90% of his brain was missing and he still lived
Jul 2024

90% of his brain was missing and he still lived

Dear Patrons,

In 2007 in France, a 44-year-old man went to the doctor complaining of numbness in his leg and underwent a brain CT scan that revealed a shocking truth. That man didn’t have 90% of his brain. The skull was almost entirely filled with cerebrospinal fluid and all that remained of the brain was a thin peripheral portion surrounding the skull.

Yet that man, had been leading a normal life for years: he was married, had two children, a job. He moved, laughed, loved and ultimately he lived. The case shocked the world scientific community and was described in the prestigious Lancet journal, becoming the subject of questions and amazement.

Many questions about the very concept of consciousness, understood as “awareness of the self” and the possibility of leading a normal life practically without a brain. The brain invaded by cerebrospinal fluid and eroded by 90% of its volume but during this time brain recalibrated itself over the years, allowing him to lead a normal life anyway.

According to a hypothesis, “self-awareness” (or detailed self-cognition) is formed through experience, the relationship between oneself and the surrounding world and learning, and is subject to continuous modifications and adjustments in course of life.

Similarities are in investing as well. An investor needs to have “Self Awareness” in term of own Risk Appetite for his / her investments. Investments done seeing someone else’s portfolio or past performance often do not succeed. Whether investment is in few thousands or crores, ‘sense of self’ helps and plays bigger role than hopping around in multiple investment.

We at Shalibhadra, firmly believe that Investment decisions are not about applying brain every time for creating wealth, But Investment success is more about forming an experience that teaches to handle emotions.

Nishit Siddharth Shah