The three most current books: Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know by Adam Grant; Work: A Deep History, from the Stone Age to the Age of Robots by James Suzman; Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta M.D.
Each book mentions the size of the brain, about 5.906 inches. The weight of the brain, about 3 lbs. The amount of energy our brains use:The brain consumes energy at 10 times the rate of the rest of the body per gram of tissue. The average power consumption of a typical adult is 100 Watts, and the brain consumes 20% of this making the power of the brain 20 W (https://hypertextbook.com/).
The working philosophies of a body in motion tends to stay in motion, a mind in motion tends to stay in motion; we write our stories. Added to that is how we fuel and use energy. It is being noticed more in the books being read.
How we fuel and spend our energy matters. We are just starting to understand how the brain works. We are scratching the surface of its purpose. The “we only use 10% of our brain” myth is one of many “facts” we’ve learned is untrue (Do We Really Use Only 10 Percent of Our Brain? | Britannica). Popularized and spread because it is fun to think it is true. Truth is often better. It is better to know we are using our brains at full capacity. We are using them, just not always well.
This information holds us accountable. There is no mythological “if only I could tap into the other 90%. Then… then I could do ‘x’”. You are using it all. How is that energy being fueled and spent? Reading. Walking. Bingeing TV. Eating poorly. How we use our energy is being manipulated by advertising, social media, friends, or family. It is the opposite. We are easily manipulated. That is why it matters the input and output of that energy matters.
My personal example is buying things. Retail therapy. It served a purpose in moments where there was little else. It is no longer a master to be served. This happened because of the inputs and outputs of energy. The energy input was advertising, sadness, what others had. It worked.
It is time to be better for me and my daugther. Things are not a long-term cure for happiness. Time to create better energy. Energy fueled and spent by listening to and reading books by authors like Cal Newport and Sarah Wilson. Finding minimalist examples. Those happier with less.
Daniel Tosh has this great “joke” (observation?) about money. His set-up is about having money vs not having money. He says having money is way better than not, because “I’ve never seen anyone depressed on a wave rider”. Arguably true. Yet, what does it take for most people to get a wave rider (Daniel is a 1% exception)? You got it. Now it needs maintenance. It needs to be stored. The pressure to use it to justify the maintenance and storage. On and on.
Instead of owing, what about renting? Enjoy it for an hour or two. A fraction of the cost, no storage, no maintenance. You are doing more for yourself, your bank account and society in general by renting. Your energy goes towards enjoyment, not maintenance. Energy wasted dealing with a thing not used 99% of the time. A win-win. It is a good reason to support the trend of borrowing and renting. A positive check for technology.
A favorite observation is by H. Jackson Brown Jr. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”
The choice of how they spend their energy is an inspiration. They were not “surfing the internet”, “checking Twitter”, or worried about how many likes they were getting. They created and added. They were taking walks, writing, journaling, using their energy to add concepts, art, and theories. Some of which changed the world. Clicking “like” on Twitter does nothing more than expend energy with a momentary dopamine hit.
Unfortunately, we get that hit over and over and over so quickly, so simply. So, we do. When we look up, it is time for bed. Wash. Rinse. Repeat (as necessary). Lost hours in a day.
I have talked recently about happiness. Learning “how” to be happy doesn’t have to be difficult: follow your passion. Journal. Take walks. Exercise. Talk with friends. Basically, my early to mid-twenties. Those are happy memories. Late-night conversations until the sun came up. We think those must go away. Yet, it would be done tonight, given the chance. Waxing poetic through the night about hopes and fears and dreams.
When I look at how to be happy, it is doing all the things being done. It is writing and reading and making notes and posting here. It is setting goals, like creating a weekly podcast. It is focusing on not being perfect, but creating, editing, and setting it free. It is taking in and exerting energy. Productively and positively. Energy no longer wasted on sadness and fear.
There is more to be said about energy and how it is spent it and understood. How we fuel and use the energy we are given matters. If my heart stops tomorrow would my daugther hear her father died eating on the couch, drinking wine, and watching Netflix? Or would she read this? Would my mom hear I was sad and broken and miserable? Would my dad wonder why my heart stopped at 45? Or would they read this? Read this and learn I was proud, focused, and creating.
Maybe not changing the world, but no one ever said you had to. Be better.
Posted. Not Perfect.
A Vegan Father navigating a non-vegan world.
A Better Father 