

Good point. I've have often thought that God must be a woman because women are just way too damn beautiful to have been created by male God.

Can God have a thought so complex that even She can't understand it?

Which then begs the question that God may be a blond!

originally posted by: Noncents
a reply to: eluryh22

If you enjoy the feeling, just let it be. Usually I didn't know what was going on until it was almost over but once I guess it hit early or something. Several friends and I were in a car driving around looking for something to do. We turned around a corner and I knew we were about to go forward a bit more then turn another corner at which point we would see a car in the wrong lane coming towards us and the driver would swerve into the opposite lane to get around it. So I told him to take a sharp turn into an ally right after the initial turn where we would have had to dodge the other car. It was a very, very strange feeling, similar to a hallucinogenic experience, but it all played out just like that. We turned, there was the car coming at us and the driver was able to hit the ally right before the other car would have made it to where we were.

I was ecstatic and laughed and said I finally did it. The driver stopped the car and everybody else just sat there looking at me for a minute until I explained how I knew about the other car. These were very close friends and I'd had some serious wtf premonition type moments in the past so they accepted it and we went on about our night.

I haven't experienced déjà vu since and that was many years ago. I do sort of miss it. So yeah, if you like that feeling don't try to mess with it. If not, I do believe it can be done with practice but you've got to be honest with yourself and not look for coincidences that aren't there and not try to fake it. You'll know when / if you do it.

I kind of have the opposite problem. I have never ending feelings of imminent doom which turn out not to be anything at all.

originally posted by: AceWombat04
The one that always did and still does confound me is this thought experiment I had one day (it was born out of trying to determine whether I truly possessed free will in the traditional sense - long story, I wrote a topic about it, but the confounding part in question was this excerpt, slightly edited):

I will attempt to decide to think of something. I decide upon envisioning a red balloon. However the question then occurs to me: why did I choose a red balloon? Why those parameters? So then I change the parameters of the experiment. I will attempt to decide to think of something that does not exist in reality (as far as I know.) I decide to imagine a green, fuzzy pumpkin (not because of mold, lol.)

However, again, the question occurs to me: why did I choose those parameters? Where did they originate from? They seemed to come out of nowhere, popping into my head at random.

So, finally, I laid out the last parameters of the experiment: I will attempt to decide to imagine something, without the parameters thereof randomly popping into my head. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I was incapable of coming up with parameters that did not simply pop into my head without me specifically prompting it to do so. Any parameters I was able to "decide" to think up literally seemed to be cropping up from the ether of my unconscious mind.

I know it sounds strange, but that one still boggles my mind lol. Though is disconcerts me less now than it used to.

Peace.

Good one. But I have one question for you. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream but don't explain why it is your favorite flavor. Just say it.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
I kind of have the opposite problem. I have never ending feelings of imminent doom which turn out not to be anything at all.

That's either normal, in that it has been experienced by every generation for a long, long time or could be indicative of mental problems. i don't say that last part lightly but talk to a psychologist, not a psychiatrist or "counselor" if you're young and in school. Counselors don't really care like they should and psychiatrists will just prescribe drugs which can be worse. There's nothing to loose in having your noggin checked every once in a while, especially if you feel something is a bit off.

a reply to: dfnj2015

That's exactly the kind of question that led me to that thought experiment lol.

Mint chip. (though I can't eat it anymore... damn kidney stones! )

Peace.

originally posted by: AceWombat04
a reply to: dfnj2015

That's exactly the kind of question that led me to that thought experiment lol.

Mint chip. (though I can't eat it anymore... damn kidney stones!

)

Peace.

Good choice. I assure you that your free-will is just fine!

Haha

I've always been a sucker for anything peppermint. Holidays? Peppermint bark. (I allow myself a single square, still. :p)

Peace.

Hi. This is just basically some cut and paste, but hopefully brings some chuckles:

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp which no decent human being would eat?
Why are they called goose bumps? Do geese get people bumps?
Why is it that lemon dishsoap is made with real lemons, but lemon juice is artificial flavoring?
If you stole a pen from a bank then would it still be considered a bank robbery?
Is French kissing in France just called kissing?
Why can magicians make things disappear into thin air, but not thick air?
Why is it that rain drops but snow falls?
Why is the third hand on the watch called second hand?
Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?
If the professor on Giligan's Island can make a radio out of coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Why doesn't a chicken egg taste like chicken?
Why is it that cargo is transported by ship while a shipment is transported by car?

Source: Life's Unanswered Questions

a reply to: dfnj2015


Ummm...you don't need a thought to accomplish this...You need it's opposite...

Void meditation does wonders for maintaining that premise...

The key is...NOT THINKING...not...thinking...not thinking...

It's really as simple as that...

You own the process...it's your mind...your thought matrix...your conceptualization...your hardware to accommodate all that software..............................OWN...it...




YouSir

originally posted by: muzzleflash
Beautiful females usually tend to cause men's brains to lock up and stop functioning (properly at least).
But we all knew this...

Ummm...and worketh overtime in some...

Raises hand...
Beauty is most certainly...NOT...in the eye of the beholder...but in the mind...and in the physicality...of the beheld...But the force of spirit of another does impinge upon our own energetic bodies...
I have been fortunate to have been held in that grasp on numerous occasions...

Love...on the other hand...is much more fickle than that...


Equanimity...is not so much a function of diplomacy...as it is of duplicity...


YouSir

a reply to: Nothin

One more from New Jersey: We park on the driveway and drive on the Parkway.

originally posted by: YouSir
a reply to: dfnj2015


Ummm...you don't need a thought to accomplish this...You need it's opposite...

Void meditation does wonders for maintaining that premise...

The key is...NOT THINKING...not...thinking...not thinking...

It's really as simple as that...

You own the process...it's your mind...your thought matrix...your conceptualization...your hardware to accommodate all that software..............................OWN...it...

YouSir

The problem with "not thinking" is you never know when you are doing it or not doing it.