The truth has no custodian. It cannot be owned or caged. It is always readily available for the watcher; the one who has the eyes to see and the ears to hear. The truth always reveals itself in every present moment, but the mind hates the present moment. The mind likes to glorify the past because it is familiar and comfortable. Yet, it is always anxious about the future because it fears the beauty of the unknown. It fears vulnerability, and hence it fears freedom.
On the other hand, the same mind is tricky. It imagines a great future, yet it may suffer from the past. Although it can plan and paint beautiful pictures about the future, its past becomes the impeding factor to its plans’ fruition. It has become a great part of the human condition that, instead of living presently with every second and every breath, one suffers more from their thoughts than in real life.
Since the mind fears the present moment, it finds every possible terminology or concept just enough to distract itself from it. One of the mind’s excuses for its inability to withstand the present moment and face its demons is boredom. It misses out on a great opportunity that has the possibility of tapping into a portal of untapped mental faculties and self-discovery and realisation. So, to escape the unpleasant experience of delving into the greater depth of thought, the mind resorts to entertainment and pleasure.
The mind wants the greatest things in life, yet it fears facing the entry points to greatness. Although it is well known and documented that greater success, unless achieved by corrupted means, always comes after tough lessons and pain; the mind still opts for the opposites. The mind wants instant gratification, pleasures, and sometimes even self-destructive and unsustainable ventures.
Moreover, the weak mind is the friend with the ego, but the strong mind is subtle and humble. The weak mind, to feed its insatiable ego, always seeks attention, approval, and glorification. Because it is unsatisfied with itself and its capabilities, which are often a result of its insecurities, low self-esteem, and self-concept, it relies on external validation for survival. The weak mind hates and fears discomfort, but the strong mind knows that everything it ever yearns for waits beyond the discomfort, pain, and struggle. The strong mind knows that before any other victory is won, the first and most important one must be over the self.
The weak mind knows its weakness and knows what must be done to overcome it, yet it would find every excuse in the universe not to act. The strong mind knows and believes in its abilities and strength to face its challenges head-on and never waver. The strong mind knows that every effort, no matter how big or small, shall be rewarded.
In the world of today, where there are elements whose wish is to turn truth into a commodity, more strong minds will be the only guarantee for the human race’s survival. This is because the weak mind outsources its abilities and is susceptible to degeneration. It is only strong minds that would be able to decipher the truth from the lies based on the conviction of what they see with their eyes regardless of what may be propagated by the self-appointed authors of truth. Because at the end of the day what truly matters is mind over matter.
* Uncommon Sense is published in New Era with contributions from Karlos Naimhwaka. karlsimbumusic@gmail.com