The brain goes to sleep on "correctness"

At one point, on a program,
they were doing a special on "maintaining brain function" and "improving cognitive function."

Taking walks.
Strength training.
Running.
Brain training.
Tai chi.

"Things that are good for the brain."

Of course,
I don't think they are bad.

In fact,
I think they do have effects on blood flow and cognitive function.

But while watching it,
I felt a constant sense of discomfort.

Why is it that

"things that are good for the brain"

alone,
are so "uniform"?

When it comes to dieting,
the methods that work differ from person to person.

Some people find it easier to stick with calorie management.

Some people feel better when they exercise.

Some people get energized by restricting carbohydrates.

Conversely, there are people who get sick when restricted.

Yet, when it comes to the brain, suddenly,

"Let's go for a walk,"
"Let's do some muscle training,"
"Let's do some brain training"

they say,

everyone starts being treated

as having the "same brain."

But,
is that really the case?

For example, if I,

"because it's good for my health"

for that reason alone,

went for routine walks,
went mountain climbing,
or kept up a fixed muscle training routine,

I would probably just get depressed.

Of course,
there's nothing wrong with mountain climbing.

There's nothing wrong with walking, either.

But,

"Health methods that are out of sync with your own neurological traits"

if you keep adopting them

just because they are "correct"

I think people just naturally wear out.

Moreover, in this modern age,

the moment something is called

"good for the brain"

it's easy to adopt it

while skipping over

"compatibility with yourself."

Brain training.

Morning routines.

Running.

Meditation.

The gym.

All of them,
are not inherently bad.

However,
when a brain that isn't aligned adopts it,

"management"

is what it becomes.

And what's more,
it looks incredibly correct.

That's why I think it's troublesome.

When I see that vibe of,
"Look at me, I go to the gym,"
"Look at me, I go running,"
"Look at me, I go mountain climbing,"

I sometimes find myself chuckling a little.

No, don't get me wrong,

it's a wonderful thing.

If the person themselves is enjoying it.

But despite that,

they use the escalator in their daily life,
and when they get home, they just lounge around looking at their smartphone.

How should I put it,

"Health turned into an event"

There are times when it looks like that.

I fasted at a temple.

I walked in nature.

I climbed a mountain.

I went to the gym.

I meditated.

I did brain training.

At first glance, it looks very healthy.

But that night,

"I worked hard today, so..."

I say,

and while eating potato chips in the middle of the night, I drink beer,

and keep looking at my smartphone.

Of course, that in itself isn't bad. I love lounging around too.

But sometimes,

"Health"

or rather,

"health events"

sometimes appear to be what is being consumed.

Rather than health itself,

"a healthy-looking persona"

actions performed to play that role.

Are you,

when working out,
truly having fun?

When hiking with friends,
are you truly excited?

Or are you doing it because

"it's good for the brain"

"it's good for your health"

"it's for socializing"

"it's better to keep it up"

and so on?

Are you adopting it just because?

Of course,
there is nothing wrong with that.

But sometimes I feel like,

"health"

rather than,

"a version of myself that looks healthy"

I feel like I am watching people who are maintaining that.

For example,

going golfing many times a month.

At first glance,
it looks healthy.

Nature.

Exercise.

Communication.

But even if that is,

If you are out for work-related socializing,

being considerate,

reading the room,

and it feels like entertaining clients,

and you feel exhausted afterward.

Is that really,

a 'good time for your brain'?

I wonder.

Of course,
there is nothing wrong with golf.

The problem,

is not,

'what you are doing',

but rather,

'how your nerves are reacting at that moment'.

In this modern age,

'seemingly healthy behavior'

We are good at looking at things.

However,

"internal neural states"

we are not good at looking at.

That is why, everything,

can end up being just "going through the motions."

Conversely,

there are people whose brains breathe better

while just zoning out at a cafe.

Perhaps,

what the brain needs is

not to be given "correct stimulation,"

but to "observe the sense of discomfort."

It is not about doing things right.It is about being aware.

That is the key.That is the shift.

Perhaps that is the case.

The program also featured a segment on "rogai" (elderly nuisance).
"I find myself complaining about the behavior of young people in town."

"I end up complaining about the behavior of young people in town."

Apparently, their family warns them,
"Stop it, you sound like an elderly nuisance."

Mari Yamazaki, the author of Thermae Romae, who was consulted, said something like this.

"Complaining is fine, isn't it?"

"It's the end when you stop complaining."

"Please, keep complaining."

However.

"Don't just complain, but ask yourself why that young person's behavior annoyed you."

"Why did you think that way?"

Please look at that.

When I heard that,

I couldn't help but nod, thinking,

'Exactly! That's it!'

Feeling a sense of discomfort with the behavior of young people.

I don't think that in itself,
is necessarily a bad thing.

But if you then,

'Young people these days...'

start lecturing them,
you might indeed be an old fogey.

However,

the 'sense of discomfort itself'

is something you keep brushing off,

by telling yourself,

'I shouldn't be thinking things like this.'

If you keep ignoring that sense of discomfort,
your brain will remain in sleep mode,
and one day it might stop starting up altogether.

Why did I react?

Why did it annoy me?

Why did it bother me?

Originally,
the brain,

was supposed to start moving from those very "snags."

But in the modern age,

the moment you feel a sense of discomfort,

• correct opinions

• avoiding backlash

• the atmosphere

• efficiency

• optimal solutions

and,
you try to process it immediately.

As a result,

"thinking"

rather than,

"processing correctly"

the brain becomes one that does this.

In modern times, we are very prone to believing in
"measurable health"
.

Step count.

Calories burned.

Study time.

Number of brain training sessions.

But,
the brain is originally more about,

• emotion

• body

• meaning

• atmosphere

• environment

• relationships

It should be connected.

And yet,

"CPU"

is how it's treated.

If you input stimulation,
performance improves.

If you train it,
you get smarter.

"Getting smarter"

is,
very catchy.

Thinking power.

Brain function improvement.

Cognitive function improvement.

But,
is what you really need

"to get smarter"

really it?

In fact,

the "ability to doubt"

might be more important.

In the modern age,

we are good at increasing information.

If you look at your smartphone, you can understand anything.

But as a result,

"unease"

is something some people can no longer hold onto.

Originally,
unease was something

that didn't need to be resolved immediately.

"Good for the brain"

"Correct"

"Efficient"

The moment those words come out,

people start skipping over the gaps with themselves and adopting them.

And before they know it,

"things that are good for the brain"

the more they increase,

conversely,

they lose sight of who they are.

Of course,
I think there are people who find balance that way.

But,
depending on the person,

the way brain resources flow is completely different.

There are those who feel pleasure in finishing things,

and there are those who are constantly observing the atmosphere, the sense of unease, and the overall structure.

There are those who find comfort in repetition,

and there are those whose brains suffocate without change and exploration.

I don't go for walks.
But,
I walked quite a lot during my trip to Korea.

However,
it felt completely different from
what you might call a "walk for health."

When I was observing the city,

sometimes,

"Ah, so that's what it is."

there was a moment

where things suddenly clicked.

It felt like when you pull out a big clump of dust
that was clogging the refrigerator's air intake.

Things start flowing strangely well.

Deep in my brain,
things that hadn't been circulating
suddenly started to flow.

Oh,

so the brain,

can also be activated like this,

I thought.

But perhaps,

if left alone,

it will clog up again soon.

That is why I have been thinking lately.

What the brain needs is not just

“stimulation”

alone.

“circulation”

is what it needs.

People,

using the phrase

“good for the brain,”

might be quietly putting their own sense of unease to sleep.

And someday,

it will forget

how to "start up" itself.