So, You’re Reading the Title of This Blog Entry

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

Though a limited series, it was one from which he had acquired more sound information by diligent perusal than many a man of opportunities has done from a furlong of laden shelves.
— On Gabriel Oak’s tiny library in Far from the Madding Crowd

Now you are continuing on to read its first sentence. Before you go any further, stop and ask yourself what are the chances that you will read every sentence of this blog article, right through to the end, without checking your email, looking at Facebook, texting a friend, following a hyperlink, or interrupting in any other similar way. If you are like me and are honest with yourself, the chances are small! How many online articles do we merely skim, glance at, or half-heartedly scroll through, desultorily highlighting random snippets of text?

Neuroplasticity and “Spiritual Plasticity”

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

(Image: cerebrart.blogspot.com)

When we say that something is “plastic” or “malleable”, it is when that something can be moulded into different shapes and forms. An example of this would be wax. I recall a time when my friend unsuccessfully tried to shape the wax Babybel cheese cover into a cartoon character. The good thing about these types of materials is that we can always begin again due to its “plasticity”. A human organ that has been described as “plastic” is the brain. In fact, there is a term for it: neuroplasticity. This plasticity is not the consequence of generating more neural cells in the brain, but rather an increase in connections with other neural cells. The implications of neuroplasticity range from learning to compensating for sensory deficits (such as increase in hearing ability when blinded). The brain is much more adaptable that we once thought. But, what is the point of mentioning neuroplasticity here, other than to satisfy my neuroscience ego?