Wayfinding Part 5: Consciousness and Subconsciousness

By: Hugh Howey

Narrated by: Graham Vick

Length: 55 mins

Publisher's summary

In part five of this series, we take a step back from examples of the struggles we face and solutions for conquering those struggles and delve deeper into the two levels of thought that are often in conflict. We look at the consciousness and subconsciousness and how the two are in dialog with one another. More importantly, we examine how the consciousness likely formed, and how its adaptation may have been for a different purpose entirely. In the Wayfinder portion of the work, I conclude the delivery of my first sailboat from Baltimore to Charleston, a trip that very nearly ended in ruin.

©2015 Hugh Howey (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Hair raising adventures with Hugh

In this installment Howey delves in to how our brains developed and how the conscious and subconscious battle it out day in and day out. Rational modern humans are are basically up against their own brains whose primitive parts act on urge and whim via basic impulses in an attempt to maximize reproduction. This has been how hominid brains have been wired for millions of years. Humans eventually evolved language and theory of mind which created our consciousness and allowed us to move in a different direction from other advanced live forms, but our brains control us more than we realize.

He also delves in to language development and how it allowed us to better share information and transfer our inner thoughts with other humans. He follows this with a short primer of how our memory works, especially how we’ve developed a skill to remember only what is important, but still retain less important information buried deep for later recall if needed. The information is presented in a very concise manner with the author adding his own spin.

In the second, storytelling, half Howey finishes the adventure he started in the last installment: his and his friend’s harrowing and exhausting sailboat trip from Baltimore to Charleston. This part covers the Cape Hatteras to Charleston leg. As a young man, this was his first sailing trip and he didn’t really know what he was doing. They navigated dangerously stormy waters off the NC coast and the whole experience sounded like a horror movie. In retrospect he admits it was a terrible and stupid idea but they survived despite nearly losing the boat multiple times and being horribly seasick and thinking they were going to die.

Looking forward to the next installment when he addresses depression and relates more boating tales