Your mind is a muscle. The more that you use it, the stronger it becomes. Also, as in a regimen of physical exercise, you must not only increase the resistance (the Braintenance analogical equivalent for lifting progressively heavier weights would be solving more complex problems), but you must "confuse" the muscle (the Braintenance analogical equivalent for this mixing up the order and nature of exercises, or avoidance of excessively predictable patterning, would be to engage in different kinds of thought using different processing skills). For example, instead of doing Sudoku or crossword puzzles every day, you might "mix in" algebra problems, memorization and recall exercises, perceptual challenges, creative multi-sensorial visualization, meditation, acquiring and using new knowledge (vocabulary, trivial facts, historical perspectives, math formulas), mechanical reasoning, cause-and-effect logic, extrapolation and other mental muscle-builders.
In caring for your mind, you must challenge it in diverse ways. The wonderful thing is that your mind will always expand to meet these tests -- and "it," separate and apart from your conscious awareness of its work [your mind actually thinks about itself, without your conscious knowledge or consent!] will hunger for more. Your mind will not explode...no, it will expand itself with amazing plasticity and capacity.
Today might just be a good day to challenge your imagination. Here are some thoughts to ponder. These conundrums all require Extreme Thinking -- the use of your critical faculties and your extrapolative imagination. Good luck. And now, ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, and you may use any research tools at your disposal as well:
1) Is there a difference between the absence of anything and the presence of nothing?
2) If I state that I am a liar, am I telling you the truth?
3) How far can a dog run into the woods?
4) If darkness is defined as 'the absence of light,' what would you call the absence of darkness?
5) If an individual believes that his fate is predetermined, why would he persist in trying to change the course of his life? What would be his incentive for socially responsible conduct, instead of just doing everything for instant gratification?
6) Can you explain to me why zero divided by infinity is zero, while infinity divided by zero is infinity?
7) Can you explain to me why if any number divided by itself equals one, my calculator tells me that when I divide zero by zero, the answer (the quotient) is zero? And how about that error message I see?
Think about these please. They all have answers. Don't all questions have answers, even if we do not know them or can't find or prove them?
Douglas E Castle
http://DouglasCastle1.wordpress.com
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