Reason is needed in order to... What is the human mind? An amazing world created by the human mind

Man is a creature, an animal. But what distinguishes him from other living beings is the presence of reason, the ability to think and act. How did he acquire these abilities? And how did he start using them? What is the human mind?

How did the mind appear?

Man gained intelligence through work, as is usually said. Some may argue about how, holding a stick in his hands and trying to build something out of it, a person could develop to his current level?

Man evolved only in one direction - to facilitate survival in earthly conditions. Trying to adapt to earthly life, man began to turn to his mind. He managed to use it to achieve success in using the gifts of nature and thereby learned to create benefits. Man found the path to survival not through innate reflexes, but by logically carrying out his actions. Over time, this allowed him to realize that his mind was capable of more. And so a wonderful world appeared on Earth thanks to the human mind.

But if a person is a highly developed being, then why can’t he overcome his primal instincts and get the upper hand over his vices? Now a person does not need to protect his life from predators and the environment. But now he is looking for ways to escape from himself.

What is the human mind in spiritual terms? Does this mean that it develops one-sidedly? Or are we simply unable to part with our instincts and primitive needs, which is why the development of the mind, except for adaptation to satisfying our needs, is impossible?

From these reflections we can conclude that labor did not create the human mind, but only helped to develop it.

Is the brain the source of intelligence?

This organ was created by nature to regulate functions in the body. It helps navigate the environment, stores and uses innate instincts, and is comparable to a library that stores many books of information. The brain is subject to feelings, reflexes, emotions, but is not a pure mind and does not function as an organ that forms it.

But other animals lack the ability to think, because their brains are not sufficiently developed. Then how to explain this?

This organ helps answer the question of what the human mind is in a biological sense. Together with all our sensations - instincts, emotions, irritations - it is an integral part of our mind. And often a person acts not guided by his highly developed intellect, but by feelings and emotions, which are individually developed to a greater or lesser extent in everyone.

Personal development

Since ancient times, people have considered consciousness to be a divine gift. Therefore, many philosophers adhered to religious beliefs. That is, they did not adhere to them because they became philosophers. It was religion that taught them to think. One question is followed by a series of other thoughts. Some believed that every great thought that came into their minds was sent by God. What can be celebrated in a religion like Buddhism.

What is the human mind? Not every person can achieve high personal development. It is closely related to intelligence, but it is not easy to master. Personality is the next step after the development of the mind. It is also part of consciousness, mind.

The intellect is responsible for logical activity, perceives and processes information. And personality is a connection of principles, ideas, rules of behavior, ways of perceiving received information, and the ability to compare it.

Religion for our mind

The emergence of religions is one of the manifestations of the development of the human mind. Atheists consider believers to be only fanatics and do not take the words of the scriptures seriously. Indeed, not every person, be it a Christian or a Muslim, correctly understands and interprets what is prescribed.

But if we remove unnecessary sayings, we can say that thousands of years ago man realized that he was a highly developed being, and began to think about how he appeared, why he perceives the world this way, why the Universe itself is structured this way? The amazing world of the human mind does not stop there.

Having invented writing, man began to express his thoughts and assumptions about this matter. In ancient times, not having high technologies and being content with little experience in understanding this world, man tried to explain to himself questions about the origin of his existence.

This indicates that people were also aimed at satisfying spiritual needs (interest in life, the emergence of the arts, turning to their inner world), and not just focused on survival. Religion prompted man to do this. The amazing world that was created thanks to the human mind would not be the same if it did not have the desire for spiritual food.

And even though many assumptions from ancient times turned out to be incorrect, they at least indicate that we were able to think consistently, create logical chains and look for confirmation of them.

This is an amazing world created by the mind and performed ritual ceremonies over the deceased, which shows us their attitude towards a living being. Life was valuable to them.

The struggle between nature and reason

The existence of highly developed science, technology, and economics in our lives does not mean that we have reached the highest level of intelligence. They only explain the world created thanks to the human mind and nature. Our home planet has interested us since ancient times. And it is this interest and the desire to satisfy it that shows us as beings with intelligence.

The brain is our tool that helps us achieve what we want. And it is also the link between natural instincts and true intelligence. He is able to capture the subtlest vibrations of the immaterial plane of existence, to become an instrument of the spirit, as he said

Ways of thinking

A person is capable of producing both emotional and logical thinking. The second is precisely used in the creation of science and technology.

The emotional is involved in solving complex problems that do not lend themselves to algorithmic thinking. It also contributes to decision making, choice of action, behavior.

A person's mind and personality cannot be shaped by desiring a specific outcome. Everyone meets different people, hears information from them, and, choosing a particle from it, adds up knowledge. Even the actions of others shape a person’s personality. This is what distinguishes the external and internal amazing world, which was created thanks to the human mind.

Life by human hands

Ancient buildings still amaze with their beauty and grandeur. We are still trying to figure out how people managed to achieve such perfection, what technologies did they use? Many studies, experiments and studies have not helped to establish this accurately. Thanks to the human mind, the world has become more favorable for our lives.

Having made a tool for the first time, man did not limit himself to it. He began to create goods that satisfy his other needs, that is, household items.

The man did not stop at satisfying his needs. Gradually, in man-made life, as the human mind developed, its echoes began to appear. House and clothing ceased to satisfy people only as a means of protection from bad weather, and weapons - as a subject for hunting and a means of attack by predators.

The amazing world, thanks to the human mind, changed and improved with each generation that changed, leaving behind improved man-made lands. The buildings became more complex and skillful. Clothes are sleeker and more comfortable. Weapons are more reliable and dangerous.

The Greatest Structures of Humanity

Until now, people do not stop there. They outperform the previous generation every time.

Man has always strived to surpass the one who is higher. An example of this is the myth of the Tower of Babel. It tells how people strived to reach the level of their creator, God. They wanted to be on an equal footing with him. True, this failed. After all, being a human means not only having high material development, but also spiritual development.

Buildings as information carriers

Almost all buildings carry religious ideas, which are reflected in ornaments, frescoes, mosaics, and reliefs. Many have practical significance and reflect a person’s desire to achieve perfection in art.

Many buildings have survived to this day, which shows a high level of technology development and an effort to preserve their material values. Spiritual values were also important. And this is not the end of the amazing world created by the human mind.

A person’s mind or intellect is usually associated with his ability to think, understand, distinguish, find a way out of difficult situations, as well as intelligence, ingenuity, and the ability to foresee future events. In other words, this is the part of a person that must think. Those who use it in this life suffer less.

There are no identical people on earth. We are all different. Each of us is so individual that it’s hard to even imagine how much. We think differently. We do things differently. We live differently.

My publications are motivated by one goal. Break religious stereotypes of thinking. Turn on the brains of those who thought that they should not be used. In people's lives, the line of the individual should not be erased. As soon as this boundary is erased, the person disappears into the crowd. The crowd is not who. What is a crowd? God did not create a hive mind, although the apostles advise having one mind in Christ. Having one direction is good, but if that direction is wrong, what then? It is written: “... but check everything. Stick to goodness and avoid all evil.” (1 Thess. 5:21,22)

It is difficult for religious people to understand that everything in God's Kingdom is built on their own choice. Not on fear of man and God, but on one’s own choice. Love, like obedience, is your own choice.

A letter was recently sent. The man, apparently the fruit of a sick religious fantasy, was indignant that I was writing about the fact that the Church does not need ministers. If it is written: “And He gave to some to be apostles, to others to be prophets, to others to be preachers of the gospel, to others to be shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, until we all attain unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, we will not reach maturity and will not be equal to Christ in our spiritual growth. We should no longer be little children, tossed about by the waves and carried by the winds of various teachings, by the cunning of deceivers who mislead people.” (Eph.4:11-14) If God himself has appointed ministers in the Church of God, then who am I to abolish them? It is important that it was God who placed a person in ministry, and not you who wanted to be an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Wanting is not harmful, but becoming someone without God’s will is mortally dangerous.

Are local meetings necessary? Of course we do. Are pastors needed in these congregations? But what about without them? The question is different. Can a Pastor or Congregation Save You? Of course not. Even the words from the Bible: “... do not forsake the assembling of yourselves” cannot help with this. Can a person be saved without attending any meeting at all? Of course it can. But this is an exception, not a sample.

We read about this in the modern translation of the New Testament: “Let us not neglect the opportunity to meet with each other, which some, unfortunately, neglect. Let us encourage one another, especially as we see that the Day is already approaching.” (Heb. 10:25) Where is there even a word about a meeting that cannot be left? We need meetings, but where and why? If your church building is your idol (and many are), then you have big problems. Idol worshipers do not go to heaven. Use your brain at least once. You don't need a building or even a meeting to be saved. In order to be saved you need Jesus Christ. It is written: “But you do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” (Rom.8:9) You can go to a meeting and go straight to hell.

Your pastor can't be God. He is the only one who will give an account of how he treated God's people. Where and why did he take them? You shouldn’t humiliate yourself and be a hypocrite in front of him, but you need to respect him for the fact that he bears this responsibility. There are no sheep and no shepherd in the Church. There is only one Shepherd - Jesus Christ. If this is not the case, then you are in trouble again. There are guardians of the Church and those who are being prepared for service. The shepherd is not a king, and people are not sheep. If the Church is the Bride, then the Groom cannot marry the sheep. They are only animals. You shouldn’t implant images into people’s lives.

We have been told for a long time and persistently that you can only fulfill your calling by being in some group of people, but this is a hundred percent lie. What does my calling and some group of people have to do with it? If tomorrow God says, and He will say one day if you are His son or daughter, that you go on a mission to a place where Makar has not herded calves or where no white man has set foot, then what does this have to do with the building that you are visiting now? YOUR CALLING IS YOUR CALLING, ONLY FOR ITS FULFILLMENT YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE, and not for the vision of the pastor. There are a lot of things that people came up with and then imposed it on everyone else (taught it). And if they were taught incorrectly, then what? And if they led to destruction, then why all this?

Everything in this life has its own specific meaning. Every action has its own specific motive. The motive answers the question: “Why”? It is by motivation that all deeds in Christianity are measured. There are works of the law and works of faith. They are also determined by motivation. There are right motives and wrong ones. As they say: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions. I wanted the best, but it turned out as always.” Intentions are motivation. Motivation is the direction of thoughts and desires. If you cannot answer the question: “Why do you need this and why are you doing it,” then you should not start what you are doing. Dead deeds (not right motives) give birth not to life, but to death. It's worth thinking about.

Nikolay Mazurovsky

From a conversation with MDA professor Alexey Osipov on the pages of the Foma magazine.

– Alexey Ilyich, let me start with a somewhat unexpected question that we usually don’t think about: why does a person need intelligence at all?

– The mind, first of all, is what makes a person human, otherwise he would be another animal.

It was precisely by man’s loss of his mental dignity that God’s terrible sentence to pre-Flood humanity was determined: “My Spirit cannot dwell in these people, since they have become flesh,” that is, the sole purpose of their life was to satisfy exclusively animal needs: obtaining food and pleasures. (How increasingly relevant this is becoming in connection with the way of life being promoted today!) Is this not why the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato was convinced that monkeys are former people, degenerated as a result of a purely animal, insane lifestyle.

– Are there any limits to the mind: stop here, don’t reason?

– Yes, in religion, as in science, there are these limits. If a scientist stops believing in the objective existence of the world and its knowability, then he will no longer know anything. It’s the same in religion: if a person stops believing in the existence of God and the possibility of knowing Him, then nothing will be revealed to him in spiritual life.

Both here and there – skepticism of the mind: “Stop!”

But there is another side to this issue, no less important. The current state of scientific and technological development already puts man in front of the threat of self-destruction... And all this happens for a very obvious reason: man imagines himself to be a god, rejects any limits to the activity of his mind, and can no longer stop. This so-called “freedom” of the mind from the moral principles of life, from Christ, leads him to suicide.

How right Ivan Aksakov was when he uttered his prophetic words: “Progress that denies God and Christ ultimately becomes regression; civilization ends in savagery; freedom - despotism and slavery..."

Christianity claims that there is no truth where pride reigns, where there is no true love.

This is the limit, stop here, mind, otherwise you will die! That is why the Monk Kallistos Katafygiot said: “The mind must observe the measure of knowledge so as not to perish” (in his proud research - approx.).

This principle applies both to the work of the mind in the scientific sphere and in the religious and spiritual sphere.

– Is stupidity a sin?

– From a Christian point of view, salvation is determined not by the nature of the properties a person received from nature, but by how righteously he used them.

Therefore, stupidity as a natural narrow-mindedness with which a person is born is one thing, and quite another when it comes to stupidity for which he himself is to blame.

Among the saints we know the wisest Saint Basil the Great and the Monk Paul, nicknamed the Most Simple. But it’s completely different when a person acquires stupidity through his life through passion, fully understanding what he is doing. Then he is already responsible for his stupidity.

Let's say I sit down at the table and overeat, realizing that I am doing wrong, because, as the proverb says, a full belly is deaf to teaching, and even more so to prayer. My gluttony paralyzes my spiritual life.

Am I doing something stupid?

And, probably, the most terrible stupidity is complete immersion in the “vanity of life,” which does not leave me even a minute to think about my soul, about the meaning of life, about God and prayer.

Vanity can dull a person so much that he becomes incapable of the most important thing - spiritual life.

This is already, in the full sense of the word, sinful stupidity, because the person himself is really guilty of it.

– What kind of person do you think can really be called smart?

– The more intelligent a person is and the more knowledge he has, the more modest he is. Socrates, with his “I know that I know nothing,” in this regard, was one of the truly smart people... Therefore, Orthodoxy constantly reminds us of humility as a criterion for the correct spiritual state of a person whose mind is open, and he sees that his mind is he doesn't have enough. On the contrary, the first sign by which one can judge one's stupidity is to be satisfied with one's intelligence.

Saint Theophan the Recluse has a wonderful saying: “He himself is rubbish, but he keeps repeating: I am not like other people.”

And, indeed, academician Gustav Nahan is right when he said: “Few people know how much one needs to know in order to know how little one knows.”

Anastasia Mukhina

Based on materials from the newspaper “Panteleimonsky Blagovest”, the parish bulletin of the church in the name of the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon in Zhukovsky, No. 11 (176) October 2013.

Cult of Economic Collapse

There are two main criteria to the top of which we strive and with the help of which we measure our attitude towards what is happening. These criteria are economic, mental, psychological, and spiritual. They come directly from two areas of our life, but almost all people are forced to apply them in all areas of life without realizing it. This is explained by the fact that these criteria, without proper justification, are falsely accepted in our civilization as global in their influence.

Most people, unfortunately, although they have a moderately negative attitude towards the wild manifestations of the capitalist structure of society, still do not see in it a real global gravedigger of humanity. They think that capitalism can somehow be improved, humanized, tinted. Therefore, they begin to play with words: property, private, excess consumption, etc. They are wrong. We are talking about the main principle of life. But you can’t tint it, you can only replace it with another one.

The economic criterion, as the most important criterion of capitalism, in its influence on a person, forces him to maximize the economic, material, financial parameter - net profit, which is subsequently appropriated privately. Net profit, as a rule, is derived from participation in the natural process of expansion and becomes deadened in relation to this process.

As a result, there is a frankly absurd situation, seemingly of a secondary kind - a constant rise in prices, outpacing the increase in wages and incomes. It seems that there is no need to prove anything in order to understand the primitive idea of capitalism: to constantly increase the dose of narcotic profits in favor of a few people due to a limitless increase in prices on the market. Thus, humanity is moving uncontrollably towards a real economic collapse, and not just economic crises. The ever-increasing depth of successive economic crises is the simplest and most obvious proof of the cult of economic collapse. Only an inadequate person does not want to understand this. I would not like to think that exactly such people gathered in different economic communities. And it is not the overproduction of goods that is the cause of these crises, as theorists of unlimited freedom in the appropriation of capital are trying to justify their occurrence.

How long can prices be raised? Where is this border under capitalism? Answer: the limit is infinity. Effective demand will never keep up with it.

In Nature, the excess of its fruits plays into the expansion, divergence, and expansion of a higher organization of processes that a reasonable person implements. Man, having introduced convergence, minimizing the excess of the fruits of his hands - pure profit - went against Nature, towards suicide.

Where does the death cult come from?

The savagery of uncontrollable price increases and, consequently, economic collapse is masked and compensated by the cult of death accepted by default in our society. The information and entertainment industry of our society is openly subject to all kinds of hypnosis of entertainment, publications in the press, and the intensification of the cult of death in almost all forms of art.

The mental and psychological aspect of life turns out to be completely saturated with the fear of a sudden end of life in young and middle age, when the distance between life and death of a person with a normal psyche is great. A person is still determined to achieve certain positive results for himself from his activities, to self-sufficiency. Another thing is that in old age, when the body declines, a special state of consciousness occurs, which in the East is called nirvana, as a call to return consciousness to one’s womb after death.

The most amazing thing is that a religious approach to life requires a person to recognize his responsibility for his lifetime actions before God after death. The barrier of fear, which arises due to negative behavior and a negative system of religious assessments, would seem to push people towards a so-called righteous life, in which the basis is, for example, the commandments of Moses and Christ. Fear of God clouds a person's mind.

In fact, the vast majority of people who find themselves in a state of clinical death and have returned to a full life categorically declare that beyond the threshold of death there is no hell and, therefore, fear and horror (the author of this article is one of them). There is only complete bliss of love. This means that everything bad in a person’s life dissolves, dissolves, and is not allowed into the special posthumous space.

Then the question arises: what is Nature looking for in man? Why does she need a man? Why do most traditional religious truths so persistently drill into us the idea of hell and the idea of \u200b\u200bslavery, built on the fear of God?

After all, the cult of death, inflated by our art and religion, only prepares us for the premature death from hunger that capitalism brings. Maybe this fear of death, experienced by most people, is just some kind of psychological and mental barrier, thanks to which we are forced to work as laborers for... who? To some kind of notorious progress of capitalist society? To those who are behind the creation of man. For a private owner?

Today we can state that a person in the form of consciousness that is inherent to him is some kind of intellectual device for the forced remaking of the material world. And for it to work successfully, it is given the main criterion of coercion as guidelines for life: the criterion of pleasure and slavish submission to the material criterion, which is hidden in the capitalist structure of society. Thus, the logic of capitalism leads to simple conclusions regarding the meaning of human life. The capitalist idea of freedom turns out to be the most sophisticated form of human slavery, and not freedom at all.

Criterion of comfort and pleasure

When I started writing this article, I really wanted to understand what man is for Nature? Having searched the Internet for “Nature looks for in man...”, I was completely disappointed. Religious philosopher N.F. Fedorov believed that Nature is looking for a master in man and... that’s all. This was surprising: only a blind person cannot see that a person, having felt himself the master of Nature, destroys everything due to a perverted understanding of his egoism as the main guideline of his life.

The article attracted attention: “On the distinction between the concepts of personality and human nature in Orthodoxy,” in which the author Nepomnyashchikh I.A. from old religious positions he tries to find the truth, but he never finds it.

Today we can say quite definitely that a person differs little from an animal. What they have in common from the position of consciousness: sophisticated control of the body, self-identification - automatic self-determination in different situations, - forecast and abstract thinking, the ability to love primitively, maximization of pleasure and rather complex algorithms for achieving it, language and communication in society, primitive elements of creativity built on abstractions.

The difference is in the level and degree of creativity. This is what, first of all, catches the eye: man is given a creative mind, the limitations of which are not yet visible to us.

Why does a person need reason? – philosophers do not give an intelligible answer to such a question. Many teachings (Kabbalah, Eastern philosophy, some areas of ancient Greek philosophy) saw the principle of pleasure as standing above reason, and the latter should play a subordinate role. That's all! Hedonism as the highest human goal! Complete predisposition to drug addiction!

This can be understood if we accept that at the beginning of its growth into Nature, the human mind was used for the same thing: to increase the degree and duration of pleasure. Even today, the so-called benefits of civilization are an effort of the mind aimed at pleasure, embodied in material and mental comfort.

Initially, pleasure, the search for maximum pleasure is present in all the algorithms of animals and humans as the maximum of the main natural criterion, to which alone the life of the animal level is subordinated. This criterion is the main measure and assessment of all animal relationships. We can observe how people follow the actions of this criterion and often generally subordinate their entire life and their entire mind to its satisfaction. Such a life for people is no different from the life of an animal, even if a person is highly developed.

However, even a schoolchild already understands that the truth lies somewhere else, not in pleasure. That is why young people are so skeptical about the theories and practices of their ancestors, preferring to them an existence, even if only short-term, in states of altered consciousness.

Why does man need reason?

It is fair to ask the question: if not pleasure, then what is behind the manifestation of reason in man? It seems very primitive to dwell only on the role of the mind, subordinate to our desires. It is entirely possible to assume that reason is called upon to solve a completely autonomous task of Nature. Unlike humans, animals do not have a spiritual component to life. Actually, this can distinguish an animal from a person.

How does the spiritual component of life manifest itself through a person? It would seem that the answer is simple: through religious practices. But this answer does not clarify the essence, but clouds it even deeper. For discussing and formulating God in religions and in science is prohibited. We will not do this either, because, being at the foot of the mountain, it is impossible to know the top. We will come from the other side, from the engineering structure of Nature.

There is a more complex answer, which, oddly enough, reflects the achievements of traditional science: the creative mind reveals the dimensionality of Nature, which is structured strictly hierarchically: everything in Nature is interconnected through its laws, that is, it is measured in advance in the same way that everything is measured in an engineering structure. And spirituality is an invisible component of the natural force in a person, lifting him up the ladder of dimensionality, to perfection, that is, to the maximization of a certain generalized main parameter of Nature, called in ancient Greece a criterion, that is, a measure, an assessment. And this main peak constantly evaluates everything that happens in life in a person’s consciousness, and forces a person to reckon with this assessment no matter what. We are completely subservient to her. And if it disappears, then we are helpless. The attitude towards it, apparently, is called in religions the attitude towards God. It is interesting that such an assessment, like the main criterion itself, are parameters that are outside the human consciousness. Although people use them. This is the inner light of knowledge, assessments, the light with which our mind serves us.

This main assessment manifests itself in our consciousness through the awareness of details, elements, properties, levels and new laws of the natural structure of dimension, previously hidden from direct awareness. In connection with the expansion of human consciousness, all this in the mind is widely adequately reflected in human activity, in science, in art, in engineering. Moreover, reflected in the mind, the natural structure of dimension forces people to follow its laws and creatively apply the acquired new knowledge in the field of consciousness and Nature.

Is man a friend to Nature?

Of course, man is not the master of Nature. This is absurd, considering that man was created by Nature. And then a person does not yet know the meaning of his existence.

Maybe man is a friend of Nature? And in their communication the meaning of human existence will become clearer? But to become a friend, a person needs to accept the rules of Nature. However, we constantly see that he very often imposes on Nature his own rules, often perverted from the standpoint of the existence of Nature. We must frankly admit that we do not know the rules of Nature. We have only recently begun to discover them as the laws of physics, chemistry, psychology, consciousness, economics, culture, ethics, ecology, and spirit.

Of course, I would like for man to be eternal in Nature’s plan. However, the eternity of humanity does not yet mean the immortality of each individual person. And this suggests that either man himself must find ways to become immortal, or Nature initially created him for a one-time use, sucking out of him his passion, based on greed, the pleasure of reorganizing the world. Then a person has no hope of a friendly attitude from Nature. Then the principles of capitalism are natural to us.

This disposability is refuted in some religious teachings, however, there are absolutely no real prerequisites for reincarnation, the incarnation of a person in other forms or reincarnation.

There is a ghostly hint of a person’s immortality if he supposedly accepts strict spiritual self-restraints on his life in all its aspects, starting with the refusal to bear children. The religious approach to a person’s life introduces self-restraints into it, which are accepted by the person voluntarily and unshakably. Let's say we refuse to have children, but where is the guarantee that Nature will immediately turn on the mechanism of our immortality, and not end the human race? There are no visible prerequisites for this. Behind such a logical operation in Nature lies something very complex, which we have not yet begun to understand.

On the awareness of the cult of economics and death

The criterion of maximizing net profit has subjugated all spheres of people's lives, pushing the sphere of spirit into the background. Why did it happen? Apparently, the housekeeper’s arithmetic operations turned out to be much more understandable and simpler than the mysticism of the spirit sphere. Apparently, straining and limiting oneself from a moral standpoint means putting a lot of effort into it. But man turned out to be lazy by nature and distrustful.

In our time, it is impossible to talk about any reliable management of people and societies from the height of a moral criterion. Its influence comes down mainly to the subordination of a person to certain chosen norms of behavior, behind which there is his direct benefit in other areas of life and, above all, in the moral rule: “Do to others the same way as you want them to do to you.” . The spiritual sphere is still so weak that its influence is manifested mainly through religious knowledge and religious activities of people. The meaning of people's lives, which it manifests through the fear of God at a time when God is love, is absurd.

Of course, we could talk differently, about other meanings in people’s lives, if we did not live in the space of savages in our attitude to the collapse of prices. This is how primitively we can simply draw the line of life for our average person, who receives only a salary and studies price tags in stores.

“In the depths of winter, I finally realized that an endless summer lurks inside me.” ~ Albert Camus

We live in turbulent times. Every day there is less and less certainty and more and more unknowns. Fortunately, this also means an increase in the number of opportunities. But in order for you and me to overcome the obstacles in our path and realize the opportunities available, we need a strong mind.

Mental strength means, first of all, that you understand how to manage your emotions, adjust your thoughts in the right way, and always act in a positive direction, no matter the circumstances. This is the deep knowledge that every, even the smallest step forward is already progress. And that if you really want something, then you will achieve it, despite mistakes, failures and unequal chances. Yes, every step forward will not be easy, but when you reach your goal, you will feel better than ever. And one day you will understand that obstacles are not obstacles on your path, that they are the path. And he's worth it.

A strong mind is needed in order to voluntarily follow this difficult path. Why? Yes, because about 90% of our problems are a by-product of externally acquired weaknesses of the mind. In other words, throughout our lives we hear a whole bunch of lies from other people about what we need and what we don’t, what we can do and what we can’t do, what is possible for us and what we shouldn’t even think about – and subconsciously we believe every word.

Do you know what's even worse? Afterwards, we not only begin to repeat this lie to ourselves and others, but also to live in accordance with it.

This means that the time has come to forget this lie - for the sake of ourselves and our future. What types of lies do we deal with most often?

1. Everything should have been completely different. – We all have a swarm of ideas swirling in our heads about what our ideal world should look like, and often this does us much more harm than good. Try to understand this. Expect less and experience more. Get rid of illusions and let life teach you - let it test you. Yes, you won't always understand it, but that's okay. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it will suddenly get worse – but just when you think it can’t get any better, life will dash your expectations of the worst. People who are strong in mind appreciate the obstacles that come their way, because I know that each of them is another step on the ladder to the top. So keep moving forward, keep growing, and one day you will be able to sum up your entire life in one phrase: “It didn’t quite go according to plan, but to hell with it.”

2. Disappointments and sadness are not necessary. – By being overly focused on happiness, and only happiness, you can program yourself to have an unhealthy attitude towards negative emotions and phenomena. Mentally strong people do not try to avoid negative emotions; instead, they accept both positive and negative emotions, allowing them to coexist harmoniously. And this is a key element of their resilience. Trying to be happy 24/7 is futile - instead, it is better to focus on the integrity of our personality. Frustration, irritation, sadness, and mistakes are all things that have helped shape you into the person you have become. Happiness, victory, a sense of self-satisfaction - all this, of course, is good, but they will not teach you half as valuable life lessons.

3. Everything is bad, everything is very bad. – Against this way of thinking, a remedy was found in the ancient philosophy of Stoicism: “There is neither good nor bad, there is only how we perceive it.” This was later paraphrased by Shakespeare as: “Nothing is either good or bad, it is reflection that makes everything so.”. And they were right - the way we perceive a situation can either work to our advantage or cause significant harm. We often react to situations overly emotionally, projecting our negativity onto them, when in order to overcome them we should treat them objectively. Ultimately, it is not the situation in which you find yourself that is beneficial or detrimental to us; it is your attitude towards it and what we do about it that is beneficial or detrimental to you.

4. There is no hope. “People who are strong in mind know that the opposite of defeat is not courage, but hope.” And there is always hope. When you lose something good, think of it not as a loss, but as a valuable experience that will help you move forward a little more on your life's journey. Ultimately, who you are is determined by the sum of your actions at each point in your life. Remember - you always have enough strength and capabilities to continue moving forward. Stay strong and try to think clearly - even when it seems like everything around you is falling apart, it probably isn't.

5. You had no other choice . – Have you ever met a happy and successful person who constantly strives to avoid responsibility for his life and blames everyone but himself for all his failures? So we haven't met. Because happy and successful people have strong minds. They take responsibility for their lives. They believe and know that their happiness and success are only the result of correct thoughts, the right attitude towards life, and the right actions.

6. Successful people follow the rules of society. - Don't obey the rules. Don't break the law, but don't obey the rules. You don't have to live up to other people's expectations. The root of many people's unhappiness often lies in their need for external approval, which stems from their attempt to measure their self-worth based on listening to the opinions of others. But actually the only opinion you should really listen to is your own. You, and only you, decide what kind of life to live! And other people's goals and expectations don't mean that much

7. There is always an easier way . – The path of least resistance is often the path of least reward. If you want to achieve something worthwhile, you have to work hard for it. If the shortest path leads somewhere, think, do you even need to go there? As Einstein once said, “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work.”. To learn to run fast, you need to run more. It is impossible to become a writer without practicing writing books. If you want to become a successful businessman, you have to start somewhere. In short, there is no substitute for hard work. So repeat to yourself every day: "I will work. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it.".

8. Now is not the time . – What is the use of doing the right thing if it was done at the wrong time? And when it comes to achieving your goals, the wrong time is usually “later.” Why? Because time does not stand still. AND stop waiting for the right time, because it will never come. So make your decisions. Take risks! Life is too short to waste the end of it thinking “What if...”.

9. You lack something in order to be happy. – People who are mentally strong know that sincere human gratitude improves their mood most quickly. The more good you see, the more good you create, the more things to smile about around you. Happiness does not lie in the absence of problems. Happiness is when you appreciate what you have.

10. To impress people, you need to be perfect. – If the face you show to the whole world is nothing more than a mask, one day you will realize that there is nothing behind it. Because when you spend too much time focusing on how other people perceive you and creating an image of the person they want you to be, sooner or later you forget who you really are. So don’t be afraid of other people’s assessments and judgments - deep down in your heart you know who you are and what you really need. And you don't have to be perfect to impress people - let them be impressed by how you deal with your imperfections.

11. You have reasons to hate someone. “The mark of a truly mature person is that when confronted with someone who has hurt him, he tries to understand why he did it, instead of trying to hurt him in return.” Learn to forgive. This does not mean that you give up on what happened in the past or forget about what happened. This only means that you refuse contempt and pain, instead trying to draw the right conclusions based on what happened, and then continue to follow your path in life. Remember, the less time you spend hating people who hurt you, the more time you will have to love those who love you.

12. People you love should always agree with you. – Strong-minded people know that even those people who love you will not always agree with you just to make you happy. Rather, they will say what you need to hear in a given situation, regardless of how much you want to hear it. And this is good, because when people tell each other the truth, not embellished with sweet lies, it only makes the relationship between them stronger. When you are seen as you are, without embellishment and tinsel, and still respected - this is love. It is a preference for acceptance over saccharine assent and agreement with everything you say. And sometimes it’s agreeing with something you don’t agree with. So what?

Afterword
I want to give you something else to think about...
In 1914, the great inventor Thomas Edison suffered a great misfortune. His laboratory burned to the ground along with many years of work. The newspapers described this situation as the worst thing that had ever happened to him, but this was not true. First of all, because Edison did not think so at all. The inventor chose to consider this an excellent opportunity to recover and re-examine much of what he had been working on lately. Immediately after the fire, Edison is said to have said: “Thank God, all our mistakes were burned. Now we can start over with a clean slate.".

That's what I call the power of the mind!