During our live webinar, we were left with the following questions:
How do you explain the power of the mind to someone who doesn’t want to listen?
This is a question that the interns have asked Mara in the past, in which she simply replied, “we describe, not prescribe.” When we speak of rewiring the mind, we are never telling others how they ‘should’ think or ‘should’ be. Consider this; if you tell a teenager what they can or cannot do, how will they react? I think it’s safe to say that most, if not all, would put in their headphones and block you out entirely. With this being said, if you tell someone how to rewire their mind to change their reality, they will reject it. The idea must be adopted, not taught. If you are eager to share this idea to the world, I can offer one suggestion: allow it to happen naturally. #RewireToInspire is a ripple effect. By knowing how thought systems can open doors in my life that I once convinced myself were closed, I can inspire someone else to seek the same knowledge and adopt it for themselves!
Where can I learn how to apply this in my own life?
You can research all you want, but you’ll never truly understand the potential for your thought system by reading somebody else’s words (even mine!). Rebels for Peace did not teach me how to understand my mind and its effect on my reality, nor did it teach me to see my emotions as temporary. I got there myself. Honestly, at the very beginning of the internship, everything that Mara and Eirik said went right over my head. But as I listened to them speak of their own experiences, and how they overcame personal problems with nothing more than a thought, I started to wonder how I could utilize my mind as a solution. At that moment, it began to click; I learned to rewire my thought system without any instruction. Whenever you understand how your thought systems work, you will know how to use them.
What about people in horrible situations--what can I do?
This is a question that I continue to struggle with. We all know people that are hurting due to a number of circumstances, whether it be an addiction, incarceration, mental illness, homelessness, etc. We all know people that are in desperate need for this mentality. I struggle with this question the most because I want to give an answer and a solution. However, I know that my reality is separate from an addict’s reality. My solution may not be their solution. Instead of giving an answer to another person’s problem, I could listen. By allowing a person to speak, without any interruption, their minds are given a chance to relax. Clarity in the mind reveals clarity in the problem. Mara has answered this question by acknowledging that “resilience is innate and unconditional.” When I consider this, I have hope; and when I am hopeful, I see how to help.
-Julia Neuman
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