The R-brain person

"All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose."

—Brian Tracy

"A creative life is finding a unique or different solution and showing the art and beauty of your solution for all to apply, enjoy and experience."

—SUNRISE

"The source for all religion, art and original ideas lies in the right side of the brain."

—SUNRISE

The R-brain person

R-brain types are people who can efficiently and effectively transfer information from the L-brain to the R-brain on a regular basis.

R-brain people are the opposite to what L-brain people are. For example, where L-brain types are spontaneous and quick, R-brain types will tend to have a delayed approach and become a great thinker of their inner and outer world rather than participate/talk and do things. They will create new ideas and new possibilities based on a wide range of information sources (including the more obscure types). They will rarely, if ever, manipulate or change the outer world first before thinking about an issue very carefully. These types would prefer to manipulate and change their inner selves first through thinking and visualisation before doing anything to affect the environment.

Highly skilled in unifying observable and unobservable patterns derived from experience and in the mind to form one simplified and powerful main pattern, R-brain people will see interrelationships in all things, even those that L-brain types cannot directly observe with their eyes. Often, R-brain people are described as intuitive types because they can see patterns not directly observable in reality and can foresee likely consequences or outcomes when thinking carefully and taking into account in their minds enough factors as they imagine how things are likely to play out.

In a social setting, R-brain people are, by nature, capable of being discriminate and thus communicable with other people, but are conditioned to being tolerant and quiet in society (i.e. they reveal an understanding of the limitations of words to accurately describe the bigger reality of life).

R-brain people are good at noticing similarities in the universe and in people (and hence understand what's common in all things) with particular ease and power, rather than look for differences and highlighting them. Thus R-brain types are more accepting of other people for who they are, as real individuals with feelings and thoughts, and requiring the same essential physical needs as anyone else.

And it can also be very hard to argue against a R-brain type mainly because he/she will spend the time listening and understanding what you have to say, agreeing on some things. Where there is any disagreement and it is important to let the other person know, it if often stated in a matter-of-fact and calm way and showing a deep level of understanding in areas that he/she disagrees but always presented with respect and a willingness to listen to new perspectives and insights so he/she can imagine and see the situation from another person's eyes.

Examples of R-brain people in modern society include religious leaders, philosophers, artists, and certain tribal elders of primitive societies.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

• R-brain people rarely talk to others, especially when they are preoccupied with a problem in their mind and have to achieve something important. But when they do have something to say, it is likely to be significant, accurate and potentially profound in understanding.
• R-brain people have trouble manipulating and changing the environment they live in if they have not thought about the process and why they are doing it very carefully.
• R-brain people prefer to work and do most of their thinking independently of others. It is natural for them. This means R-brain people would like to stay on their own if possible and away from influences around them that may try to sway them to areas that does not get them to the truth to a given problem or issue. It is not money or status that pushes R-brain types to perform this kind of work, but rather to see a greater reality of life as a way of helping themselves, other people and all living things to live harmoniously (mainly because R-brain people can see what's common in terms of the problems and pains people go through and the need to solve them as part of their life's work). Also, by being independent, other people are unable to restrict the reality for R-brain types despite the existence of traditional beliefs, or to maintain power and greed by those willing to stick to the "status quo" mainly because the mind has a way of going to places (i.e., break boundaries) no matter how restrictive other people may be to stop any physical means of seeing the grander truth.
• The typical sign of a good R-brain person is someone who is quiet, independent and often an eccentric character (due to their constant application of creativity and visualisation skills) with behaviours, ideas and thoughts considered uncommon to other people in society. The more eccentric and different they are, the more R-brain skills that are being applied and hence the more creative his/her thinking will be.
• R-brain people are quite happy to juggle around in their minds a variety of familiar patterns such as words, spoken ideas and observable images in order to create new, previously unspoken and/or unobserved pattern or patterns from the original information if it means solving a problem in the most original and/or best way.
• R-brain people are unlikely to be affected or to focus on one particular pattern (unless, of course, it is the pattern that solves all problems in life and the universe). Many different patterns, fro the familiar to the most obscure, are gathered. All patterns acquired by R-brain people are treated the same (e.g. might be considered important or unimportant, which only thinking and time will determine). In fact, it is extremely difficult to annoy R-brain people using any specific pattern or patterns such as a stereo system blaring loud music nearby, or someone having an argument, or even a negative description on them or another person by another person for whatever reason. This is because all things have their place in life and no one view, situation or materialistic thing is truly representative of reality. And often there are things that are not really important in the face of grander truths or the more important things we must all do.
• In an organisation or society that promotes extensive R-brain skills (e.g. trying different and unrelated fields), the people often become more and more different in their appearance and behaviour. But always these same people are tolerant and respectful of one another and their different views and insights.
• R-brain people have difficulty seeing differences in certain observable things unless it is presented to them by others, or R-brain people decide it is important to identify differences when solving problems. For example, R-brain people believe work and play should be one and the same thing, not separate entities as many L-brain types like to do. In other words, the work we do should be enjoyable to us and should never be seen as a chore or something we hate to do. In essence, R-brain people would prefer not to divide people or things through words, thoughts or actions.
• When R-brain people are ready to reveal their discoveries or insights into certain problems, they will be happy to share their wide-ranging, broad and sometimes indepth views with a wide group of people, often using lots of pictures or other non-verbal means, and to use simple words to help avoid technical jargon and complicated choices of words. However, they may be seen by L-brain types as too simplistic and perhaps not scientific enough (i.e. directly observable, and perhaps needing more evidence by way of actual experiments).
• When R-brain people communicate, their eyes are almost always closed and/or looking down or away instead of directly at the person they are talking to as if they are constantly visualising and thinking about what they are going to say and/or to see aspects of what the other person has said in the mind and their links to other potentially relevant information.
• R-brain people often see things as an almost complete and very big picture and become aware of global and hidden patterns affecting many things, but they may have difficulty in seeing clearly the specific details of that picture or patterns.
• R-brain people take the time to gather information first before making any decisions.

• R-brain people think about how to create the thing that they would like to be and make real rather than fitting in with what is or what other people want them to be or do.

  In religious terms, the act of thinking according to the R-brain person is equivalent to the term praying. When religious people talk about praying, what they are really saying is that they need time out to think about certain issues and allow the brain to solve various problems.

  In scientific terms, thinking goes under the umbrella of research and development. To the pscyhologist, it is just another term for visualising.

• R-brain people are often described as the ones who already accept others for who they are — that is, everyone else are valuable members of society who should be treated with respect and able to contribute solutions to problems — and so give them what they need and/or want (if possible) unconditionally with the belief that eventually they will contribute something important and worthwhile to society.
• R-brain people tend to believe in the view that "There is such a thing as a free lunch". This is probably because they have understood how things come in cycles (or be recycled). Or perhaps it is because R-brain people do it for the sake of showing their love and compassion to all living things around them without judgement, favouritism or other forms of categorising and expectation of things. Or maybe it is simply because R-brain people know that eventually we will all contribute something worthwhile in our lifetime. We don't need to be pressured to achieve something great if we are curious enough to learn and solve problems.
• R-brain people always believe in unconditional love. And that means they have faith in the person they are loving that he/she will achieve great things. There is no need to chase people, especially if they are R-brain types, to see if they are doing the right thing and their fair share of work for society before paying them a certain agreed wage or salary. In fact, there is usually no money necessary, but to give what people need to survive and achieve whatever goals they wish to see reached in their lives for the benefit of everyone else on this planet.
• R-brain people always know what has to be done and will do it without question. You do not need to tell them to work or achieve something important for society.
• Opposite to L-brain people who don't believe in a "free lunch" for anyone, R-brain people are often the ones who will say to other people, "If you want to help people be happy and make this world a better place, then you will know exactly what it is that you must do and how you will contribute to society in your own way, and you will always have that free lunch you need without question or restrictions."
• R-brain people believe the less you acquire materialistically (with a greater emphasis on acquiring only a few quality global and all-encompassing patterns in life), the more valuable you are to society (especially a R-brain society).
• R-brain people are often slow to develop a few, very imaginative or "balanced" things of high quality and great impact to society which helps to solve or explain many and varied problems. This is understandable as time is needed to think things through to their deepest levels. However, the more trained you are in R-brain skills, the quicker the attainment of a solution will be. Thus, more experienced and older R-brain types will often reach an original and all-encompassing solution within reasonable time and with great insight and power.
• R-brain people tend to believe in the power of one as if quality and lesser numbers of something is best and achieves the most things in life. But what is not understood by R-brain people is how to implement and delegate this power to a group of people. Affecting enough people through the very simple things R-brain people can see is perhaps one of the most difficult things R-brain people can do.
• R-brain people will prefer not to wear watches or other specific organisational tools. Instead they will rely more on their own internal "cyclic" (i.e. no ending or beginning) biological clock and their creativity to determine such trivial matters as when and how to eat, sleep, work and so on. Measuring such things to the level of precision and satisfaction of L-brain types is considered a waste of time to R-brain people.
• R-brain people tend not to be aware of how old they are. They always feel young no matter how old they really are. No boundaries or restrictions are emphasised with respect to one's age. Everyone is capable of doing anything at any age in the mind of a R-brain person.
• R-brain people are more likely not to follow other people's specific beliefs or ways of doing things no matter how much or how many L-brain people believe in them. In other words, even if the people of a whole nation believes there is only one way to do things, a R-brain person will always be unperturbed by the peer pressure (even if put to death by the majority) because of his/her independence and willingness to see many different ways of doing things. A R-brain person will courageously stand up against the majority.
• R-brain people would prefer not to think he/she is owned by one person or organisation, or has to be patriotic to one nation. R-brain people believe they are part of the world or grander Universe. They are, therefore, often seen as the true world citizens of Earth or the real members of the grander society of life throughout the universe.
• R-brain people would prefer to question all things (i.e. the philosopher's approach) while letting others follow their own way of doing, thinking and learning about things (i.e. the non-interference approach). Because deep down, everyone will share their insights and help paint the picture of a grander reality for all.

• Because R-brain people have a somewhat cyclic view of the world based on global patterns perceived about the universe, they will tend to have no fear of endings, especially if it has to do with their own death. That's why R-brain people tend to see life and death as normal experiences we must go through as a way to advance our mysterious inner spiritual self (described by religion as the soul) and the genetic code (described by science) to a more stable and higher state, and so hopefully experience in our next life more of this Universe and so reach some ultimate goal (depending on what we have actually achieved in our past and present life).

  So, in the event of a major disaster, R-brain people are more likely to relax and think about the best possible solution to the problem, including the possibility of ending their own lives prematurely if it means saving many others.

  Beyond that, R-brain people often see the benefit of travelling with minimal baggage throughout life. And if there is anything acquired, R-brain people have learned to let go of these things so it will be easier for them to die and so suffer less at the time of their death.

• Whereas a number of L-brain people will tend to go to church by way of a small or large and elaborate building just to help them listen and concentrate on the more balanced ideas from quality church leaders and hence understand this issue of formulating a single holistic pattern such as God, R-brain people tend to make the world (and, in fact, the Universe) their church. The universe is more than ample enough to demonstrate the importance of balance to R-brain people without needing to be lectured by someone who claims to be an expert on the idea inside a building devoted to the subject. God, or the Universe, is the teacher and classroom all in one for the R-brain person.
• R-brain people do not always wish to use the term God (and certainly refuse to believe in multiple Gods) to explain the purpose of this Universe and why we are here. Yes, there is one single holistic pattern (i.e. unnameable apparently for the true God) and R-brain people do believe in a purpose for our existence based on this grand pattern. But what this purpose is in reality is not precisely known. It still requires R-brain types to think to a considerable degree and for a long time. And even then, the Universe does not reveal all the answers straightaway. Instead, what is more important is for all living things to reach for various realistic and achievable goals and seeing each goal as a step towards getting closer to this ultimate goal or purpose in life. Sometimes to emphasise this ultimate goal or purpose, some R-brain people may not actually believe in a God by saying so because the word is simply too restrictive and inaccurate. We are all aiming for something grand in the end, and we just don't know it for sure precisely what it is. But nothing stops you from approaching this goal as closely as you like. Just so long as the approach you take is with love and curiosity, then you will know you are heading in the right direction.
• R-brain people do not see boundaries or "boxes" in people and places, or in events such as life and death and so on. Everything is treated equally (i.e., without favouritism). Of course, this can be a problem for R-brain people when it comes to themselves. These are the people who will often say, "Okay, I will do this, or you can do that" without setting certain limits on things, other people, or even themselves for that matter. They are happy to help others or let everyone do what they have to do (because they trust people to follow a path with a heart). In other words, if people are properly supported and have what they need on an equal basis, everyone will know what to do in life without requiring restrictions to be placed on others (e.g. creating new and complex legislation, introducing punishment regimes etc.). Whereas the R-brain types can work or be focused too much on achieving something great for other people.
• Because R-brain people do not usually uphold stringent and specific behaviours (or beliefs), they will tend to accept others for their differences (whether in appearance or views).
• R-brain people find it difficult, even distasteful, to write an encyclopedia of highly detailed and technical information about a particular subject. Instruction manuals written by R-brain people are highly compact, easy-to-read, lots of pictures and contain only the essential information.
• R-brain people look to simplify garden designs to just a mass plantings of 3 or 4 low maintenance plants covering the three main levels consisting of trees, shrubs and grounds covers. It is extremely rare to find straight lines in the paths, garden edges and shapes of ponds and lakes in such a garden. Edges in a garden are usually not well defined. Very little, if any, maintenance is required. The garden often blends in with the natural forest outside t give a sense of being natural, yet always looks remarkable pretty and pleasant to be in. The gardens by R-brain types also have a feel like it has been there for a long time and almost ageless and timeless in their beauty.
• R-brain people love using a few simple words (if they wish to communicate, perhaps with a little encouragement from others) when explaining something and, in fact, will try to simplify as much as possible the number and types of words used to describe the picture as if this is a sign of greater intelligence.
• R-brain people are particularly immune to people using negative words against them. They are more likely to walk away or see the words are just another person's opinion and nothing more. It is extremely rare, if ever, for R-brain people to engage in direct physical conflict because of a few hurtful words.
• If R-brain people are asked to teach others about a particular subject, the information is simplified to the essential concepts that can be easily visualised. Then, when the moment comes to learn the concepts, there would be a lot of quiet time to observe, simplify and visualise information for the students. There may also be numerous simple visual and auditory presentation aids used by the R-brain person to help other people learn, either as indirect background learning aids, or used directly as the main items of learning. And plenty of games to reinforce the concepts are employed.
• If there is a way to achieve it, R-brain people are happy to increase the time frames for learning, working and/or playing if it will improve learning, bring greater positive emotions, and in general help with bringing out a quality of life for everyone concerned.
• R-brain people are renowned for their ability to see hidden meanings or interpretations in anything that they see, hear, taste, smell or feel. While they are capable of accepting and appreciating what it is they are experiencing, they would prefer to do some thinking in order to find hidden meanings. Perhaps this is how R-brain people try to formulate this ultimate holistic pattern of life and the universe?
• R-brain people can show instability (or unpredictability in behaviour) because they need their imagination to see the stability in the global patterns they gather from the environment as part of their survival. But once a solution is found, R-brain people show great stability in life. This is the paradox of life and the universe that R-brain people truly understand. You do one thing in life (usually something you have never tried before) and you often get the opportunity to see the opposite of something very well. And to do so means you must be different in your thinking and behaviour to help you see the opposites and ultimate the great pattern you are trying to uncover.
• R-brain people often say there is more than one way to "skin-a-cat" so to speak, and they do not expect others to follow a particular path (even if a large number of people do happen to follow that path for whatever reason).
• Because there are so many paths one can take throughout life and each one can have their own pluses and minuses and possible solution, R-brain people are not known to force people to do things in a certain way. In fact, not being the incredibly social types, it is actually hard for R-brain people to manipulate or tell other people to do things in a so-called "preferred" way. There is no "preferred way". Rather, R-brain types would prefer to see the positives of people and to let them apply those positive attributes to solving problems and, if they so choose, learn in their own time other ways of doing things if required. Why? Because eventually people will see a way which matches closely to the R-brain approach if people genuinely seek the truth and there are no personal agendas getting in the way. At the same time, "all roads lead to Rome" so to speak if people are getting to the "truth", so it does not matter how you approach things initially.
• R-brain people usually believe in the idea of stability, but not in change (despite the changes they have to go through within themselves to understand something in an original or best way). For example, R-brain people will happily learn a variety of new ideas, and to a L-brain person this is interpreted as change. But in fact these R-brain people become more stable in themselves and their fundamental holistic beliefs because they are understand how the changes are actually promoting greater stability in all things.
• R-brain people hate to work long hours doing a repetitive job and would rather spend the time "thinking outside the square". If they are forced to do something repetitive or given a difficult problem, they will use their powerful visualisation skills and apply new and creative techniques to solve the problem or make the work enjoyable , different and achieve the goals more quickly. However, R-brain people need to be careful when doing this as L-brain types in a position of power are likely to take advantage of R-brain types by giving them more work for no increase in the pay or other reward-based options. R-brain people need to be clever to look like they are still working hard but have essentially done everything that is needed and can quietly do other work or activities without the L-brain types noticing anything.

• R-brain people rarely talk to each other if they have not thought about an issue carefully. But when they do talk to each other (i.e. the more balanced L- and R-brain thinking types), there are long pauses between conversation to allow everyone to think about what they are going to say. Although the conversation can be slow, this often results in a relaxed, well-thought out and intelligent conversation showing an enormous understanding of the past (i.e. in a relaxed state many relevant known patterns acquired in memory through experience can be brought out), present (continually sensing the environment for new or recognisable patterns) and can formulate educated predictions of the future (through visualisation of possible outcomes and consequences) of any given issue of discussion.

  NOTE: True L-brain people tend to rely on recognition of known patterns in memory acquired from experience to communicate past solutions when solving current problems. True R-brain people tend to focus on visualisation skills to create new patterns, solutions and thus a future. Balanced people tend to apply a healthy application of rational thinking and memory to make well-informed insights into the future of what is likely to happen and can still create new patterns tempered with known patterns in the past to ensure the new patterns can work in reality.

• R-brain people tend to be quieter and reclusive and will therefore often say, "It is not who you know, but what you know that matters".
• R-brain people will often say, "Less means more!".
• R-brain people would want to be on their own. If they have to be with a group of people, they would prefer to be standing at the back of the pack and never be seen in front if possible. Of course, being at the back of the pack might give them the impression they are not good leaders and therefore will justify staying in this position by saying they are not able to verbally communicate as good as the L-brain types even though they may know a hell of a lot more of the bigger picture than most L-brain people do or can ever work out in a lifetime.
• R-brain people prefer to be associated with "losers" (according to L-brain types) because it normally means they have to ask themselves why and to think about how to improve on what they and others are doing, and then quietly go ahead and improve on the situation. At the same time, so-called "losers" may actually have a unique perspective on life, and the potential for seeing new solutions to problems.
• Because R-brain people prefer to visualise and think about so many things, they have a preference for understanding the solid substance and stable character of people rather than their changeable outer appearance, or image.
• R-brain people are not affected by the clothes people wear. In fact, people can walk around naked if they so wish and it wouldn't cause R-brain people to flinch whatsoever at the sight of a naked body. This is partly because R-brain people are already aware of what we look like without clothes so there is not going to be any surprises for them. At the same time, their mind is capable of controlling their body to ensure no unwanted outcomes are experienced. Thus, naked people, even of the L-brain types, have nothing to fear walking around naked in front of R-brain types. It is perfectly normal in the sense that what we do with our bodies is up to the individual and everyone else can ignore (or watch if they prefer) without causing a scene or creating a situation of fear for anyone else, so long as they apply their R-brain skills.
• R-brain people believe that all things should be equal, and treated accordingly. For example, R-brain people will tend to say it is just as important to look after the parents as well as the children when it comes to family situations. L-brain people will, however, argue that this is too idealistic and R-brain people must choose what should be first (i.e. the children in the case of most L-brain people). But R-brain people will say that this equal treatment approach comes about when looking at things over time rather than any specific moment in time. Thus to give something for the children, you have to give something to the parents as well. As an example, if parents are sick, you can't always give to the children what they want. Sometimes parents need to receive something themselves to help them get well and be relaxed once again before they can give back again to their children what they need (and for the rest of society).
• R-brain people will normally scan for general or global patterns first before concentrating on very specific and observable patterns. Hence their eyes may look in all directions first before focussing on a particular item of interest.
• R-brain people often think that they are not sufficiently confident in doing things quickly unless they have had time to think about things first before doing it. Even when R-brain people are fairly confident about something, doing something quickly and in high quantity and/or efficiency is not the most important thing in life. Making sure it is done the right way, has meaning and is enjoyable is far more important than just simply doing and seeing what happens. Hence R-brain people will often work to achieve the absolute minimum but never try to do more or compete with others at doing something the quickest or the most quantity. R-brain people will want to make sure the task being done is truly achieving its fundamental goal and helps to solve many other problems identified in the work.
• When R-brain people design and build sculptures, buildings, paintings and so on, they often emphasise the simplicity of the items. For example, sculptures and paintings will often look interestingly curvy, smooth and/or potentially vague, or could be deliberately blurry to force the mind to "see" it from the right-side of the brain, but to some people, notably the L-brain types, may be viewed as an over-simplification and may take a while, if ever, to fully understand and see what it is. Or if R-brain types just want to get to the heart of a matter and communicate it to others, the simplification is done in such a way as to ensure it is easy for anyone to see the solution.

R-brain gardeners prefer simplicity in their plants and garden designs. Rarely do they need to work in the garden. For example, with the right companion plantings and right locations, they let nature provide all the fertiliser and water for all the plants. R-brain people are more likely to create a self-recycling garden.

A R-brain garden will almost always have curved paths with simple trees, shrubs, vegetables and so on planted more or less randomly and creatively to mimic a natural 'food producing and pleasant' forest. It is extremely unusual for the garden to be heavily organised with lots of high maintenance borders and non-flowing ponds.

• R-brain people are good at creating large, simple drawings. A few simple curves can often speak volumes if carefully designed.
• The homes of R-brain people are usually small containing one or very few rooms with just the essential and simple furniture pieces. Few personal items are placed on mantlepieces and so on. It is most unusual for R-brain people to hoard or accumulate bits and pieces in their homes or on their bodies (e.g. jewellery, watches, chains etc).
• The homes of R-brain people tend to be located in socially-isolated areas or where there are few people around, often on mountain tops, and with minimal impact to the environment so that R-brain people can blend in with nature and, therefore, have the opportunity to look down over a wide area as they contemplate certain issues in their minds. It helps R-brain people to focus the mind on seeing the big picture from a higher vantage point and observe the unseen patterns.

There is a movement taking place where the current L-brain financial system is being balanced by a new type of financial system better suited to R-brain people or those L-brain people fed up with the rat race and want a "seachange" so to speak. To better appreciate the new system, let us start from the beginning.

In the current economic system, governments don't believe in zero or negative growth. The system must have constant positive growth through selling products and services locally, nationally and internationally mainly to convince people it is working and to help keep governments in office at election times. It is a system where companies compete and produce any kind of products and services, and the people in the system should buy those products and services through any kind of clever marketing technique to anyone who has income. Among those products is the idea that people should be in constant debt when purchasing expensive items such as a house, car and/or holiday so as to get people to pay for the interest component of the loans and thus help to make other people richer.

However such a system is having a detrimental effect on the natural environment (e.g. greenhouse gas emissions, land clearing etc) and is creating too many social problems (the divide between rich and poor, crime, poor health, mental illness etc).

People are calling it a flawed system. As Vidal Gore said:

"...we are living in a bubble economy pumped up by laughing gas."

Some people, in particular Professor Bob Blain of the USA, Jeff Davies at the ANU and Deirdre Kent of New Zealand and founding member of Living Economies, believe a new financial system based on a local currency of time is needed to bring greater balance to the current economic system. Rather than looking at the type of occupation people are doing and determining how much to pay, society should focus on the time people spend to make products and provide services. By measuring time as the unit of currency, we can convert this to a new monetary system called Green Dollars or to directly barter one product or service for another.

Such a system of marrying time with money would allow the poor and the rich to become equal through their contributions.

This is the difference. Our masculine (L-brain) financial system focuses on competition, lots of communication and job status to create wealth for oneself. The feminine (R-brain) system focuses on co-operation to create community development. Cooperation means communicate, specialise and reciprocate. There is no discrimination in such a new financial system. People are accepted for who they are no matter what their race, beliefs, religious affiliations or educational backgrounds might be.

Or society could go to the extreme R-brain approach of no monetary system to measure time or other factors. Simply, R-brain people raise their children with kindness and encouragement and society is guaranteed something will be done of great worth and balance to society. This is how it should work.

Contrast this with the masculine (L-brain) system where people don't expect you to do anything valuable on your own. You must prove you are valuable by doing as you are told.

Whatever system we may implement to solve our environmental and social problems, the products and services we produce in the new 21st century economy should be designed to be useful (i.e. valuable), durable and priced as low as possible. And most importantly, the products and services must genuinely give us more free time.

For further details about this emerging development, visit http://le.org.nz/.

NOTE 1: Is it the current financial system or our minds which is causing all the problems? It is apparent how L-brain skills and thinking have permeated with current system. If so, what happens if people where more balanced in their thinking and learned to have what they need? Could the current financial system be tamed? Or is it like John Kenneth Galbraith when he said:

"Faced with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof."

Or is it the emotion of greed that's driving us? As E. F. Schumacher in Small and Beautiful said:

"If greed were not the master of modern man, how could it be that the frenzy of economic activity does not abate as higher standards of living are attained, and that it is precisely the richest societies which pursue their economic advantage with the greatest ruthlessness."

Maybe one other factor needs to be taken into account: education. Educators need to be valued in the 21st century to assist people to use their trained knowledge to achieve something great and of a more balanced approach. We may tackle the current currency system. Yet we also need to tackle the belief systems of people. We must show through education using the right technology (with 3D modelling and images to show the society of the future) what a different belief system can bring to people.

Then maybe our emotions will eventually kick in as we realise what we are doing and learn there is a better way to live.

NOTE 2: The new system must also encourage creativity. Having just a time currency does not give incentives for people to be creative. Instead people merely do the work needed to survive and that is about it. If we are to progress to higher levels of existence and see things we have never seen before, it is better for society to measure the worth of something not just in time, but also how original the idea is and what it can achieve. If the idea is original and/or achieves something that others have never done before in a positive way such as reducing the time to do something or helps us to see things in a grander and richer way, it should be rewarded with a combination of either extra time currency, access to more services and products, and/or a shortening of the total lifetime contribution one must contribute to society by the individual (see elsewhere about the so-called retirement age and being given freedom to do anything).

• When R-brain types are asked to recall a recent event, they are likely to think and move their eyes towards their right, then to their left, then right, and so on as if they are trying to visualise as well as recall information. This often results in a more precise and greater detail of a particular past event.
• While people can become L-brain types just by being put into survival mode and in quickly finding very specific solutions to all their immediate needs and wants, people become R-brain types by experiencing for a long time what it is like to forgo materialistic things and/or by living in survival mode while thinking about a whole lot of long-term issues beyond those of a survival and materialistic nature. By learning to let go of many things now and just think for a long time, you find it easier to have what you need and eventually you become a more R-brain person.
• R-brain people are acutely aware of the order and simplicity of life (based on these global and stable patterns) and make statements suggesting a belief in a simple and stable world by saying things like, 'The more we learn, the easier life gets' and 'Surface simplicity arises out of deep complexity'.
• When R-brain people are asked to express their emotions, it is often made extremely simple to communicate in terms of either one or the opposite emotion (good or bad, positive or negative etc). There is no need to complicate this aspect of their lives by saying things like, "I have butterflies in my stomach, and my heart is filled with the light of a thousand suns on a clear and starry night, and...."
• R-brain people find it easiest to relax when they are sitting down quietly and using their mind to think about a particular problem, or just visualising something peaceful and/or exciting as they sit and look out through a window or when walking through a park.
• R-brain people often start with the feeling they can't change the world or solve problems, but later discover they can (especially as they learn to balance themselves over time).
• R-brain people will do just one or two very simple and important things in life of a highly fundamental nature. Yet somehow later discover by accident how they can solve and do practically many different things. This is because R-brain people have formulated and are constantly improving their holistic beliefs while having the creativity to improve on those beliefs to ensure their accuracy in the real world. Because those few beliefs are so encompassing of many other ideas and beliefs, it is possible for R-brain people to try different things without too much difficulty. Success for R-brain people is therefore merely to be happy in doing one thing you enjoy and to learn and you will eventually solve many things. To be more specific, R-brain people would say you should do one thing that will help you to see the really important things in life but never hold onto the beliefs you create from it too strongly as you will never know what new ideas will come around the corner. To R-brain people, success is more to do with the ability to think and be creative as needed to modify or create new beliefs before performing some kind of new and more appropriate action. The ability to learn is really at the heart of success for R-brain people.
• Access to quality information in order to formulate quality beliefs and actions is important for R-brain people. However there is a preference for gathering information from many different sources when painting a simple, accurate and all-encompassing picture in their minds of how everything appears to work. The sources of information are in both the established and non-established or more obscure areas in life. R-brain people are also known for their ability to revert back to observations of nature and in using their brain to creatively think in order to produce more accurate information and hence beliefs and actions.
• In the extreme case, R-brain people are timid, shy, peaceful, loving and humble individuals who feel they are totally insignificant and that there is only one unnamable entity (L-brain types would prefer to call it God) who commands the universe as if they themselves are not gods (or part of God) in the sense that they shouldn't interfere with other people or what happens in this universe. So in the event where certain L-brain people should contemplate the destruction of the Earth in some kind of nuclear war, R-brain people are not likely to interfere in the decision-making process and are prepared to die believing that this is the way of balance. Unless L-brain types decide to stop what they are doing and listen to get the balance right, it is possible R-brain types will let nature dictate balance instead or at least encourage it in subtle ways to reach balance.
• R-brain people make grand visions of the future looking over the long-term. Unless the visions are coupled with good L-brain skills, sometimes the visions can be very creative. However, if enough information is gathered by R-brain people, the visions often do become a reality when given enough time.

• R-brain people rarely make lots of money unless their creativity and insight is given monetary value by society. And if it rarely comes, R-brain people have to be dead to benefit from it. This is why people like Queenie Chan, a Sydney comic book artist, said:

  "You shouldn't become an artist if you want to become a millionaire." (The Canberra Times: More to creative pursuits than money, but many still suffer for their art. 27 May 2006, p.24.)

  However artists could make substantial amounts of money if they know how. The key to making money for R-brain people is to somehow relate their creativity to something people are already interested in buying. For example, as Professor David Throsby, co-author on a 2003 report on Australian artist incomes, said:

  "The classic examples are visual artists doing web design and crafts people who use their skills to make ceramics talking to tile manufacturers." (The Canberra Times: More to creative pursuits than money, but many still suffer for their art. 27 May 2006, p.24.)

  Or you could place your original artwork on T-shirts, swimwear, stationery and the works to achieve the same thing.

  Or you have to learn to love what you are doing and see it as a hobby rather than a form of primary income as some R-brain people may never publish or make their work known to others until after their death.

  For those R-brain people working towards making an income from their creativity, Chan some some wise words:

  "It's important you're able to support yourself when you're doing an ordinary amount of work, because sometimes there will be more work than you can handle, while other times there will be much less work than needed to make ends meet.

  You have to prepare for dry spells and should that happen for an extended period of time, you will either have to choose between dropping out or 'making great sacrifices for the sake of art'." (The Canberra Times: More to creative pursuits than money, but many still suffer for their art. 27 May 2006, p.24.)

  A strong creative industry is often undervalued in society. Professor Thorsby support this view and adds:

  "Creativity is often talked about these days as being the new resource — the new leading input that companies need to give themselves that competitive advantage." (The Canberra Times: More to creative pursuits than money, but many still suffer for their art. 27 May 2006, p.24.)

• R-brain people believe fewer words is more important when describing an overall picture (or story). Instead of complicating the language one speaks and writes to other people, R-brain people prefer to use the least amount of words to paint the same picture. Even better if you can paint the picture. R-brain people see the English language as like an Aboriginal painting with its myriad of relatively complex lines and circles. But once the overall picture is observed in the lines and circles, R-brain people can simplify the words (i.e. reduce the number of lines and circles) to show the essential picture. There is no need to complicate things.

• To develop R-brain skills, you need time to be on your own (often free from the influence of other people and society as a whole for truly creative and original thinking) for a period of reflection and contemplation. Your aim is to be creative and visualise as much as you can about a problem until a solution is found.

  Therefore it is not unusual for R-brain people to develop their visual and creative skills by walking alone into the wilderness and performing the following activities in their mind:

  1. Being curious enough to ask questions in the mind of "What's it like to be in a certain situation?", "How did it begin?" and, most importantly, "What if we did it differently?"
  2. Where the information is available, reading and visualisizing the past of how it began and why.
  3. Listening to people and then imagining them in the situation through mental role playing.
  4. Focussing on creating a new future by looking for constructive, alternative and simplified ways to improve or solve a situation.
  5. Visualising the similar connections between seemingly different and unrelated things. What do two or more things have in common?
  6. Sleeping or meditating on the problem.

  before returning to society with new ideas.

  Remember, it is not unusual for the solutions you uncover from creative thinking to have the potential of breaking common laws, rules and other barriers set up by powerful and rich L-brain people acting as so-called leaders for society. Hence some solutions could get you into trouble with authorities. But sometimes you have to find ways to implement the solutions for the benefit of society.