Chapter One - A preview
Learning starts from day one. The second we are born, we are learning to see, smell, hear, touch and taste. These senses are naturally gained of course, and are only partially affected by parenting and environmental specifics. There are other things however, that should be instilled in a person as early as possible.
A common upbringing teaches a child that they should be quiet for adults; ask their parents to do things for them, live for themselves and no one else, and worst of all, follow the system that has been presented on a plate for children to adhere to since before the invention of sliced bread. Yes, sliced bread was literally only invented in 1928. The schooling system, especially in Britain, is far outdated for the creativity and potential of children in this day and age. School teaches you to sit still, wear a uniform and practice quadratic formulas even though you may be capable of writing a symphony. Do not be fooled by school, it is not an education. Education is what happens every time you step outside into the world or open a book, or even listen to a grandparent’s story of days gone by. Life is full of real lessons and they’re the ones that will actually make a difference in your life.
”Don’t let schooling interfere with your education”
- Mark Twain
By nature, people tend to mirror the behaviours they observe in their parents. This shows up in how we approach health, diet, relationships, and even how we respond to authority. Although I believe formal authority can be overstated and that titles or institutions do not automatically grant someone moral authority over another, there remains a practical need for structure in modern society. The reality is that not everyone has the capacity or resilience to navigate life without support. Over time, our systems have produced generations of individuals who are increasingly dependent on external solutions for their needs. Many people now outsource problems to institutions or services that have no meaningful personal connection to them. In doing so, we risk losing the skills and self reliance that once formed a natural part of daily life.
The lack of political education in school is concerning. Do not confuse political education with brainwashing. Real political education should be to equip students with the tools and skills to analyse societal problems and find solutions. But that is only the start, students should be able to debate and discuss their ideas with each other in order to simulate conflicts that may happen in adulthood but with a safe and predictable environment to fall back on. Many people grow up not knowing how to argue. Arguing and debating is a part of life and when done correctly and respectfully, can save otherwise doomed relationships, careers, or even decisions that could affect the heading of an entire family’s compass. Shielding students from others’ ideas and beliefs massively hinders the development of their social maturity and could potentially leave their own ideas unchecked. There is a reason scientists publish journals and papers that are “peer reviewed”, they allow their answers and analysis to be checked and judged in order to chip their rough stone into the Statue of David.
When the expression of belief and ideals is stifled, there are only a few ways that young people can release the pressure. In the modern era, social media and chat forums are a popular choice. They allow for nearly complete freedom of speech and provide a mouthpiece without the need to hear the opposing chant. These groups tend to only include people who share similar views, creating a den of safety for people to simmer in their own beliefs and forget the need to learn or think about alternative arguments. This should be of concern to society as we try to battle through the “incel” and cesspit culture of the modern information age.
All of this comes back to schooling. Students go to school expecting to be prepared for life, yet many leave feeling as if they’re being told not to live it. The natural parts of being human should be shaped and strengthened there: communication sharpened, creativity encouraged, and wonder restored instead of dismissed. Humans once crossed continents, oceans, and even space, yet we rarely travel the corners of our own minds. The brain needs exercise, hydration, and rest just like any muscle, but it also needs novelty. The palace of thought is always taking in and sending out, so it makes sense to offer it something new if we want it to stay awake. Brain health is rarely spoken about with the seriousness it deserves, yet it quietly governs every corner of our lives. The brain decides how we speak, love, react, dream, worry, and create. It is the command centre of every conversation you’ve ever had and every thought you’ve ever hidden. When the brain is nourished, rested and challenged, a person becomes sharper, calmer, more capable of steering their own life. But when it is neglected, everything else begins to slip, decision-making, emotional stability, even a sense of purpose. We treat the brain as if it is simply along for the ride, when in truth it is the engine, the map, and the driver all at once. A healthy mind doesn’t just make life easier; it expands the borders of what we believe we can do.
The brain burns around a fifth of everything you eat. Not because it is greedy, but because thinking is incredibly expensive. A diet that keeps blood sugar stable and reduces inflammation gives the neural citizens a steady supply of fuel. You don't need superfood mysticism, just real food. Some studies suggest the Mediterranean pattern- a lot of plants, olive oil, nuts, legumes, and fish supports long-term cognitive health. It’s essentially the culinary equivalent of giving your neurons a well-funded public transport system.
Exercise isn't about sculpting beach muscles for the hippocampus; it’s about blood flow. Every time you raise your heart rate, you’re delivering oxygen, glucose and various growth factors that help neurons survive, connect, and even sprout new branches. Aerobic movement like brisk walking, running, or cycling consistently shows up in research as one of the strongest protectors against cognitive decline. It’s the cheapest, least glamorous magic potion ever discovered.
The brain also needs stimulation. It re-wires itself constantly, a trick called neuroplasticity. Learning new skills - for example, a language, an instrument, a craft, or even a complicated recipe - encourages networks to grow. It doesn’t have to be classical education; novelty is the real nutrient. A new physical skill is especially powerful because it forces multiple systems to communicate. Something as humble as juggling has measurable effects on brain structure in imaging studies. Learning keeps the cities of your mind bustling.
Rest - the secret architect. Sleep isn’t passive, it’s when the brain consolidates memories, repairs cells, and clears metabolic gunk through the glyphatic system - a kind of night shift removal network. Chronic sleep restriction doesn’t just make you groggy; it literally changes how neurons fire and communicate. A boring, consistent schedule works wonders, because the brain likes rhythms more than it likes heroics.
Stress, though, is the great complicator. Short bursts of stress are fine, useful, even. But long-term, grinding stress floods the brain with hormones that wear down the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, the parts that handle memory and planning. The trick isn’t eliminating stress; it’s modulating it. Breath work, mindfulness, social connection, even time in nature all reliably reduce the stress load. They’re less mystical than they sound: they calm the nervous system long enough for it to repair.
And that leads to connection. Humans are social mammals with storytelling brains that oscillate wildly unless anchored by other people. Loneliness is biologically stressful, and supportive relationships have measurable benefits on brain health. You don’t need a vast community; a few meaningful bonds do more than any multivitamin ever invented.
Finally, there’s meaning. Oddly, having some sense of purpose, large or small, seems to help people maintain cognitive health. It might be because purpose reduces stress, or because it encourages learning and exploration, or because humans are narrators by nature. Purpose keeps the city lights on.
Brain health isn’t a single trick; it’s a constellation of habits that act together, like a well-tuned orchestra. When you look after the basics, fuel, movement, learning, rest, connection, your brain rewards you with clarity and resilience. The whole thing becomes a feedback loop, nudging you deeper into your own potential.
Now why isn’t any of this taught in school? Surely having students that understand the needs of their brains will help them succeed. Not in the current system. Our schools are based on foundations that promote worry(stress), sleepless nights(lack of rest), and lack of meaning. Rather than allowing students to pursue subjects and ideas that they could become obsessed with, they are subjugated to sit around for an hour at a time listening to lectures about things they aren’t passionate about. Some children are good at Mathematics, and if they enjoy it, they should pursue it. However, some children are awful at maths and can only do straightforward mental arithmetic, but they are really turned on by History. So why are we making them learn about quadratic equations when they could be on the edge of their seat learning about the industrial revolution?
This obsession with uniformity creates a kind of intellectual bottleneck where every child, regardless of temperament or talent, is squeezed through the same narrow expectations. Schools claim to prepare students for “the real world”, yet the real world is built on difference. It thrives because one person sees patterns in numbers while another sees stories in the past, or beauty in art, or possibility in machinery. Our institutions behave as if curiosity is a distraction rather than the engine of human progress. Children who might have lit up at the sight of a microscope, or a courtroom debate, or a blank canvas are instead dimmed by a curriculum that treats passion as an optional extra rather than the main event of learning. And by the time they reach adulthood, many have forgotten what it feels like to be fascinated.
The irony is that the brain is designed for specialisation. It strengthens what we use and quietly lets the unused pathways fade. When a child is repeatedly told to spend hours on subjects that drain them, their confidence erodes, and they start to believe they are “bad learners”, when in truth they’ve just been planted in the wrong soil. Imagine if schools treated students the way good gardeners treat young plants: paying attention to what grows naturally, what leans toward the light, what withers under force. Instead, we prune every branch to the same shape and then wonder why the forest lacks variety.
A reimagined education wouldn’t abandon core skills; it would anchor them in meaning. Mathematics becomes richer when applied to architecture or music. History becomes unforgettable when taught through storytelling, archaeology, or debate. Science becomes electric when tied to real problems in the world rather than worksheets designed to be marked quickly. When the brain sees relevance, it wakes up. When it feels passion, it accelerates. Learning, at its best, is ignition, not obligation.
Until we understand that students are not empty containers but living, thinking organisms with different neural wiring, we will continue producing graduates who know how to pass exams but have never learned how to navigate themselves. And that is the true tragedy: an entire generation fluent in compliance yet starving for purpose.