#Article (Archive)

Are we capable?

Jan 13, 2012, 1:44 PM

I have over the years heard and come to believe greatly from personal experience that the human mind is a very complex and all too volatile epicenter of the body, not to be underrated. As all our thoughts and our actions emanate from it, it would be quite safe to say that a healthy mind is a prerequisite to a good and decent life. I believe that notion completely. By healthy, I mean a mind trained to decipher right from wrong and good from evil and one that can control its emotions.

If I could count the number of times I have heard (both in person and via some form of communication medium) an individual say that there had been times when they had been soo agitated, so innately furious, so greatly incensed by something or someone that they had felt they were capable in that moment of doing just about anything to appease the feeling and had it not been for their strong will or divine intervention, they just might have succumbed to the feeling and done something they would regret immensely later? Well, that is certainly not a foreign concept to a lot of people.

From infancy, the mind starts to develop (the brain being the centre) and all through life, it matures as it grasps more, mostly from life’s different experiences. We can be grateful to the mind for all the many diverse and amazing innovations which have taken us from the Stone Age to today’s world of advancement. However, all too often and unfortunately, it is the planning ground for some if not all of the most vicious and inhuman acts and atrocities of our time, one of which is murder.

What is murder? dictionary.com defines it as the killing of another human being under conditions specifically covered in law. Including murder committed with malice aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation or occurring during the commission of another serious crime, as robbery or arson. 

Some philosophers and psychologists are for the motion, that we as mortals are all capable of harming someone else, under certain circumstances. However, others believe we as higher animals have more control over our impulses and therefore should be held liable if we go against the grid and do commit a crime or a heinous act. Which train of belief are you on? One thing that is certain is that no matter what we think, once a life is taken, it cannot be gotten back.

It should be understood that killing (a word loosely used often) and murdering are not one and the same, the former encompasses both murder and manslaughter, the latter being a defense usually used in an act of self-protection whereas murder is done with forethought which is to say it is premeditated, including revenge, a motive for some, the perpetrators convincing themselves that it is right and justified and is justice, the old fashioned way, dating back centuries

During the French revolution also known as Bastille Day, several people of the higher echelons of society were beheaded. Could some convincingly argue that they got what they deserved as they had led lavish lives whilst ignoring the abject poverty of the masses that had lost control and reacted in that extreme manner?

I guess it is at times easier on those who have not been directly or indirectly affect  to simply say ‘forgive and forget’ but getting to that point usually takes a lot of time and  positive emotion, something not everyone can readily afford.

Let’s face it; honestly we would like to believe that if ever a time came when we are put to the test, we will be in control of our faculties enough to stop before we do any harm. But even in our everyday lives we can be impatient and temperamental. So, the big ask. How can we hope to triumph in highly taxing situations when the everyday drama of life gets to us resulting in highly irrational behavior? Self control!

Research has shown it and so has aspects our life, self control is something that we have to develop, nurture and work at perfecting every day. When we feed our minds with positive material, the chances of us finding ourselves unable to react the right way would be slim. And if you are one of the numbers who struggle daily, don’t give up and remember, you are not alone in this well worth fight. Always remember life is precious and priceless and everyone has a right to it, so no matter the circumstance be very aware of this fact. 

We have to work at being masters of our minds instead of being victims of our own making, because we are not training our minds. Are you capable?