Today morning I woke up and thought I had cancer. For real. Some gland or the other at the top on my neck was swollen and there’s was no convincing me that it was not a cancerous swelling. So I guess since they say everything is in your mind it would be hypothetically accurate to say that for the better part of my morning I had cancer. Cancer of the mind, if you will, mind you not cancer of the brain, cancer of the mind. So in order to properly begin this piece I believe it is safe to say that today morning I had cancer, cancer of the mind.
Being a survivor of hypochondria I believe I am entitled to some level or the other of pity from society, or at least a special parking spot. Maybe I should get a handicap sticker for my car. Or a bumper sticker that says this is a no speaking of diseases zone. Anyway, I digress. I’m the kind of person that will one day die of a spelling mistake. I have watched and read so many medical dramas and books that I diagnose myself of problems of great complication when they are honestly just trivial. A simple headache for example might be a sign of increased intracranial pressure. A swelling, cancer. Get the picture? So what then, you may ask, was special about this recent bout with cancer of the mind? Well, and I say this with a certain level of pride, cancer is by far one of the most serious diseases that I have inflicted upon myself and hence I thought it would be befitting to write something about it. Also, I believe, that this time I actually physically fell sick. My head started aching, my lips went dry, nausea kicked in and the like.
That in turn, started up the hamster on the little treadmill in the creative corner of my mind. I hence began to wonder about how big an effect the thoughts that go through our mind have on what actually happens. You know what they say, a man who is lucky oft makes his own luck (whoever they are they always seem to have something witty to say right?). However, is it possible to then control your thoughts so as to achieve a certain desired effect? Like cause and effect? To limit your thoughts to only positive things so as to keep the results positive? I mean if I can virtually make myself sick by thinking it then in theory shouldn’t it be possible to cure myself by thinking it?(see placebo effect)
The brain is the probably the most powerful organ we have in our bodies (I say probably because I have no research whatsoever to support the claim), yet we seem to constantly try to undermine the power of the effect that our thoughts have over our deeds. I mean, if you are to look at in on the surface you do need to think something before you do it, at the very least. On a much larger scale however we constantly deny our minds the credit they deserve. You know, someone writes, draws or composes something amazing then shrugs it of saying ‘It was nothing`. Well you know what? It WAS something, and something huge at that. It probably took an incredible amount of time and effort but since it was not physically tasking it was nothing? We seem to glorify the sportsmen and generally people who push their bodies to the limit. Yet for some reason we have shrugged off those who pushed their minds to the limits. Writers, poets, artists, musicians composers and hence forth we see as jokers. See it as a talent that just comes naturally. Well, it doesn’t. A lot of hard work goes into it.
Anyway, I was saying (before I digressed) how big an impact our thoughts have on our actions. The moment you think of something, odds are you will one day do it. This trend that has come up that involves suppressing our intellectual side and making every effort to appear stupid definitely has to stop. It is about time that particular train slowed to a grind. We are intellectual beings. We calculate our every move based on decision and consequence. We debate, argue, agree and disagree. It is about time we became proud of the fact. Worked at strengthening what is probably the strongest muscle in our bodies. Our minds. Because truth be told, life, is just all in your mind.
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