Mud

They say that the frontal cortex is the part of brain that got developed lastly. Meaning, this is the part of brain which made us humans. There's no single part of the brain that does any human activity single-handedly. Multiple parts of the brain function in collaboration in order to do any activity. There are many important functions that are proved to be mainly done by the frontal cortex. Among them, today I am trying to single out a few functions for my specific purpose. Frontal cortex is responsible for logical reasoning, speech production, emotional and behavioral control, maintaining focus, delaying gratification, navigating social interaction, social cohesion, modulating emotional responses, preventing impulsive reactions, shaping personality and self awareness, planning, decision making.

I would say that these are the most important areas concerning spirituality or things usually handled by religion. (When I use the word 'religion' I am not meaning the organizational part of Religion/s).

Though their methods are different and address different areas of reality, logical reasoning is basic to both. While science uses experiments and observation, religion uses observation and absraction, reason is common to both these human endeavors.

Speech production is an activity of our frontal cortex. Word is the most symbolic activity. It's meaning making. Religion is essentially meaning making.

Another area of the frontal cortex is emotional and behavioral control. Again, these are areas covered by religion. A religious person is the one who has attained a certain level of emotional and behavioral control.

Maintaining focus is another thing that comes under the domain of our frontal cortex. Religion always tries to equip people to maintain focus through mindfulness, reflection and meditation.

Organized Religion has been often pooh-poohed for promising after-death gratification. Even though there could be a economic and social danger in over-emphesizing this delayed gratification, it's a fact that delaying gratification is very basic to making achievements in life. And, frontal cortex is that part of the brain that helps us to invest now and wait for a delayed gratification. If everyone only looks for instant gratifications, there can be no learning, no research, no development and no science.

Navigating social interaction and enabling oneself for social cohesion are also done by the frontal cortex. Through their teachings and values, these are things that religion encapacitats people with.

Preventing impulsive reactions and modulating emotional responses are things done by the frontal cortex. And, these are exactly the things religion wants people to attain through their various teachings and dictates.

Shaping personality and building self awareness are two important functions of religion. And they are also done by the faculty of our frontal cortex.

Planning and decision making are not usually seen as related to religion. At one point Jesus would say that one has to sit down to calculate whether one has the resources to complete the project and then make the appropriate decisions to move forward. Yes, even to love is a serious decision one has to make. These planning and decision making that are done by the frontal cortex have got a religious side to it.

As we know that this part of the brain is the last to develop and evolve in the making of a human, it is also developed at a later stage in human development. Which means, in children this part of the brain is under developed. It gets developed only when one is around twentyfive or so. Until then one is less reasoning-more sporadic, emotionally more impulsive, less focused, pleasure seeking and instant-gratifying, personality wise more confused and less planning. As a young adult the frontal cortex gets developed and one begins to think about the meaning of life, becomes less impulsive, more self controlled, more behaved, more socially adjusted and more capable of delayed gratifications and more and more planning. Perhaps it's only when one is forty and above s/he becomes spiritually mature. And this process can go on. It simply means one is activating hir frontal cortex to its capacity.

For reasons identified or unidentified, if people at a certain point in history tend to under-utilize their frontal cortex, please don't tell me that forever thereafter they are going to do the same!