We love to dwell on the negative. It's so safe, and familiar, the negative. And loyal. It's something we can rely on to mitigate our disappointment in advance. But thinking that way sets up a paradigm. It fosters a negative stream of consciousness that lives up to your low expectations. It is the darker side of the self-fulfilling prophesy.
We quote maxims like, self-fulfilling prophesy, and mind over matter, and we empirically examine, and prove, the Placebo Effect. We prove to ourselves in each strata of our world that we believe in the idea that our mind can control our experience. Mind over matter. We say it like we believe it, but we don’t live it. We acknowledge after the fact that we manifested, or at least predicted, our discomfort, Oh man, I knew that was going to happen!, but we don’t think about The Future in relationship to what we are thinking in The Present, the Now. We say we believe, but we don’t, except when we do, but we don’t hold onto it, we don’t make use of what we are observing. We limit our practices to what we can rationalize while we spout philosophy of the irrational. And mind over matter may very well be irrational, but it’s observable in the Placebo Effect.
Quantum physics proves that it’s the observation of something which changes its behavior to accommodate the observer’s expectation. When somebody looks at something it changes. It’s true on many levels. I know that there’s a maxim about it out there somewhere. Think of reality television for a moment. Do you think those people behave exactly like they would if there were no cameras present? They might behave better, or worse, without them. But they definitely are influenced by their presence. Police and suspects both behave better when their actions are being videotaped. Statistics of police departments that employ body cameras on their officers report a drop in complaints regarding excessive force. Atomic particles change their behavior based on the expectations of the observer. And so does everything else as you move on up from the micro to the macro.
It means that there is something influencing matter which we cannot see or comprehend but use just the same. It’s a bit like electricity. We don’t know what it really is but we know how to use it. It’s irrational, yet observable. We can prove it exists because we can see it and be killed by it. Electricity is easier. Harnessing the concept of Mind over matter for productive use is hard.
But let’s accept it for the moment. Our minds are more powerful than even matter. Say that. Our minds are more powerful than even matter. Do you believe it? We have cultural/memetic, empirical, and mathematical proof, take your pick of whichever source best validates the idea to you. Whatever will get the thought from your head to your heart, do it. My mind is more powerful than even matter. Say that.
Now start the process of learning to apply it in the reverse of the way you were doing it before. Start thinking Help me to be healthier, rather than Help me to lose weight. The Universe and your own mind will manifest health with the former. Help me to be healthier. Your health is what you are thinking about. But with Help me to lose weight, you will only manifest more weight to lose. We don’t even realize we think this way. We do it without thinking because we prefer the confidence of preparing for the worst (but hoping for the best). Change the priority and emphasis in that statement and it will nudge you closer to thinking this way on a regular basis. We are hoping for the best, (but preparing for the worst.) It’s the same words, but with a different emphasis. Put the emphasis on the positive, productive words. It’s okay to be rational. Fine, be rational. Be productive in your thinking. Do some research if you feel you need to. there’s plenty out there.
When I approach a friend to hug them and they stop me because they have a cold, or worse. I always spout the irrational. I wave their objections away and say, “My wellness is more contagious than your illness.” And then I hug them well. I say it as much for my benefit as theirs. I remind myself as I hug them My mind is more powerful than even matter. I say it out loud to my body. I literally tell it what to do.
I wonder if a study of medical professionals who adopted that saying in their practices would prove that illness in their patients and themselves decreased. I don’t think we would be surprised if it did. We see things like that all the time. We are bombarded with proof that the mind is more powerful than matter all the time. For example, in 1993 meditation groups reduced the crime rate in Washington DC by 25% in 53 days. Here’s the link http://www.istpp.org/crime_prevention/. The long term effect of the 53-day experiment was a 48% reduction in crime. And all we say is Wow, that’s interesting and move on with our day.
Why don’t we stop and think about what that implies? What do we really think of proof like that? And if you don’t believe that study, pick another, or another. How many pieces of evidence do you need to believe that humans are capable of more than they realize? And it’s not for some, it’s for all. Everyone is connected to this idea. You are not excluded simply because you are you.
So here’s my advice for you. Write on a post-it:
I am more powerful than even matter. What I think, becomes.
And then start tweaking your thinking a little bit at a time. It’s a slow process, but will prove itself soon enough. But never doubt. That’s the challenge. Commit to the belief and never doubt. When you see yourself doubting, reassure yourself with whatever proof you can collect. Don’t plant a seed and then complain when it hasn’t sprouted the next morning, keep watering it. Keep noticing where you could be having a better thought. Soon enough you see the result. Lean into it. Believe.
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