Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Start Making Sense
I remember a while back my fascination with the information in a book titled The Secret Life of the Brain, modeled after a PBS documentary by the same name. The very accessible narrative allowed even the non-scientifically inclined to readily comprehend the various stages of human brain development and deterioration throughout a lifetime, in a way that helped make sense of the challenges faced at different ages, as well as the limitations on what can reasonably be expected of our learning capacity under these very different mental conditions.
I thought of this recently--and do more often, now--as I watch children in the park devise dangerous amusements, listen to my 80-year-old father's complaints about attempting to master basic computer skills, observe teenagers exercising questionable judgment, or try to imagine retraining myself at 53 in a new field of employment.
The book itself is a pleasure to read, partly because of the straightforward explanations of what actually transpires in our cortex, but also because it enables us to be more understanding, empathic human beings. While we may live in a society unstructured to reward or take advantage of such things as the judgment and perspective and knowledge acquired with maturation, we can at least be well-informed in order to better deal with the effects of this pervasive malevolence.
I thought of this recently--and do more often, now--as I watch children in the park devise dangerous amusements, listen to my 80-year-old father's complaints about attempting to master basic computer skills, observe teenagers exercising questionable judgment, or try to imagine retraining myself at 53 in a new field of employment.
The book itself is a pleasure to read, partly because of the straightforward explanations of what actually transpires in our cortex, but also because it enables us to be more understanding, empathic human beings. While we may live in a society unstructured to reward or take advantage of such things as the judgment and perspective and knowledge acquired with maturation, we can at least be well-informed in order to better deal with the effects of this pervasive malevolence.
