The Human Mind; A Powerful Tool or just a Voice Inside Us?

I think about issues and matters all the time. Be it on the bus, standing in the middle of a huge crowd or even when I'm eating. However, I realise my mind sets into an automatic "wander mode" in two particular durations; when I bath and when I'm on the bed about to sleep.

Queer isn't it? I mean those two durations aren't exactly the most interactive and social periods of my life but it is during then when my mind is the most active as I think about personal issues (commonly) as well as a myriad of other topics. Thus it is no wonder or astonishment that I often fabricate my ideas (weird ones) and thoughts about certain aspects of my life.

The human mind works in ways unknown.

For years or even since the dawn of time, people have been trying to put a definite solution or answer as to how the mind works largely to no avail. All due to the simple fact that the human mind holds no boundaries.

I'll not endeavour the task of defining how the mind works but more rather, share my two cents on the complexity of the human mind and insights into using your mind to your advantage rather then the contrary.

From a scientific viewpoint, the epicenter of the human mind is commonly perceived at the brain of a particular individual. It is the brain that controls the entire nervous system in the human body and to put it simply, it is the "command center"; it controls the major functions of the body.

However, I personally feel that the human is not only restricted to the brain. To me, there is no central location where the human mind is located. The entire body functions and constitutes to the mind itself. The five senses especially plays a vital role in influencing the decisions and the way the mind works.

Why is this so?

The senses are in a way, how the body perceives and comes in contact with the outside world. They are the "windows" and the medium used for external interaction. Be it Touch, Smell, Taste, Sight or Hear, these are how we as humans, communicate with our surroundings and respond to stimulus.

These senses (as mentioned earlier) influence the way our mind works and its thus proven on many grounds in the field of psychology, which is the intensive study of the human mind and behaviour.

Ever heard of the "Forbidden Toy Study" carried out by Elliot Aronson and Merrill Carlsmith who were social psychologists about Cognitive Dissonance? Or W.S.Small's experiment with rats in a maze? These are fine examples of how the senses affect the psychological aspect of human beings.

Another aspect we have to consider in relation to the human mind is the human Emotion. As elaborated in one of my previous blog articles (Emotions; A Flaw In The Human Design?), emotions can affect the behaviour and the mind of a particular individual adversely.

Naturally, the human mind is influenced by emotions too as we as living organisms have feeling. Certain decisions might be affected and influenced depending on the emotion and I'm sure this is evident in our daily lives.

So is the human mind just a powerful tool that can be manipulated if used properly or is it just a part of the "entire human package"?

As mentioned, the human mind and emotion works hand in hand. Personally to me, the human emotion defines the soul of a person and in contrast, the human mind is the engine and processor that runs the soul and gives it life. We're exposed and accustomed to images of mindless zombies in horror films; an image of what we as humans, will be like without the soul, engine and processor.

So can we use the human mind to its fullest potential? Is it possible for one to manipulate another person purely based on the use of the mind?

I'm sure many of you would have watched or at least heard of this character from the comic book series (and recently a series of movies) X-men, called Professor X who is renown for his "amazing mind controlling abilities".

No, I'm not referring to abilities of that sought but more rather, manipulating via actions. We may not realise it but in fact, many of us are already applying these techniques to a certain extent. On a more subtle level, something called PR (people relation) skills are actually part of this so called manipulation. Other aspects are also involved, but I shan't elaborate (due to various reasons).

If one is able to master and learn the techniques of mind control and persuasion, it is no doubt that the individual will be one up in society. The power of super persuasion is incredible and in a sense, fearful.

To conclude, the mind is subjective and to some, it may be just a voice inside but I choose to think otherwise. To me, its both a tool and a part of existence. The mind might differentiate right from wrong, truth or lie, but is it, as always, up to the individual to decide how he or she wants to use it.

Personally, I use my mind for various reasons, a source of infinite inspiration, a place where no one but myself can go to, a reasoning department and of course, a place where I find my perspective of the world.

I'm sure everyone has different purposes in life and their minds are thus structured differently.

So let us work to perfect the strength of our minds and attain a one up in our lives.