A National Geographic Book. 
This book, Brain, The Complete Mind, How It Develops, How It Works, and How To Keep It Sharp, by Michael S Sweeney, covers some of the new neuroscience discoveries, and includes, among much more information, the following. 
It describes some of the major neurotransmitters. According to an online search of “How many neurotransmitters are there?” there may be from at least 60 to over 110 neurotransmitters. On this page we learn something about how Helen Keller managed, and the thoughts of St. Thomas Aquinas on aspects of the working mind. 
Scattered throughout the book are these sections on “Staying Sharp”. This book has many other helpful features. 
Near this sections is one describing how people think, in order to, for example, follow a recipe. 
This page describes how nuns age. 
This nicely illustrated book does indeed give “you greater insight into how your mind operates and how you can keep it sharp”.
Category Archives: Personal Qualities
Four Boundless Qualities In Buddhism
This gong symbolizes Compassion for all. This gong is in my home, carries the Tibetan prayer for Compassion. The color pink can represent Compassion.
This fawn represents Loving-kindness for all. This photograph is a public domain photograph which I found when I Google the word “fawn”. The fawn can represent kindess, and Loving-kindess means that one wishes all others to be happy. Kindness does not seem to have a representative color. The rainbow can represent kindness, and so can blue and green. Blue also can represent health.
This bell and the yellow color symbolize the desire of Joy for others. This photograph is from my home. In Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, he certainly used bells to show joy. 
This Yang-Yin symbol represents Equanimity or balance. We just are, and we can be good or evil. In fact what is good for one can be evil for another. In a way we come full circle when we realize this. There are many dimensions in which we can seek balance among others, and in our world. So where do I stand.?
- I already have a rational Compassion for everybody and everything.
- I am in need of, and aim to cultivate Equanimity. I have to go deeper than merely recognizing this fact, because I see that I am very far from this.
- I do need to cultivate Loving-kindness on a wider scale.
- I do need to cultivate Joy for others in a wider scope.
If one thinks about it, then the first three are shades of goodwill toward others.
- We do not want others to suffer.
- We want others to be happy.
- We want others to experience joy.
It almost follows that we can have more equanimity with respect to others, if we cultivate these three boundless qualities. It really pleases me that these are boundless qualities. We all can have as much as we need of these, as we need them. Cultivated thoughts in these directions can help us be ready when the opportunity presents itself to have a helpful word or action. After we have carried these out for awhile, then we will receive the equanimity in relation to others that we seek. I would like it if my symbols were more stylistically similar, but that may take awhile.
Three Kinds Of Personal Skills To Know About Oneself
In the July 13, 2014 issue of The Galveston County Daily News was this article on job seeking by Patricia Rivera of CTW Features.
She begins the article with a comment that one is wise to know oneself, and proceeds to say that before a job interview one should assess these kinds of skills in oneself, and tell the interviewer about those skill you have that he will wants to have in the position for which you are interviewing.
Work is part of life, and one should know what these are anyway. This is all part of what I am examining in myself right now. We should know and communicate our:
- Knowledge we gained through experience and education. I have a BA, an MA, numerous additional courses.
- Portable and general and transferable skills. I can teach, break things down into their elements, and see the big pictures. I know how to learn, and keep learning.
- Unique personal qualities. I am patient in carrying out tasks, thorough, and want to do a good job. I am self-motivated. I want to help mankind become a sustainable entity on the face of the earth.
To perform this exercise is right in line with the soul work I am taking on right now. These tasks can be summed up by these two sayings:
- Know thyself (Socrates).
- To thine own self be true (Shakespeare, Hamlet)