How often have we heard or read the words, "peace of mind?"
Now, I know what that's supposed to mean, but frankly, the expression itself is a misnomer of the most misleading sort. The mind could never be a platform for experiencing peace.
Mind itself is a struggle--a desperate attempt to process the torrent of data that constantly roars into us from the outside, to comprehend the meaning and implications of it all, to grasp reality and somehow control it. And it does a fair job of all that, considering that (for most of us) it manages to keep from coming unglued, even after many years of nonstop work. It's the only tool we have for accomplishing these heady tasks. We rely on our mind to safely negotiate the confusing warren of stimuli and relationships that we wander (even blunder) through night and day. But do we really expect this light-speed whirling, often deviously conniving calculator to ever be in peace?
The mind is what creates the turmoil from which everyone--consciously or unconsciously--hopes to find relief. Think about it. It's the mind that comes up with clever strategies for finding peace, most if not all of which not only fall short, but actually add to the maelstrom of conflicting information and disjointed images that fuel the ceaseless chatter in our heads. Mind generates unfounded doubt, fear, guilt, shame, prejudice, self-righteousness, and even insanity itself.
It's not peace of mind we crave; it's peace from mind.
Now, I know what that's supposed to mean, but frankly, the expression itself is a misnomer of the most misleading sort. The mind could never be a platform for experiencing peace.
Mind itself is a struggle--a desperate attempt to process the torrent of data that constantly roars into us from the outside, to comprehend the meaning and implications of it all, to grasp reality and somehow control it. And it does a fair job of all that, considering that (for most of us) it manages to keep from coming unglued, even after many years of nonstop work. It's the only tool we have for accomplishing these heady tasks. We rely on our mind to safely negotiate the confusing warren of stimuli and relationships that we wander (even blunder) through night and day. But do we really expect this light-speed whirling, often deviously conniving calculator to ever be in peace?
The mind is what creates the turmoil from which everyone--consciously or unconsciously--hopes to find relief. Think about it. It's the mind that comes up with clever strategies for finding peace, most if not all of which not only fall short, but actually add to the maelstrom of conflicting information and disjointed images that fuel the ceaseless chatter in our heads. Mind generates unfounded doubt, fear, guilt, shame, prejudice, self-righteousness, and even insanity itself.
It's not peace of mind we crave; it's peace from mind.
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