Dear reader,
Let me touch your head for a moment. Wait...hold still, very good...wow--now, that's a good brain you have in there :). Welcome back! Today's post is on the mind and the power of memory. This is a subject that I have been engaging with recently. I hope that you go away with some new techniques or at least some positive affirmations that you can use in your everyday life.
The mind is the beacon of the body, the pinnacle of all human accomplishment. As many have remarked, it is the only thing that distinguishes us from our fellow primates. The powers of the mind remain one of the great mysteries. An endless void of magic that science may never completely understand. Perhaps the most beautiful examples are the people who demonstrate the potential of the human brain. People such as Daniel Tammet, a man who has high functioning autism and savant syndrome. In his story, the combined negative effects of these syndromes produced a powerful positive. I strongly recommend you watch him.
Despite the obvious beauty and power of the mind, it is important not to regard it as the entirety of the self. We live in a society that is a prison for the mind. A society that praises "knowledge" and order, but stunts creativity and revolution. It is a society that has bred the critical and creative faculties out of its people. Why? Those running the establishments are the major corporations who gain more profit from people following orders and obeying them, than people who question authority and actively pursue a unique and exciting lifestyle, independent from the state and public opinion. Smile :) it's all good.
Living in the mind is something that we all suffer from. It is inevitable, but at the same time, not inescapable. I came to realize that the mind is the body. There is no separation. As I will explore next time, what you do to your body, you do directly to your mind. Negative thoughts incur unnecessary stress. Similarly if you break your leg, you bring negative thoughts. The mind is the conduit for fear. What is the greatest fear that everyone has? The fear of what everyone else thinks of them. At the same time, scientifically supported, doing exercise, yoga, thinking positively, eating a healthy raw food diet, running nude in the streets (haha) socializing, praying, meditating, travelling and walking in nature will do wonders to your well being. What these activities will enable is awareness and presence. It will remove you from a head that is constantly thinking about the future, or the past, ie: "What time is my lecture?" or "Damn, I shouldn't have said that yesterday," to one that is present in the moment. This is not, as many people would assume, a mind of blankness, but rather a conscious awareness. Fundamentally, it is the awareness that your mind is not your master, but your companion. You control your mind, and it does not control you. A good analogy is that you become an active onlooker, watching your thoughts like a child watching birds fly by, instead of becoming your thoughts. Deep.
We must do this as the mind loves to solve problems. In fact, for those people who have been living in their mind for years, I have seen them actively make problems just to have them solve them again. This is why you find cultures (I won't name them :P) that enjoy complaining about things. A person who lives in their mind will say a lot, but do very little. You can probably guess what people I am referring to, ie: politicians, lawyers, bankers. The black suits, as I call them. Knowledge, at whatever age, has the potential to make one arrogant. Modesty, humility and patience are the qualities that the mind desperately needs.
The great truth is that the mind is the brother of the heart. The heart or the will, is what we combine with the mind to solve issues. It is the actively engaging element that applies the knowledge and turns it into wisdom. Wisdom is knowledge in motion. What I have found in education is that the knowledge taught is stagnant or not moving. Most of it is useless information from textbooks that you will never use in your life. Wisdom is different of course. For wisdom are the seeds that everyone, young or old, can sow. That is why great teachers such as Jesus Christ spoke in parables and analogies. Those people with great minds have the power not only to teach, but explains complicated ideas in simple ways.
Great minds also have great memories. I have recently learnt the Memory Palace technique, and my friend, you can learn it too! For those who are unfamiliar, it involves imagining a familiar building such as your family home in your mind, and then actively attaching labels to objects in each room. Creating a route in your head, you then step through that building. As you go, you can see the information that you attached previously. The trick is to meld the info with the object in a very vivid way. For example I permanently learnt all of the states of America in alphabetical order using this technique. For the first state: Alabama, I imagined a hill billy sitting on my doorstep with a guitar, a hat and a piece of straw hanging out of his singing mouth. He is singing "Sweet Home Alabama". You get the idea :). As a beginner of this technique I have memorized the periodic table, the astrological signs, the states of America and am now learning the Chinese dynasties in chronological order. It takes very little time, and believe me, some people will blow your mind with this technique, if I haven't already ;) It takes a bit of practice but then again what great skill doesn't? The most beautiful thing about it is its permanence. Once you memorize something with this technique, you will never forget.
In short, you become an elephant.
Until next time, love your mind, but don't follow its orders. Reconnect with your body and your heart will set you free.
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