KO/EN

A 2008 TED talk by brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor gripped and moved me. She recalled how she had remained conscious as she suffered a stroke, experiencing first-hand now the two hemispheres of her brain cared about completely different things. The left thought linearly, in terms of the past and future, and defined her as an entity separate from her surroundings. But her right hemisphere placed her in the present moment; she was at one with the life force of the universe; she felt completely at peace and whole. It was “nirvana”. If she could experience it while alive, just as others also have the potential to then this insight could change the way we live our lives. We can be the “beautiful, peaceful, compassionate people who purposely choose to step to the right side of our brains”.