Heroes Not Zombies

I took this photo a few years ago because I was struck by the contrast between the two areas of the landscape I could see.

To the left are rows and rows of vines, all well tended, individually pruned, (and sprayed multiple times!) – a managed area of land, impossible without intense human effort.

To the right is a field of wild flowers, a whole range of diverse species each flourishing in a part of the land left untouched (for this year) by human hands.

I find both beautiful.

What this image stirs in me are the writings of two medical writers – Iain McGilchrist and Dan Siegel.

Iain describes the different ways our two cerebral hemispheres engage with the world. The left seeking structure and order while the right seeks to explore difference, novelty and betweenness.

Dan describes the mind as an integrative process managing the flow of energy and information. It integrates order and chaos. Too much of either is unbalanced. The mind seeks to integrate them.

Search this site for either of these authors and you can find a number of posts I’ve written about their insights.