The rambling mind

“Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure, it is in decay.”
- Jiddu Krishnamurti an Indian speaker and writer.

An ignorant and stupid mind is a rambling mind. Nothing in the world is more dangerous than that to the elevation of the human condition. For instance, when one is careless in deeds and confused in words, I am certain he or she is possessed of a mind rambling in thought. Thus, my advice to my readers is that: Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.

That, for all I know, forms the substance of the anatomy of politics; and I cannot see why an intelligent and enlightened reader like you would want to join that group, unless he or she intends to join in the plunder of the nation - that being, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.

After all, at no point would the people involved in governance – even if not in their rambling, incoherent moments - would ever come close, either in their speech or their deed, to anything that could be, considered the truth. All those involved in politics want us to possess rambling minds, preferably minds asleep, so that we remain a submissive and apathetic herd of rambling, unaware, non-participants in matters of governance. Their agenda of governance being to keep people separated and project an image of a world filled with never ending problems.

So that, as they move from dream to dream, ambition to ambition, with rambling talk, long-winded speeches, and an image of air; they will always project a front of, somehow, sometime, in the never arriving future, they and only they, have the capability of solving all problems.

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius, and a lot of courage, to move in the opposite direction. All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance; and it is the same with the human mind. As the prowess of our joints and lungs, slowly decline with advancing age; the thought of our minds doing the same is always intolerable – especially to a mind that has been active throughout life, indolence becomes more painful than labour.

Yet, it is our rambling digressions that make us perceive the advancing age. Thus, the end comes when our mind no longer talk to us but rambles on, on its own accord. It is the end of genuine thinking and the beginning of the final loneliness. However, this need not be so because only things that have form and shape decay. Mind, like god, is formless, shapeless, and need meet its end only when the body meets death.

However, to have a healthy mind, at all times, and especially in advancing age; certain habits are essential; the foremost being, a stress free life. Stress takes a toll on the brain by washing harmful chemicals over the hippocampus - region of the brain that is associated primarily with memory and influenced by stress – as well as other brain areas involved in memory. Some scientists suspect that living a balanced lifestyle and pursuing relaxing activities such as yoga, socializing, and involving oneself in creative work, may delay memory impairment by reducing stress.

Other useful habits are moderate exercise, moderation in food by avoiding over indulgence, good sleeping habits that help us rest and dream; the lack of which make it hard to think and learn new things. Some theories credit the introduction of fish into the human diet with the evolution of our tremendous cognitive prowess because fish contains Omega 3 fatty acids. Further, growing evidence suggests a caffeine habit too may protect the brain.

According to large longitudinal studies, two to four perk-me-ups a day may stave off normal cognitive decline and decrease the incidence of Alzheimer's by 30 to 60 percent. It is unclear whether the benefits come from caffeine or the antioxidants found in coffee and tea.

Whatever it is, evidence suggests that both improve cognition now, and several decades from now. In addition to the above, preventable diseases — such as Type II diabetes, obesity, and hypertension — all affect your brain. System-wide health concerns have been, linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and memory impairments. Keeping your circulatory system in working order, by, say, avoiding cigarettes and saturated fat, lessens the onslaught of age-related damage to the brain. Finally, do not go in for supplements, including multi vitamins.

They are a waste of money and only belong to trash. At best, they could give you high blood pressure, digestion trouble, fertility problems, and depression. The key to a healthy mind lies in tackling something new; the challenge of the unknown is likely more beneficial than putting together the same jigsaw puzzle over-and-over again.

Life, after all, is for deep kisses, strange adventures, midnight swims, and rambling conversations; not rambling minds. However, the grandeur-induced tales that emanate from pale lips and forked tongues that springs from no loyalty to a given word, but to a baseness of soul in politics, will ensure our minds go rambling and insane, even if we will it not. Illusions of grandeur are not the same as visions of achievements.

For it is in achievement and endurance that the human soul shows its grandeur, its alliance with the infinite; not in mere illusions of grandeur as exhibited by politicians, which only make them feel better and cause untold misery to the masses.

The fundamental cause of most of our troubles is that, in the modern world, the stupid are cocksure of everything, while the rest are full of doubt; and so, the rest leave the affairs of state to the cocksure who conduct politics without principles.

Thus I am, driven to conclude: in politics, stupidity is not a handicap. Therefore, if we, citizens, do not stop our rambling minds and come awake, then we sacrifice our life on the altar of politics; ending up believing in nothing, and having worthless dreams.

I believe it was Groucho Marx, who said politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies.

Therefore, I do not see what difference it makes to the dead, the starving, the orphaned, and the homeless; whether the mess caused by politics is, wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy because the ultimate results are the same: it is all a right royal mess. Many of us are, blinded so much by our rambling minds that we do not face the reality of being, taken for a good ride. Thus, the major problem -one of the major problems, for there are several; and hence, one of the many major problems with governing people is that of whom you get to do it; or rather of who manages to get people to let them do it to them. To summarize: it is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting himself into that position should on no account, be allowed to do the job. Taxicab drivers and those cutting hair might be a better option.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

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