Great wonders of the mind

According to author Walter Staples there are five wonders which operate the mind. The first wonder is that we think in pictures that are activated by words. For example, when we think of a wedding we see a bride in bridal costume and the happy faces of parents. When we think of a funeral, we picture sadness, sobbing a sense of loss and solemn faces.

The second wonder of the mind is that we always ‘act out’ the pictures in our head. For example, when we go for an interview when we see ourselves in confident light and we perform well. When we see ourselves in poor light, we perform poorly.

The third wonder of the mind is that we can change the pictures in our head to whatever we want. William Shakespeare said: “Life is but a stage and we are all actors.” We have to create a fiction in our imagination, act it out and it becomes true. The formula is that fiction with sufficient fixity of thought becomes a fact.

The fourth wonder of the mind is that the mind cannot tell the difference between fact and fiction. In other words, we cannot distinguish between a picture by choice from a picture by chance. For example, when you see an advertisement on television several times it makes an impact and you start believing it as a reality.

The fifth wonder of the mind is that the mind can imagine things for us that we cannot contemplate. For example, a John Rockfeller, an Elvis Presley, a Dhirubhai Ambani, a JRD Tata all started with a little dream which became larger and larger through hope and inspiration which in turn led to fame and fortune beyond their wildest dreams. It is only a question of playing the game, working the wonders with proper inputs and making them real. There are opportunities all around us. It is a question of seizing them and see where it takes you. It means that we can imagine ourselves doing whatever we want in our lives.