Monday, April 10, 2017

The mind must remain a servant

My aunt recently sunk into depression for a brief period. A few of my friends are also battling mental illnesses.

I think one of the likely causes is that.. while most of us exercise moderation in eating, drinking and other aspects related to our physical bodies, we neglect aspects of  our mind. Moderation in thinking is absolutely essential for a sane mind. Over thinking is a disease on the same level as overeating. The mind or any of the senses running amok spells doom. The intellect must have a tight reign on the mind and the five senses.

Writer David Foster Wallace, who battled depression for decades nails this in his writing ..
“The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline ...that is real freedom...The alternative is unconsciousness, the default setting .. 
“Learning how to think" really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot or will not exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed.”

"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master" - Robin Sharma 

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