If Only

If you could only see me from the inside out...running in a field of flowers amid the morning dew...Supping white wine inside my thoughts...if only

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Food For Thought


The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n.............. From Paradise Lost ~~~~ ~~~~


I contemplate the above quote (a very profound statement with abstruse meaning) of the well-known poet John Milton. If you’ll take the time to digest each word carefully,you can assimilate your own feelings. Do you have a good foundation of the environment of your own mind? Sounds absolutely absurd, you say. Does it? This revelation could turn us away from the mirror of our own mind if we dare to look closely.

We are indeed the keeper of our own minds. If we hold the key that controls our mind, what do we do when outside forces unlock our mind without permission? I believe we invite things in by our own mere ramblings or via osmosis. "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh."

We prioritize our thoughts. They must fit the situation at hand, so chaotic situations will be placed accordingly. Our brain becomes emotionally charged up. Is this where we are supposed to put calming thoughts into action? In other words, is it what we have created for ourselves, or can we alter heaven and hell when we wish? How we react takes place in the mind or the brain. That’s pretty much a fact.

John Milton speaks in reference to the mind being its own place and that it can make a heav’n of hell or visa versa. Norman Vincent Peale believes in the power of positive thinking. I think this concurs with the quote from Mr. Milton.

We have long heard the saying "Mind over matter." So ask yourselves this…Is it reality that causes the "hell or heaven" that tangles up our mind or is it that which rambles around in our mind at will, simply waiting to be disciplined?

Can we really control our limbic systems somewhat? I wonder if the above can be practiced to our advantage.

9 comments:

anilkurup59 said...

“A man's own self is his friend. A man's own self is his foe.”( Quote from the "Gita").
Sandy, it easier said than done. You have asked quite a few questions.But are we ( many of us ) disciplined enough to control what we think?
Again I ask a question. We are searching for answers ......!
Physiologist will explain that our moods, thought process etc are controlled by the chemicals that are produced in our system from time to time.. If so we are controlled by pure biological reactions within.
But again there are people who look life with optimism and positive frame of mind , and they sail through turbulence unscathed. And do live healthier and longer.

Sandy said...

I think,anilkurup, that you are very right when you ask "are we disciplined enough to control what we think." This leads to another thought. In the military, you are very conditioned to do as instructed under any and all circumstances. I think men or women in hostage situations are good examples of mind control.(Read the Gulag). Our moods are controlled by many chemicals in the body, but aside from the normal functions of the body, how do we get up and face the day...I am a believer in that we can control how we react to many situations when using discipline... a tough thing to do but I have done it..

anilkurup59 said...

Yes I do agree with you. Our mind can be controlled . What is required towards that is cultivation of discipline. I understand people who religiously practise yoga develop the ability to control and tune the mind. Hypertension is non existent in such people.
Even though the book "The Monk who sold his Ferrari", may be another one in the class of Dale Carnegie's and self development etc, there is much in it to understand as to what
change can come about in a person when he controls and discipline his thought process.

Sandy said...

And, I too, agree with you..So, we can have total agreement even if no one else agrees with us...LOL...and you are so right too... There are many diciplines that teach us mind control. We just need to use it on ourselves.

Balachandran V said...

Profound and confusing thoughts, Sandy. As one who has never learned to 'discipline' his mind, I am at a loss. But i would say something like J Krishnamurti or Osho - that the primary requirement is to understand our mind, to observe it. When you are aware of the mind as an objective observer, there would be no need to discipline or control it, because there would be no duality between you and your mind.

prithvi said...

The post is so simple yet sounds so complex when you try to understand it........nice work......anything you write is always food for thought...keep writing :)

Max said...

There is no doubt that there are people (evil or otherwise) who consciously attempt to control the minds and will of other people. Individuals can do that with their spouses or significant others. A parent can do it with their children. A dictator can do it with an entire population. As to the issue of our mind having the capacity to interpret hell as heaven or heaven as hell; I think we have that capacity.

Human beings from birth have a consceince which must be developed to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, heaven and hell. Further, individuals in the human race are able to make that choice on their own if left to their own designs. The influencers, whether they are good or bad people (which are many) or good or bad supernatural beings, i.e. God or Satan, would have us make a choice.

Depending on your religious view of things most christians believe they are created in the image of God and he has shown them the way to choose heaven, i.e. make the best of a bad situation here and develop for oursleves a bit of heaven on earth in anticipation of an etneral home with him. Whereas most christians also believe in an evil supernatural being, Satan, who would have us abandon all that is good and right, to neglect our God given conscience and behave in a manner that would guarantee our place in his kingdom, hell. Most of the world's major religions differentiate their diety as being good, kind and loving from his evil counterpart who would destroy them and send them to their version of hell.

You state that, "Is it reality that causes the hell or heaven that tangles up our mind or is it that which ramples around in our mind at will, simply waiting to be disciplined?" I think we can and do discipline ourselves, i.e. our minds, to our own liking of heaven and hell; given we allow certain influencers to mold that disciplined thought. I think the question is to which infulencer are we paying homage? Ourselves? Another man? Satan? God?

If to ourselves, we are pretty arrogant. If to another man, we are pretty limited. If to Satan, we are pretty stupid. If to God, how can we lose?

Are these simplistic views? Probably. But hey, they're my views!

Sandy said...

I can only state that this particular article will have many trains of thought. I have worked with a certain individual that I shall refer to as case A. He is negative upon rising in the morning and upon going to bed in the evening. Nothing is ever right, nor will it be. I have watched as he predicted his doom and gloom because this is all he says. Saying all of that to say this. I give this as an example of how we can change our mind set. It is a proven fact. By transforming sadness, boring life, frustration, destructive habits and routines into sense of purpose and motivation, we can most assuredly change our mind set and control these issues that construct our lives. Thus, we have the perogitive of the heaven or the hell within our mind.

Thank you Balan, prithvi, anilkurup, and Max.

Sandy said...

Excuse my typo in my reply...in the word prerogative.....