The Mind of a Sound Body

Sometimes, when issues about the mind are brought up, some people cringe in utter boredom and helpless disinterest. This sort of people may feel genuinely perplexed and stressed, to have to contend with matters they think should concern only shrinks. The truth of the matter is that, shrinks do not enjoy a monopoly of the entity called “mind”. Everybody, including this writer, enjoys his or her own share of it. It is believed that people having healthy minds live a richer and more fulfilling life. So, whether you believe in the many miracles of the mind, or not, or perhaps a proponent of liberalism, the superfluous wonders of the mind cannot be gainsaid.

That said, one question essentially needs an answer. What does it mean to have a healthy mind? In other words, what can be measured, quantified or analyzed and appreciated as such, could pass for attribute(s) of a healthy mind?  But before we answer this question, we must understand that just as there are numerous dissimilar faces in our population, there’s bound to be a pluralistic approach to the answers. And so, for the sake of correctness of meaning and easy comprehension of writer’s point of view, let’s save time and space and cast a spotlight on just one of the many correct answers. The mind is described as the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons. That is, that unseen part of a creature in charge of organized conscious and unconscious adaptive mental capabilities or events in an organism.

One thing is very clear, that is the fact that, the mind, its health, development and ability to perform is directly or indirectly affected by the health and development of the body and vice versa. So perhaps that’s why at infancy the mind is still a clean sheath, having garnered little or no impressions of life. As time goes on, the infant becomes a toddler and onwards to becoming a child, to becoming a teen, then graduates to adolescence and eventually an adult. In all these stages, the mind is being developed alongside the body as it must have been hit by life’s vicissitudes. The individual may have known pain and suffering, hatred and love, jealousy and envy, poverty and wealth, sickness and health, shame and gallantry, pride and humiliation, loss and gain, peace and war, terror and jubilation, broken hearts and mended hearts, friends and foes, family and society. All of these work together in making a particular caliber out of the adult individual.

Now ultimately this adult person assumes an identity or personality based on such factors as; place of birth, conditions of birth, home-training (i.e. the kind of guardians or parents involved in the training), the type and quality of education (presence or absence of moral ethics), peer pressure, civilization(acculturation), gene, behavioural modification techniques, and quality of government. These factors and the time when they begin to happen in an individual’s life essentially structures a person’s perception of the world around (man’s environment) and how they react to impulses emanating from it.

The uniqueness of these factors in the lives of people has created persons with varying degrees of mind power (healthy mind), where, there are people who can be referred to as weaklings, having insurmountable Will or the winning spirit, geniuses or dullards. However, the term greatness may have been used literally to describe some people either based on their profession, invention, industriousness, or artful exhibition of talent or perhaps wise display of virtue, yet  actually, these are the workings of the mind.

Basically a mind is considered healthy when it reasons within the context of acceptable norms, reacts favourably to stimulations from the internal (body) and external environment based on good memory and past experiences, perceives events and situations correctly without bias, and has the Will which orders ill-thoughts and sees the fulfillment of feasible dreams, desires, aspirations and target goals to finish..

Nevertheless, of all the marvels of the mind, the most intriguing is the ability to create the illusion-Happiness. As the world rides on the wheels of a phenomenal global village, social change remains constant. This change brings about untold antagonism, pain and alienation (depending on who is disfavoured)to mankind despite the technological solution to common problems, in fact, civilization with its merit is yet to proffer solution to the inherent demerits and so ultimately mankind’s gravest desires is the attainment of a happy mind. In essence, mankind’s struggles on earth; struggles for economic betterment, struggles for family love, struggles for maintaining integrity of organized Institutions(be it government or otherwise),struggles for supremacy, class struggles, struggles for territory, struggles to come out best and so on, are made with the utmost intension of achieving happiness.

I have referred to “Happiness” (man’s state of mind) as illusion because in spite of all the successes recorded in these pursuits, if happiness is not achieved humankind is known to be filled with feelings of void, and unfulfilment. So it doesn’t matter the size of one’s material acquisition or social placement, when that element which is a figment of one’s mental awareness at a particular time and place is missing, the mind of such individual is said to be unwell too. Because happiness as a state of mind can be conjured up at any time by an act of Will (mind power), it remains an intangible vanity, subject to the manipulation of a sound mind.

In life, everyone instinctively craves to be happy and most times goes all out in its pursuance at all cost, even if it means trampling on somebody’s toes, as we see today in the world. This alone is the very reason people kill or maim their fellow beings either for the joy of revenge or just seeing others fail, while some others, for the gains of political or occultic power, stealing/looting and pathetic indulgence in all manner of crime, and social misconduct.

It is also the reason why responsible people engage in decent and socially approved activities like education, business, agriculture, hunting sports, festivities, friendship and all the complicated dynamics of human relationships. So then, needless to say more the value of a happy life, over anything else, but some people may argue that once they are affluent they can buy happiness. Such persons may need to stretch and search a little beyond their short view of real cases of wealth without health. Of course it’s difficult to imagine a disturbed mental state or diseased body which brings about a happy life. Little wonder a friend once said that “Health and Happiness are the foundations of a good life.”

In today's life, realities are something different and being happy seems a dream. In today's fast life we argue more, cry more and stress more. We are short-tempered these days as we don't have much time for ourselves. Reducing stress not only keeps our body healthy but also improves mental health.” The mind of a sound body” intends to emphasize the need to keep these two entities intact especially the body, as its activities affect the productivity of the mind.

Finally, it is suggested that in order to put these two important aspects of man’s existence in tiptop function carefully consider these 6 pointers;

·         Accept your weakness and while you build on your strength, identify your settled emotions and accept them for what they are.

·         Enjoy your life while it last. Life is just vanity. Take some time away from work and daily chores to just enjoy life.

·         Get plenty of mental exercises such as thinking through problems or avoiding computer aided simple arithmetic.

·         Meditation and some physical exercises should be a routine.

·         Task your brain; learning and experiencing new things is a great way to feed and develop your mind. Learn Art, Dance, Music, or Chess. Whatever you enjoy.

·         Eat healthy and balanced diet. A healthy body is a healthy mind. Sickness destroys the sanity of the mind.

·         Be sociable by having a network of friends, associations or clubs. It helps in reducing stress and isolation and positively stimulates the mind through shred learning experiences.