White Matter
White matter is very important for skill acquisition. In his book, The Talent Code, Daniel Coyle argues that white matter is a sort of insulant that helps solidify what we learn, making mastery possible. Coyle argues that deep practice reinforces neural circuits, which are covered with insulating white matter.
Coyle provides some practical advice for those of us wishing to level up our skills. The main idea is to practice, and to practice deeply.
Speaking of white matter, RadioLab recently re-aired an episode on deception. In it, white matter is linked to people’s ability to come up with lies on the spot. It seems like compulsive liars, according to some preliminary research, are more likely to have high amounts of white matter in their brain. This fits with Coyle’s ideas, since this kind of matter would make it possible for someone to access well insulated synaptic connections to come up with a good lie. Neither theory accounts for the compulsion to lie, however. I think this is because the relationship between lies and white matter is not causal.
Whatever the case may be, it seems like white matter is expanding our understanding of the brain now, as much as gray matter did in the fifties. I like to think of it as the gift of liars, athletes, and writers.
This brief article is based on my understanding of the subject, but I’m not a neurologist, so check out Coyle’s book and the RadioLab Episode let me know what you think.
According to wikipedia.org, the image in this article is in the public domain
Mind Hacks: The mighty fortress of belief
Here is an awesome article about belief. It might have subconsciously inspired my own. Though I didn’t get a chance to read it until today. Enjoy!
Sound and Fury
There is something amazing that can only happen when we completely surrender to our creative impulses, or so we are told. People’s infatuation with artistic endeavors has been a major contributor to the downfall of their own creative expression, it is as if artists had this special and unique place in society that somehow gives them the license to create. The truth is that each and every one of us has the ability, and to a certain degree, the obligation to create.
I am not going to argue that everyone has the ability to create beautiful things, since a lot of what is beautiful in the postmodernist sense, is determined by the conversations between critics and their followers, and since classical beauty takes lifetimes of skill. What I’d like to argue is that integrating creativity in to our lives is a very important and worthwhile pursuit, even if only a few people get to see the fruits of our labor.
Art here, is not defined as the high grade agreement between critics and their audiences, but as the immersion in the observation and interaction with the universe, by this definition, even the lowliest of crafts fall in to the creative expression of universal connection.
A lot of what we create depends on developing our ability to perceive the world in an active way. Most of us contemplate the Universe, but rarely touch it. Most artists, writers, and scientist carry notebooks, recorders, or any other way to capture their impressions about the world at large. This capturing of impressions allows us to transcend life as we recall it. The example of Anne Frank comes to mind, as she wrote, a world largely outside her control, presumably fell into place, and though her story ends tragically, the solace of her writing is a consolation to the survivors.
During the holocaust, any other women created crafts in order to maintain a sense of dignity as they were submitted to unrepeatable acts of horror. It wasn’t that the art was great, or even beautiful. It was human, and in that humanity, it was transcendent.
For me, carrying a journal (electronic or otherwise) makes life brighter and more vivid. It let’s me put things in perspective and lubricates my thoughts. There is a sense that I am, as Joseph Campbell would put it “joyfully participating in the sorrows of the world”, though, of course, the amount of pain that I have experienced as a middle class resident of a first world country is nothing compared to what some people have to go through, but it is writing and creation that keeps this fact in perspective.
Recording our lives in words, song, or painting helps us to internalize them, and to make even the most mundane of moments relevant. Documenting and really observing give life to our myths and stories, and waves the tapestry of our lives, even if it is a personal one. Let the great artists make our collective memories, but do not allow yourself to lose your own. Always carry with you a sense that everything is waiting to be expressed by your writing, stitching, or photographing.
Some Thoughts on Belief
One of my best friends came for dinner on her way to the Rainbow Gathering in Philadelphia. Although I consider myself to be a fairly open minded person, I had a hard time not rolling my eyes at some of her ideas, but I also noticed her boyfriend’s self restraint after me or my wife expressed some of our convictions. In the end we managed to have a good time, but I am sure that my friend did the same thing my wife and I did on the way back from our reunion, that is, we had a long conversation about the points we could have made, had we not been constrained by social niceties.
I am not interested in talking about the issues that were brought up over our dinner conversation, I am sure most of you can imagine how things went. We talked about the virtues of a vegan diet as compared to a local natural one. We even dabbled in homeopathy, and vaccinations, and capitalism. Being that my wife and I were not on our way to the Rainbow Gathering, most readers should be able to figure out where we stood. What interested me about this conversation, other than the pleasure of my good friend’s company, was that I couldn’t believe in some of the things she and her boyfriend believed. In some cases it wasn’t that I even had an opposite belief, it simply was that I could not get my brain to even consider their ideas.
I am fascinated by the things people see as real, and enjoy being confronted with different world views, because they force me to consider parts of the big picture that I never though about before. Emergence theory, for instance, was a new concept when I read about it for the first time, and it changed my life forever, but some ideas are behind me. It is as if I’ve gone past a point of no return, and nothing short of concrete evidence will let me consider them. It is not that I’ve found a substitute belief. When I quit believing in Santa, for instance, I did not have to find an alternative, I just let him go.
The more I learn about the world, the less I believe in things. I have also had to let go of certainty, rather, my mind just looks at things, and measures how plausible they are. In some cases, those things fall into the very implausible category, and no amount of faith or good will can force me to suspend disbelief, evidence, in the other hand, can persuade me very quickly, and leave me free to abandon old ideas as quickly as I let go of Santa.
You won’t find me at a Rainbow Gathering any time soon, maybe not ever, but I can appreciate the existential search people in the fringe are going through. It makes for an interesting exchange and it gave us something to talk about as we shared our table. I always learn from all people, even when my brain is wired differently.
Is there anything you can’t believe no matter how much you may want to believe in it? Do you make concessions to people who believe differently in order to maintain harmony? Are there any beliefs you are unwilling to let go? If so, why?
Note: A Rainbow Gathering is a reunion of individuals with similar values, who participate in an outdoor celebration. They hold hippie, countercultural, and bohemian attitudes. Although I respect other people’s ideologies, some of their views are very different form mine. They are not necessarily associated with the LGBT movement, which I support.
It’s the End of the World as we Know it.
A little bit of nostalgia. I used to love this song. Still do.
Thoughts on NYC
I miss living in a city that is waiting to be forever discovered by it’s inhabitants. I miss the knowledge that you belong there, as make your way through an ecosystem designed to support YOUR life.
Librarians are my heroes!
I was very moved and impressed by this:
I’m going to see if there is a way to contribute to this project, and I’ll let everyone know.
Bad Retro
I grew up watching Mexican Wrestler movies. Perhaps that is why I find Ed Wood so fascinating. There is something about retro that enchants me, and I’m not talking about bad retro here, because there is plenty of that, no, I am talking about horrible retro. For some reason, it seems to me like the people who made all of those terrible movies were actually having fun with the process, regardless of the results they afforded them.
It really takes a lot of courage to put on a mask and to go out in to a ring when you can’t wear a shirt, and all you have for protection is a little silver cape, especially when facing vampire wrestlers. It’s almost as humiliating as presenting a movie where you have to use the same obviously fake settings over and over again, in order to create stories that may seem incomprehensible to the rest of the world, but the original Star Trek has a following.
Maybe I love these movies because they transported me as a child despite their lack of polish. Maybe the fact that I could recreate them in my own backyard did the trick. I don’t know, but I suspect that I enjoy them because they demand that I surrender myself completely to them. They also give me permission to not take them seriously, because their only aim is to amuse me. I love the fact that we can be absolutely engrossed by a simple story, no matter how basic it is. I love the “beginners mind” displayed by these films.
I do enjoy art and literature, don’t take me wrong, but tin foil aliens will always have a place in my heart.
Ethan of Athos
Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Well, Bujold did it again! Another great novel by one of my favorite writers. While it cold be argued that Bujold writes military science fiction, doing so misess the point of her sublime storytelling ablities. Bujold’s fictional universe is consistent and alive, as well as populated by real people you can care about. I honestly think that her stories will, someday, become a part of the literary cannon. The lady can write circles around most other authors. I’m not a big fan The Sharing Knife (yet) but theVorkosigan and the Challion series are sublime. I’m glad I was able to find some more of her works as I recover from being sick.
Note: I wrote this review on June 17th, 2009. I had been sick for only a few days and my health situation had not yet deteriorated to the point it eventually did. While typing this short review was physically difficult, I was only getting a taste of what would come next. I wasn’t able to write more than a few sentences at a time for many weeks without feeling very sick with vertigo and nausea. I am grateful for those meager sentences, however. Needless to say, my experience gave me a new appreciation and a sense of gratefulness for writing, and of course, for my returning health.
The Crow's Dream 
