Right-Brain
[New scrapbook entry: My new adopted wolf Wolfgang, 3 months old. My beloved adoptee Alyeska died recently and Wolf Park substituted a puppy. I'm sure I'll love him as much as I loved Alyeska.]
Regular readers will remember how much I love to take the periodic internet tests dealing with the brain and personality. I enjoy them sometimes because they confirm my predispositions and other times because they make me think in different ways. A recent test examined whether I am "right-brained" or "left-brained". The topic interests me because I'm left-handed and I've been told that left-handedness, with its various difficulties, is a product of right-brain control. However, this test tells me that the hemispheres of my brain are fairly balanced but I'm a visual learner.
Web sources tell me that people who are predominantly left-brained tend to think in a linear manner, drawing conclusions from the pieces of a puzzle, while the predominantly right-brained see the whole and then the pieces. The left-brained accept reality while the right-brained try to change reality. The left-brained are more likely to think in symbols while the right-brained want to see or feel an object.
My test results warn that I will experience ambiguity and note that I am constantly seeking to learn, that I have artistic tendencies yet am reasonably logical and disciplined. So what did I learn and what do I do about it? Are these tests and results simply entertaining or do they help us move forward more constructively, happier and more contented? There are several things to think about. First, we must recognize that there's more entertainment than help in these tests because by their nature they must be relatively short and quick. Second, we (or, at least, I) don't have the educational background to evaluate either the tests or the results. And, I must add, different tests and, sometimes, the same tests give contradictory advice.
That said, I think there is something to help us in tests like this. First, they make us think about our brains, about our way of thinking and learning, about the way our brain functions govern our lives and behavior. Second, they may make us see how to overcome deficiencies by pointing out pitfalls. But, most importantly, they usually help us understand that we can overcome accidents of birth, that inherent defects can be remedied, that trying our best is never wasted.
Let's learn all we can about ourselves and then do our best to build on our strengths and correct our deficiencies. In that way, we will be better off and better able to help others.
7-25-05
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