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In a way, I think blurry vision can enhance creative thought. Because I'm not certain what I'm seeing, it opens the possibilities in my mind. I notice this most strikingly when I misread something - often with comical results. My mind's trying to make sense of what it's seeing, but because it's blurry - it has to work harder - perhaps "more creatively" - to make sense of what it's seeing. I'll often misread something from a distance into a phrase that "makes an odd type of sense", but is not what is actually there - usually brings a smile. >>
You are a great thinker.
Funny you should bring that up today!? I have always felt it is good to put yourself in strange situations to get your creative processes working e.g. going to a foreign country.
But to the point you mention. I never kept any alcohol in my house until I was 60 and only drank or smoked a little pot once in a while. But as I got older I did both a bit more.
If I smoke pot I know I cannot do left brain gymnastics like math or playing poker. But my writing is often better than when straight. Carl Sagan said (in his book Broca's brain) he thinks pot encumbers the left brain which normally rides roughshod over the right brain and allows it to manifest itself?
Alcohol really does just shut down the higher brain centers. But even there, if one is mindful when they are drinking it is like they can see certain things clearer as the alcohol shuts down "prejudices and misconception".
I am a pretty good poker player and a few years ago at 66, I went on the road for the winter and made my living playing poker. When I played at the Oaks in Berkeley, California I played against a lot of very smart UC Berkeley kids.
They were all probably much smarter than I, but I won 14 nights in a row playing $30/$60. It seemed the advantage I had over them was they could not see the game as well as I could, or figure out what I was doing when I pushed them around.
In science they call that knowledge directed perception. My years of playing poker give me more comprehensive vision than they had and their mental gymnastics were not adequate to outplay my experience.
As an aside I have always tried to explain to people we are not very good at deducing knowledge, we learn things. So I always ask people to just teach me. Don't make me figure it out. |
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