Dear Youth of the World:
Our minds are limitless in capacity and power. It is like an ocean containing within it the impressions of enormous experiences of the past, which influence us and shape our thought-patterns and desires. They often surface unexpectedly and force us to think and act in a particular manner that surprises ourselves. The inexplicable urges and drives are beyond our control. They seem to emanate from the unconscious and sub-conscious parts of our minds.
This does not mean that we are totally helpless. Though occasionally such mental tsunamis are caused by the secret parts of our own minds and overwhelm us, we are mostly concerned with the conscious part of our minds and ego. The term ‘mind’ generally means to us only the conscious part of our minds that allows to be disciplined, though not very easily.
Regulating our minds is achieved broadly by disciplining our thoughts. For this purpose, we may equate our minds to a given space used by us for keeping things. How do we use the residential space available to us? We classify our possessions in different categories and allot suitable spaces for them. We have sacred objects that we keep in puja room; we have valuable and confidential things that we keep in cupboards and lockers; we have books that we keep in shelves; we have equipment like TV, computers and so on that we keep in convenient places; and we also reserve some elbow space for our rest and movement. If there are things that would be useful only in future, we keep them separately in lofts. If there are useless things, we throw them away. Whether it is your table-top or residence or office, if you do not classify your possessions and arrange them properly, your life would become chaotic.
Similarly we should regulate our mental space. Though theoretically the mind has limitless space, in day-to-day life we are concerned with the conscious mind that would be healthy only if kept well-organized. The memories are like things. Some of them are sacred; some of them are useful always; some of them are useful only in future; some of them are useless; some of them are harmful. We should not preserve all the memories in the same manner. We should deliberately retain the good ones permanently; we should also jettison the bad and harmful memories as early as possible.
Thiruvalluvar has advised that forgetting good happenings is not good; it is good to forget the bad instances on the same day. (Nandri marappathu nandrandru Nandrallathu andre marappathu nandru. Thirukkural 108) He has made it very clear that the act of forgetting is a matter of our choice.
Many people make their lives miserable simply because they forget their fortunes and blessings; but tenaciously remember all the unfortunate things happened to them from childhood. Even such unfortunate instances may have a useful content, i.e. the lessons to be learnt from them. We should remember those lessons that would be useful to us at some time in future; the rest of it, the negative emotions should be forgotten once for all.
Wishing you all the best,
T Joseph Benziger
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