11Logos and the Mind
What a strange machine man is!
You fill him with bread, wine, fish, and radishes,
and out comes sighs, laughter, and dreams.
– Nikos Kazantzakis
Quite magical, aren't we, this human being, this body and mind? But ask anyone, what is a mind?
THE ANALYTICAL ENGINE OF THE MIND
Is it a machine for processing our logical faculties or logos? Does it make important decisions and calculating trade-offs? Does it navigate desires, such as aim for world peace and keep us from eating flaming Cheetos for breakfast? Indeed, the mind is a mysterious machine that moves seamlessly across time – between the present moment and the past experiences. It inspires the future fantasies, fears, and desires. It is constantly trying to juggle between the axis of time and pleasure/pain rollercoaster rides. It creates fantasies that can make us delirious with joy or crippling anxieties. The past can bring a rush of pleasant feelings or suck us into a whirlpool of sadness. The mind takes us for a ride, all day every day to all these corners. But what about staying in the present? Ah – that, my friends, is tough for the mind. The mind does not stay in the present (see Figure 11.1) because it slows down the engine – the flitting bird has to sit still, with nothing to chew on.
Figure 11-1 The mind across time.
How do we develop the mind – its faculties? How do we become stronger ...
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