Curtain Up On Act Three

If the central premise of Daniel Pink's book "A Whole New Mind" (2005) turns out to be on the mark, I could be in for a rewarding Act Three.

According to Pink, those who are right brain dominant will help lead the way as the information age is superseded by the "conceptual age". Each of the six "senses" he identifies as critical to success in this new age- design, story, symphony, empathy, play, meaning - share elements more quickly accessed via the right hemisphere of the brain. And though the detail-oriented, sequential left hemisphere that helps us all decode text remains vitally important, Pink cites convincing research to make his case that much more attention needs to be given to the right hemisphere's facility to see the big picture, take in information simultaneously and provide context. Each of us needs a "whole new mind" - the already valued left and the under-valued but increasingly important right.

"The wealth of nations and the well being of individuals now depend on having artists in the room". Sentiments like that guarantee an author has my attention. Also, any book that extols emotional intelligence, the value of MFA's and the importance of having a high "metaphor quotient" is hitting the right notes. But in the end what won me over was the thorough research and the practical portfolios concluding each of the chapters on the six senses - loads of good ideas for enhancing each. I've already begun applying one idea from the "meaning" portfolio and will be using another from the "story" portfolio in a near-future post; stay tuned for that. Let me know what you extract if you pick up this worthwhile, educational book.