Mind Mapping

Who am I? How do I make decisions? While the idea of 'the mind' has been around for way long, and the brain itself is currently under vigorous study, we still know relatively little about them. So how can we know ourselves? Where do ideas come from? Before examining these questions, I'd like to share an interesting koan from Zen Buddhism:


A caterpillar and an ant are walking side by side. The ant remarks: 'How is it that you can coordinate so many legs at the same time!?' The caterpillar, with a look of surprise as if he had never before thought about it replies: 'Well...' and just as he begins to explain it, he promptly falls over on his side!


I like this koan, because it points out that while we may be able to do something, we may stumble if asked to explain it (especially if we are doing it at the same time.) It is also a reminder of just how many processes and abilities we are capable of only on a subconscious level. Personally, I don't think caterpillars consciously understand how they walk, just as humans don't (yet) understand the mind. But that doesn't stop caterpillars from walking, or humans from channeling ideas or making decisions. One valuable tool I've learned to use to organize my ideas and understand myself better is known as the 'mind map.'


A mind map is a diagram used to represent ideas or information branching from a central key word or idea and is used as an aid in study, organization, problem solving, decision making, and writing. We could use a mind map to brainstorm ideas for 'things that are yellow' or 'Japanese culture.'


However, being a new teacher at Kaplan, and this being my very first blog entry, it's been suggested that my entry be an introductory one. While I prefer to write about interesting topics, and my personality doesn't translate into words so well, I thought as an example of a mind map I could share my own, with me being the topic. This is actually a popular form of mind map that is helpful in understanding oneself and one's interests.

Actually, I made this mind map when I first came to Japan in the fall of 2002. In some senses I was kind of a 'clean slate' at that time, my spirit not yet sullied by Tokyo's decadence. Ha, just kidding...or am I? You can see how I networked different ideas with each other based on similarities. This helped me understand why I have such seemingly disparate interests. My obsession with music and sound may be related to my appreciation of physics and mathematics. Wow, who knew, right? Anyway, I encourage you, the reader, the student, to try this yourself! You can use colour too, of course. Have fun with it!

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