Michael Santiago

                                           Brain Games Episode 1 Paragraphs         

                                  
    The first episode of Brain Games is known as "Watch This!," and it focuses on the way the brain can mislead people when it comes to what they see, and to a lesser extent what they feel. Multiple examples and explanations are shown throughout the episode, starting with how two seemingly different colored tile are actually the same color due to the flaws of perception and thought. Other examples, such as one similar to the original but with a rubix cube and different colors, the length of different sized cardboard being the same due to perspective and the feel of a fake arm manipulating the feelings of pain and shock are showcased. The episode mainly focused on explaining how the brain's functions worked and how things may be perceived at first but end up being completely different through various revelations, and it showcases these things at great length the entire time.
    At one point in time, I like many others, went to high school. I thought it was going to feel like a haven full of new opportunities and a way to continue my middle school story from where it left off for the better. I perceived it to be a place where over time I would finally improve my social aspects further and make something of myself. Instead, it ended up being a complete waste overall. Much like the fake arm test in Brain Games, I first felt like intrigue at what was going to happen like the people involved in that test, and came out of it feeling a sense of pain and shock like the people when the mallet hit their fake arm, only what I felt through those four years was completely authentic. Opportunities were limited. Friends were cut down. Any chance at a relationship eliminated by bad luck and a lack of reason. Any good moments that existed can never outweigh everything I dealt with during those dark times, and my creations suffered the price of these hardships, too. The pain and shock of the fake arm impacted me in a similar way, and I know now that things like high school can not be accurately perceived fully until it is experienced first-hand.