THE VAN COLLE REASONABLE ASSUMPTIONS MODEL TO EXPLAIN HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND EXPERIENCE

I am fully aware of the fact that the 25 "assumptions" that I have
set out are, of course, far from approaching anything which could be called
complete. However, I feel do they form a useful basis for putting forward 
a simple MODEL, something for Mr.& Mrs. Everyman, whose criticisms I need and will
welcome. I feel that by setting out the model, it will be a way of
joining together the various "assumptions", instead of having them
representing an unconnected set of views. But again I must emphasise that
this "globe of the world" which I am attempting to create is made up of
"parts" which are all of small and equal scale. So here goes :

1. WHY ARE WE HERE ? People have put to me some "explanations" about why we (also the plant and animal kingdoms) were created. Quite honestly the little
   that was said made no real sense to me, so long ago I abandoned asking "why
   ?", and instead substituted "now we are here (fact), which is the best way
   to live out lives ?". I am sure that if the question is posed to a variety
   of people, there will be a variety of opinions. For me I have found that if
   my activities on this earth lead to others becoming a little happier and
   are able to cope with this puzzling life, then somehow I get a sense of
   fulfilment, that my existence is justified. The only answer to my "why?"
   that enables me to stop asking is that I accept that there is,
   undoubtedly, a "power" or "creative force" in existence beyond my ability
   to comprehend. To that I give the label God (22), and that is my only
   belief. Otherwise I either know, by experience and reason (22), or I don't
   know. Where being human is concerned, I do not demand scientific proof of
   things which my reason tells me are unprovable, nor about matters which are
   essentially instinctive, instincts being incorporated within the records of
   the brain (20).
2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF UNDERSTANDING. I am frequently asked why I think
   "understanding" is helpful in living one's life, and making living more
   meaningful. The answer is that by simply understanding "cause and probable
   effect"(24), it facilitates decision-making (something that we are called
   upon to do almost every few minutes of every day), it enables us to
   understand how to do things more easily and efficiently, to avoid creating
   stress (15). And perhaps, most important of all, by understanding how
   humans function in general, it helps us to form relationships with others
   (11), even to feel the need to love people.
3. NATURE'S INTENTION. Nature's prime intention is for the SURVIVAL of
   creations. There would be no such thing as creation of each creation did
   not have some period of survival, no matter how brief. But humans are
   mortal, and mortality is the only human certainty after birth. When I was a
   young student, I pondered whether devoting myself to study really mattered
   if I was going to die in the end. My late brother gave me at that time all
   the philosophy I needed by saying: "Accept that we are all going to die one
   day, but each is only going to die once. So don't spend your life dying a
   thousand times in your mind. Once is sufficient. Now get on with living."
4. In connection with survival is sexual desire and appetite for food (13)
   and (14). Without an appetite a person could die. Sexual desire is to
   encourage humans to act in the way necessary to PROCREATE, to ensure the
   survival of the species, even though the duration of survival of
   individuals is not guaranteed. The fact that science has created
   CONTRACEPTIVES means, now, that sexual activity is largely a matter of
   pleasure only with no procreation involved. That interference with
   Nature's intention has led to other problems e.g. mental, and physical
   (AIDS, VD etc.) . In fact if one thinks of all the things that science has
   done to interfere with Nature's intentions in physical terms, there are
   usually side-effects of an either or both mental and physical nature.
5. THE BRAIN.(4) This organ (not separate, but totally integrated into the
   whole body) is the storehouse of experiences via all the senses (smell,
   taste, touch, feeling , seeing), plus all other experiences, both what is
   regarded as normal and "paranormal" (also called extra-sensory
   perception). The experiences are stored in records (20). Although I liken
   records to being "electric batteries with bulbs attached", that does not
   relate to reality which is much more of an extremely complicated
   network.(18). The "battery" analogy refers to the nature of records in
   terms of power, fading, recharging and reinforcing. The brain releases the
   information (experiences) from the records when stimulated by a word, a
   smell, a situation, a sight etc.. One such stimulus might be associated
   with maybe a dozen different records, each representing one particular
   aspect of the stimulus. Obviously if all the records were to be of equal
   power, then the information from each and every associated record would
   enter the mind (19 and 25) simultaneously, and it would be total mental
   confusion. Hence, depending upon the "power" of each record, so a priority
   of emergence is established, the most powerful being released first (1),
   i.e. the most "dominating". If one particular record is extremely
   powerful, that might give rise to a HABIT or PHOBIA or FEAR.
6. So in everyday life the network of records in the brain, when stimulated,
   give rise to thinking, reasoning, decision-making and what we call the
   "CRITICAL FACULTY" (5); also another phenomenon associated with the
   recording process, "MENTAL NOISE". If we are thinking of one matter in
   particular when we should be paying attention to other matters, then what
   we are mentally preoccupied with will represent "mental noise" and will
   interfere with the brain's ability to record that to which we should have
   been paying attention.
7. MIND-BODY RELATIONSHIPS. What is not so frequently appreciated is the fact
   that thoughts of any bodily action ( with the INTENTION OR WISH to so act)
   are in fact totally integrated into such action, being an inseparable part
   of the action (8). Hence if two thoughts are in opposition in relation to
   acts, then there will be two opposing physical activities taking place, the
   result being STRESS (21) ---- the reason for an enormous numbers of
   physical and mental ailments (15). Thoughts also control sensual feelings
   such as appetites for food, sex, alcohol and tobacco etc., and the control
   can work in both ways, either to create and increase an appetite or "kill"
   it (14)
8. THE MIND. This is merely a term used to describe an individual's "conscious
   awareness", an awareness of the experiences stored in his/her brain, plus
   an awareness of the environment, of plants and animals, of sounds and noises
   (music), rhythms, the sky, the universe, people, emotions (Nature's method
   of releasing stress), etc. etc. However, to have great awareness means that
   the brain has to contain stored information to give at least some meaning
   to what is being experienced (the critical faculty). This is known a
   generally as CONSCIOUSNESS (25). An individual knows when he/she is
   conscious but cannot prove it scientifically to anyone else.
9. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUMANS AND ANIMALS. One essential difference is that animals act mainly by INSTINCT, not by thinking. It is possible that
   at the fringe, animals such as apes, and possibly dolphins and some
   domesticated animals, have some capacity to record experiences and use them
   as a form of limited thinking. Therefore animals must possess information
   passed on in their INHERITED RECORDS (20) from which instincts arise,
   primarily for survival. For that reason most animals do not display some of
   the undesirable qualities seen in humans e.g. greedy, selfish etc.--quite
   the opposite to what is required for survival of the species.
   Hence we live in a dangerous world, in which "man" himself poses the
   greatest threat. Animals are not intellectual, but they are certainly
   intelligent, even most insects.
10. PARAPSYCHOLOGY AND ANIMAL INSTINCTS (6 and 7). It is my view, after many years of experimental work and observations, that the psychical phenomena
    e.g. DOWSING, MENTAL TELEPATHY etc.are what humans have been able to
    connect with in terms of animal instincts. To be able to make the
    connection and have psychical experiences, an individual must have the
    ability to set aside his critical faculty, the latter in use will block off
    psychical ability. Dowsing is the special ability of an animal to find
    water and food when normal senses cannot detect them. The animal is "led"
    by means of "AUTOMATIC WALKING" towards what it needs.
11. "IMPREGNATION" AND "U.F.X." (2 and 3). In Nature one often finds that the
    "mechanics" of a process can be extrapolated. So when considering the brain
    and its "records" of experiences(20), I have found (and others) that
    events can be recorded in substances, not only in living "man".
12. I have postulated than the earth, and probably the universe is immersed in a
    UNIVERSAL FIELD X and INTERACTS with EVERYTHING existing within it, each
    "thing" then giving rise to a "RESULTANT" which has its own special nature
    or "signature". That "resultant" is frequently picked up by people with
    exceptional psychic ability, and their brains then interpret the
    "resultants" as ghosts, sounds, feelings etc. I am confident that the
    "HOMING" (16) of pigeons", animals, fish etc. can be explained on the basis
    of "IMPREGNATION", i.e. dowsing for themselves. "U.F.X" can be considered
    as a possible explanation of the concept of a "UNIVERSAL MIND".
13. MAKING MISTAKES (24). They should be our teachers. "Man" has to suffer a
    great deal before he/she learns. The trouble is that he/she is causing
    havoc to Earth's environment and, in terms of the earth's history, in a
    very short space of time.
14. "POWERBROKERS" (24). It seems that mankind is in a self-made trap, that
    his/her need for money to survive within the system that "man" himself has
    created, he/she has to do a lot of things that are not in the interest of
    "man's" survival as a species , and that those in power via money,
    politics, industry, etc. have a tremendous vested interest and are able to
    use their power to threaten the livelihood of people who are dependent upon
    the "powerbrokers".
15. EGO (12). This is the special feature which makes "man" so different from
    animals. By virtue of the language he has created, he is able to identify
    himself, his EGO, and if one thinks about it carefully it is easy to see
    how ego manifests itself in the most destructive way, either in the form of
    individualism, nationalism, religion, culture etc."Man" perpetrates some of
    the most abominable things upon other men under the cloak of those
    activities. It reaches a point that in addition to Nature's intention for
    physical survival, "man" now strives for "EGO SURVIVAL", and it is not
    difficult to pick from history some of the awful consequences of "ego
    defence" and "ego domination", completely devoid of LOVE (11) for his
    fellow man.
16. HEALING and FAITH (21).Essentially connected with the ABSENCE OF NEGATIVE
    THOUGHTS. The so-called "forces" being channelled by the healer are, I
    feel, connected with U.F.X. and its interaction with the BRAIN PATTERNS
    (18) of the healer.
17. AN "ULTIMATE" MODEL. I have grave doubts that there will ever be any
    ultimate model, simply because I feel that so much of Nature will remain
    incomprehensible to the human mind. On the other hand, bearing in mind
    that this model is backed by my 25 (so far) "reasonable assumptions", I
    hope that this simple model will cause readers to become critical, and
    WITHOUT ENLARGING THE SCALE, will make suggestions for improvements,
    modifications, additions etc. All I have done is to have presented to
    those who are interested in Mr.& Mrs. Everyman having their share of
    knowledge and understanding ,something to think and argue about in a world
    which does not encourage thinking and where scientific "miracles" are
    replacing "man's" sensitivities.