Meaning Weaving Looms
How does the mind produce meaning? | By Murat Saban (PhD)
Every weaving takes place in the “now,” but the threads come from the past and from future possibilities. The resulting product is meaning. These meaning weaving looms operate with steady calm, yet when caught in a crisis of meaning, they shift into high capacity mode. We can imagine them as the fine gears of thought mechanics. The threads used in the loom are thought, emotion, and intuition. In a normal weaving, these three elements are in harmony,meaning integrity is achieved. But if the weaving is knotted, the meaning produced cannot complete the whole. This signals a problem awaiting resolution. The knot must be untied, and the meaning rewoven.
The first step is observation,silent listening. At the moment the knot forms, one must identify which emotion dominates or which intuition has been interrupted. Normally, these looms tend to address problems with rhythmic tempo. But when faced with a knot, they resume production at a slower rhythm than before. The new gear settings aim to create a composition that reactivates mental frequencies into resonance. The slower tempo allows space for thought. In this process, any emotion or intuition that does not align with meaning is re kneaded, or if necessary, the threads are replaced to begin a new meaning making cycle. This new production will differ from the previous weaving,otherwise, it cannot be considered a new meaning.
If the mind becomes unable to produce meaning, it may be more accurate to speak of a period of mental silence rather than a full blown crisis. Because the process of constructing meaning has not truly ended. Though the silence phase may appear as a mental pause, it is not exactly that. The mind simply cannot proceed using its known production methods. It may need a new weaving technique. The mind can search for the paradigm it needs within its own potential, or it may extend outward from its center, asking: “If you were me, what would you do?” A plausible answer may enable the loom’s reconfiguration.
Another function of silence is the suspension of the meaning making process. In this case, the mind enters an internal incubation phase. The process of producing meaning has not ended, but the urgency code of the problem has been lifted by the mind, removing it from the immediate agenda. Looms that appear to have stopped are actually developing an analysis of which thread should be used in the construction of new meaning,testing past, present, and future scenarios separately. A low frequency functional motor works quietly in the background, without exhausting the thought occupied with daily tasks. The apparent stillness can be interpreted as the problem being delegated to a subconscious layer for resolution.
So, what happens if the meaning making process fails despite all efforts? This question points to the most fragile point of the mental weaving metaphor. The answer lies in the mind’s defense mechanism. This mechanism excludes unsolvable problems to protect the system’s health and performance. Exclusion does not mean erasure from memory. Since every piece of information processed through synaptic pathways leaves a biological trace, it can never be truly erased. In this context, the mind can be said to assume a neuro recording function, akin to the mission attributed to the recording angels in divine narratives.
When the mind excludes a problem, it activates a new defense strategy. This strategy is built on distancing a particular thought, feeling, or phenomenon from the processing field,either consciously or unconsciously. The exclusion process can be explained in several steps:
1. Conscious rejection: The mind refuses to engage with the problem and pushes it into the unconscious. This does not mean the person hasn’t experienced the problem,only that they avoid direct confrontation.
2. Perceptual filtering: Sometimes, even if the individual senses the problem’s presence, they apply mental filters to avoid defining it. This is a typical case of ignoring.
3. Distancing of meaning: The problem is accepted in a disconnected context. In other words, its existence is acknowledged, but its vibration is silenced, so it no longer disturbs.
4. Conceptual autonomy: The mind may deem certain issues insufficiently real or important and push them outside its domain. That is, the problem is rejected from the moment it is encountered and is never internalized.
An episode from Dr. Murat Saban’s Ocean of Knowledge and Thought Series was presented.
A fascinating exploration of how the mind navigates complex emotions and problems through a metaphor of weaving and mental silence. It highlights the importance of allowing space for thought and the potential for new meaning-making processes to emerge. The discussion on defense mechanisms and the mind’s ability to exclude unsolvable problems is particularly insightful, emphasizing the mind’s resilience and adaptability. It’s a thought-provoking read that invites reflection on our own mental processes and how we handle challenges.
A powerful post 💪I have been thinking about the question of meanging for many years 🧐
I think you nail it here by talking about going beyond meaning to silence 🤔 Your mind will always search for meaning but when you cannot find it, you must have faith 🔥