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Someone once told me that, "if the soul exists, scientifically speaking, it exists in the brain."
Most people don't appreciate the beauty of the brain. It's the most complex organ of any species on Earth and even still it isn't known what every portion of the three pound mass can do. The human brain controls every action, voluntary and involuntary. Emotions, heartbeats, thoughts. Abilities. It can be broken down into many basic pieces, fitting and working together in perfect unison. It's all in the brain.
The human brain can be divided into three basic groups. The hindbrain controls the most natural functions like heart rate and respiration. Coordination. Things you often take for granted. The midbrain helps produce reflexes, voluntary actions. Neither are as important as the forebrain.
The forebrain is the actual mechanism in the piece. It consists of four "lobes". The frontal lobe deals with reasoning, planning, movement, emotions, problem-solving.. the personality of the brain. Various abilities can be pulled from this area. Peter's empathy, for example, and Eden's ability to manipulate the logical mind. The parietal lobe is more primal. Touch, pain, temperature. This is where precious little Claire's ability came from, and Adam's. The ability to heal, for the sensation of pain to decrease before it reaches the brain. It could be considered a defect really, a mistake... Most perceptions originate from the temporal lobe, like sound and memory. Even this area receives genetic evolution. Dale's hearing, Charlie's memory. Vision has a lobe of its own. The occipital lobe. It's not used as often. It's special. Claude's amazing gift comes from this place at the back of the brain. One of the most difficult to look at.. in theory.
Only when you understand the human brain can you begin to understand the mind behind it. To see the puzzle before you, how each piece fits together. How every portion has a function and to each function a purpose. You'll find that all things work like this when the piece, the puzzle is viewed by those who understand it.
According to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a person needs five basic things to reach a level where they can begin to understand this world, to achieve what he called "self-actualization". Here, it would be somewhat the same as becoming officially rehabilitated. Maslow describes these needs as a pyramid, where one can't progress without having each of the lower levels. The first are basic needs: food, sleep, sex, breathing. Physical health, and well-being. Then is safety. Feeling secure in your health, your family, your morals.. whatever is important to you. Then love, and the feeling that you belong. It's where a lot of people fail. Family, friends. It's not so easy to accomplish for everyone. Some people aren't given a brother.. or a father, who care. It also includes intimacy. Genuine affection. After love is self-esteem. Respect for others, and them respecting you. This is where Peter fails. Where love can be born with family, respect has to be earned. It's difficult, of course, to balance these needs in every aspect of your life. After those four little necessities, you reach self-actualization.
The problem is, it doesn't exist, self-actualization. Not really. You can strive for it for your entire life, but you'll never quite reach it. That's what redemption is in this place. Always out of reach, no matter how hard you try, because it's a standard of perfection that doesn't exist, that no warden can mold you into. Most of the wardens themselves would not be released if they had come here as inmates. It creates discontent, restlessness. The inmates get tired of taking orders from people as wrong as themselves. It's only a matter of time before something happens, something that can't be restored back to the way things were.
Most people don't appreciate the beauty of the brain. It's the most complex organ of any species on Earth and even still it isn't known what every portion of the three pound mass can do. The human brain controls every action, voluntary and involuntary. Emotions, heartbeats, thoughts. Abilities. It can be broken down into many basic pieces, fitting and working together in perfect unison. It's all in the brain.
The human brain can be divided into three basic groups. The hindbrain controls the most natural functions like heart rate and respiration. Coordination. Things you often take for granted. The midbrain helps produce reflexes, voluntary actions. Neither are as important as the forebrain.
The forebrain is the actual mechanism in the piece. It consists of four "lobes". The frontal lobe deals with reasoning, planning, movement, emotions, problem-solving.. the personality of the brain. Various abilities can be pulled from this area. Peter's empathy, for example, and Eden's ability to manipulate the logical mind. The parietal lobe is more primal. Touch, pain, temperature. This is where precious little Claire's ability came from, and Adam's. The ability to heal, for the sensation of pain to decrease before it reaches the brain. It could be considered a defect really, a mistake... Most perceptions originate from the temporal lobe, like sound and memory. Even this area receives genetic evolution. Dale's hearing, Charlie's memory. Vision has a lobe of its own. The occipital lobe. It's not used as often. It's special. Claude's amazing gift comes from this place at the back of the brain. One of the most difficult to look at.. in theory.
Only when you understand the human brain can you begin to understand the mind behind it. To see the puzzle before you, how each piece fits together. How every portion has a function and to each function a purpose. You'll find that all things work like this when the piece, the puzzle is viewed by those who understand it.
According to Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a person needs five basic things to reach a level where they can begin to understand this world, to achieve what he called "self-actualization". Here, it would be somewhat the same as becoming officially rehabilitated. Maslow describes these needs as a pyramid, where one can't progress without having each of the lower levels. The first are basic needs: food, sleep, sex, breathing. Physical health, and well-being. Then is safety. Feeling secure in your health, your family, your morals.. whatever is important to you. Then love, and the feeling that you belong. It's where a lot of people fail. Family, friends. It's not so easy to accomplish for everyone. Some people aren't given a brother.. or a father, who care. It also includes intimacy. Genuine affection. After love is self-esteem. Respect for others, and them respecting you. This is where Peter fails. Where love can be born with family, respect has to be earned. It's difficult, of course, to balance these needs in every aspect of your life. After those four little necessities, you reach self-actualization.
The problem is, it doesn't exist, self-actualization. Not really. You can strive for it for your entire life, but you'll never quite reach it. That's what redemption is in this place. Always out of reach, no matter how hard you try, because it's a standard of perfection that doesn't exist, that no warden can mold you into. Most of the wardens themselves would not be released if they had come here as inmates. It creates discontent, restlessness. The inmates get tired of taking orders from people as wrong as themselves. It's only a matter of time before something happens, something that can't be restored back to the way things were.