Brain Food

Poet Alexander Pope: "Order is heav'n's first law." Much of what is called "intelligence" is our ability to recognize this order in the form of patterns. We recognize cycles (plankton yields conform to a strict four year boom-and-bust cycle), sequences (the order in which you put on your clothes), tendencies (cracks in dried mud usually form 120º angles), shapes (the stars that make up the constellation Leo), similarities (stellar galaxies and water emptying in a bath tub spiral in the same way), behaviors (etiquette on a crowded bus), and probabilities (the likelihood of throwing a "seven" at a crap table). What patterns do you detect in your issue? How do some of the following patterns relate to your problem? A stone dropped into a still pond will create concentric ripples. If you want to catch something, first you must let it go. A caterpillar builds a cocoon before becoming a butterfly. Water evaporates, forms into clouds, then rains down. The earth looks flat unless you see it from a great distance. Bad things tend to happen in threes. If you drop a glass on the floor, the largest piece will fly the farthest from point of impact. There is a tendency for a group, individual, or team to go soft after it has been successful. For maximum lift at takeoff, an airplane flies into the wind. Good things tend to happen in pairs. A storm clears the air. Rewarding a specific behavior encourages it; punishing a specific behavior discourages it. If a tree doesn't get its roots deeply into the soil, it will be blown over in a storm. When it is cold outside, you can see your breath. Thunder comes after lightning. When there is no moon, you can see more stars. If you exercise a muscle, it strengthens; if you don't, the muscle atrophies. "Warm air rises and cool air sinks. Fruits and vegetables are best enjoyed when they are ripe. The closer an ice skater's arms are to her body, the faster she's able to rotate. If you smile at another person, they'll probably smile back at you. A river with power will create a straight path; a weak river will meander. People remember their first love. The squeeky wheel gets oiled. The nails that sticks up gets hammered down. A contented cat will purr. Examples of the 20/80 rules: 20% of the customers voice 80% of the complaints; 20% of a group gets 80% of the results. A train is louder as it approaches you than when it moves away from you. Opposites attract. Even cold water feels warm when your hands are freezing. Parkinson's Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available for completion. The amount a person uses his imagination is inversely proportional to the amount of punishment he'll receive for using it. If a swimming pool is comfortable when you dive into it, then it is too warm to do a serious workout in. Couples prefer to adopt female babies. Also, females are more likely to be put up for adoption. Long wide brush strokes make restful landscapes. You can't eat your dessert until you eat your vegetables. When a school of fish changes direction, a new fish becomes the leader. Sound takes longer to reach you than light. The air smells clean after it rains. People tend to treat other people the way they were treated as children. Dust accumulates in corners that are hard to reach. Telephone operators receive most of their crank calls during the full moon.

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