Another interesting thought this article reminded me of, is this feeling that my mind isn’t entirely in my control. When I read articles like this that talk about a helpless psychological condition we all face and only few of us defeat, I have this nagging worry that says, “by reading this, you’ll adopt this behavior and ruin your mind!” or something along those lines. I know it’s absurd, but it’s a consistent concern I have when exploring unfamiliar territory. However, I am beginning to feel a force working against it. Perhaps by continuing to explore this world I will eventually reach a point where “I know everything” (not literally) and can completely control my mental states. I could read about something like this article and be entirely unphased by its information because I already know the truth of the situation. This article is actually a good proof-of-concept because I am somewhat aware of what he speaks and have a preformed opinion about it. So as I’m reading I feel that weird adoption anxiety but also something pushing against it, reminding me of my personal reality. It’s interesting. Perhaps it’s belief…which may or may not be good.
UPDATE 2013-07-09: I remember this feeling well and it’s only in recent months that my mind has reached a strong enough point where these worries no longer affect me. In fact, it’s important to note that with consistent practice, thoughts like these have almost entirely vanished from my life. I’ve made a lot of emotional and psychological progress that I wasn’t sure I could do a year ago. It’s very exciting to see such profound changes take place, especially when I had no idea what to expect or where it was going.
UPDATE 2015-03-16: This is really interesting and probably highlights a weakness of mind we call “ignorance.” When you don’t know, anything seems possible. I remember being plagued by this thought on numerous occasions, that what I read or thought about, might infect my mind. Now I am completely free of it. I know too much to be affected that easily. This surely has religious implications, young minds, captured by indoctrination, see a world they do not understand and thus must construct imaginary worlds to explain and protect. If you stop learning, on any level, you have failed. The world will remain a mystery, and you a slave to its every whim.