Keeping my mind active

I love to think and understand and learn; following new thoughts and also new implications of old thoughts until I reach unexplored vitas and places in human intellectual history in which I can set up camp and stay awhile. Socrates said, “To know that you don’t know is to be wise”. His was an adventurous, fearless spirit! It is one truth that knowledge is never finished because answers inevitably lead to more questions; the pursuit of knowledge is the nature of knowing. Those who adhere to one belief as somehow the only truth confine themselves to one corner of the vast human intellectual heritage available to us. It’s like looking at a painting and focusing on a millimetre square of paint, claiming this to be the truth while missing the rest of the painting.

The value of intellectual exploration has increased for me as my Parkinson’s has made physically exploring the world more difficult. I am grateful to my Parkinson’s for leaving my mental capacity alone. Keeping this capacity engaged and active has prevented me from collapsing in on myself after my diagnosis.

Be fearless, be determined, be open to challenge, be prepared to work to extract knowledge and be curious in your pursuit of new questions!