Complex Thoughts--Lock and Key
The Thought-Complexity Growth Rate — the rate at which complex thoughts increase in complexity — is exponential.
In an average person, it takes many years, perhaps decades, to form a solid foundation for basic, logical thought. More complex and abstract thoughts can begin to emerge from this foundation. The brain is generally capable of “keeping up” with the rate of growth of complex thoughts (the mind).
Imagine thoughts as keys, and some nodes in the brain as the locks. We now have a lock and key mechanism. When a thought finds a matching node, it can “rest.” It solidifies. As more thoughts match with more nodes, the system grows and the ability for more complex thought grows. The rate of growth for complex thought is exponential. At a certain point, the brain will fail to keep up with the mind. The brain will not be able to produce enough nodes capable of accepting these new, complex thoughts. The brain continues to form simple, rudimentary nodes, while the mind continues to form complex thoughts. Imagine these simple nodes to be primary colors or basic shapes (square, circle, equilateral triangle, hexagon), and imagine the complex thoughts to be shades of primary colors, or complex shapes that are 8, 10, 20, 100-sided.These shapes would have great difficulty, if not impossibility, to fit into the lock (node) on the brain. Therefore, these thoughts are unable to “rest,” and are unable to solidify. The ability to produce new, complex nodes within the brain is the limiting factor to intelligence and thought. It is also the precursor to mental illness.
Thoughts are things. They have energy — real energy. When this energy is unable to rest, it causes damage. When enough restless thoughts (energy) accumulate in the brain, mental illness becomes apparent. Thoughts initiate from the mind but form within the brain, and ultimately affect the brain. Highly intelligent people (geniuses) are very susceptible to mental illness caused by the accumulation of thought-energy, because their brain cannot keep up with the mind. The growth rate of the mind (complex thought) is exponential, while the growth rate of the complexity of the brain’s nodes appears to be linear.
The matching of node and thought solidifies that node and stimulates the growth of new, (nearly) identical nodes. When a certain type of node is not matched with a corresponding thought, it eventual self-destructs and no new nodes of that type are formed. This is the process by which mental growth occurs. This is why eclectic reading and a broad education are so fundamental, particularly at an early age (when I believe node growth is accelerated); new thoughts and ideas spur growth of new nodes of varying shapes and complexities. A diverse education creates diverse nodes, which creates a more secure network (healthier, more-protected brain) due to diversification.
Node growth slows with age, yet the mind generally continues to grow in complexity. This leads to an accumulation of thought-energy within the brain, which leads to node damage and/or overload, and perhaps other types of harm. This could be why Alzheimers and Dementia are present in aging populations. Reading and continuing-education help spur node growth and node-complexity, which could also explain why readers are less-prone to degenerative cognitive disorders.