Thought for the day…
What we see and hear does not affect what we think. What we think forms our response to what we see and hear.
For instance, a heavily invested stock trader might watch the Dow Jones average drop precipitously and start to fear for his future. He may even exclaim, “The drop in the Dow is killing me!” But the fact is that the drop in the Dow is not affecting him at all. It’s his fear of it that affects him, for an individual who owns no stocks and could care less about the Dow, might watch the same average fall and feel no emotional impact at all. The Dow would not “kill him,” even though it’s the same number the stock trader watches.
What each individual sees does not affect what they think. What they think forms their response to what they see.
Let’s use another example.
An avid hiker sees a trail winding up a mountainside to a beautiful summit at the top, and exclaims, “Oh what a joy. I can’t wait to climb that path and look out on the world from the top of the mountain.” Another individual, who feels earthbound, matter-heavy, and not light of foot might whine, “Oh no, that is a horrible path to take. A hike is too much work, too hard and too tiresome to walk.” Each person is looking at exactly the same path, but drawing opposite conclusions. What they see is not affecting what they think. What they think predisposes them to shape the conclusions they form about what they see.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Mortal mind sees what it believes as certainly as it believes what it sees. It feels, hears, and sees its own thought.”
This concept is important to understand when it comes to healing physical ailments through prayer. If one believes that what they see forms what they think, then they are in metaphysical trouble. It leads to a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness when faced with disease because they are liable to believe the disease is in control of their thinking, rather than their thinking in control of the body.
To reason rightly, we need a spiritually informed point of view. As Eddy also wrote, “For right reasoning there should be but one fact before the thought, namely, spiritual existence.”
Spiritually understood, our thinking is not affected by external circumstances. We reason and think independently of what is going on around us physically. But to exercise this dominion and independence, we need to be aware that we have it and not allow ourselves to be unwittingly influenced by conclusions that are not in our best interest to accept.
What we see and hear does not affect what we think. What we think affects how we respond to what we see and hear.
Be informed spiritually, and right conclusions will follow.
Bravo, well done. So true, and I don’t know why I didn’t know this before Christian Science was given to me. But I didn’t, and I’m very grateful today to have access to this dominion. Thanks, Evan.
I find when I see a beautiful woman it affects what I think. How can this be reconciled with what you say above and also with what Mrs. Eddy says above? I get confused trying to analyze Mrs. Eddy’s statement.
To above,
Aw, interesting observation about women! Yet, another man, I’m assuming you’re male, with a different perspective than yours, can view the same woman you do and not feel sensual feelings, or whatever is surfacing in your thought. It comes back to the soil the seed is planted in. A beautiful woman may draw attention, but the kind of attention an onlooker gives is according to the onlooker’s predisposed way of thinking about beautiful women.
As Eddy notes, “For right reasoning there should be but one fact before the thought…” to keep one safe from questionable inclinations, it is wise to purify one’s concept of woman. To see women not as sensual objects but as expressions of God’s love, wisdom and goodness. The right view of “woman” will bring out spiritual inspiration rather than sensual impulses.
Thanks Evan. I forgot that you had quoted two statements from Mrs. Eddy. I was confused over the first one about “mortal mind sees what it believes . . .” I just can’t get my mental arms around it clearly enough to make it work for me and bring healing. You were right. I am male and it was about sensuous thoughts about women. I think it will be in the hereafter before I rise above that one.
Oh yes, well, with that quote, the idea is to get out of mortal mind reasoning. Mortal mind is sensuality, mortality, physicality, and their kin. It reasons out from it’s own premise of life in matter, in the body.
The higher road is to reason out spiritually, from how God created life, women and the universe in the first place, from Spirit, not from matter. When you reason out spiritually, you arrive at spiritual conclusions. Then you will see the beauty of God in every woman before she even crosses your path. And you will feel spiritual peace about it too.
And speaking of women, we were, weren’t we? Being a large, somewhat good looking, red blooded, American male and all that goes along with that, it seems my greatest challenge is to keep a spiritual outlook on that subject. One of my challenges is to realize warmth and affection is not sourced from any person (female), place nor thing. What I, and many other people (male and female), crave is love and affection (an expression of love). The oppotunity lies in remembering, in the heat of battle (pardon the pun) that we are, right now, the full expression of God’s Love. We are God’s thinking loving thoughts and being herself. Without us loving and feeling loved, She would not be. Can we let that happen? It’s our responsibility as big, strong males to go polish our armour by seeing the love being expressed around us, to love humbly, to feel fulfilled and safe, emotionally, and let God live. Without our loving and feeling loved and safe, how can God be? I just so happen to know that God IS and there is nothing we, as males, can do about it. So, we might as well go out there and win this one for the Gipper and CHARGE! We might just get our armour polished a bit while we’re at it.
I forgot to tell you that your comments are really appreciated in my adventure spiritward, any little tidbit helps, however, the ultimate responsibility is to remember to apply it in the moment.
Good one, Babbling Bard…. your comments made me smile!