The fact is that the majority of our thoughts and actions are on autopilot. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Our habits, routines, impulses, and reactions carry us through our lives so we don’t have to stop and think about it every time we wipe our ass or start a car.
The problem is when we’re on autopilot for so long that we forget we’re on autopilot. Because when we’re not even aware of our own habits, routines, impulses, and reactions, then we no longer control them they control us.
The problem is when we’re on autopilot for so long that we forget we’re on autopilot. Because when we’re not even aware of our own habits, routines, impulses, and reactions, then we no longer control them.
The same applies to other things that are important in life, like the fact that we’re good at talking, the fact that we like to think, and the fact that we can be an asshole. When were on autopilot for so long that we forget weren’t on autopilot? Those are the four times that we forget were on autopilot.
Sometimes, we think we’re on autopilot even when we’re not. This is because the brain has a built-in mechanism for detecting when it’s on autopilot. Like when your car is driving itself and you forget about turning it off and it starts driving itself again, the brain knows and takes that as evidence that it’s on autopilot.
Because of this, the brain actually works like this and our behavior can change. If the brain tells you that something is on autopilot, and you’re driving your car, it might not do anything but make you forget you’re on autopilot. At one point, we were asked if we were allowed to look at the sky and make sure the sky was on autopilot and it was.
The problem is that our brain can be fooled. There is a great TED talk on this very thing. You might have heard of it before, just not as well known as it should be. It is called the “lidocaine intoxication”. The problem is that the brain, as a self-aware organ, doesn’t know when we’re on autopilot.
When you are on autopilot, you are always able to think and act like a robot. In fact, you can even talk to yourself. While you may not be able to reason and act like a robot (because you’re not), you CAN. The only difference is that you can’t think and act like a robot or a robot that is on autopilot.
A more modern-day example of the same thing: When I was a teenager I was on autopilot. I was driving my parents to work everyday, and I was always thinking about my schoolwork. I was always thinking about what I should be doing when I got home. My brain was always working at a super-high-level, but I was acting like a robot. I was always thinking and thinking about things that were not important.
The brain is a strange thing, and there’s evidence we spend a lot of time thinking about things we have no control over. There’s also evidence that we can go into a state of autopilot and think and act like a robot.
