Not so long ago, I got a new smartphone that was hugely popular. I was somewhat surprised at how comfortable it was to use. Communication tools are evolving so quickly, I can hardly keep up.

Communication options have increased with great speed; the tools are becoming faster and easier to use. The speed of information processing has also increased. Especially in the web 2.0 era, communication tools have evolved to become more accessible, user-friendly, and interactive. Anyone can easily produce and share information. Now we can have video conferences with people anywhere on the globe, which seems amazing compared to what existed only ten years ago.

As I applaud the creativity of the human brain that develops new technology at an extraordinary speed, I would also like to ask whether our own ability to communicate and process information has kept up with the pace of the technology we use. Are we also developing the communication and information-processing abilities of our brains?

In our information-focused society, access to information and the ability to use information tools are becoming increasingly standardized. With so much advanced mobile technology, you can easily find the information you need whenever and wherever you want. This influx of information makes our lives increasingly complex and, along with other unexpected factors, makes it more difficult to make predictions and decisions. So our society now places a high value on managing information effectively and using it to make good decisions with speed and accuracy. This management ability demands a versatile, creative, and integrated brain--a brain that doesn’t only take in information passively but proactively assesses and chooses among all that’s available. It then goes beyond using information creating new information.

But what measure or standard do you use to evaluate information most productively? How can you enhance the information-processing ability of your brain? Having values that support your brain’s abilities is most important. Those values, which indicate which information is important, helpful, and relevant, come from your conscience.

By listening to your conscience, you have access to a standard of values that enable you to do the best information processing. Values derived from outside sources, such as a desire for power and influence or a desire to benefit only specific groups of people, do not allow your brain to evaluate information as clearly. The wide eyes of your conscience balances the scales of judgment, allowing you to accurately weigh all information that comes your way. Your conscience is the ultimate information-processing function of your brain. It should be the boss of your brain.

In order to cultivate an ability to listen to your conscience and see with a wider and deeper perspective, you can use tools such as Brain Education and your understanding of your Brain Operating System (BOS). These tools give you concrete exercises that make your brain more aware, flexible, and integrated. I believe that awakening the conscience through BOS and enhancing the information processing ability is the shortcut to the evolution of human consciousness.

At present, humanity is still processing information from a self-centered perspective rather than the all-inclusive perspective of conscience. This is the root of many of humanity’s problems. Rather than an individual or group focused on pursuing personal gain, those that are committed to living from their conscience should be in control of how society processes information. Only humans who have recovered their conscience can produce and choose information with truth and sincerity and really make the best decisions for society.

Nowadays, there are many people who sing the praises of organic food wherever you go. Not long ago it seemed most proponents came from upper-middle class Americans, but now the demand has grown to include even the general public in Korea and Japan as well.

A little while ago I ran into a couple that I had known for a long time, and I was inwardly surprised to see that they wouldn’t so much glance at a cup of tea or a snack unless it was organic. When I told them that even now, I have a fish burger or strawberry shake from McDonald’s from time to time, they were incredulous that a teacher and specialist in mind-body training would occasionally enjoy fast food.

As the conversation continued, we shared news about mutual acquaintances, my recent book, travels abroad, movies, and so on. I hardly noticed the time passing as I chatted with this couple, who had a lot of curiosity and with whom I felt a certain kinship. But what I felt as we talked is that their intellectual curiosity sometimes made them attached to unhelpful information. In my opinion, because they had accumulated so much “healthy” information, they were wrapped up in unnecessary worries and anxieties; having trouble digesting it all. It occurred to me that if they were half as fastidious about their information intake as they were about their food intake, they could have a much healthier and happier lifestyle.

The most important work that our brain does is information processing. It has the ultimate high-speed sensors that take in a great abundance of information every moment. Before this information reaches our consciousness, our brain discriminates which information is valuable and warrants further attention. The conscious mind can do the same thing. It can discriminate among the information that reaches it and choose which information is helpful and discard that which is not. It can selectively choose what it wants to pay attention to.

However, many people actively collect information indiscriminately, giving it all equal value, because they think it will help them. They constantly hoard it, but instead of using the information with ease, many flounder around trying to make sense of it all. They haven't yet realized that some information in this world gives us strength and encouragement, whereas a lot of other information impairs our judgment and inflicts harm.

You cannot be a master of information simply by knowing a lot. No matter how much information you may have, the information itself does not guarantee a better life. You have to be able to determine and choose which information you need and is important. In order to do that, you must develop wisdom, intuition, flexible and integrative thinking, creativity, and decision-making power. More than anything else, we have to know that our brain is sensitive to information and make the effort to provide information that is healthy for it. That is why I always emphasize being selective when enjoying books, movies, music, etc. These things can exert a great deal of influence over an individual’s cultural sensitivities, and belief and value systems.

Information is important. However, what’s more important is the life force using the information; the “me” that breathes and emits brain waves. This life force is the real master over the information it encounters.

A few days ago I took a walk in the early morning and noticed beautifully blooming lotuses in a pond. Some of the lotus flowers were at the height of their bloom, with vivid colors intensified by the bright sunlight. Others were past their prime and starting to wither. As I watched them, I felt the beauty of life and solitude, and some verses came to me that I'd like to share so you can see and feel their beauty with me.

Lotus: It is Life

It is life.
It is life.
The lotus in the mud.
Lotuses grow in muddy water.
White blossoms, red blossoms,
Shades of pink and yellow.
They rise from the muddy water to bloom
In harmony.

As its petals fall,
A lotus says,
“It is now time to leave this world,
I have lived my life to the fullest.
My life was beautiful.”
With one last petal,
The lotus croons “My Way.”
The lotus that bloomed beautifully
Surrenders its graceful figure.
Life is beautiful.

Next to the dying lotus
There is a young bud ready to bloom.
Pondering its future
With a heart full of hope and
Making resolutions,
It breathes and eagerly drinks in water.
Around it lie lotuses in shades of pink and white,
Some retired.
Life is a beautiful thing,
Life shines brightly.

Even for a beautiful lotus, there is solitude.
A lotus blooms alone and withers alone.
I see the hope of the lotus,
I see its dreams,
I see its loneliness.
The lotus is life.
Life is beautiful.
The lotus sends reverence for love and life.
The lotus gives its blessings.
Because it is a flower that blooms
From muck and mire, it is more beautiful.

It is life.
It is life.
I trust that every lotus is truly joyful and happy.