Matter of the Mind
My dear friends, what is the difference between PK and PIKU. Two alphabet. I and U. I is us and U are them (an extra-terrestrial Aamir Khan). There; CPU is cerebral. And our CPU is at the level of abdomen. Or say for vast multitudes the focus is at the abdomen. It would be quite captivating watching the main protagonists PK and Bhaskor sharing their thoughts and respective metabolisms in a spaceship. Food has a tremendous impact on our system, which we do not quite comprehend. Improper diet first takes a toll on the metabolism and then attacks other organs of the body. Simply intake of toxic foods generate repugnant thoughts and results in a weak mind and body.
I remember the remarkable lines by from the master piece movie, “ Chakra” that Zindagi mein keval do hi chakker hein , ek pet ka aur ek uske neeche ka . Yes our thoughts are the baser levels. Ofcourse, there are sages,philosophers and the enlightened ones who transcend this level and reach a superconscious state .
A few months back , while I was sweating it out on the treadmill , I received a devastating call from someone close. A youngster known to us was hospitalized because of sheer exhaustion. Why did it happen? Pressure! Other reasons for the trigger were an occasional drink, occasional smoking, improper diet, lack of exercise and basically a drive to excel at any cost.
Rhonda Byrne, the noted writer of The Secret, Magic and Power among others says” You are the most powerful magnet in the universe. You contain a magnetic power within you that is more powerful than anything in this world, and this unfathomable magnetic force is emitted through your thoughts.”
Human mind is an enigma and a reservoir of potential. But the moot question is as to how do we tap this potential? The mind is a movie theatre where we script and enact innumerable movies and soap operas. Some funny, some mysterious, some idealistic and others tear jerkers . The mind is constantly on the move. It is hyperactive. It needs a relaxation room, wherein you can dump the garbage, declutter it and achieve something useful for yourself and the society.
“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.” opines Wayne W Dwyer.
The generation today is a product of SMAC, not SMACK. Smac is an acronym for software, mobiles, apps and cloud. Technology alone cannot be a substitute for the enormous potential of mind. It needs to be cultured, harnessed and harmonized with the needs and wants. Talent, energy and thoughts have to be channelized to become achievers. We need to focus on goals and objectives. Technology when misused can make people mental wrecks. A person can become addicted to watching porn, he could become a hacker or even a terrorist.
We need to distinguish brain from the mind. The brain is an organ that serves as the centre of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. Only a few invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, adult sea squirts and starfish do not have a brain, diffuse or localized nerve nets are present instead. The brain is located in the head, usually close to the primary sensory organs for such senses as vision, hearing, balance, taste and smell. It is the most complex organ in a vertebrate’s body.
Mind on the other hand is the faculty of consciousness and thoughts. It is an individual’s intellect or memory or his attention span or will.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has captured it very succinctly. He says mind is like the sky and thoughts are like clouds . Your thoughts make or mar the progress and development of the mind. In fact he further elaborates by saying that mind is like a kite and breath is like the string which can control the mind. Through the practice of breathing techniques like Sudarshan Kriya, Pranayama and meditation among other techniques an individual can harness this enormous realm of possibility. Primarily, we need to quiten or silence the mind. We intend to live in harmony with ourselves and our environment. Or do we wish to listen to the endless chatter and cacophony of the mind? I reckon anyone would prefer symphony to cacophony or be silent.
To be happy in life and calm the obdurate and recalcitrant mind, human beings should be aware of certain intrinsic laws of nature. That is Law of Attraction and the Law of Acceptance. Further we need to train our minds to keep reminding ourselves that we are blessed, we are grateful and have abundance in our lives. Life is full of valleys and peaks. It can never be a rising curve or a straight line indefinitely. There are constant changes in life and we have to accept this reality without any strings. We may apparently like some peers and friends today and tomorrow move on with another group. It is inevitable and a natural process. As Buddha says, “The only permanent aspect in life is its impermanent nature.” So we need to move in life with equilibrium, equipoise and equanimity.
Law Of Attraction simply states that if a person is joyful and happy the individual would attract such people and thoughts which are joyful in nature. Such a person is positive in nature and begets positivity. The reverse is also true. If the mind focusses on lack it would only attract lack. Therefore we need to be constantly reminding ourselves that we are blessed, be grateful with whatever we have and feel we have abundance. In such a situation we attract only positive energy or prana from the universe. In fact to such people universe conspires to provide more. The Bible says that if we are grateful for what we have, we will be given more and if we are not grateful and happy, all that was given would be taken away from us.
The human mind vacillates between the past and the future. In the past, the mind is regretful and if it is in future it is anxious. In either case the mind is not at peace or in the present moment and so remains unhappy.
Eckhart Tolle puts it, “Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will happen in the Now”.
As we sweep our house, we need to declutter our mind. Sweep our mind from negative thoughts. Virendra Sehwag comes to my mind as a cricketer whose mind was not filled with cobwebs. With absolute panache he could score runs. Yes he could score a triple century and also got out on zero. But apparently it did not affect his mind. Unlike Marcus Trescothik , who could not survive mentally on foreign tours . He suffered from multiple phobias.
This leads us to various types of personalities. Personality is derived from the latin word “Persona”. The mask used by actors in Roman theatre for changing their makeup. Personality refers to our characteristic ways of responding to individuals and situations. Human mind is temperamental in nature and action. It has several attributes, different dispositions, moods and reacts and responds in a variegated manner. The mind can be our greatest friend or enemy and like a chameleon acquires various colors, characters, characteristics and keeps acquiring various patterns.
Noted Psychologists, Paula Costa and Robert McCrae have developed a five factor model to elaborate various psychological traits of human personality.
- a)Open to experience- Those who score high on this factor are imaginative, curious and open to new ideas.
- b)Extraversion- People who are socially active, assertive, outgoing and fun loving as compared to those who are shy and introverts.
- c)Agreeableness- Essentially cooperative, caring and friendly people. Those opposite to this trait are hostile and self centred.
- d)Neuroticism- These are emotionally unstable people, irritable in nature and are hypersensitive. Those opposite to this trait are centred and well adjusted. And finally
- e)Conscientiousness- Those who score high on this attribute are dependable, responsible, hardworking and achievement oriented. Those on the opposite scale are impulsive in nature.
So in which quadrant would we place our minds and personalities.
WHY ARE WE SO STRESSFUL? OR WHY ARE WE STRESSED OUT?
Are we running after a chimera? Or like Rama and Lakshman are we running after a non existent golden deer? Or like the Pandavas, save Yuddhistara we partake water from a poisonous lake. In all situations our mind is fully aware that what we are attempting or undertaking is incorrect and inchoate, yet we undertake that activity. There are a couple of reasons for undertaking this hara-kiri or running after the hubris. We are not wakeful enough, neither are we listening to our gut feeling and or we have a woeful sense of time management.
- A)We are not wakeful (not sleepy in a literal sense) as we are not focused or centred. We cannot differentiate and distinguish between choices. Consequently we are gobbled by the snake in the game of snakes and ladders.
- B)Our mind and thoughts (a human mind on an average receives 50k thoughts a day) batter us endlessly . Now the company we keep and the food we partake has a significant impact on the human mind and body. Negative company drains a person and toxic food and drink totally enervates and debilitates our system. I was a victim and patient of alcoholism and realise the suffering one goes through it and following the techniques of Sudarshan Kriya and Pranayama overcame the disease. There is a deep connect between the stomach and mind. That is why it is called the gut feeling or the sixth sense. Our solar plexus keeps sending us signals. It depends as to whether we are conscious and wakeful enough to listen to those signals. Yoga is the latest buzzword. With regular practice of Yoga, especially Surya namaskar and pranayama our solar plexus develop to receive and transmit important signals.
- C)Tools for effective Time Management-
- a)The POSEC METHOD – That is to prioritise by organizing, streamlining, economizing and then effectively contributing.
- b)Do a SWOT analysis and become winners.
- c)Learn to work in groups and ART OF delegation.
- d)Attempt all hard tasks first
- e)Build in flexibility in your schedules or else one would suffer from psychosomatic disorders.
- f)Develop hobbies, read creative books and self help books.
- g)Every morning and night while being grateful make an inventory of do’s and dont’s and must Do lists.
- h)Learn to say NO. Also learn to say YES. An oxymoron kind of a situation. However a Yes mind makes an individual take up responsibility. And taking up responsibility only can empower a person. Imagine a situation where you could have shouldered responsibility but evaded or shied away or a situation where you took up responsibility. Which box would you like to be in?
- i)Live life king size and learn to celebrate.
We can celebrate only if we are able to quiten our minds. These are some ways to quiten our mind and develop a relaxation room or space in our minds. For that we can the following:
Go for long walks, talk out our problems, hug a person ( perhaps someone whom you do not like), write down all our botherations, be in sync with our breath and movement, pursue a passion, be a daredevil, get out of our comfort zone, exercise vigorously( positive endorphins get released which have a soothing affect on the mind and body), have cold water baths to conquer passion and carnal instincts( they can be a distraction especially during examination times).
Despite practicing all techniques, we may not be able to find our place in the sun. So what does one do?
Just surrender to the immense power within ourselves and learn to accept.
Realise that “Aham Brahmasmi-“ I am the infinite reality.”as written in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad . Our mind has that immense power. It needs to harnessed and realized. We just need to declutter our minds.
“Your mind is aninstrument . It is there to be used for a specific task, and when the task is completed, you lay it down. As it is , I would say about 80% to 90% of most people’s thinking is not only repetitive and useless , but because of its dysfunctional and often negative nature , much of it is harmful . Observe your mind and you find this is to be true. It causes a serious leakage of vital energy.” writes Echart Tolle.
Today he is a great philosopher. At the age of 29 he was about to commit suicide.
There are several ways to channelize this energy. There may be some who may practice meditation, breathing techniques and observe silence to quiten minds. There may be others who remain focused by playing a game of tennis and sweating it out or pursue other passions. You have to choose the path that suits your personality. But the ultimate aim is to be in the present and lead a happy life.
Feel blessed, feel grateful and feel abundance. Let your mind not be judgemental and complain and cling on to negativities. Willy nilly we provide the hook to hang the coat of negativity. Isn’t it?
As Alice Walker said, “Look closely at the present you are constructing; it should look like the future you are dreaming.”