As in a fairy tale, our mind has a giant
monster sleeping inside. We rarely see him, but when he shows up, his power is
so inmese, he could destroy everything around. And as in fairy tales, most of
the people in the village have heard of him, but only the hero in this story,
and that’s you, will battle the giant. Welcome to your subconscious mind.
Human brain is a great
unknown to many, including Science. However, we are learning more and more from
it these days. Your brain is the organ that has to learn a language, not your
arm or your leg, your brain. So we should get to know a bit of how it really
works, so we can work following you brain’s rules, and not your own. As many
are not aware, human brain has a unique way on its own. Some of us believe to
know the best way to learn, and speaking about languages, everyone seems to
have a theory. But, I just have to have a look around and realize that they had
not a clue according to the number of people out there who cannot speak any
foreign language, even if they’ve tried.
I don’t want to get
very deep into psiquiatry, but I am going to decompose your brain in different
parts, to show you how it’s formed. The first layer is in the one you’re in
right now, and it’s called Conscious Mind. We’ll discuss about it later on in
Thinking Languages!, just let you know that when you are awake reading this, or
doing any other staff, is the part in which your thinking resides. We are
currently in that part of our mind, and that part inside your brain is not
paying attention at all to your heartbeating or breathing. Nevermind, you know
there are more parts of your brain, at a deeper layer, that really takes care
about your life functions. What part do you think is bigger?
The inmese majority in
you you don’t have control about
Against science just a
minute ago, you subconscious mind, they one I call the Dormant Giant, is the
biggest part of our brain. Say 80% more or less, and I’ll just be trying not to
exagerate. Science is stating these days that we might reside in an even
smaller percentage of our minds. Neuroscience have proved that our actions are
highly influenced by our brain, which is quite logical I would say. By knowing
that the majority of our brain is the Dormant Giant, no need to be very smart
to reach the conclusion that we need to work on it if we want to learn a
language.
The Dormant Giant has
several strangely misunderstood. These are concepts such as time, clothes
combination, logic or even people. That is why you can’t be sure of the time
while dreaming, and your friend Michael suddenly becomes Phil, or you find
access to grandparents’ house when you open your room’s door. This may seem
clumsy, however, it has a reson to be, and that is to check on us so we are
well and we keep ourselves alive. Its main function is to survive, and in order
to do that, it needs to understand nothing at all about the conscious world. Humans
are stupid enough to get themselves killed by many factors that the Dormant
Giant will never allow if it’s in his hands.
And as survival means
to belong to a Group of other humans, nature gives us all the necessary tools to
learn a language (the key to belong to a pack) by the actions of the Dormant
Giant. A newborn will develop several strategies and patterns that will define
how to learn a language naturally. The Gian guides the process in a natural way
and we are not even aware of it. When we become teenagers, the Giant simply
changes it’s target, and focuses on sexuality.
The new focus will
only come into play once we’ve understood that we are in a group and that we
have grown up enough for it, with the protection of our society. And we need to
thank our society with newborns in order to go for a new step in our lives. And
it’s very curious how in the modern world we’re living in, we are still
influenced by all those biological needs, even though we might not mark our
territories the same ways chimps do, why don’t you try to convince a teenager
to leave his smartphone for a while? Losing connection is the worst punishment
in this highly connected world.
Invaders
The Dormant Giant,
whose Orly wish is to make you survive, once awaken, can see very clear
messages. Flirting is something good to survive, or keeping in touch with
friends, or playing football, or hanging out in the pub with your fellows. That
is why, it has not a clue of what the Conscious part of our brain wants to
learn. It gets even worse if it’s a language he cannot understand. What we have
to do is to translate that intention to him.
Back in the old days,
a foreigner was an enemy, and no matter who civilizad we believe we are, we
still have a bit of that in our minds, but transformed into predujides rather
than in an agression. We want, or we need, to learn a second language, but we
can’t give to it the importance it deserves, and our Giant can only see it as a
secondary need. In order to learn that language, we should include it in our
conscious mind and in our life. Only by doing that our Dormand Giant could
think that it is important to belong to a new group, with new individuals, in
which we’ll need new protection, and we could have new offsprings!
I know you are a 21st
Centry person, and so am I, but that doesn’t mean that the genetically
influenced behaviour explained above does not affect you. What we are to do
with Thinking Languages! Method is using them in our favour, and stop fighting
nature as other system do with their students.
Have a few minutes
thinking on the tongue you’re studying. No matter what your level is, do if
from day one. If you only know colours, then just think of colours, but work it
out with your brain. Thinking Languages!
Get as much input as
possible in the second language. We have music, internet, books, chats,
friends, TV, magazines... does it matter what? Does it matter how
much you understand? Do it!
Let your Dormant Giant
wakes up thinking your life is at risk and make it work for you inmediately. Thiking
Languages!
Get interested in the
culture you’re getting in, a language and a culture are the same thing in
essence, and they have a lot of things to give to you. Don’t be a viking and
think the outsiders are worse, be smart. Thinking Languages!
And I guess there are
things you don’t fully understand, as for example that thing that the Dormant
Giant is going to start working for us just by lying to it, and some will also
think it wouldn’t be easy to lie to him if our conscious mind knows what
we are doing. Well, the Dormant Giant cannot distinguish reality from fiction,
and it is a fact. I will explain it on the next e-lesson. Meanwhile, practice.
And what about you? How
do you wake up your Dormant Giant? Leelo en Español
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