As pompous as that reads, it is nonetheless a state of mind. With advancing years, it is essential to keep the brain functioning. At the moment, physical exercise is not as much of an issue as mental exercise, or rather it is as important; however, physical abilities tend to decrease with longevity no matter how much exercise you do, whereas mental acuity can disappear in a trice unless some cerebral activity is undertaken. I am assuming this is a reasonable view even though I am not a scientist, anatomist or physiologist.
As to the brain, one can perhaps borrow as few maxims from popular culture. “What happens in the brain, stays in the brain” and “The first rule of The Brain, is you do not talk about The Brain”. With that in mind, welcome to the brain. The second rule of The Brain is YOU DO NOT talk about The Brain. Third rule of the brain: if some incident causes extreme trauma and conscious thinking ceases, The Brain is over. Fourth rule: keep interaction limited. Fifth rule: one grand thought at a time. Sixth rule: Thinking is to be individual, no outside aids, no ChatGPT. Seventh rule: Thinking will go on for as long as it has to: The eighth and final rule: If this is your first time with consciousness, you have to think.
What is remarkable is that despite its flexibility and ability to absorb information it can become locked and rigid, perhaps even frozen. What is difficult to understand is why so much of our behaviour is dependent on the information that is put into the brain whilst in its infancy when so much more information is absorbed in later life. Why do the first five, or so, years of input have such a hold on the rest of our lives?
Most countries with an established representative government institute a form of early education to teach its children basic information to enable them to function in society. We learn to read, write and count. In addition, due to the most usually adopted method of education, it is performed in groups with a teacher and similarly aged students in a classroom where a framework is created for learning social skills as well.
The learning or curriculum is expanded, as we grow older, from basic reading, writing and counting, into the study of one’s native language and literature as well as more complex forms of mathematics. Additional cultural activities are included, such as history, geography, sciences, music, art, and sport. The progression is towards learning certain subjects in more depth and perhaps specialising in certain areas of higher education which would include law, politics, economics and philosophy, as well as architecture and more sophisticated science and technology. Not everyone goes on to university education and may prefer to learn more practical skills or develop their artistic proficiency and talent in fine art, music and drama.
Although we like to think that all human brains are exactly alike in structure, they may not be so similar in respect of capability. Not everyone is able to follow the trajectory indicated above, and even those who do sometimes, or perhaps more often than one supposes, fall away from completing the course. The great tragedy is that most of the world’s population doesn’t even have the chance to start the journey. Despite all that, the basic desire and instinct of any human being is for adequate food, shelter, security, health and safety, freedom to roam or not, as the case may be, without interference and in peace. All rather simple and straight forward; yet, the diversity of opinions on how to achieve that state of affairs, is problematic and chaotic in the extreme. This results from the same structural material we all carry in our heads. This malleable collection of nerves, cells, neurons and synapses has produced religious fundamentalism, bigotry, obstinacy, narcissism and psychopathy as well as compassion, love, generosity and civility.
What can we make of this mess? We have a world body of united nations who have established a forum through which to air our differences and yet more groups and treaties between nations to do the same. What is so difficult about coming together? What creates this necessity to impose someone’s fixed ideas on others? What is it about a flexible and accommodating organ such as the brain that makes it so rigid, uncompromising and ready to do evil?
What is it that permits the leader of one country to ignore the representations of masses of people around the world and other world leaders to stop the killing? What allows the powers that be to ignore the appeals of its own citizens to stop aggression and counter aggression? How long does it take for sense to prevail? Why has education and experience so dismally failed the representative leaders and legislators of nations and peoples? There must be some way out of here. I put it to you and I leave it with you.
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