If we don’t realize that our mind has low credibility, it is we who will end up with low credibility.

Credibility is crucial for anyone aspiring to take on responsibility and earn the trust of others. A political candidate, for instance, needs credibility to win the confidence of voters. If such a candidate relies on an advisor with poor judgment, they risk being misled into making decisions that diminish their credibility in the eyes of the public.

This dynamic between a candidate and their advisor mirrors our relationship with our mind. While we may not consciously appoint our mind as an advisor, it often assumes this role without our awareness or consent. Unfortunately, when we act on the mind’s impulses, we frequently make short-sighted or even self-destructive choices, damaging our credibility with the people who matter most.

If we are to avoid losing credibility in others’ eyes, we must first recognize that our mind often gives unreliable advice and adjust our relationship with it accordingly. A critical hallmark of responsible leadership is the ability to distance oneself from fleeting impulses and emotions, choosing to act instead on rational and considered judgment. The more we depend on the mind’s counsel, the less dependable we ourselves become, for the mind is inherently fickle and its advice is often unreliable, even bordering on irrational.

Unlike a political candidate who can replace a poor advisor, we cannot fire our mind. It is an inseparable part of us. However, we can and must terminate the implicit trust we place in its judgments. By studying wisdom texts like the Bhagavad Gita, particularly the insights they offer about the mind’s nature, and reflecting on our past experiences of being misled by it, we can cultivate a healthy skepticism toward its impulses. This awareness allows us to re-engage with our mind on wiser and healthier terms, using it as a tool to elevate ourselves rather than allowing it to degrade us.

Summary:

Just as a political candidate who relies on a poor advisor risks losing credibility, we too risk damaging our reputation when we let our mind dictate our actions. While we cannot remove our mind, we can lower its credibility in our eyes by drawing on scriptural wisdom and personal experience. This shift enables us to re-engage with our mind in ways that are constructive rather than destructive.

Think it over:

  • Recollect three incidents when you acted on your mind’s impulses and lost credibility in the eyes of people who mattered to you.
  • Reflect on any scriptural insight or personal experience that helped you realize the unreliability of your mind.
  • Identify three areas where your mind regularly impels you toward unwise actions, and plan how to create boundaries that allow you to engage with your mind on wiser and healthier terms.

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06.05 One must deliver himself with the help of his mind, and not degrade himself. The mind is the friend of the conditioned soul, and his enemy as well.