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Considering Wisdom #51
A weekly newsletter from BobBarnardnm.com
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Please share this with your friends so we can encourage others to consider wisdom.
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Thoughts on the intersection of Society/Culture, Productivity/You, and Wisdom/Knowledge.
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Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom – and no such thing as public liberty without freedom of speech. Benjamin Franklin
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As you undoubtedly noticed, it has been a year of little writing because of many conventions, travel, sickness, falls, learning new volunteer jobs, and over-committing. However, I am back with a new slant for this newsletter. I have realized that understanding wisdom will require understanding communication and the use of language as well. So, we may take some detours into these topics as well. But, most of all, understanding and applying the wisdom of the past means understanding your inner self. I hope you enjoy the journey.
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A mind that is full of conclusions is a dead mind. A living mind is a free mind, learning, never concluding. Jiddu Krishnamurti
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Is your mind full of conclusions? Does this explain the fragmentation of our society today? Does Jiddu’s quote describe you or just them?
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This is an interesting quote because you can follow many nuances and threads and try to understand how your mind works and why you see the world the way you do.
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Historically our minds jumped to conclusions as a defense mechanism to save us from the dangers of living in the wild. However, as our world changes, many haven’t taken control of our minds, and we still jump to conclusions. These conclusions are generally based on where we grew up, who we associated with, and the parenting we received. This background shaped us and created our many natural biases. For example, a person born and living in the same community will have one set of biases. But another born and living in several different parts of the country while growing up will have another set.
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But we can take control of our minds and think before we act. We can analyze what is being said and apply our truth test rather than accept everything we read or hear. The ability to think sets us apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. We especially need to learn to question authority figures.
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Jiddu says, “A Living mind is a free mind, learning, never concluding.” What a goal to achieve. We can strive for a mind free of prejudices, a mind that questions and understands other points of view, and a mind under our control that doesn’t jump to conclusions. This will require a lot of hard work to understand ourselves and allow others to be themselves.
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1. Do I think and try to understand or assume I know what some means?
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2. Do I assume all ___________are bad or wrong?
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3. Do you have a living mind?
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1. Reflect daily and write down those times you jumped to conclusions and those times you thought first.
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2. Consider what caused you to jump to conclusions rather than determine your own conclusion or understanding.
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