A common thread? Art, impulse, leadership and brain dissorders.

I found this post on boingboing to be extremely interesting.

I am a somewhat impulsive persons - some have called it decisiveness, others have called it rashness, some consider it to be a positive trait (I can decide and act quickly), and others have discovered, as I have, that it can be quite costly at times! I can decide on things in a fairly short space of time and then commit myself to act upon them. This has been a great blessing throughout my life! It has helped me to qualify early, attain certain positions in the Church and in society, it has helped me to get published (and help others to do the same).

I have noticed that there are many other 'entrepreneurs' who share this decisive and impulsive nature. I see it in friends and colleagues frequently.

Of course over the years, and particularly as part of my research into the functioning of the human brain, I have tried to understand this impulse. How is it that I can be so certain about some things when other take so long to decide? How is it possible that I can commit myself, sometimes against the odds, when others are so cautious?

I am aware that I have some irregular brain activity (both from an electrical and from a chemical perspective). I have a deficiency in melatonin, which has allowed me to cope with very little sleep. Moreover, I have discovered that I have fairly widespread 40hz oscillations that allow me to gain a longer term, 'transcendent', perspective (what some call 'the big picture') on things. It takes a little more energy for me to pay attention to the details - I like to paint broad brush strokes.

The post below got me wondering when a 'difference' in someone's brain (whether it be the wiring or the chemical makeup) becomes a pathology? There is little doubt that all of us are subject to the calcification of our dendrites as we age - this hinders both the processing capacity of the brain, and the speed at which we process things. Moreover, as we age our chemical makeup shifts significantly (there are constant changes in the neurophysiology, and particularly the neuro-endocrine system as a result of changes in the glands, the body's capacity to manufacture and distribute chemicals, and of course such things as social context, diet, and general spiritual, emotional and physical well being).

Someone recently commented to a friend 'If you want balance, buy a scale! What most people need is not balance, but equilibrium' I have thought about this quite a bit. I don't think that I would cope with a slower lifestyle (people frequently tell me to slow down. I don't want to! I would find a lack of expectation, challenge and business quite frustrating - in fact I think that it would be quite unhealthy for me as an individual and that lack of equilibrium would have a negative effect on my body, my mind, and my relationships). I suppose that through a complex web of interconnected factors such as socialization, genetics, and personal preference each of us develops a particular 'brain state' within which we operate optimally.

The other thought that I had was this:

What constitutes a formal pathology in cases such as these?

For example, if the gentleman referred to below did not give up his job and take up art, would he have been considered 'healthy' if he stayed on in a position that he longer had any passion or interest in? Surely, that is a pathology in itself (even if it cannot be directly measured through quantifiable means)? Or, is his case considered 'pathological' since society frowns upon persons who take a different route!? Society says "something must be wrong with this guy! He was a lawyer who gives up a position that is adding value to society and the economy in order to create works of art (that are not all that appealing)"

I tend to think that sometimes normallity is anything BUT normal!

How is it that people can NOT believe in transcendence and mystery when they have witnessed the birth of a child? That does not make sense to me!

How is it possible that in South Africa the majority of the population would be willing to vote for a man who has been implicated in rape, admitted to having sex with an HIV positive person (and then says that he took a shower afterward to protect himself from getting infected with HIV), and has over 700 charges of corruption against him... This is NOT normal. There is a widespread 'pathology' that is thinly veiled as 'normality'.

Well, those are a few of my thoughts. I would love to hear what your thoughts are!

Have a truly blessed Easter!

Here's the original post that inspired these thoughts:

At the age of 52, "VW" had a sudden desire to quit work as lawyer and start painting. He previously hadn't been interested in art. Shortly after, he was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic later sclerosis (ALS). Above left is an artwork he painted just before he was diagnosed. Above right is a piece VW made a few years later, just before he died. From New Scientist:

"...Degeneration in a brain area responsible for controlling impulses might explain his creative urge, says Anli Liu, a neurologist and artist who recently authored a case report on VW. At the same time, symptoms of ALS limited VW's motor control and, eventually, his ability to create art."

Brain decline reflected in patient's brush strokes