Thought for the Week
Sometimes we need to reset the mental programme we use to run our lives. Sometimes we build up habits and routines which are no longer useful to us. It can be a bit like a Spring clean. The trouble with the mental junk we have, is that it all seems to be important. Our mind likes its processes and is not fond of change. Our opinions and attitudes are often behind these mental programmes.
Automatic opinions
This is something I find hard to control. When I see a person on the street, my automatic opinion generator kicks into action. Depending on if they are young, old, big, small, male, female, heavy, light, well dressed, ragged, etc., an opinion will automatically appear. This opinion will be my reality of this person, until I actually meet or communicate with them and discover the real person.
Automatic attitudes
Automatic attitudes is another thing to watch for. For example when we have a task we dislike our automatic attitudes often kick in. If it is a task we dislikes, the attitude it throws up is usually a negative one.
Can we approach it with the possibility of changing it a little so that it makes the task more interesting. If we can look at the task with the idea that it is an adventure and there will probably be something new about it this time around, we will develop a more positive attitude towards it.
Check our thought against our goals
So how do we select the good from the bad? One way of checking what is good and what is bad in our mental programmes is to see if they are consistent with our goals in life. If we have a goal to be happy, is our thinking inline with that? If we set about doing the task we dislike with a grumpy attitude, that is not consistent with our goal of being happy. If we approach the task with the expectation that we can somehow make it a happier and better experience for ourselves, we will at least have a chance of being happier.
Gordian Knot
Our mind and the knots our opinions and attitudes tie us up with can sometimes make us feel like we are lost in the middle of a Gordian knot. The Gordian knot was a legendary puzzle which promised that the person who loosened the knot would become king of Asia. When Alexander the Great tried to loosen it with his hands he failed, he stood back and said "What does it matter how I loose it?" With that, he drew his sword, and in one powerful stroke severed the knot. He then went on to conquer the entire known world.
HU Song
We have a tool which can act like Alexander’s sword and cut through our knotted attitudes and opinions and that is the HU song. It is a simple spiritual exercise which, with practice will reconnect us with Soul, our true self. From the viewpoint of Soul we will be above the mind and all its logical knots which often keep us tied to our physical world. Click here for more about the HU song.
From the viewpoint of Soul we see what parts of our mental programme we need to adjust. Take your time, clean out one opinion or attitude at a time. Some of them just need a bit of polish to remove the negative dirt that has built up over time. Some of them may need to be dumped altogether. If they don’t help you get to where you want to be, then change them.
Enjoy your Spring cleaning, it’ll help you live a happier life.
*Ed Parkinson
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