"It is not just the absence of disease or preservation of function that we should be concerned with, but the potential for a continuing development throughout life. Cerebral function is not like cardiac or renal function, which proceeds autonomously, almost mechanically, in a fairly uniform way throughout life. The brain/mind, in contrast, is anything but automatic, for it is always seeking to categorise and recategorise the world, to give meaning to its own experience.
"It is the nature of living a real life that experience is not uniform, but ever changing and ever challenging and requiring more and more comprehensive integration. It is not enough for the brain/mind simply to tick over (like the heart); it must adventure and advance throughout life. The very concept of health or wellness requires a special definition in relation to the brain. ….
"If the brain is to stay healthy, it must remain active, wondering, playing, exploring and experimenting right to the end. Such activities or dispositions may not show up on tests, but they are of the essence in defining the health of the brain and in allowing its development throughout life. ….
"We know that learning is possible throughout life, even in the presence of cerebral aging or disease, and we can be sure that other processes, at a much deeper level, are continuing, too — a culmination of the ever wider and deeper generalisations and integrations that have been occurring in the brain/mind throughout life. ….
"If we are lucky enough to reach a healthy old age, this sense of wonder can keep us passionate and productive to the end of our lives.
Extracts from an unpublished essay by Oliver Sacks, in which the late neurologist and writer discusses his insights and where he felt hope. From "Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales" to be published by Picador on 2 May 2019
You can read the full article in today's 'Sunday Times'.
One question that comes to me is how we - conductors, carers, parents - ensure that adults who benefit from continuing conductive education can "remain active, wondering, playing, exploring and experimenting right to the end".
