Right-Brain Left-Brain – Part 4

Right-Brain Left-Brain – Part 4

Ever thought to think about fuzzy thinking versus linear thinking?

The core principal which can be considered the Japanese way of thinking can be though of as fuzzy thinking, or better still, holistic thinking.

If this concept has not became apparent yet, this “way of thinking” contrasts sharply with the linear way of thinking in which most of the rest of the world operates.

Despite the Japanese cultural kinship and similarities with the Koreans and Chinese, these similarities only came about due to primitive Koreans and then primitive Japanese adopting many facets of Chinese culture at a very early stage in Japanese cultural and societal development.

For certain, Japan retain its own native cultural essence and this makes the Japanese conspicuously different from the Chinese and Koreans.

Here one submits:

Often the world is divided between East and West, Oriental and Occidental. 

One could almost say…black and white. 

But where are the rainbow and divine shades of gray?

The third, and paramount to the delicate balance of the rapidly changing world is the holistic right brain thinking of the Japanese.

Japanese Civilization

Eastern Civilization

Western Civilization

Despite the debacle of the Japanese attempt to create a Greater East Asia Co-propriety Sphere once upon a time, the ability of the Japanese to absorb, improve on, and innovate technology undoubtedly played a key role in the meteoric rise of Japan as the second largest economy in the world up until the early part of the 21st century.

The natural tendency of the Japanese is to look at all things from a holistic viewpoint, a valuable asset for sure, especially when applied to the use of technology and associated aesthetic factors.

Indeed, the mystical ability of the Japanese is their innate capacity to understand, duplicate, and improve on imported technology, whether synthetic paper, passenger cars, or the arquebus, is unparalleled.

The right brain influence has truly manifested itself in the Japanese as one can observe in their systematic approach to arts and crafts, architecture, garden design, and the continuing emphasis on aesthetic practices weaved into the daily routine of ordinary Japanese life.

The dominance of the right side of the brain remains so powerful the Japanese still have somewhat of an aversion to thinking based solely on facts and logic. 

Unequivocally, the Japanese regard the linear, purely logical way of thinking to be somewhat callous, cruel, and anti-human.

To be sure, the attribute most admire by the Japanese in people is humanism.

Now if one’s world could only find a little more humanism around the globe, the future for descendants would becoming a much better place.

Stay tuned for next week installment as we continue our right-brain left-brain journey in the Land Of The Rising Son.