Stimuli

All living organisms must be able to detect changes in their environment and respond accordingly.  This is a survival strategy.  Such changes in the environment are called ‘stimuli’ the singular name being stimulus.

Human beings have become almost addicted to external sensory stimulus, very often we seek ‘entertainment’ in the form of high action videos, or games, films having constant action, places with bright lights, brightly lit shops, bright colours, sparkle, glitter, noise, busyness.  From the point of view of spiritual experience they are a disaster.

We live with almost constant  stimulatory visual input – bright lights, very bright colours, flashing lights, glitter, bling, bright jewellery, bright clothes, bright houses, away from the soft muted colours of the countryside with its greens and pastel shades. 

Sixty per cent of the stimulus we receive is  visual by nature.

We live with  almost constant noise, wanted and unwanted - traffic noise, planes, people and crowds, music, radio, TV….

We live with almost constant bombardment of smells and tastes – from food shops, cities, people and perfumes, food and drink.  Some people hardly ever stop ‘grazing’ or drinking beverages.

And our sense of touch is also bombarded too on a daily basis.

All this is diversionary and prevents spiritual input from getting through because the reasoning process and the will is having to handle it all the time. 

If the captain [command and control function] of a ship is being constantly bombarded with input from the ship and the look out, the message from headquarters which might help him might never get through.