On completion of Oliver Sacks book Musicophilia I have taken away that the brain is seeded with three fundamental ingredients for whole-brain thinking.
Language (narrative - self), Motion (social-cultural), rhythm (music - nature) – Are the three ingredients that we are born with to establish whole-brain thinking. In the parentheses I placed how the essential three would place in a comprehensive, all-inclusive worldview. All three of them overlap with one another but that is the point of whole-brain thinking, a broader perspective. Accepting that nature has a rhythm, and culture has motion, and language is understating our own narrative, is a means for our personal betterment.
Out of these essential three, two of them get dropped as the years go by: motion and rhythm. Our education system cuts arts and athletics programs due to financial reasons. In adult life music/art and exercise take a back seat to daily employment. I consider that the lack of attention to motion and rhythm to have a dramatic effect on our cultural and nature wakefulness. By disconnecting ourselves from the basic life ingredients we cause ourselves to be less alive and even to create disease within ourselves. Removing motion and rhythm is like removing food and water from our life. Language is evolving; new words correspond with new ideas. Language is used, practiced and enjoyed. No matter what state or stage of life you’re at your vocabulary is growing. The same cannot be said for motion and rhythm.
Rhythm and motion can help save us from different neurological conditions. Similar to how meditation can literally change our brains through mental training. Rhythm, motion and meditation are being recognized as something that takes advantage of the plasticity of the brain. Improving plasticity of the brain is comparable to upgrading your computer, more memory, more speed and better overall functionality.
I am not advocating that everybody play an instrument and join a gym. However I am advocating that we place effort into balancing our lives while improving our rhythm and motion in the sublet parts of lives. Our mind and body are on loan only for a short time. Maximize the experience that we get to have while we have a mind and body to enjoy.
