6.14 Confusion

It's mainly when our systems fail that consciousness becomes engaged. For example, we walk and talk without much sense of how we actually do those things. But a person with an injured leg may, for the first time, begin to formulate theories about how walking works (To turn to the left, I'll have to push myself that way,) and then perhaps consider which muscles might accomplish that goal. When we recognize that we're confused, we begin to reflect on how our minds solve problems and engage the little we know about our strategies of thought. Then we find ourselves saying things like this:

• "Now I must get organized. Why can't I concentrate on the important questions and not get distracted by those other nonessential details?"

Paradoxically, it is smart to realize that one is confused — as opposed to being confused without knowing it. For that stimulates us to apply our intellect to altering or repairing the defective process. Yet we dislike and disparage the sense of confusion, not appreciating the quality of this recognition.

However, once your B-brains make you start to ask yourself What was I really attempting to do? you can exploit that as an opportunity to change your goals or change how you describe your situation. That way, you can escape the distress of feeling trapped because there seem to be no adequate alternatives. The conscious experience of confusion can resemble pain; perhaps this is because of how they both impel us to discover ways to escape from a predicament. The difference is that confusion is directed against a person's own failing state of mind, whereas pain reflects exterior disturbances. In either case, internal processes must be demolished and rebuilt.

Both confusion and pain have injurious effects when they lead us to abandon goals on larger scales than appropriate: The entire subject makes me feel ill. Perhaps I should abandon the whole project, occupation, or relationship. But even such dispiriting thoughts can serve as probes for finding other agencies that might be engaged for help.