We need inner accounting before we can have inner accountability
Suppose a social welfare organization is short of money and asks us to become a regular patron. Naturally, we will want some accountability. But if [...]
Treating the mind as an enemy can be uncomfortable, treating it as a friend can be fatal — treat it as a patient
Suppose we are living with someone prone to wild mood swings. We will need to watch them carefully to understand their present mood and adapt [...]
Even if others don’t take us seriously, still we can take ourselves seriously
Suppose we have an important suggestion that can improve a project we are a part of. But our inputs aren’t allowed or asked or acknowledged [...]
The stronger the hold of problems on our mind, the weaker becomes our hold on ourselves
Suppose we see a friend getting rattled when facing problems. We may tell them, “Get a hold on yourself.” This common usage suggests that we [...]
Mind your mind to know when it is in order, when on the border and when out of order
Suppose we use a laptop for vital, high-stake work. We would not only do the work carefully, but would also carefully monitor the device to [...]
The media is mostly the mind multiplied, magnified & magnetized
Whenever some people hear of shocking instances of brutality or perversity, they hold the media responsible: “The media is feeding people’s minds with such images. [...]
No one has a right to mistreat you, not even you
Suppose someone repeatedly derided us. We would be incensed: “You have no right to mistreat me like this.” Yet we let ourselves be mistreated like [...]
Everything is not in the mind, but everything comes through the mind
Some people say, “Everything is in the mind; if you just learn to train your mind, you won’t face any problems.” Is that true? Not [...]
For changing yourself, focus on comprehending yourself, not on criticizing yourself
Suppose someone criticizes us constantly about something we are doing. Instead of understanding where we are coming from, if they simply judge and condemn us, [...]
Watch yourself as if you are someone you don’t know – self-observation opens the door to self-transformation
Suppose we want to develop a relationship with someone. We will observe them carefully, noting how they behave in various situations, especially in difficult situations. [...]
Use introspection as a confession by the self to the self
Confession is a religious practice wherein confessants, people who have done something wrong, admit those wrongs to an authority figure, a confessor. As admitting our [...]
Respect the dark within you, to keep it within you
Suppose we had a serious enemy out to destroy us. We couldn’t afford to take them lightly; we would need to treat them with respect. [...]
To be thoughtful, attribute every thought first to the mind
Our mind is like a thought-factory that churns out thoughts constantly. Most of these thoughts are irrelevant and unproductive, some are dark and destructive, and [...]
We are our greatest hope – and our greatest horror
We all sometimes act like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde; we act sometimes like a principled, selfless benefactor and sometimes like an opportunistic, self-centered malefactor. [...]
The faster our autocorrect, the faster we can be incorrect
While messaging someone through our phone, suppose we type ‘Hare Krishna.’ But the phone doesn’t recognize word ‘Hare’ and autocorrects it to ‘Hate.’ The autocorrected [...]
The mind treats us badly, yet we trust it madly
Suppose an investment agent misled us into making bad investments. We wouldn’t trust them again. Our mind is like an inner agent that misleads us [...]
Our inner screen is lined with lying links – be leery
Suppose we are reading an online article and adjacent to it are many links that turn out to be deceptive. They promise something free but [...]
The mind makes the easy seem difficult and the difficult seem impossible
When we have to do something, we often assess how easy or difficult it is. For example, if we are traveling, we use a weighing [...]
See the mind as a predator, not a protector
Suppose a farmer has a guard dog. But if that dog turns into a predator who devours the farm poultry, the farmer would be in [...]
If we don’t marginalize the mind, it will marginalize us
Suppose we are the leaders of a group and are leading its discussion in a particular productive direction. But someone else starts speaking loudly, drowns [...]
When we keep liking whatever our mind likes, we end up not liking ourselves
Suppose we keep eating whatever we feel like eating. When our indiscriminate eating makes us fat or sick, we end up not liking ourselves. Gita [...]