Tom Kando
I want to write something about the mind, about OUR mind, as humans.
Our mind affects our body and it is affected by our body and by what happens to us and around us.
It generates thoughts in reaction to what happens to us, for example a traffic accident, and also in reaction to things which we just notice even if they do not affect us, such as a distant hurricane or a war we see on TV.
Most of the things that happen and which we notice are independent from us. Most of the news belongs in this category. The war in Ukraine or a victory by the Sacramento Kings does not change my life in any significant way. However, both can trigger thoughts in my mind and emotions in me, such as sadness or euphoria.
When things happen and they affect us, they are no longer separate from us. For example, you drive to the airport and you get a flat tire. This causes you to miss your flight to Hawaii. This event becomes part of your experience.
Now your mind has no choice but to kick in. It thinks about the event, its consequences, how to respond, and a myriad of other thoughts related to and about the event.
Your mind also affects your body. It creates emotions, which are mental-physical states that may be unpleasant or pleasant. The experience triggers several different categories of thoughts and emotions: evaluating the situation, planning a solution to the problem, memories of the solutions available to you (find the jack in your trunk or the AAA phone number on your phone), and probably a degree of frustration, distress, maybe even anger about the mishap.
You are now dealing with a multiple situation: The flat tire and the missed flight to Hawaii are now in the past, irretrievably. Your mind would like to change, erase, think those events out of existence. The impossibility of achieving this causes you pain. Your mind causes you to suffer in addition to having to deal with the flat tire and the missed flight. This pain is unnecessary. It does not solve the problem more readily.
You now begin to busy yourself to solve your problem. This is lucky. You must attend to situation that requires your mind’s attention: dangerous traffic whizzing by, maybe a patrol car has arrived and offers assistance, putting on the spare wheel, calling the airline, etc. You are lucky that your mind is busy working on solving your problem, and has no time to think of side issues, for example blaming yourself with thoughts such as “I should have checked the tire pressures before driving to the airport.”
Nor is this the time for “the power of positive thinking.” As you struggle to change your tire, you are not day dreaming
about the Hawaiian beaches where you will soon cavort. But you are free to pull your mind away from its tendency to drag you towards anger, misery and self-blame as you struggle to manipulate the jack properly.
The mind is an infinitely creative organ, capable of ANY thought whatsoever. Is your mind your friend? Absolutely. However, you should treat it well, like any other friend. Like any friendship, your relationship with your mind is a balancing act. You accept your mind’s expertise in solving the practical problems in your life, such as a flat tire. At the same time, you do not let your mind overwhelm you with an infinite number of unnecessary thoughts.
When something happens to us, our mind has no choice but to kick in. Two categories of thoughts can be distinguished: (1) those that are useful, and (2) those that are not. I already mentioned some of the former types of thoughts: They include thinking about the event itself, its consequences and how to respond, if a response is necessary. But the second category of thoughts is far more numerous. It includes endlessly revisiting the memory of the event, and also far too much preoccupation with the event’s causes as well as possible consequences, many of which must remain forever speculative. Examples of causes: Was my flat tire caused by a nail, by improper tire pressure, was it defective, etc.? Examples of consequences: Is this going to ruin my whole Hawaiian vacation? Is this going to cost me a fortune in increased premiums, tire replacements and repairs, added air fare, etc.?
Your mind is not your enemy. It won’t be mad at you if you don’t show much interest in some of the thoughts it proposes to you. It’ll move on.
A metaphor often used is that of a beautiful sunny sky across which clouds pass, usually without much ado. The sky is your consciousness - you, fundamentally - and the clouds are the random thoughts generated by your mind. They do not linger.
You are at your best au naturel. That is, when you do not pre-occupy yourself with tiring, complicated and unfounded thoughts and ideas. Your mind may have a tendency to come up with such ideas, but this is only a habit it picked up at some point in time. You were not born with this habit. At birth, and for some time thereafter, your mind remained cognizant of the fact that such ideas were unnecessary. They do not contribute to your well-being, and your mind knows that. Or it DID know that at some point. It is possible to return to that earlier state of blissful ignorance. All you have to do is allow your mind to do so. After a while, your mind will generate fewer thought/clouds. Whenever it does, you will no longer have the desire to hang on to what your mind sends across the sky - across your consciousness, your brain. Take it or leave it...
leave comment here
