MIND
MINDING
Mind is the realm of human consciousness.
A mighty vast territory when you consider that it is home to all
thoughts, perception, and the human will. The human mind is arguably
the most formidable force on the planet. Within it emerges the
feelings and beliefs that motivate human actions, great or small,
good or evil. A well integrated, masterfully managed mind is capable
of transforming hate into love, chaos into order, disease into
well-being, despair into hope, war into peace, fear into courage,
poverty into prosperity and confusion into clarity. Could there
be a more splendid resource than that which can serve all possible
human needs? But the mind is a double edged sword. It can, perhaps
more easily, when mismanaged, be a force against that which is
just and virtuous. So why aren’t we all students of the
mind? It is astounding that there has not yet been a society with
the wisdom to marshal its efforts toward the mental fortification
of its citizenry with the expectation that all people be prepared
to think for themselves in the interest of love, harmony, health,
peace, prosperity and progress.
As a culture, we pay little mind to the mind. Certain academics
and “eccentrics” make it their life, but their delvings
have little influence on a culture that is dulled by so many mindless
preoccupations. Through the ages, philosophers and sages have
devised great systems of thought and have revealed deep insights
about the nature of consciousness. Though the trails have been
blazed, thousands of years later, the common man remains unfamiliar
with disciplined paths of thinking. As a result, the majority
of humanity have little control over their own destiny. How can
any society be well controlled if its components, the people,
ignore the greatest force in their lives, their minds?
Matters of the mind are not better left to the philosophers. We
all have a mind and it’s influence unfolds whether we’re
paying attention or not. If we don’t tend our minds we will
likely wind up on paths that can’t fulfill our needs, or
worse. We must all become philosophers. After all, deciding things
like what’s best for you, your children or your community
are philosophical questions. The concept of “best”
requires a considerable amount of contemplation. We must think
logically, critically and with imagination while seeking to envision
an ideal. Then once we determine our best conception of “best”,
there is the matter of creating a condition of mind that establishes
the will to carry out our visions and resolves. Just knowing what’s
best is not enough. Knowing how to activate the will to achieve
what is best is an important key to progress. This level of control
comes from being a student of the mind, ones own mind.
Let us recognize a new standard for a cultures excellence, it
shall be demonstrated by its commitment to and fulfillment of
the intellectual health of its citizenry. The greatest act of
care and preservation for humanity is the institution of right
thinking.
Qarol
