Toccara Benson
Bio
I’m artsy & I like to create various types of content. I have a witty sense of humor but I also have a sentimental side. My first love is poetry, but I do all sorts of creative writing. I hope you enjoy!
Stories (7)
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Religion & Relationships. Content Warning.
Can’t We All Just Get Along? The topic of religiosity and its impact on relationships has always fascinated me. From birth, external influences shape much of our identity, particularly in the context of religion. As we gain knowledge, it becomes apparent that some belief systems may struggle to evolve alongside new discoveries. This resistance can lead to judgment, division, and an “us versus them” mentality, which I find to be detrimental to an already divided society.
By Toccara Bensonabout a year ago in Critique
Trauma & the effects on humans
When humans experience trauma, endorphins are released to essentially come and save the day by soothing the emotional pain. While we are largely unaware of the day to day activities of our neurotransmitters, this process often causes people to subconsciously seek out the same pain they’ve experienced over and over to get that same rush of endorphins again. Almost like a drug. This is most common in relationships whether romantic or platonic. An example of this is you might find yourself in and out of relationships with people who don’t value you or friends who talk down to you. You’re left broken after the break ups… then after you’ve peaked with grief, here comes the rush of those confusing endorphins again unbeknownst to you, convincing you that you’re fine now; Meanwhile there’s all this unhealed trauma left there to rear its ugly head in future relationships as well as repeat. This is technically how trauma bonds are formed if you’re into how the chemical side of things work. Oxytocin bonding can also play a role.
By Toccara Bensonabout a year ago in Humans
Agent Detection Bias
Let me start by saying that my intention is not to dissuade anyone from their belief system, but to simply give you something to ponder on. Throughout the course of history, there has always been the question and sometimes assertion that an omnipotent being is responsible for creating the earth. There are also claims that this being holds the power to rule over living things. This has been a topic of much debate because these claims have not been demonstrable in the past or present. On top of not being demonstrable these claims are also unfalsifiable. You can’t prove or disprove which is why I am not going to assert anything here. There is no doubt that a large portion of the population truly believes that there is an omnipotent and omnipresent being, but there is also growing number of people that do not believe this. I recently took a couple of online courses provided by the University of Edinburgh on Science, Philosophy and Religion that touched on some things I found very interesting when it comes to unpacking these beliefs. In these courses, I learned a term that was foreign to me at the time and it is possibly foreign to many others so I decided to look into it a little more. The term I’m referring to is agent detection or “agent detection bias”. The definition of agent detection is the inclination for animals, including humans, to presume the purposeful intervention of a sentient or intelligent agent in situations that may or may not involve one. Some scientists say that the belief in a creator as some spiritual beimg is due to this bias. So how did this theory come about? Well first, let’s define science. Science, meaning knowledge in Latin, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of demonstrable explanations about the universe. In using this method, observations over time suggest that agent detection is not inherent but is actually an evolutionary byproduct and that it’s related to the natural inclination to preserve life. For example, if you hear a door creak in a house you were supposedly alone in, your immediate response may be alarm due to a force or “agent” being behind it that could cause you harm. So in an act of self-preservation, we either act and/or we suddenly become on guard, which is otherwise known as being in “fight or flight” mode as opposed to “rest and digest” mode. Even if the reason for the door creaking turned out to be a draft from a cracked window or a gush of air from the heating/cooling system turning on, at the moment the door creaked there was no visible explanation as to why that happened. As humans we’ll often default to agent detection bias even though there was no visible agent there. Some scientists believe that this trait manifests in other ways in humans as well and is possibly the foundation for the belief in a god. Take note that these scientists are not claiming that agent detection is the ONLY reason for belief in a god because there are other factors involved such as indoctrination which can be powerful. So will we ever know the truth? Maybe and maybe not. Personally, I’ve learned that it’s better to have more questions than answers so at least you’re open to the truth instead of being forced to do mental gymnastics just to support a claim that you already perceived as the truth. Now while many historians of science and religion, scientists of various fields, theologians, philosophers etc., have regarded science and religion as separate forms of knowledge, others believe they are interconnected or even parallel each other. No one seems to have a definite answer with concrete evidence, only theories. Perhaps in the future the mystery of life and it’s origination will be clearly defined by either science or religion. The question is, which one will it be? Will it be one or the other or both? I can’t answer that question but if someone were to ask me this question, my bet would be on science. Science does not claim to be the “truth”, but merely a means on getting to the truth in an evidence based fashion as opposed to mysticism which is faith based. With faith, there is not demonstrable evidence there so you really take a gamble with that. At least science will change its stance and evolve based on new evidence and information but I have yet to see religion do the same. This is just something to ponder on and maybe look into a little deeper because it’s important to be able to look at different perspectives. Critical thinking is crucial when it comes to the evolving of society.
By Toccara Benson5 years ago in Futurism
An unconventional night
A couple of friends & I were sitting around a warm fire pit on a mild autumn night. We were in the middle of nowhere & not a neighbor was in sight. The drinks were flowing, the laughter growing, as we sat outside with the warm flames glowing. The only way to describe it would be liquid courage at best, that caused the events that happened next... so please grab a snack while you listen to the rest....
By Toccara Benson5 years ago in Poets
