The mind in the form of examining the past and exploring the future and self-securing ego is a phenomenal in conceiving contrivance. Shying away from the reality and the truth about any matter or person, it prefers refuge under illusions and delusions. It believes and sees what it wants to.
Mistaking the rope for serpent and vice-versa is it’s illusory nature. That is why we falter most of the times in our appreciation and estimate of problems or persons. Not enabling the heart we let the fear-ridden confusion-prone mind, the head, rule the roost in every situation. Hence our judgments are coloured by our subjective wishes and preferences.
Objectivity is anathema to the self-serving mind. Even our intense introspections are aborted by our stubborn subjectivity. Clinging to safe set thought-patterns, we choose to stick to what we know and believe. Such closed mindset makes us stupid denying the dignity and beauty of being sensitive with an open mind.
Our sullen faces reflect our shelled brains. Where as the children without yet set mind are a sheer beauty to look at. That is why they are best learners and livers. The freedom from the mind is what gives them that impressive innocence and inquisitiveness. Shell enclosed, we remain incapable of honest self-assessment and hence self-corrections. The maturation process eludes us and impulsiveness inheres our behaviour.
Hence we continue with our complexes and prejudices owing to our inability to comprehend and control our rigid mindset. And the self-development seems to be sterile endeavour, hence we remain petty-minded with insensitive and irresponsible selves. We become a liability to both our family and the organisation we are working for. Especially those of us holding the important public positions in government become a curse to the society. Such individuals use their offices to satisfy their egos instead of serving the public.
So long as we allow the head to rule the heart, there is no escape from the shallow and hollow mindset made up of preconceived images. Dreaming day and night, the mind wallows in expected pleasures, and wilts in anticipated pains. So extraordinary imaginary, it sees a foe in friend, and a friend in foe. Programming itself with wishful expectations, the mind looses the wit and nerve in the face of emerging actualities. It prepares us to face the preconceived situations.
Rarely we realise that we are fooled by our own minds. Braving through the actual conditions and circumstances with an open mind and attentive heart is the hallmark of a wise man. Unaffected by the mind’s machinations, a wise man ignores the impulses of the mind and invokes the responses of the heart which are invariably intelligent being appropriate to the actual situation.
In fact, the word’ responsibility’ denotes the ability’ to ‘respond’ appropriately. And such response emanates whenever we are focused by heart ignoring the impulsive head. This truth is discernible from our own experience of our wise behaviour. One’s maturity is determined by the ability to respond through the sensitive heart.
The word ‘headstrong’ denotes one’s habitual reaction due to the impulsive mind. Such mindset is not only negative but even destructive causing the psychic symptoms of an imbalanced personality. It may not be exaggeration to say that the more one depends on the conditioned mind, more is the likelihood of exhibiting the characteristics of a ‘mental case’.
It is common experience that one is “stressed” out when one is “ego-involved” or “mechanical” in behaviour. And how an ego-centric individual impacts adversely himself, family and the society is evident in our acquaintances. It is the unconditioned spiritual energy in the core of our being, usually referred to as heart, that shall salvage the mind from its’ stressing nature dynamiting our being and delighting our living. That is why every religion professes and exhorts it’s followers to shun the egoistic mind and cultivate the altruistic heart. Let the silence of the heart , not the noise of the head, be our life guide.
The article has been taken from the book ‘The Art of Being and The Art of Living by Captain KV Reddy