To be sure… we can train ourselves to notice more. We can widen our scope of perception to include more things. However, generally speaking (at least according to neurologists) we are always noticing some things over others, based on what we have trained ourselves to consider most important. Thus, our ancestors were likely trained to consider ‘sneaking tiger evidence’ to be pretty darn important, but might not have noticed the unimportant geko that was hanging out on the tree nearby.

The survival trait isn’t noticing Eveyrhting… but training your brain to notice things important to survival (in the case of our ancestors or military training).

The average human, though, doesn’t tend to directly train themselves to notice specific things. Instead, it appears that their beliefs and past experiences tend to act as the filtration system. Based on our focus, some data is considered important, some not so much. Thus Al Gore, may really believe that catastrophe is coming… because the data he processes gets filtered. Some guys in the CIA may have fully believed that they had strong evidence of WMD’s, because they were focused on finding that data (and maybe missed the gorilla dancing about).

I’ve done several different experiements myself to see if I could modify what data I focused on. The results were really interesting. Since those experiements, I’ve been working on training my perception as well

Anyone can do it. They simply don’t because they’ve allowed their minds to atrophy, or they’ve just never trained their minds. Weak minds. They just need to pump some mental iron.

A narrative is a story with intent, another tool for manipulation. It need not be factual, or even pretend to be factual. It just needs to be effective, which is measured by how many of the audience buy into the underlying message and incorporate it into their “reality” – usually without appreciating that there *is* a message. Narratives gain from repetition and variations on the theme. Think MSM coverage of war, or Bush, or Obama. Think advertising. Think oratory.

It is a matter of training or exercising the mind. Men who grow up hunting in the woods tend to develop this ability. People who have great senses of direction have this ability. They simply notice everything. My ex is like that. Show her a place once, and she can always find her way there again. My eldest daughter is the same way. My younger daughter is more like me; too cerebral. We get lost in our thoughts rather than see the world around us. I’m much better at it now, after I focussed on it for a time. My younger daughter is now also learning.

2nd Looies in the Army are known for this lack. It’s why they have such a high mortality rate in combat. They’re up front and lost; thinking too much and seeing too little. People who get into this trance state are really just straining to think and not seeing. People listening to propoganda are lost in the rhythms of the message and not thinking about the message. They’re not seeing with their minds; just going with the flow. These are simply weak minds.

Interestingly, when I took the ASVAB (military entrance test) at 17, I got a 138 out of 148. The few ‘Nam vets I met who had decided to re-enter the military, had almost universally perfect scores. The test designers sure knew what they were doing.

One minor quibble:

I disagree that the video is showing a narrative. Rather its an example of selective information processing. IE, our brain is busy processing data X, since “bear doing the moonwalk” is not part of the data to be processed, it gets ignored by the conscious bits of our brain… this is a sort of automated process our brain does all the time. “Process important data/Immaterial data falls through cracks”

A better example of a narrative, is the huge success of the first Intifada. The tribal leaders in Palestine made sure that anytime any reporter was near… they saw Armed Israelis vs Pali kids throwing rocks. They controlled the narrative, the story seen by the world was “helpless” vs. “Powerful”. That’s why Israel had such a problem with PR during that time… they weren’t in control of the narrative.

This past time, however, they were, for the most part in control of the narrative… thus we heard much more about rocket launches aimed at civilians, or Hamas thugs in control of civilian buildings etc.

Overall though, I thought your article was great.

Danny, I think you’re correct — breaking out of a familiar mindset is difficult, and as the old joke goes, “the lightbulb has got to want to change.”