Mind Matters

Have you ever wondered why there are situations where your brain badly wants you to do certain tasks while an abstruse ‘something’ in you strongly opposes? The reason is what I call the ‘MBC’ which when expanded is called the Mind-Brain Conflict. The ‘something’ is what I believe is the human Mind. This article is penned in order to express my views and understanding of the human mind which many people mistake to be synonymous with the human brain and also to elucidate the boundless potentials of the human mind which mankind has never managed to fully harness.

The subject of the human mind has engrossed philosophers and psychologists alike for several centuries now. Although they have expressed varied opinions on the subject, their views have been quite consistent with regard to the power of the human mind. Personally, I would define the human mind as ‘The single, most powerful entity that mankind has ever known, but never completely realized.’ Here, realization is not acknowledging the fact that the mind exists but striking a perfect chord between the mind, the brain and the body. Harnessing the powers of the human mind can be achieved only when the mind, the brain and the body are in harmony with each other.

Let me break it down for you. The mind, the brain and the body are three independent entities which together make your ‘self’. The mind and the brain seemingly appear to be closely connected but in reality, they are not. The body and the brain make a more realistic connection, with every action of the body being a direct result of what the brain wants. Now, the mind cannot interact directly with the body; it can do so only through the brain. Most of the times what your brain wants is quite contradictory to what your mind wants, ultimately resulting in MBC.

The mind is ‘virtuous’ while the brain is ‘self-oriented’. For instance, your mind is cognizant of right and wrong while all your brain cares about is beneficial or non-beneficial. When you are made to choose between something that is right but non-beneficial and something that is wrong but beneficial, 98% of the people go with the latter, because that’s what the brain wants. The remaining 2% are not good by any means; they are just not as bad as the others. We are dominated by a malicious, selfish ‘Brain’ while a noble, selfless ‘Mind’ is a mere spectator. Now you know what makes human beings such weak specimens.

For all the so called Brain heads out there, if you think you have it all, think again. Brains can get you a six digit salary, but it can’t teach you the values of life. Brains can take you places, but it can’t tell you where you belong. Brains can get you friends, but it can’t get you to realize friendship. Brains can get you accolades, but it can’t get you respect. Brains can get you a house, but it can’t get you a home. Brains can get you a girlfriend, but it can’t get you love. Brains can get you to live, but it can’t get you a life.

What the brain cant, the mind can, which is what makes the Mind the single most powerful entity ever known to mankind. Now, some of you might be wondering if your mind is powerful enough to make you jump up and touch the sky. You are not to be blamed entirely, however it is important to understand that actions like jumping up and touching the sky, flying in the air, etc. cannot be classified as attributes of mind; they would rather be attributes of insanity. Failure to recognize the difference between the two would be a serious threat to humanity. So it’s imperative to understand that though the human mind has immeasurable potential, it cannot be stretched beyond the realms of bodily capacities.

The self-centered human brain as we know it today is a result of centuries of evolution. For eons now, human beings have treated each other with distrust and hostility. Fighting battles, creating barriers, the concept of mankind has been fragmenting with every passing day. Today, we live in a world where the adage survival of the fittest is a way of life. If we hadn’t evolved with the ‘brains’ of today, we would be left in the desert to die. The evolution of the human brain into what it is today is not by choice or chance but by inevitable necessity which we humans have brought upon ourselves.

Today, with issues ranging from global warming to food shortages to terrorism, mankind is in the fringe of annihilation like never before. All our hopes now hang on a thin thread held together not by our brains, but by our minds. Though the human brain, with its artificial barriers, has left mankind divided; we are all still held together by an invisible bond of our minds. The brain is merely the virtue of the body; but the mind knows better, for it is, the virtue of the soul.

Harnessing the power of the human mind is not something that can be achieved by you or me, but it’s something that can only be achieved collectively by us, the human race.

The day every single human being starts using ‘we’ in place of ‘me’, ‘our’ in place of ‘my’, and starts living by it; the day when an Indian goes to a mosque in Pakistan and a Pakistani goes to a temple in India; the day when an American and an Afghan exchange sweets for Christmas and celebrate Eid together; the day when a North Korean and a South Korean can sit together with a cup of coffee and laugh over a distressed past; the day when an Israeli and a Palestine can share a neighborhood and call themselves friends; the day when the words ‘Rich’ and ‘Poor’ are no longer part of the dictionaries; the day when a child reads about ‘Terrorism’ and ‘Racism’ in the history text books;
That day, would be the day human race learnt to effectively use a power incomparably larger than any Nuclear-bomb or Army ever known.
That day, would be the day human race learnt to harness the power of the mind.
That would be the day when people stop merely existing and start living.
Such is the power of the human mind.

Black-ed Out!

BLACK is just a poor, harmless color. Yet, almost all the things associated with it have completely negative implications. This maybe partially attributed to the fact that the general human perception of the color black is associated with feelings like misery, depression, grief etc. I can make sense of this to an extent, because we’re talking about a color that’s quite character-less and dark by itself. But does that mean that we have to subject it to so many negativities?

Black hearted person: A person who is mean and unloving.
I was under the impression that being mean and unloving had something to do with the person’s character. But apparently it looks like it has more to do with ‘black’ than it has to do with the person’s mentality.
Black list: List of undesirable persons or entities.
Well, can’t it just be something like the “undesirable-list” or “lame-list” or maybe just “name-list”? where did the ‘black’ come from?
Blackmail: The act of threatening to reveal information about a person unless the threatened party fulfills certain demands.
Why should a threat that is generally sent through E-mail be called blackmail?
Black day: Refers to a sad or tragic day.
Like 7 whole agonizing days from Sunday to Saturday are not enough.
Black magic: Destructive or evil form of magic.
Yea Right! Like other forms of magic are useful to the society!
Black mark: An indication of failure or censure.
With all the colors available to us, why should it always be black?
Black sheep: A person who causes shame or embarrassment because of deviation from the accepted standards of his or her group.
Now how does that have anything to do with a sheep, or the color of the sheep?

The US president Barrack Obama is always referred to as the first “black president”. Why not refer to him as the first “African-american president”? Why should “Black” always be rubbed in? Well, former president Gerorge.W.Bush was never referred to as the forty third “white president” was he? So why such discrimination when it comes to Black alone? Doesn’t black look as wonderful as all the colors the universe has to offer? Why should ‘black’ always be viewed at such pessimistic perspective?

The answers to these questions might take us centuries back in time, maybe even to the very beginning of mankind, or maybe we’ll never find the answers. But that doesn’t matter. The fact is, black is a beautiful color; It is the only color that adds life to all the other colors; Black is unique, sophisticated and is the mother of all colors. ‘Black’ has its influence in almost everything around us. Even the lovely stars and the majestic moon need a ‘black’ background to elucidate them. The universe would be meaningless without the color Black.

Alas, when the heart stops beating and the eye stops blinking, Black is all we would have left in us. Black isn’t just around us, it is a part of us. Black isn’t just the essence of life, it is the essence of the soul. Black is eternal, Black is forever.

Incisive Intruder

It was a cold, rainy night. The streets were completely deserted; it was pitch-dark and there was an eerie silence that prevailed. In all, it had everything in the making, for a perfect horror film, or in my case, a deadly intruder!

My parents were not in town, and I had to spend the night all alone in my house. It was just one of those nights when I just knew something strange was going to happen. I finished my supper, watched TV till I turned off the lights and went to bed. It was close to midnight, and I wasn’t able to get any sleep because of the spookiness in the air. I was trying my best to get some sleep until suddenly, disaster struck!

There was an intruder in my room! Since it was too dark, I wasn’t able to get a proper glance at him. I was pretty sure he was positioned very close to me, because I could sense him. Initially I was startled. I was wondering how he entered my room. Then I figured that he would have probably come in through the open windows. I immediately got out of bed and switched on the lights. He had disappeared in a jiffy. He couldn’t have left the room that fast. So, the only possibility was that, he was hiding behind the cupboard. Petrified with what had just happened, I tried to put myself together and slowly approached the cupboard. There he was! I could see him. His eyes were fixed upon me. He had an air of purpose. He was all set to strike; Ready to draw blood.

I knew I had to take him down before he hurt me. As I was thinking about means to achieve that, without warning, he attacked! He came storming at me and tried to plunge into me. I dodged; it was a narrow miss. Now I was face to face with my enemy. Luckily, I had him cornered. I knew this was my last chance. I took a deep breath, brought all my power together, aimed at him, and gave him one fatal blow. There was a squeak and a splash of blood. Yes! The mosquito was dead.