…if his mind was preoccupied with emotions he couldn’t use it effectively. – John Creasey, A Sharp Rise In Crime
John Creasy (1908-73) was a British writer specializing in crime and science fiction. He was rather prolific, too, a veritable assembly line, producing over 600 novels under his own name and 28 pen names. It’s been years since we read this book, though there is another Creasey quote from Day of Fear, a couple of quotes above today’s Thought and we reckon we came across today’s Thought in the early 1990’s.
Emotions are everywhere. From the trivial, when someone cuts us off in traffic, to emotions stirred while earning a living to the profound family issues that affect all of us, we ask our minds to take on an awful lot.
Sometimes this can be used to advantage. After all, not all emotions are bad. Good things, sometimes great things, happen in this life and we channel these emotions both to enjoy the moment and to spur us on to even greater things.
…if his mind was preoccupied with emotions…
Sometimes, of course, emotions cause negative feelings and sometimes they can be so overwhelming they hinder or even incapacitate us. When this happens, our minds are completely caught up in emotion’s ruling power and are no longer doing us much good. When this happens we are completely out of step with our life’s march and our time is spent responding to outside influences, keeping us off balance and far from a centered and balanced life.
…he couldn’t use it effectively.
If we are going to accomplish what we are meant to accomplish in life our minds must be clear. As much as possible, at least. We’re not robots, after all, and it is not reasonable to expect any of us to shut out every emotion every time. But we can keep it clear of emotions – like anger or hatred or prejudice – that do not do us any good.
Our mind is our greatest tool, our greatest weapon and – with the possible exception of our good health – our greatest asset. If we are going to get the most out of our lives we must be getting the most our minds. As much as possible, we must dismiss the negative emotions that provide no dividend and that prevent our minds from humming on all cylinders.
The Thought for the Day runs regularly. Quotes are from Gaylon’s private stock.
