As that old Scarecrow once said, “If I only had a brain.”
I’ve said this very same thing about myself, from time to time. Admittedly, I’ve said this about others, as well.
Of course, all of us humans have brains. A whole bunch of creatures, great and small, have them too. In fact…. the trusty brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system… in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. That’s a lot.
But not all brains are alike. Heck, have a glance at any Social Media Platform. The proof is in the pudding, baby. And you can Tweet me on that.
But. Creatures are immensely different. For example, I was just reading an article about our Limbic Brains. So, for example’s sake, we will think about lizards. You see…. lizards and humans share similar brain parts…. which are purportedly inherited from fish.
And. These parts which we have in common…. handle basic body functions. You know…. like breathing, balance, and coordination. And then there are the whole survivor series of things…. which take care of feeding, mating, and defense.
So that whole part of our thinking… is handled by the brain stem, cerebellum, and basal ganglia. This is casually referred to as your “lizard brain.”
But you and I both know we are much different from lizards. And this is how.
The biggest thing, is… humans love spaghetti and meat balls. Lizards do not.
Okay. I’m jerking you around.
Truthfully… one big difference between mammals and lizards is that we have more complex emotions. Our emotions are processed in several regions that together are loosely called the “limbic system.” Mostly our “cortex” —— which helps us control our emotions and make complex decisions.
So there you have it. We are Limbic Brainiacs. We, and all mammals, tend to have strong emotional bonds between family members. Most of the time, mammals care for their young after birth.
We go WAY beyond the lizard brain… which simply responds by reflex and instinct. We are guided by emotions. And we have pretty good memories. Well. Most of us.
All of this started, because this morning, I spotted a slug. Just slugging along. It really didn’t seem like a family-oriented emotional slug. At all. And tonight, I saw about a dozen deer at our trough, sharing an evening meal, frolicking in the field…. being all crazy-limbic-brained together. It made me happy.
So…. there you are. You and your brain. Me and mine. Lizard and Limbic Brain. Working together to run our every move. I’ll let you be the judge of the rest. Because as I mentioned at the beginning… that little song from Oz. If I only had a brain.
And we all have the day ahead of us.
“Pity those who don’t feel anything at all.” ― Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses
“I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray