What is genius? It is the power to be a boy again at will.
— J. M. Barrie (author of Peter Pan)

Could it be that Peter Pan had it right? Peter, adamantly refused to grow up - a sentiment that is also shared by some of history's most creative and gifted intellectuals.   Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein and of course Peter’s greatest champion, Walt Disney, whole-heartedly believed in the power of childlike wonder and curiosity.    Tony Buzan, in his book “The Genius Formula” considers that the real secret of genius is to be a super baby - continually exploring, asking questions and generally cultivating an attitude of excitement and interest.  Curiosity is one of our greatest assets yet we often let it fall into neglect and decay.

I’ll bet if you asked 100 people what a brain is for, at least 99 of them would quickly respond, “to think with.” But the reality is a brain isn’t there for us to think; it is there for us to move. Plants, trees, bacteria, and fungi are not capable of independent motion; therefore, they have no need of a brain. You have probably heard that fish is brain food, but the nourishment our brains really crave is movement.

What causes clumsiness? Is it inattention to what’s going on or the result of a physically uncoordinated body? You may think your perpetually clumsy child just needs to be more careful or learn how to dance or play a sport. The reality is that many clumsy children don’t have awkward bodies at all. Their problem is in their vision or perception. Think of it this way: if children’s eyes don’t work well as team, they may bump into things because, while they can see they object, they don’t know where they are in relation to the object. If they have difficulties catching or kicking a ball, they may see the ball but not know where it is in relation to their hands or feet. The good news is that the underlying visual problems can often be easily identified and treated.

I was watching the Disney film, Pinocchio, the other day with one of my nieces; and I was struck by how effectively it dealt with the topic of temptation. Temptation is obviously something we all struggle with from time to time. The kind and gentle puppet-maker Gepetto had wished that the little marionette “could be a real boy.” The Blue Fairy didn’t just give Pinocchio the gift of life; she also gave him wisdom, guidance, and the sense of accomplishment that accompanies success. She told him

“It’s up to you to become a real boy. You will be a real boy when you have learned right from wrong and proven yourself to be brave, unselfish, and truthful.”

“How do I do that?” asked Pinocchio.

“You listen to your conscience,” said the Blue Fairy.

“What’s a conscience?” asked Pinocchio.

Jiminy Cricket replied, “Your conscience is the little voice that tells you when you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing!”

What if, as you are enjoying your delicious Chinese takeout, you open your fortune cookie, and it says...

“You will always be fat.”

Just writing these words make my heart palpitate; yet, for many teenage girls, this thought is their constant companion. It is said that males have a sexual thought every 52 seconds. Well, at least they get a break! Amidst real concerns about the rise in childhood obesity and its collateral health risks, there seems to be a new snake in the grass stalking our children—eating disorders. Most people seem to believe that relentless media pressure for thinness is to blame for this threat, but I think the real culprit is our failure to find workable strategies for everyday eating.

If there is one thing human beings are good at, it’s adapting. In fact, we have a staggering ability to adapt to just about any environment. About 10,000 years ago we ate only what the earth offered us, which was limited to seasonal fruits and vegetables and whatever meat we could come by. Aside from occasional nuts or seeds we could pack away for emergencies, food was in short supply during the long, lean winter months. Unlike most animals, humans couldn’t digest grasses or leaves to keep us going. Yet, while we had lost the claws and fangs of other predators, we more than made up for them with our brains’ cunning and creativity. Those brains needed lots of fuel to function—in other words, food.

If we wanted to hunt meat rather than be meat, we needed to stay focused. Hunting a large animal took many hours and sometimes days. This required stealth and strategy, but above all, motivation. Even when our early ancestors were cold or tired or sick, their survival depended on their desire to seek and consume food. Today, though our survival no longer depends on those things, it is always right below the surface. Motivation is instinctive.

The human brain has two parts—the old and the new, which is also called the cortex. The old brain is primitive; it operates quickly and automatically. The new brain, on the other hand, is deliberate. It thinks, plans, and strategizes. It modifies impulsive behavior, if it has a compelling reason to do so. Without the influence of the cortex human beings would always act on instinct and respond automatically and predictably.