A Nervous Perspective

Information Abounds

Our bodies and minds are constantly creating in present life, collecting information about what's new and adjusting as needed to maintain our health and well-being. Sometimes everything works so well we take it for granted; sometimes information doesn't get through clearly, like when muscles are tense, we're emotionally depressed, or there's an equipment failure like when our sensory receptors are damaged in a scar or injury. Sometimes there's even a data conflict, like when our eyes see yummy cake and our nose smells nasty garbage. Our brains must then determine if that smell is related to the cake or not. To find out, problem-solving is essential.

Do you do the detective work to collect and decipher the messages? Sometimes 30 seconds of investigation, collecting additional necessary data to understand the situation is all it takes. Don't give up! It brings new meaning to, 'why just have your cake when you can eat it too?'

Conductivity & Coordination

So the nervous system controls the collection and interpretation of data. That means that we are electrically wired, or energetic. The better tuned our overt receptors (the five senses + perception), the greater our chances of relating effectively with our environment. Furthermore, the better wired we are to our spinal chord (the super highway), and finally our brain (the control center), where gazillions of calculations are performed with the messages from our senses, the better chance we have of understanding our environment. Finally, whether or not we have sound problem-solving and project management skills determines whether or not we take appropriate actions based on the messages (make good choices).

Integrated Sensing

Think about how much coordination and chit chat must go on between Brain and the many bits of Body associated with:

• Pouring a perfect cup of coffee
• Brushing your teeth (don't forget the back ones)
• Creating a unique bouquet of flowers
• Riding a bicycle or driving a car
• Giving a hug personalized just for him or her

Whew! How do we do it? Actually, just the mechanics of breathing alone is mind boggling... What an amazing design.