Some people narrate stories with such animation and emotion that they completely captivate their audiences. While we may appreciate their storytelling expertise, we won’t assume that whatever stories they tell are true.
Unfortunately, we make this assumption with regards to our mind, which is our inner storyteller. On seeing an attractive object, it narrates a story about how we could enjoy that object. Or on seeing a swelling on our hand, it narrates a horror story about how we might have terminal cancer.
If we consider a recent situation when we were agitated, we will notice that what agitated us primarily was not the situation itself, but the mind’s stories about the situation. And the mind told those stories so captivatingly that we forgot to even consider if its stories reflected actual realities.
How can we protect ourselves from such needless agitation? By treating the mind as we would treat someone known to spin fanciful yarns. If we noticed them grandstanding, we would conscientiously refuse to spend much time hearing their stories. We need to neglect our mind with similar conscientiousness.
Such conscientiousness, can be developed by meditation.
When we connect steadily with divine through meditation, he gives us the intelligence to become cautious observers of our mind, not its captivated hearers. By thus focusing on the actual realities, not on the mind’s stories, we can respond effectively.
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