THE HEART AND THE BRAIN

 FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:

 

 

THE HEART AND THE BRAIN

 

இதயமும், மூளையும்

 

दिल और दिमाग

 

 

Here, I don’t intend to conduct any anatomy session or biology class. Instead, their idiomatic connotations and concepts are dealt with.

 

More often than not, the words 'heart' and 'brain' (in some contexts 'mind') are interchangeably used thinking that they represent one and the same. However, the two seldom share the same wavelengths.

 

‘दिमाग से नही, दिल से सोचो’ is a clinching saying in Hindi.

 

சத்துருக்களையும் சித்தமாய் நேசி.

Love even your enemies heartily.

 

இதயம் தான் நேசிக்கும், மூளை அல்ல.

 

Heart is the home of love, not the brain.

These are typical sentences that distinguish the two terms.

 

While the brain can be equated with the intellect, wisdom, and discretion, the heart has everything to do with love, affection, and good relationships, as can be seen from the following Tamil movie song.

அறிவுக்கு ஆயிரம் கண்கள் - (Knowledge has a thousand eyes).

உறவுக்கு ஒன்றே ஒன்று - (Love/relationship has only one eye)

  

Swami Vivekananda said, “Let us think lofty and have a heart of enormous compassion."

 

Liberty is to feel what your heart desires independent from the opinion of others.

 

Mother Sarada Devi was known for her sublimity of approach, generosity of heart, single-mindedness, and eloquent silence, all of which together dissolved all contradictions.

 

Compassion is the natural state of the human heart, but the same is not necessarily so with the brain. However, if you combine the genius of the brain with the compassion of the heart, it is bound to produce a positive fallout and benign impact.

 

People don’t always need advice. Sometimes all they really need is a hand to hold, an ear to listen, and a heart to understand them. 

 

One may have a heart that is as pure as a crystal, but the same cannot necessarily be the case with the brain. 

 

To quote William Shakespeare, “One beautiful heart is better than a thousand faces. A pure heart is worth its weight in gold.”

 

They say the face is the index of the mind. Likewise, if there is kindness in the heart, it will express itself in every thought and action.

 

What a beautiful saying is this? - Beautiful things happen to beautiful people with beautiful hearts in their beautiful life. And, people only say that something is close to his/her heart, not the brain.

 

Friendship is not written with chalk to erase or write against. It is written with the ink of love on the wall of heart and once written, cannot be erased or changed.

 

Children should be taught how they can balance between the head (brain) and the heart. This underscores the superiority of the heart. When the heart is full, the words are few. In other words, when the heart has more love and compassion, the mouth needs to talk less. Even the richest man is poor if he is without love in his heart.

 

Every little thing done with the heart is bigger than what a brain can do; a smile from the heart is a lovely emotional touchstone. A pure heart sees beyond the intellect, but the brain always wants to don the hat of wisdom asserting superiority.

 

A good heart is like a beautiful house and noble thinking is its entrance into the sea of sympathy and empathy inside. A loving, happy, and cheerful heart is a good medicine leading to healing.

 

The heart is the happiest when it beats for others. Sarah-Jane Redmond, a British actress and acting coach (who is also a boxing and martial arts enthusiast) observed thus, “A successful team beats with one heart.” 

Here, it’s worthwhile quoting the slogan of Church Park Convent, Chennai, “To teach is to touch the hearts (not the brains) of little ones (tiny tots in the case of primary school or kindergarten).

 

Although the human brain has the distinction of being the world’s most incredible computer, it mostly has no sympathy, empathy, or other positive emotions.  While the heart bends and mends as may be expedient, the brain basically tends to be hard and discreet. 

 

The brain has no heart and the heart has no brain. That’s why when one speaks his/her mind, he/she appears heartless and when he/she does what’s in the heart it seems thoughtless.

 

Many things catch our eyes, but we pursue only those that capture our hearts. The mind replays what the heart can’t delete.

While the brain may bungle, the heart will not.

 

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.

 

Edward Bulwer-Lytton said, “A good heart is better than all the heads in the world.”

 

In conclusion, I recall what Swami Vivekananda said - “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.”

 

 

 

R.SAMPATH

23/2/2025