“The Three Gifts of the Mind”

We have been given three gifts that can make life beautiful. All of which are found in the mind. Some have even said “I think there fore I am”. So it goes to show that what we do with our mind is of utmost importance. Here is a little more about those three gifts and how they can be used.

First we have the ability to think, which is a wonderful gift. With our mind we can think thoughts of love or fill our minds with anger and hatred. One creates inner peace and the other anxiety and stress… the choice is ours. Second we have the ability to communicate our thoughts with words. We can speak words of love, or spew out words of anger and hate. One creates love and the other creates sadness and more anger… the choice is ours. Third we have the ability to take action on our thoughts and create accomplishments that help everyone. Or we can take action to destroy and do harm… the choice is ours.

If we take the lower path those three gifts lead to disappointment, the need for more and more material acquisitions, the need for pleasure all the time, which in itself creates it’s own kind of prison. If we take the high road those three gifts lead to desiring nothing, giving whatever we have to others, and having compassion for humanity… thus the end result is freedom.

The higher road leads to lasting peace, with deep seated faith with a knowing that everything will work out, thus we sleep well at night. We come to know something larger than ourselves (God, the Universe, and the One and Only) is at work for or highest good and all we have to do is follow. The lower road leads to a mind full of chatter, trying to figure everything out with a constant dialogue that never stops… not even when sleeping. Most of the chatter has to do with judging others, and comparing what we have to others. Eventually this road leads to premature aging, mental illness, and depression because the mind and body never rest.

The high road eventually leads to going deeper, and concentrating on our breath and learning to be at peace via meditation. Thus allowing the outer world do whatever it will do, and being in constant peace and contentment no matter what the outcome. But action is also important on the higher road which means helping those who are suffering — either physically or spiritually. Eventually the higher road leads to listening to our heart, which is a mantra which constantly reminds us that we are nothing but love. And when all the words we speak are full of love, our mind is full of love, thus we no longer need to recite long prayers, because our words become our prayers. And when we help those who are in need and those who are suffering every day, we no longer need rituals because our life becomes a ritual of love… this is the noblest way of being.

Thus eventually those following the high road have their mind in constant contact with the divine. Everything they do, everything they think, everything they say is in direct relationship with God, the Universe, and the One and Only. There are many who have taken up this way of living, many who have taken on a whole new way of life, and thus their life is LOVE. People like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. all express this kind of deep love that they live everyday.

Thus it’s our choice as to which path we will walk, and either one is fantastic. Some become lost, and some are found, and others wander the desert for years looking for that which will uplift them… and make them feel great. Like moths gathering around a light, some fly off into the darkness and later come back to the light, while others say close to the light all the time. Because it’s all about our destiny, eventually we all walk into the light and are surrounded by bliss. But sometimes it takes millions upon millions of life times for us to get to that point, and mature as souls and find our way home.

From one moth to another, flying around the light, may everyone take hold of those three wonderful gifts and thrive.

Dr. Paul Haider