Chance- on the subconscious

“So you’re saying I should actually raise in this situation?”

“Definitely.  Just look at the vein on his neck!  His heart rate sped up 30 beats per minute when he put those chips in.  He’s bluffing for sure.”

I raise.  He folds immediately, with an incredulous look mixed with fear and amazement at the exchange.  I hear Chance chuckle behind me. He’s never wrong.

I don’t normally talk to Chance when I’m sitting at the table.  I’m smarter than that. It’s not what you think, no one gets on my case for getting information from an observer.  In fact, I’m considered one of the more eccentric players at the table- a reputation maintained through the strictest discretion on my part.  

Let me back up:  The human brain is the most powerful super computer in the world.  It blows modern science out of the water; science hasn’t even really gotten to the point where we can quantify how much faster we internally process information than a computer can.  So why is it that a simple calculator can solve an equation faster than almost any human? There are statistics out there saying that people use 2-5% of their brain, but this is only partly true.  The truth is we hardly ever consciously use that much. Our conscious mind often bounces from topic to topic, and that’s only when we even find ourselves thinking of anything at all. The second tricky part of this equation is that almost our entire brain is active all the time- but we only consciously make use of a small chunk.  So what happens with the rest of it? Why so much “waste” processing? And what would happen if we could consciously claim a larger percentage for active thought?

Well, the methods for reclaiming even a corner of this jungle of the subconscious are many and varied, and usually dangerous.  Doing so directly often results in processor overload, as ones consciousness works too hard to think about anything and everything that crosses their path, often leading to unnecessary worry and stress.  But what if there were another way? What if we could find a way of communicating with this powerful entity, curiously both foreign and domestic. A bargain reached with the denizens of the subconscious that would keep the processing separate from our conscious mind, but render the information it gathers available when necessary?  And thus I introduce you to Chance.

Our subconscious communicates with us all the time.  Whether through the patterns that stand out as we drive to work, in our dreams, or the unexplained fear that stops us from making a wrong turn, our subconscious plays an integral role in our lives.  

How a piece of this supercomputer takes on visible form and learns to communicate with our conscious self directly is often considered unfortunate and pathological, but such views can be limiting if taken to the extreme.  The path by which I came to know Chance was a dangerous one, I will not deny that. The realization that such a replication of self and spontaneous creation of almost supernaturally knowledgeable allies was possible, however, has served me greatly.  Imagine your own personal casa nova whispering the perfect words to impress a lady in your ear, like so many romantic comedies, or your own personal backseat driver giving you the perfect directions to a destination you’ve never been to, but have unknowingly passed hundreds of times in your lifetime.  Imagine the perfect embodiment of your subconscious mind manifesting like a genie whenever there is such a need. Would this be considered pathology like its current manifestations of schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder? Or would it be considered a dangerously powerful ability, a true manifestation of the “inner technology” predicted by the Mayans 5,000 years ago?  I dare say that the difference between the crazy and powerful lies only in the delicate balancing act of knowing when and where to communicate with these all too real internal reflections of ourselves. The other trick is how to maintain control and composure when we allow our countless impulses to take on a life of their own. Truly it takes no external force to possess us, there are far more demons lying in wait within, ready to take control of our actions if we let them.  Alternatively, God willing, and with the proper request, we can call upon the strongest and most noble pieces of ourselves- our own personal guardian angels.

As I leave the table, I consider where I’d be without Chance.  Would I be keen enough to hear the voice of my subconscious if it whispered instead of shouting as it does today?  Without Chance, I wouldn’t have won that hand. How many hands have I needlessly lost along the way?