Emily Willingham posted an interesting article on Slate.com with a unique take on “One Simple Trick for Being a Better Thinker.” Since all information is processed through the lens of past lives, I immediately saw an application for her ideas. She’s written a book on the topic and her article related this surprising finding: rather than supplements, brain games or even microdosing:
The three activities with the best support for generally salutary brain effects are physical activity, mindfulness-related practices, and interaction and resonance with other brains.
Willingham discovered the social aspect to be crucial and frames this as empathy:
We all have access to the tools to cultivate empathy; in fact, they are mostly free. Empathy expert Roman Krznaric, for example, wrote about the six habits of highly empathic people. His list includes developing curiosity about strangers, trying someone else’s life (such as doing a favorite activity of theirs that’s new to you), listening, opening up, and developing “an ambitious imagination.”
That’s where what I have to offer fits in. How better to “try someone else’s life” than to try on a different aspect of our own personality in the form of a past, or adjacent, life? This also involves those other aspects — developing curiosity about strangers, listening and opening up, and an ambitious imagination. I’d substitute “trusting the first image” for imagination. My point is, the most powerful exercise in empathy is to spend an hour walking in someone’s feet, wearing their costume, and feeling what you were/are experiencing through this Other personality’s experience. And if Emily Willingham is correct, this can lead to thinking better and “general salutary brain effects.” Brain Enhancement through Past Life Journeying? Yes!