Brainstorm

By Lise Alschuler, ND, FABNO
AANP Past-President (2008-2009)

I had a meeting on my schedule today for a brainstorming session.  As I walked to the meeting, for some reason, the word, ‘brainstorm’ hovered in my thoughts. What an odd word, really. Especially considering that the meeting was a pleasant conversation of ideas being exchanged. We certainly were not raging or sending thunderous ideas that hit one another at lightning speed. Actually, it was more like we were eddying – our ideas entering into a swirling pattern of thoughts and plans ultimately creating a current of action. Unfortunately, an eddy session just doesn’t sound right. Perhaps, brainstorm is, after all, more appropriate.

One definition of brainstorm is, “a sudden, violent disturbance of the mind”, i.e. having an idea. What if an idea is, in fact, a gargantuan coordinated feat of electrons and neurotransmitters? What if every idea generated did rage through our neuronal circuitry like a gale, whipping the final result into the tightly constrained containers we call words?  That would mean that each word we utter conceals intensely packed vitality and that ideas are indeed a storm of effort unleashed.  And with that, it would seem that ideas certainly merit our full attention.

Regardless of their content, the mere energy of ideas demands notice. In fact, this gives new meaning to the phrase, “ideas matter”. Matter is condensed energy and, going along with my flow here, ideas are condensed energy, hence ideas both do and are matter!  And lest I slip completely off the edge of reasonable dialogue, let me just suggest that this diatribe boils down to one thing. People’s ideas matter, they are worthy of our attention. When we really listen to one another, we create the potential to unleash the power of our vital mind and, with that, create what would otherwise seem unimaginable.