You know I am a fan of wisdom.
I am also a fan of discernment, critical-thinking and sensing what is ‘self-evident’.
Having read a book recently that was a deep-dive into the differences between the right and left hemispheres, it is pretty clear that our education systems and societal systems in general favour a left-brain bias (and worldview).
This means being taught what to think (by people supposedly smarter than us) and not being taught ‘how to think.’
Wisdom is about knowing how to think and then applying that knowledge in a conscious way.
And it turns out that the right brain is best for discerning BS, so stretching our minds a little more is definitely in our favour.
Mindfulness practices like meditation help develop the right hemisphere, by expanding our consciousness, and dropping into the interconnection of everything.
Everything is connected (as quantum physics agrees with).
Whereas the left hemisphere is about reductionism, fixation, inflexibility, judgement and making stuff up.
So, having said that, and having created some context for what I want to support you with (becoming wiser) let me get back the topic of “What’s for breakfast?”
Discernment and Breakfast Cereals
Have you ever heard the statement:
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
Says who?
Based on what?
Apparently more than 50% of the population don’t actually feel like eating in the morning.
So ‘someone’ is suggesting that this amazing body of ours, which is performing trillions of functions every second, is not ‘smart’ enough to know when it needs sustenance.
Seriously?!?!
None of us – generally – have too much of a problem with the signals from our bodies telling us we are hungry around lunch time or of an evening.
The signal works then, but not in the mornings.
That sounds bogus.
And that is because it is.
The “story” about breakfast being the most important meal of the day is about 100 years old and was a marketing pitch by breakfast cereal companies to SELL MORE OF THEIR PRODUCTS!
And since most people’s bodies tell them they don’t need to eat in the morning, it is up to the marketers to bypass the bodies natural messaging system and work on the INTELLECTUAL messaging. Which can override the bodies actions.
I was listening to a professor of biochemistry talk about why the body generally does not tell us we are hungry in the morning.
He said that cortisol is the hormone that wakes us up in the morning.
He also said that cortisol is resistant to insulin and glucose, so that we get about twice the sugar spike effect when we eat (in the morning – compared to lunchtime), as our body tries to regulate blood-sugar levels. Our bodies are not good in the morning at processing glucose, carbohydrates and most certainly breakfast CEREALS (because of cortisol), so they don’t stimulate hunger pangs and prefer to use existing body fat.
The body prefers not to eat in the morning and will send signals to this effect.
It may also send signals in the morning to eat, if the body needs it.
The basic rule (which is not one meal is better than others) is this:
EAT (REAL FOOD) WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY.
Pretty simple, and in tune with our bodies and environment.
Happy days!
Back to Discernment and Wisdom
The key point I wanted to highlight here is to question what you are told.
Take a step back.
See the bigger picture (as you engage the right hemisphere of your brain).
Turn on your BS detector.
Are you being conned????
I have spent 1000’s of hours over the last few years in particular asking deeper questions and then following the origin stories of different things we are ‘taught’.
A sad fact is that when it comes to presenting ‘scientific’ data, and research findings, is it is easier than we imagine to create a bias. In scientific research, there only needs to be two (2) results that are in alignment to call a result a ‘fact’, when there might be 20 experiments that obtained differing or inconclusive results.
So…be discerning.
You don’t have go crazy and not trust anything you are told. But do take a breath (or few) between being told something and then acting on it.
Stimulate and activate your beautiful mind and get a ‘sense’ of what feels right.
And if you need to sit on something for a while before you act, then sit on it. Look at it from different angles and perspectives.
Plus…
Feel free to skip breakfast in the mornings if you don’t feel like eating.
I do.
It also means I do the ‘intermittent fasting’ thing, and reduce the window of food consumption through the day, while at the same time, giving my digestive system a longer break to fully digest food and do the repair and recovery thing.
The Main Point
Practice coming into greater relationship with your body.
Let your mind expand to see a broader perspective.
And ask better questions.
Don’t assume (automatically) that someone knows better.
Feel free to question the reasons behind a statement.
Let’s tap into more of our right-hemisphere and wise up even more, as we see the interconnection of life as it unfolds around us, and attune ourselves to life and our bodies relationship to it.
My Parting words
I know you are much wiser and intelligent when you slow down, take a few breaths and maybe ask the question: “Says who?”
Not everything is a conspiracy.
But just like the breakfast cereal sales and marketing plan (and biased research), we do need to be more discerning.
Practice listening to your body more.
Eat when you are hungry, not when someone tells you ‘should’, or when a ‘bell’ rings (Hmmm… Am I talking about ‘school’ bells or the bells in Pavlov’s experiments with salivating dogs???)
Wisdom is the target.
It allows us to make better choices.
Better choices = Better life.
Which you thoroughly deserve.
Have a open-minded, connected and discerning day and feel free to ask the question: “Says who?”.
Have a wise week too.
See you next week.
Take care,
Carl
