Meaning

Dan Pink discusses the labyrinth as a "metaphor for our times" (AWNM, page 227). To get a better sense of how labyrinths free the right brain, visit a labyrinth. There are two publicly available labyrinths in our area:

• Our Lady of Lourdes on West Church Street has a publicly accessible labyrinth in the lawn on the west side of the building.
• Trinity Episcopal Church on North Main Street in Elmira also has a labyrinth. Starting in June, it will be available to the public the first Tuesday of the month from 6-8 pm, the second Thursday of the month from 2-4 pm, and third Friday of the month from 7-9 pm.
  

You can also view this YouTube video which provides more information about the history and significance of the labyrinth:

If you do visit one of the labyrinths, feel free to share your experience in the comments.

Chapter Reaction: Play

Please comment if you would like to share your overall impression/reaction to the chapter "Play."

Play

Try Dr. Thorson's Humor Scale. What was your result? Share if you wish.

Play

View the following video depicting a laughter club in Pune, India:



What is your reaction? Do you think you could benefit from a laughter club?

Play

On page 187 of A Whole New Mind, Daniel Pink quotes David Collinson, a British management scholar. "In 1940 John Gallo was sacked because he was 'caught in the act of smiling,' after having committed an earlier breach of 'laughting with the other fellows,' and 'slowing down the line maybe half a minute.' This tight managerial discipline reflected the overall philosophy of Henry Ford, who stated that 'When we are at work we ought to be at work. When we are at play we ought to be at play. There is no use trying to mix the two.'”

I fear Henry Ford would have a hard time in our world today. Read this article from the Boston Globe. What would Henry Ford think? What are your feelings about play at work?

Chapter Reaction: Empathy

Please comment if you would like to share your overall impression/reaction to the chapter "Empathy."

Empathy

In the chapter on empathy, Daniel Pink mentions how "[e]mpathy can be a powerful force in medicine" (169). Read this article from The New York Times about a doctor who takes time for empathy and how she is rewarded. Have you had an experience with an empathetic physician? Conversely, have you have an experience with a doctor who was not empathetic? How did these experiences make you feel? How does empathy figure in your own daily life with your students, co-workers, etc?