A Whole New Mind #2

As I read A Whole New Mind I find tons of underline-able parts. Here are some of the portions I really liked.

On page 17 :
What distinguishes us from other animals is our ability to reason analytically. We are humans, hear us calculate. That's what makes us unique. Anything else isn't simply different; it's LESS. And paying too much attention to those artsy-fartsy, touchy-feely, elements will eventually dumb us down and screw us up.

I can’t even count the number of times I've felt people trying to dumb me down because I am a writer and an artist. Of course, people who know me well, are aware that I am Intelligent and can hold my own academically, but those who don't, make assumptions and pass false judgment as if I wasn't smart enough to be a Lawyer or Doctor so I chose writing and art instead. It will be good for the world to shift and develop a new appreciation for the right brained wonders of the world.

On page 25:
Logic without emotion is a chilly, Spock-like existence. Emotion without logic is a weepy, hysterical world. In the end yin always needs yang. This is especially true when it comes to our brains. The two sides work in concert—two sections of an orchestra that sounds awful if one side packs up its instruments and goes home.

Pink makes a good point here. The brain doesn’t work as independent sides; there is a delicate balance between left and right brain that happens. One side cannot work without the other even if one side is more dominant. This idea is especially true regarding Pink’s discussion of “A Whole New Mind”. The brain must develop acute left and right brain abilities to work together as one functioning being.

On Page 55:
In the United States, the number of graphic designers has increased tenfold in a decade; graphic designers outnumber chemical engineers by four to one. Since 1970, the United States has 30 percent more people earning a living as writers and 50 percent more earning a living by composing or performing music.

This section on MBAs and MFAs is particularly interesting to me because I’ve always been worried that the skills I am learning in college will never be applied in the real world. I had no idea that creative career fields were growing at such a rapid rate. It makes me feel like what I am learning will actually be in high demand by the time I’m ready to enter the work force. At least I will have the advantage of knowing what it means to have “A Whole New Mind”.