Truly the power of the Brain is staggeringly astonishing. An organ that occupies 2% of our body mass but demands anywhere between 25%and 50% of our body’s energy resources (the number is a staggering 87% for new-borns) the Brain is what sets us apart from rest of the animal kingdom. Courtesy the Brain, we can make sense of the world we live in and make changes to it, which are qualitatively conducive to the existence and proliferation of our species. It is our Brain that helps us take a quantum leap in the pecking order of the most powerful species on this Planet. We do not have the size of a Whale, nor the ferocity of wild beasts, we do not have the thick skin of Rhinos and Elephants, nor do we have the powerful limbs of a Gorilla, we do not have the ability to fly like the eagles and kites, no do we have the capacity to live under water like the fish. If it was not for our Brain, we would have been one of the weakest species on the face of this earth. It is our brain which helped us to think of tools for self-defence. It is our brain which helped us to harness nature to our benefit. It is our brain which helped us to tame the fire and make use of it in constructive ways. It is our brain which has helped us evolve from nature fearing hunter-gatherers to rationally thinking, nature harnessing modern human beings that we now are.

We owe our quality of life to the ingenuous nature of our brain.  As we have evolved over the years, even our brains have come a long way.  Let us have a look at the Encephalization Quotient for Brains. It is a relative brain size measure that is defined as the ratio between observed to predicted brain mass for an animal of a given size, based on nonlinear regression on a range of reference species. It has been used as a proxy for intelligence and thus as a possible way of comparing the intelligences of different species. Based on this quotient a ratio has been deduced. Cats have a ratio of 1/100, Dogs have a ratio of 1/125, lions have a ratio of 1/500 and Hippos have a ratio of 1/ 2789.  Humans have a ratio of 1/40. We, as a species have evolved into phenomenal units with our entire prowess centred in our Brains.

We have come a long way from our prehistoric ancestors. In addition to the reptilian brain we have the mammalian brain, which is addition of the limbic system to the primitive brain structure. This part of the brain is unique to mammals. It is the centre of emotions and learning. The chief parts of the limbic brain are the hippocampus and amygdala. We as Human beings are gifted with two more important areas- Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area named after the people who discovered them. Broca’s area is the motor speech area and it helps in movements required to produce speech. Wernicke’s area is the region of the brain that is important for language development. It is located in the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain and is responsible for the comprehension of speech, while Broca’s area is related to the production of speech.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of our pre-frontal complex, which plays a pivotal role in making us what we are – sentient human beings. If the epicentre of our identity is located anywhere it is the pre-frontal cortex. Any injury to the prefrontal cortex spells a butterfly effect on our personalities. That is why neurological operations are extremely precarious and have to handle with extreme dexterity and care.

Let me explain this better with a classic study that is considered an extremely important one in the annals of brain study literature. On September 13, 1848, Gage was direct­ing a work gang blast­ing rock while pre­par­ing the road­bed for the Rut­land & Bur­ling­ton Rail­road south of the village of Cav­en­dish, Ver­mont. Setting a blast entailed boring a hole deep into an out­crop of rock; adding blast­ing pow­der and a fuse; then using the tamping iron to pack (“tamp”) sand, clay, or other inert material into the hole above the powder in order to contain the blast’s energy and direct it into surrounding rock. Gage’s mouth was open at the moment of the ex­plo­sion, and the front and back of his skull tem­po­rarily “hinged” apart as the iron entered from below, then were pulled back to­geth­er by the re­sil­ience of soft tissues once the iron had exited through the top of Gage’s head. As Gage was doing this around 4:30 p.m., his attention was attracted by his men working behind him. Looking over his right shoulder, and inad­vert­ent­ly bringing his head into line with the blast hole, Gage opened his mouth to speak; in that same instant the tamping iron sparked against the rock and (possibly because the sand had been omitted) the powder exploded. Rocketed from the hole, the tamping iron‍—‌1 1⁄4 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter, three feet seven inches (1.1 m) long, and weighing 13 1⁄4 pounds (6.0 kg)‍—‌entered the left side of Gage’s face in an upward direction, just forward of the angle of the lower jaw. Continuing upward outside the upper jaw and possibly fracturing the cheekbone, it passed behind the left eye, through the left side of the brain, then completely out the top of the skull through the frontal bone. Phineas Gage survived this dynamite accident where a rod was driven completely through his head destroying much of his brains frontal lobe. He had a complete “physical” recovery and went on to live for another 10 years. But his personality was totally altered. The people who knew him saw him as a stranger inhabiting the body of Phineas Gage.

This is an account given about Gage by Psychologist Malcolm McMillan who gives a detailed vignette of Gage pre and post the accident-

The equilibrium or balance, so to speak, between his intel­lec­tu­al faculties and animal pro­pen­si­ties, seems to have been destroyed. He is fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity (which was not pre­vi­ous­ly his custom), manifesting but little deference for his fellows, impatient of restraint or advice when it conflicts with his desires, at times pertinacious obstinate, yet capricious and vac­il­lat­ing, devising many plans of future operations, which are no sooner arranged than they are abandoned in turn for others appearing more feasible. A child in his intel­lec­tu­al capacity and man­i­fes­ta­tions, he has the animal passions of a strong man. Previous to his injury, although untrained in the schools, he possessed a well-balanced mind, and was looked upon by those who knew him as a shrewd, smart business man, very energetic and persistent in executing all his plans of operation. In this regard his mind was radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaint­ances said he was “no longer Gage.

We humans have been endowed with a phenomenal apparatus neatly ensconced within our body. We need to ensure that we should channelize all our activity towards the excellent fitness of both our body and our brain. We have to be mindful of all that we do, we have to vigilant about all our habits – good and bad and we must constantly pay attention to how they affect the sacrosanct system of our body and our brain. There are various ways in which can ensure that we keep functioning at peak fitness levels when it comes to our bodies and brain.

Never stop working- You should never retire out of life. Each moment is an opportunity to work hard and to celebrate our work. We have to keep working hard, all the time. The only respite that we shall ever have is a change of activity. And we have to be constantly mindful of the fact that in all we do, we seek improvement in all that we do. Look at every activity differently and none of them will seem futile. For example- if you are reading a book, be mindful to learn new words and figures of speech, if you are playing a video game, think of that as an activity to enhance your reflexes. According to Pascal- Boredom is the biggest enemy of man, let Boredom not become your nemesis. Keep working, keep being productive. Try to reinvent yourself, learn new skill sets, be economically productive, be altruistic, be philanthropic, and volunteer yourself for a cause. Keep greedily looking for all the opportunities in life that will make you a better person. Bottom line- Never stop working.

Active entertainment is better than passive entertainment-Be extremely curated about what kind of entertainment you chose in life. Instead of watching movies, settle for a good book, where your imagination is piqued. Instead of playing video games, enjoy some spade work in your garden that serves as a great exercise for your muscles. Instead of just ambling through the woods, try bird watching or plant identification where you learn new things every moment. Add depth and purpose to your every action.

Music and good music at that has phenomenal effects on our bodies and our minds. It has been scientifically established that even plants show a much luxuriant growth when exposed to classical music. We are human beings after all. Love your Bach and Beethoven and Mozart and they will require your feelings by bestowing on you a sense of overall wellbeing and at the same time, have positive effects on your cognitive and emotive functions.

Watch your sleep and diet patterns- Sleep on time, maintain a regular schedule, watch what you eat, eat in moderation. Find out what kind of food is good for your brain, Try to incorporate more of those into you eating habits.

Exercise- There is no substitute for a healthy workout. Exercise produces healthy neurotransmitters such as serotonin and Oxytocin which increase your overall sense of wellbeing. Increase your immunity and make you feel charged and energized all the time. Love yourself, pamper yourself but also admonish yourself to let go of those love handles.

Art as a therapy- Pursue some art like painting, writing poetry, dance, movie making, learning a musical instrument or any other creative pursuit you can think of. Art is a way of venting your emotions. It acts as an immense source of catharsis. Do not stifle yourself, flow freely and express yourself through different forms of art. It has been established that Art therapy can be used to treat a wide range of mental disorders and psychological distress. In many cases, it might be used in conjunction with other psychotherapy techniques such as group therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Pamper yourself with all the love you can- There is an old maxim which says “Work hard, party harder” Go all the way to pamper and love yourself. Go for Massages, manicures, pedicures, fish-spa. Good touch is a generator of oxytocin also called the love hormone. Be uninhibited and magnanimous when you give love to yourself. And keep the same alive with your partner as well. Have a healthy and active love life and sex life. Both are important to your overall wellbeing.

Holistic healing- Do Yoga and meditation, read good self-help books, go for walks, go for retreats, go for good motivational seminars, try oriental therapies like Acupuncture, Acupressure and Shiatsu. In one of my favourite movies, the actor who is also a drawing class teacher gives an example about a strange ritual in Solomon Islands. If they want to destroy a tree they do not cut it. They just gather as a group around the tree and curse it as much as they can. It is a free for all. The tree shrivels and dies on its own. We as Mahatman have to do exactly the opposite; we have to bless ourselves and all the people that we cross paths with. We have to blossom and heal perpetually. We have to heal ourselves as well as others.

And I conclude this chapter with the wonderful quote by David Eagleman. “If you ever feel lazy or dull take heart: you’re the busiest, brightest thing on the planet”

Big Bang for Body and Brain-

1. 1. All our activities should be channelized towards the peak fitness of our Brain-Body nexus.
   2. Never stop working, have an active life that keeps your brain and your body piqued all the time.
   3. Heal yourself and heal others all the time by positive and affirmative talk
   4. Love yourself and pamper yourself all the time without apologies.