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"Everyone is creative and can be expressive in the visual arts when working in a supportive setting. That said, I did expect that perhaps the effects would be stronger for those with prior experience."
In silence, we can tap into the brain's default mode network.
The default mode network of the brain is activated when we engage in what scientists refer to as "self-generated cognition," such as daydreaming, meditating, fantasizing about the future or just letting our minds wander.
When the brain is idle and disengaged from external stimuli, we can finally tap into our inner stream of thoughts, emotions, memories and ideas. Engaging this network helps us to make meaning out of our experiences, empathize with others, be more creative and reflect on our own mental and emotional states.
In order to do this, it's necessary to break away from the distractions that keep us lingering on the shallow surfaces of the mind. Silence is one way of getting there.
Default mode activity helps us think deeply and creatively. As Herman Melville once wrote, "All profound things and emotions of things are preceded and attended by silence."
"We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once." - Friedrich NietzscheI have two left feet, so I'm glad Nietzsche wrote metaphorically. With this quote, I think he was saying something true and profound about the importance of play - that it's an essential part of living a good and balanced life.
For tens of thousands of years, play was a vital component of communal living and social cohesion among our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Once the kill had been made, or the day's supply of roots, shoots, nuts and leaves had been gathered, Grok played. No commutes. No stopping at the grocery store for a bouquet of roses for an angry spouse. No rushing to make the bank before it closes. The kids would scamper around, chasing each other. Adults might wrestle, race, have throwing contests, or even just hang out and groom each other. This was pure, unadulterated leisure time, and plenty of it. Play wasn't just about having fun (though that was a big part of it); it also had practical benefits. Groks that played together formed bonds, strong social ties that strengthened the collective power and safety of the tribe.
Comment: It is, indeed, the way we view and frame our day to day pressures, misfortunes and tests of mettle that determines whether we will rise to the challenge or sink into frustration and depression.
The book, Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl, is a recount of life in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The prisoners who lost their lives each day through psychological, emotional and physical breakdown, the author observed, were the prisoners who lost faith and could find no meaning - however subjective and personal - in their suffering.
Fortunately most, if not all, of us have never had to face the kind of situation Frankl and his fellow prisoners face, but the lessons he learned from his harrowing experience are universal and can be applied to any time of adversity.