I apologize for not blogging in over a week. The studying has been pretty hectic despite my absolute love for anatomy & physiology. Anywho...meet Cortex Man. The figure on your left is the Sensory Homunculus while the figure to your right is the Motor Homunculus. In order for you to understand what in the world these strange looking figures are, a little of neuroanatomy for you. If you took the brain & slice it in such a way that you look at it in a coronal point of view anteriorly (from the front), you will notice 2 equal hemispheres split down the middle via the Corpus Callosum & Longitudinal Fissure. The Precentral/Postcentral Gyrus should be easier to locate with the Central Sulcus as your reference point. These areas control the sensory & motor functions within our bodies.
Now...these figures represent what humans SHOULD look like & how, surprisingly, unproportional our anatomy should be according to what the precentral & postcentral gyri tell us. In the precentral gyrus (motor), certain body parts have a much larger motor area than others. For example, the hands have a HUGE coverage in the precentral gyrus for motor control versus the feet, which have small coverage, as displayed by Mr. Motor Homunculus. In the postcentral gyrus (sensory), the lips & head have a large coverage, therefore Mr. Sensory Homunculus exhibits the large lips & large head. Both models are similar, thus showing that the pre & postcentral gyri are somewhat similar in their motor & sensory control of the body, with some parts being larger or smaller than others.
I'm pretty sure you're lost. And if you're not, congrats. This was just some explanation before I bring up my point. My point in posting this is that Cortex Man (both sensory & motor) got me thinking. Yes yes I know they look pretty ghastly, grotesque & possibly terrifying in physical appearance. BUT if this is how we are supposed to look according to neuroanatomy, how would the world & it's people be to one another?
Would there STILL be discrimination based on looks? would anyone still have their insecurities if we all looked the same? In my opinion, if we all actually turned out the way our brain maps us out, there wouldn't be this competition for looks. Our society now has become so damn conscious over physical appearance & what people "should" look like that millions are overlooked because their physique isn't up to par...whether it involves size, height, facial/bodily beauty, whatever...this in itself causes those extreme insecurities & drive people insane. There are so many beautiful people in this world that are not taken into consideration or judged because of how they look.
Imagine if we all looked like Cortex Man. Despite his strange & awkward appearance, I see it as something unique & quite frankly beautiful in its meaning. If everyone looked the way our neural blueprint maps us & we were all the same...physical insecurity wouldn't exist. We would see others in a different light. Instead of outer beauty or physical appearance, we would all get the chance to know one another based on our hearts & how amazing many of us are on the inside.
No more of that glitz & glamor or judgement & discrimination. Yes it would possibly be quite boring...but our society, in my opinion, would be far more moralistic & everyone could accept others for WHO they are on the inside, NOT what they look like on the outside.
Alas, we are not. We come into this world proportional (most of the time...there are expeptions). Our body parts fit our size & ultimately we do not follow our neural blueprint. Even so, many people are still unsatisfied with how they turn out & do all in their power to alter their appearance via plastic surgery & what not.
Despite what you look like & how your turned out, do your best to accept it & love yourself. Your anatomy is what God gave you & you must take care of it by all means possible. And with that, overlook physical appearance in others & get to know who they are on the inside & see the beauty that lies within their hearts.
I myself have had insecurities with my physique. I've been judged, looked down upon, & overlooked. Yet now, I keep my body & soul active & healthy & day by day, I love & respect myself & my body more :)
As the old saying goes...& I truly believe this...beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
Thank you Cortex Man.
I hope you learned something new about our amazing brains & gained some insight as well.
'Til next time.
Deuces.
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