In the previous post we compared the functioning of the ordinary mind with a PC. The same comparison could also be made with our emotional field. Indeed, the emotive such as experienced in most cases, is superficial, automatic and unrefined.

The reason for this problem is that today, values such as sensitivity, emotional depth and the cultivation of beauty has been replaced by very superficial values. The number of people who seek something different and more elevated than simple daily survival, has also dramatically decreased.

There are two aspects to inquire into to find the reasons for this condition- Why and What to do to obviate it.  The reason for this condition is a topic which has been confronted in many posts on this blog, but regarding how to avert this emotional insufficiency is all but a simple task.

Surely, it can be performed haphazardly by inventing a method. Firstly, one has to wish to perform such a work, and to achieve this wish, one needs to notice that his emotional field is not as emancipated as he commonly thinks. What is required to begin heeding attention is a remarkable effort and sincerity which are beyond our ordinary possibilities. In the field of inner development, excuses and justifications are unproductive, but attention can be produced by establishing a genuine discipline to allow this to happen. Otherwise, all our efforts will bring us to nothing.

Being able to notice, at least partially, but objectively, our ordinary emotions as they are, brings a great result that requires a constant intentional effort to put into practice determined proceedings that, for an effective outcome, must be shared in a direct way.

But, for those who haven’t the possibility of a direct transmission of this process, there is something they can do: nourish the mind with contents that are different and more useful than those ordinarily acquired. For example, in the evening reading a book instead of lying passively before the TV or PC screen. I suppose that this is not a difficult task.

What type of books? Yes, there are many readings about inner development and spirituality, but a book such as the Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea” or other books that are not of trivial entertainment, should be enough.

Ok, for those who prefer more engaging readings, even  Gurdjieff’s writings are more than good.

The action of such readings prolonged in time, allows a sort of emotional and mental cleansing, so that, at one point, we become able to consider not only the superficiality of the world, but also the superficiality with which we perform things and think thoughts we usually consider non- superficial.

It’s a small beginning, but as Lao Tzu used to say: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”… a very useful step.