The loss of a beautiful mind: Bidding adieu to Tony Buzan
Helping humans unleash the powers of their brains was Tony Buzan’s life’s mission.
The inventor of mind mapping, an inspiring speaker, a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and an author of more than 150 books on memory, brain, and thinking techniques, died on April 13 at the age of 76.
Buzan developed the concept of creating Mind Maps in the late 1960s. It is a thinking tool that depicts exactly what is going on in the brain. He dedicated his life’s work to push human thought beyond boundaries and discover various levels of intelligence. He insisted that as humans, since we possess a gift called the brain, it becomes our duty to expand our power of thinking, inculcate inquisitive habits and ensure that the brain keeps evolving.
“Our brain doesn’t think linearly,” Buzan used to say. “Imagination is our native language. And that is the human resource.”
Many successful leaders have used Buzan’s thinking tools to help them chalk out complex journeys of governments and organizations. HR leaders have capitalized on these techniques to ensure that employees can contribute to their best capacity and become productive members of the international workforce.
For Tony Buzan, humans just needed to unlock the barriers in their minds to reach their true potential. The mind map is a “thinking tool” that acts as a swiss-knife that unlocks various thought processes. Inquisitive in nature, Buzan’s work with Mind Maps is a product of about five decades of experimentation. He discovered the patterns of thinking that are common among humans and was instrumental in understanding how humans generate ideas and keep evolving on an intellectual level.
Buzan dedicated his own brain and mind towards helping others think and perform better. Until the week before his death, he had been working with his staff on projects that would help realize his goal of Global Mental Literacy.
“I think that this morning, the world is a little dimmer as the light of his intelligence is no more here,” said Elaine Collier, five time Mind Mapping winner and a Mind Map trainer, in a video statement.
People Matters had a grateful opportunity to host Buzan’s Masterclass on “Unleash the ultimate power of your brain” as a speaker at TechHR18 Conference and Exhibition. Moreover, our community of partners, HR leaders and the wider work and talent fraternity had the chance to learn from his insights during his closing keynote speech.
An exceptionally humble human being, philosopher, author, speaker and guide, Buzan has touched a multitude of lives not only through his books but also through his inspiring talks and personal interactions. He will surely be missed.