As thorough as the left critical brain seems to be and as much as it is busy thinking and measuring all of the time, this adult, sensible part of the brain is also quite lazy. In its measurement, this side will take the path of least resistance in order to quickly assess a situation or circumstance, so that it can quickly move on to the next situation or circumstance. This keeps everyone and everything in its safest, most unchanged, state. The rational brain can assess things very quickly and, like I said, is quite lazy. It wants to “sum it up and package it” as quickly as it can in order to go on to the next issue or thing. I believe that this is a contributing factor to the cause of a hell of a lot of human strife. I’ll explain.
We love to be able to say it’s “black-and-white”, “ying and yang”, or “hot and cold”. We love to be able to say an “Apple a day keeps the doctor away”, or “Thou shalt not kill”, or “All gays do that”, or “Muslim people do this”, or “Russians do that”. The left analytical brain likes to sum things up in nice little sound-bytes, tidy little black and white dictates or packages. It loves to assess things in opposite terms, this or that, and not take the time to dissect all of the grey, more specific areas in between. It takes a lot of time and energy to dissect the grey areas, to delve into the specificity. It also, quite often, takes a lot of courage. But everything, is truly NOT black and white. This critical brain likes to make quick, tangible assessments, analyze, sum up, and move on. The investigative brain asks the question, “Why is this happening? Must know now!”, gets its answer, and moves on to the next thing.
Unfortunately what the brain is processing isn’t all of the truth. It’s a mixed up tidy little labeled facsimile of the truth. Anything for the answer, “Why?”. Anything in order to move on. The need for the left brain to make sense and assess the package of everything is the very reason that the first thing we ask when horrible tragedy occurs is “Why?”. “How could have this happened?” “Why did this have to happen?” “What was the reason?” We question the “senseless murders” or speak of the “sensless deaths”, as if making sense of them would help. What could possibly make it better by making sense? It never brings people back from death or tragedy but it does help people move on, whether it seems justified for them to do so or no. As long as the logical side of your brain can package it into ANY answer, it can at least go forward. It can “make sense of it”.
Often, if not actually always, the brain’s need to answer that question, no matter what the circumstances, trumps everything. It is the biggest burning question in all ways: Why? Once we even THINK we have an answer, we can go on.
This is also why we look for so many different theories or attempts to answer, “Why do we exist?”, or “What is the MEANING of life?”. Sometimes almost any answer will do to satisfy the need for reason in our brains, just so we can go on with the living and moving forward for another day. “It’s rationalized for now”, we think. At least in order to put it on the shelf a bit and enjoy another day. This is the “comfort” that many schools or thought and religions and philosophies and cults offer. The alleveiation of the left side of the brain’s need to answer the question, “Why?” and to find meanng. People live and unfortunately die throughout history trying to answer that question.
I should like to take the time, every once in a while as we look at creating, to dig a bit deeper into the specificity and grey areas, all the while keeping in mind Werner Heisenberg, and remember that because we are observing it in a certain way it will affect the very thing we are observing.
Perhaps in looking at innovation in this way, with specificity and an eye for observing the effect of the act of observation itself, may we truly go out of our fucking minds.
Got it?
Let’s move on.