This passage from "Breath by Breath" by Larry Rosenberg is one of the most important statements I have ever read. Another important book, "Incognito" by Eagleman and its companion, "Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain" by Barrett have emphasized how much of me is not available to my conscious mind. But what is available is much related to my attention. A great deal depends on what I think about, what I pay attention to.
There are limits to my attention. I can get bored or tired. I can want something different to look at or to attend to.
Of course, drugs, including alcohol, can change my limits and my wants. So, can music, both melody and rhythm. The musical "Amandla!" shows the power, the armoring, hypnotic power of group chants, humming and singing. If we stay with the beat and focus on the dance and the group effort, we can do a great deal. I have been listening to Beethoven's 9th Symphony on repeat for more than a year but I recently switched to a CD of "America's 25 Favorite Hymns". Since childhood, I have felt the power of a hymn with a good rhythm and a nice tune, regardless of my theology. I can pay attention to the hymn in my head for a long time.
