Dc.Dr Oytun Erbas
The Missing Pieces of the Brain: How Our Flaws Make Us Special
Let me begin with this thought: from the moment we are born, we are constantly learning. There is so much to learn that we all seek ways to do it faster and more easily. But how does what we know about the way our brain works affect our ability to learn?
Here’s the essence: the key to learning lies in activating both sides of the brain—the logical left side and the creative right side. Our traditional education system usually nourishes the left brain, the side that deals with logic, numbers, and lists. The right brain—the center of imagination, colors, and emotions—too often remains in the background. I compare this to crippling one wing of a bird. Can such a bird fly? No.
But what about the physical structure of our brain? This is where things get even more interesting. Sometimes, missing something can actually make it more efficient. Let me tell you a true story: Kim Peek, also known as “Rain Man.” He had an extraordinary memory; he could recall almost every book he read word for word. Yet brain scans showed that nearly one-third of his brain was missing. A significant portion of his brain and half of his cerebellum were absent. Did this stop him? On the contrary, this “deficiency” made him an extraordinary savant.
This teaches us something crucial: it is not excess but sometimes deficiencies that make us special. A perfect, flawless brain is not always the most creative or productive.
Are Our Genes Our Destiny? Enter Epigenetics!
It’s easy to think, “I inherited depressive genes from my mother, that’s just who I am.” But the truth is different. Our genes are like a musical score, showing which notes can be played. How those notes are played—whether genes are turned on or off—depends entirely on a process called epigenetics.
Here’s how it works: our DNA is wrapped around protein spools called histones. A process called methylation locks the spool, making the gene unreadable. Acetylation, on the other hand, unlocks it, allowing the gene to be expressed.
And what controls these locks? Our environment and experiences!
- Love: A child raised with love and compassion may have “love genes” activated and “anxiety genes” silenced.
- Stimulation: A child deprived of toys or environmental stimuli may have “intelligence genes” that remain unread.
- Practice: Mozart had musical genes, but he also practiced 10 hours a day, “unlocking” those genes. Genius comes not only from genetics but also from extraordinary effort. Expecting a child who attends piano lessons once a week to become Mozart is unrealistic.
Is a Little “Flaw” Necessary for Creativity?
Another striking point: creativity. Looking at the lives of many geniuses, artists, and scientists who left their mark on history, we see a common trait—mood disorders.
Research shows that nearly all creative individuals have some form of psychiatric “flaw.” This could be bipolar disorder, depression (melancholia), or something within the schizophrenia spectrum. A normal, “perfect” brain often cannot break free from convention. That unusual idea, that groundbreaking discovery, is often the product of a “flawed” yet brilliant mind.
Of course, this doesn’t mean every person with a disorder is a genius. But every genius has, somewhere within, a “flaw.”
Conclusion: Value Your “Strange” Children
So what am I saying? If your child is “strange,” hyperactive, dyslexic (mixing up b and d), struggling with math, withdrawing and crying on rainy days, or constantly imagining different things—don’t immediately label them as a “problem.”
That “strange” child may be the future scientist, screenwriter, or artist. See their differences not as deficiencies but as potential. It is not the excesses of the brain but sometimes its missing or differently functioning parts that make us unique.
Remember: half minds are precious. Let’s not exclude the “flawed” ones among us, because they may bring the ideas that change the world. In the end, each of us has some kind of deficiency, and those deficiencies are what make us who we are and take us where we need to go.
