# The Human Source Code By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-04-12 When I am truly engaged in a problem, I think a lot about it, even when I don't want to. I'll wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the problem, running through mental simulations, and examining the problem's core principles. This is not something anyone has taught me. It just happens. I suspect many people have this same experience based on the plethora of guidance about walking away from a problem, keeping a journal next to one's bed to write down the idea, and how meditation helps to quiet one's mind. If one thinks of the brain and body as a computer, some behaviors and traits seem hard coded into our operating system. Interestingly, these things turn on and start going without any conscious thought. Additionally, I don't know of any way one can stop these programs from running while still being a functional, living person. It is who we are, and we don't even control it. Perhaps the most interesting area to explore is what might trigger these programs to run. In other words, what events make them start running? This is much of what scientists, economists, politicians, and artists are exploring. But, they tend to all look at the aggregate of humanity. While the aggregate provides rough road maps of the human source code's collective variation and tendencies, you are the only one with your unique source code. When one reflects, one might benefit from thinking about one's source code and what triggers specific programs to run. A simple example is hunger. When one is hungry, several programs might start, including irritability, food-seeking behavior, and less thinking to conserve energy. These are not things we consciously choose to do; they just happen. Once one understands one's source code, one could intentionally hack it to achieve specific outcomes. Or, at the very least, recognize what is going on. The gap between our consciousness and source code raises many questions, such as the existence of free will and who one is. But it also provides a collective understanding of humanity and why we struggle to make sense of things, as we often barely understand who is steering the ship. #### Related Items [[The Human Condition]] [[Thinking]] [[Analytics]] [[Existential]] [[Self-Improvement]] [[Self-Actualization]] [[Problem Solving]] [[Computers]] [[Free Will]]