Slave of the mind
I don’t know if you will be able to accept this important wisdom I’m about to share with you. It concerns our thoughts and how are we controlled by it. More than anything else we pride our false sense of awareness while we wade through life fraught with questions, complaints, confusion and misery.
What are you thinking right now? Where did it come from? Did you permit yourself to engage on such activity of your mind? Don’t you ever wonder why you are responding just the way you are now? Do you really believe that you are somebody, and not just like everybody?
Impossible as you may want declare but the truth is you are not somebody; as with everyone else you are a dummy of your mind, you live according to the wires of emotions and responses that control your animation in this existence. You don’t question your thoughts, you are made to comply. You are led to believe that it holds all the necessary knowing to guide your judgments. Assuming a life of a slave, you prod your way in life with a heavy cross of abeyance on your shoulder, and the sad part is you’re not aware of this burden.
As you are reading this, some of you might be brewing contradictions on your thoughts. But let me ask you: Are you aware if your thoughts had made a deep analysis in measuring the validity of my argument? Or did it make a snap arbitrary judgment? If you contemplate on this you’ll notice two voices in your thoughts—one the impartial and the other the prejudicial. Of course, the mind immediately overrides the impartial by presenting the “appropriate” picture, to which you unquestionably oblige. If I proclaim to saw a flying man, you’ll immediately dismiss me as a crackpot because your mind tells you it’s impossible for man to fly. You never gave second thought; you accept it as a fact. This is the very reason few are successful in this world, most people believe on the delimiting walls set forth by their minds; few are wise enough to understand the trickery and betrayal of our thoughts.
Such is how we are controlled by our minds.
Our mind enslaves us by way of our emotions. In this respect, psychology gained understanding in predicting our behavior, because we all respond to the same stimulus. Imagine how predictable we are! Emotions have been the formidable law enforcers of the mind, securing a stronghold on our being. When a surge of emotion has come upon us, we loose our self. We act without knowing and make no deliberations; this cycle goes on and on in our lifetime. No wonder people—from the subtleties of gossip to the noise of war—are destroying one another. We have become spawns, and the real person within us had long been stripped of existence. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; such is the philosophy we are made to follow.
Oh, there’s that contradiction again on your mind. Did you catch it? One important thing I’ve learned in life is to empty my cup; this means letting go of our mind and peruse what is presently before us.
From the moment we were born, we were programmed to be subservient to our venerated minds. Although it has once secured our existence, it has somehow extended itself and conquered our overall being, making us subordinate for life. It had made us approach life instinctively and we’re coaxed to practice a secular way of thinking that calcifies into beliefs as time passes. And as a result, certain experiences in life have molded us into someone we are not.
People do not believe in balance, only competition. There is no equality, only distinction. We differentiate rather than to integrate. Dominance is the law of survival; if one is weak it will definitely be stepped at. We pride our superiority and look down on the “lower classes.” Our minds are full of proud and deprecating measurements that make us miserable, no matter how high our achievements.
Alive as we may believe to be, we are more of a living dead. We are made to confine to the past and to the future. Our mind has the habit of conjuring a future peppered with events that threatens our complacency, as a result we naturally get anxious about the future—which in reality is just an imagination of the mind! On the other hand, our mind also swings back to the past wherein it does not want to let go. Putting it more eloquently in the words of the great philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal :
“Let each one examine his thoughts,, and he will find them all occupied with the past and the future. We scarcely ever think of the present, and if we think of it, it is only to take light from it to arrange the future…So we never live, but we hope to live; and, as we are always preparing to be happy, it is inevitable we should never be so.”
We pride our intellect yet we cannot fathom our own ignorance. The past we keep as our counsel and the future we held as our guidance. With these imposed perception we fail to see the truth which is right before us; we look at the present with the eyes of the past and the future. We have completely shunned the reality of the present moment wherein we truly exist. This is the most harmful spell cast upon us by our mind.
Our mind capitalizes on recognition, authority, power and invulnerability. These are the working foundation on which our mind operates. Deprivation of any one of these defining elements will lead one to depression, hopelessness, sadness and death.
There is only one savior that will cast you out of this deadening spell. But it needs your help by way of giving it the power to dominate: you must summon the YOU within you! Your current perception of “you” is the product of your mind. The other you is your true pristine self, the passive observer of all things.
The bible speaks of wisdom in cryptic allegories, great poets speak of truth in strange semantics, yet we find it difficult to comprehend because we try to interpret it with our narrow minds.
I’m fully aware that many will not be able to grasp this seemingly philosophical rhetoric, still I believe that we will all come to a certain point in our life when we will seek an answer to a question that will mysteriously nudge our awareness. Until then, you may go on living your life in blindness.
True wisdom cannot be found within the confines of the mind. Step above it and you will see its real source.
“Men are not prisoners of fate, but prisoners of their own minds.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt
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P.S.
Our lifetime is not enough to know all the experiences of life. Therefore, we need to have other sources in maximizing our understanding of the many facets of our existence. In this regard I am bound to share with you the most powerful materials that have shaken my foundation and have changed my life as well as the lives of many.
Life is full of questions but I have found answers in perusing the books: The Road Less Traveled, Man’s Search for Meaning and The Power of Now, these has given me light on the deepest nature of man. Still, in searching for ways of enhancing my life I have found: Think and Grow Rich, The Magic of Thinking Big and Thick Face Black Heart. In matters of understanding my mind I was greatly enlightened by the suspense filled novel’s Way of the Peaceful Warrior, A Rich Man’s Secret and The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari. And finally, I have understood the pattern of my finances through reading Secrets of the Millionaire Mind.
Everything we wish in life will come upon us if we first seek the wisdom of knowing.
By Zengirl on November 13th, 2009
Walter,
Very deep and interesting thoughts. I had to read it twice before commenting to truly grasp what you wrote. Maybe one more time reading would be better..
Zengirl´s last blog ..13 ways to be compassionate
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
There are truths that we cannot readily grasp, understanding takes time.
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Zengirl Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Walter,
Yes, I had to admit it, instead of sounding cool:-)
Zengirl´s last blog ..Stress Free Thanksgiving Party
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By Ideas With A Kick on November 13th, 2009
Hey Walter,
You point out some strong ideas about the human mind. It’s easy to become its slaves, if we don’t question our ideas about ourselves, other or the world. This is wy a encourage a solid dose of skepticisim. Not just towards other people’s ideas, which seems to be much simpler, but towards our own.
Eduard
Ideas With A Kick´s last blog ..Q: How do I look? A: Like everybody else
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Skepticism is an excellent ally if employed in balance. The first entity to apply it is on our own minds.
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By Paula on November 13th, 2009
Excellent post! This is all about living in the now, something I am still yet to do on a consistent basis. However, since reading Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now I find I am becoming more and more aware of how I concentrate too much on the past and future instead of enjoying the moment I am in right now.
Paula´s last blog ..We’ve Been Featured on Famous Bloggers Club
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Watch your mind Paula, keep it in the Now, it holds the mystery of life.
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By Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot on November 13th, 2009
So true. This morning I went for a lovely walk down the beach and started thinking about someone who upset me about 3 months ago. Why? After about 5 mins I realised what was going on and started thinking about people who make me feel good about myself and loved.
My pre-pubescent son is going through a moody phase and I am about to print out a huge message saying CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE and pin it to the wall by our breakfast table. I think we all need reminders like that from time to time.
Keep writing Walter, you’re doing a stellar job:)
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Sometimes our mind lets us focus on the problem and not on the solution. The answers are right in front of us if we just focus on the present situation.
Thanks for your kind words.
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By Bring Back Pluto on November 13th, 2009
Living in the present is the first step. Not sure what that means, but that’s what I try to do.
I’ll have to reread a few times before I can wrap my simple “mind” around this.
FYI:
Just wanted to let you know that we’ve moved to: http://www.theguysperspective.com/theguysblog
For Blogrolls and such.
We’re still in the process of tweaking the look and design of our site, but we’re happy to be operating under our own domain!
Take care and have a great day!
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Now is the only real time we are truly living, but most people lives in the unchangeable past and illusions of the future. All the answers we are looking for are in the present moment, not in the past, not in the future.
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By Christie on November 13th, 2009
Wow, yes it is so hard to live in the present. I finally took the MBTI and found that my personality preference is INFJ, so now I know why I do so much daydreaming and ruminating about past and future. It also shows me that many, many others are not thinking the same way I do, so I can deliberately start to look at things a little differently – try to notice details of what is going on NOW, etc. Great post Walter!
Christie´s last blog ..How to kill interruptions and prevent new ones from hatching
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Be always aware of where your mind is taking you. Remember, the past and the future are just an illusion of the mind. You will miss life if you don’t live in the present moment. Be on the watch.
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By Nadia - Happy Lotus on November 13th, 2009
Hi Walter,
Beautiful post as always. The mind is so full of limitations and delusions, it cannot see the truth. Actually, I think it is scared of the truth. For if the mind were to see the truth, it would realize that everything is truly an illusion. We are not our stories. We are not our possessions….we are so much more powerful than we realize. The world is truly our playground but we treat it as if it were a prison.
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
You said it right Nadia, the mind is afraid of the truth. I think it is because it trembles its very foundation of bias. Our mind is stubborn to change, we must always be aware of this and step above it.
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By Eric | Eden Journal on November 13th, 2009
I think most of your readers will be open to the concepts you are sharing. It’s funny how little control we actually have over our own mind. It take much practice to control and focus the mind, and even then it still tends to wander. This reminds me of a couple of movies, the names of which I can’t recall, where a more intelligent race communicates by telepathy. Then when speaking with the humans, they always comment on how easy their thoughts are to read as humans have no control over their own thoughts and no ability to stop their thoughts.
Eric | Eden Journal´s last blog ..WIN a $25 Amazon Gift Card! 5 Weeks of Contests, 5 Chances to WIN
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 15th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
As you said it takes practice to be aware of what our mind is doing. Our thought are full of noise but we must never heed its call. We must step above it by observing our thoughts. This way we can see the big picture, and not by the limited perspective of the mind.
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By Paul on November 13th, 2009
Walter,
You brilliantly summed up your great post with;
“True wisdom cannot be found within the confines of the mind. Step above it and you will see its real source.”
Until then we’ll continue to live our present under the influence of our past and ‘hoped for’ future.
Regards
Paul
Paul´s last blog ..10 great ways to create an income using your skills
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Thank you Paul, let’s keep our self in the present always, it is the reality.
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By Jessica on November 13th, 2009
Great post, Walter.
Jessica´s last blog ..Twenty-Nine
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Thanks Jessica for chancing by on my blog. Hope to see you again.
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By Emily Jane on November 13th, 2009
Okay, okay, I’m sold – I’m going Vulcan
Thank you as always for another intellectual, thought-provoking post!
Emily Jane´s last blog ..Who really likes being stuck in traffic anyway?
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 16th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
It has always been my pleasure to extend my thoughts about life for everyone to contemplate. Life is short, life is precious; we must get the best of it.:-)
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By Kaushik on November 13th, 2009
The greatest obstacle to clear seeing is the attachment to thought and stuck patterns. All we have to do is to watch thoughts, without interfering or analyzing, and in the gaps between thoughts, Truth emerges.
Great post, thanks!
k
Kaushik´s last blog ..You don’t need no F-thing
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I definitely agree with your insights Kaushik. We must watch our thought, let us be a detached observer.
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By Rocky | ROCKONOVA.COM on November 13th, 2009
Hey Walter,
Yea I definitely agree with once we can harness the mind’s power, we are capable of anything.
Your article makes me of think Eckhart Tolle’s quote, “Get the inside right, and the outside will fall into place”.
Insightful article!
Rocky | ROCKONOVA.COM´s last blog ..HOW SUSAN JEFFERS Ph.D. TAUGHT ME TO FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 17th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
The mind is a terrible master but an excellent slave. We must go beyond our mind and make it our slave.
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By Evelyn Lim on November 13th, 2009
You said “From the moment we were born, we were programmed to be subservient to our venerated minds.” How true! I don’t remember questioning many things. I just accepted them. It was only when I realized how miserable I was in my suffering that I decided to look into the nature of the mind. Thanks for pointing out how we need to step out of it for some important awakening!
Evelyn Lim´s last blog ..How To Restore Inner Harmony
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Reading from your blog about inner harmony I’m very glad you have found it. Most people brood instead of looking within themselves to find answers.
Always be aware of how your mind manipulates you. Restore your authority upon yourself. You are the master of your fate.
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By Amit Sodha - The Power Of Choice on November 13th, 2009
Hey Walter. Fab post. I went to see that film the other day called 2012 and in there, there was a buddhist monk teaching is student about the cup analogy.
I love this post. My favorite quote of all time is:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Vicktor Frankl
Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..Choose Your Inspirational Acronym For The Week
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Walter Adena Cabelis Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Hey thanks Amit. Viktor Frankl is a great person. His book has thought me a lot of things about our search for meaning.
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By Ching Ya on November 13th, 2009
We are educated to accept the things which are already predetermined and fixed by society and learning books. Only after getting older, our minds start to wonder and amazed by all other possibilities, even got into heat arguments just to prove something based on our own mindsets and principles. Maybe next time before we’re fast to defend, a little step back to see the whole new picture will make everything clearer, less despicable. ^^
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
Ching Ya´s last blog ..6 Twitter Lists Applications to Expand Your Network
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 7:45 am
You’ve got a good observation Ching. Oftentimes, we act as drones in reacting to certain situations, not even thinking twice to validate our acts. This is the reason of much conflict among man.
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By Oscar - freestyle mind on November 13th, 2009
Hey Walter, very interesting post. Our thoughts are indeed the product of our mind, and it can be hard to cultivate true wisdom until, as you said, we find the right way to do it.
Oscar – freestyle mind´s last blog ..The Often Forgotten Part Of Learning: Doing
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 7:46 am
That’s right Oscar. It’s not an easy task, but we must in order to grow.
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By Jannie Funster on November 13th, 2009
Guilty as charged on the judgement thing at the first of your post!
I used to be more enslaved than I am now, but I still have layers of my mind’s making to slough off as I travel to my core love energy.
Jannie Funster´s last blog ..3 Photos I Took 3 days Ago & 3 Photos I Took 5 years Ago
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 7:48 am
We are all guilty of it. Our only vindication is to emancipate from our minds.
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By erin on November 13th, 2009
We should all seek to be wise. There are several great truths in your post. If we direct our mind from the meandering path and from the emotions it randomly seeks, we can change our destiny. We have to want to control our thoughts and actions.
erin´s last blog ..Release, Receive, Renew
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
We will carry nothing in this worlds when we depart except the understanding of who we are.
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By Tomas Stonkus on November 13th, 2009
Hey Walter:
One of the best and truly intellectual articles that I have read in a while. Funny that you mention the things that you do. I relate to them and think about them on daily basis.
I encounter the above mentioned problems when I ask myself: “Who am I?” I can never find the answer. I am not my thoughts, I am not my emotions, I am not my actions. All of those things are just reactions to the environment around me. They are not me.
Especially our thoughts. Do we choose to think our thoughts? Where do they come from? More importantly: Why?
The real question that I have raised to myself is: who are we if we strip ourselves of our thoughts, our emotions, our actions? What is left?
You mention that we should do that by stepping outside of our mind. I agree. But the biggest question is how to do that? I come to believe that meditation is the only true path. I am only beginning to meditate. I am sure it will take many years until I undo all of the programming that my mind came with.
I would love to have a more in depth conversation about this as rarely if ever I meet people who really understand or even think about things like this.
Thank you for sharing.
Best,
Tomas
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
If we are stripped of our minds then we will realize our oneness with everything. Words will never be enough to explain this. However, we can start to go beyond our mind by observing what it commands to our thoughts and action.
For example, if you become angry, catch it and observe what it tells your thoughts and what it tell your body to do. Analyze and understand such reaction which YOU did not permit.
By this kind of observation, you will awaken your true self lying stagnant since you were born. The more you catch your mind the more you will strengthen your true self; until the time you will no longer be controlled by your mind.
You will discover a different plane of existence once you become aware of yourself. Few, very few, understands and apply this wisdom; many of them are the successful ones.
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By Armen Shirvanian on November 13th, 2009
Hey Walter.
I do see some of the message you are saying here. We do often focus on the wrong things, or get great satisfaction out of items that aren’t so relevant, like the measurements that you describe that don’t really make us glad like we are when they are not too important to us.
I have seen quite a bit about how we miss out on the present moment, and am glad to see more, because I think many of us haven’t absorbed the concept. Our minds always jump to the past or future, which isn’t here, which isn’t too useful.
Letting go of the mind sounds like a tough item to do, but I did get some of the material here.
Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..Motivation Related To Production
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Letting go of the mind is indeed no easy task. We have been our minds for along time and we have come to rely on it. This is the very reason we find it hard to live in the present moment. Still, we have the capability if we chose and work on it. Life is full of possibilities if we see it beyond the eyes of our minds.
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By Ryan on November 13th, 2009
I like the cup-emptying analogy. How could we ever drink something different if the cup is already filled with something else?
The idea of being a mind slave reminds me of Shunryu Suzuki’s quote: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.”
Ryan´s last blog ..9 Ways To Attract Readers To Your Blog
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Most people are content of what they already know. What they don’t see is that there are no absolutes in this world. Wise are those who continue to seek even when they find.
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By Janet on November 13th, 2009
There are none so blind than those who will not see. I know that I spent, probably the first 40 years of my life thinking that I had more wisdom and knowledge than most. One must practice every moment to not let ego control the soul.
Thank you.
You are Joy!
Janet´s last blog ..Free Blueprint to make money online
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Walter Reply:
November 20th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
One important wisdom to apply in life is to realize how we can emancipate from the fence of our minds. We are infinite beings trapped in the finite mind.
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By A Roarin’ New Blog of the Week | George Angus, Tumblemoose Writer on November 13th, 2009
[...] Slave of the mind [...]
By I TAKE OFF THE MASK on November 13th, 2009
Wisdom is really not that easy to grasp, for it often exists in paradoxes. I don’t know if we can be truly free, for all we know, we can only choose our masters – earthly masters, our own minds, love. Which master would you choose to serve?
I TAKE OFF THE MASK´s last blog ..Is Retirement Your Life’s Goal? 
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Walter Reply:
November 24th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
Wisdom is indeed an enigma for the mind. However, we should try to make an effort; after all, we will be the one to benefit in the end.
The mind is a terrible master but an excellent slave. Go beyond your mind and you will experience wisdom.
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By swapna on November 13th, 2009
What a nice surprise…just as am taking baby steps to rise above my mind and do it. You step by and re-confirm with your post. A sign …a coincidence. Thank You.
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Walter Reply:
November 29th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Glad to be an instrument.
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By Mike on November 13th, 2009
It is hard to not identify with our thoughts and emotions, as we naturally assume this is our true self. So we are pushed and pulled by our ever changing thoughts and emotions, and we wonder why life can sometimes be so harsh. To be able to step outside our automatic thoughts, and no longer identify with them is where true freedom is found.
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By Christopher Kabamba on November 13th, 2009
Walter,
This is a compelling post. One thing i recently became aware of, is what you have said after the post. “Our lifetime is not enough to know all the experiences of life”
You can’t possibly understand the intricacies of life within your own thoughts.
Christopher Kabamba´s last blog ..A Guide to my idea of Conscious Parenting
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By Ben on November 13th, 2009
I definitely agree with you that our minds really limit our ability to dream. It’s a shame that we so quickly pass things off as impossible.
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