As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by ADONOU Adjoa Brigitte (Togo)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is resume in the title: As a man think, so he is. What it means that man is exactly the sum of what he thinks about. Man is the master of his condition because it is the fruit of his own thought.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. The character of a man is the sum of all his thoughts. If man constantly grows bad ideas he will have an ignoble character but if he constantly have pure, right thoughts he will have a noble and God-like character. This idea is important to me because it shows me how to direct my thought in order to have a good character.
ii. Circumstance does not make the man. Man is the “causer” of his circumstances. He brings himself where he is, not because he wants it to be like this but by the law of his being. It means that man attracts not what he wants, but what he secretly cherished in his heart. So, if I am working as an administrative secretary today, it is the result of my own thoughts.
iii. Our thoughts have different effects on our health and body. The body is the servant of the mind. Consequently, diseases and health are the result of our own thoughts. Everything (moral) that we secretly conceived in our mind is always communicate to our body. Pure thoughts generate good mood, joy and then health, when impure thoughts generate sadness and illness. I personally realize that when I am glad and think pure my body also feels well but if there is any trouble, I feel ill.
iv. If we don’t have any purpose, we will never touch achievement in our life. And to achieve one’s purpose man should have it all the time in his thoughts. He must concentrate his thought on its attainment and never allow it to wander away into ephemeral fancies. For my case, I was living without any definite purpose in the mind. I just cherished some idle wishes. But since Mr. DAVUI Kosi Sepenou, the president of IPF-TOGO, the one that is currently the coordinator of this study program in our country talk us about the necessity to have a purpose, my life is now different. I have now a definite purpose on which I am concentrating my thoughts. The proof is that I decided to participate to this study program.
v. Man, by his thoughts, is responsible of his condition. Consequently, none but him can alter that condition. And to benefit any kind of help he must willing to be helped. Even the Bible says you must put your load in your knees and you will be helped to put it on your head. Any kind of achievement is a fruit of being constantly in right thought. Therefore if you are poor and you finally choose to be rich, what you have to do at first is to change your thoughts. If you don’t change your thoughts even if you have given millions. You will spend that money and become poor again.
vi. The importance of having vision and ideals. What you mentally build up and secretly cherished in your hurt, thus is exactly what you will materialize one day. So he who wants to accomplish great achievement must have visions and ideals Vision and ideals you secretly grows in your hurt, you will develop your latent powers to accomplish it one day.
vii. Serenity or calmness of mind is strength and power. It is characteristic of wisdom and a finished character. Thus got my attention because it is a character that I personally admire. Because by explosive temper and lack of self-control, I destroyed many things in the past. But with experiences I choose to control my thoughts. So this lesson is very helpful for me.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
For my personal life I will practice these lessons to change my thoughts, and re-organize my life in order to touch great achievement. As I realize now that I am the author of my actual condition and that I am the one who can validly alter this condition, I think it is a must for me to appropriate these lessons. Thus will make me able to understand more people and help them overcome some problems. I will also inculcate these lessons to my close relations and friends. Gradually we will change our behavior and improve our circumstances; this will be favorable for creating a better world.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves.”
This statement particularly got my attention because it is a truth which concerns me. We all wish to make our condition better, but we don’t know that to make this possible we have to improve ourselves first. Even those who know it are unwilling to do it. But we have to know that, if we are not ready to change our thought we can never change our circumstances. We will just stay where we are. No improvement, no achievement. Even in our church (for Christian) they teach us the same thing: if you want more blessings (to improve your condition), change your mind, be pure, avoid sins, love everybody, have trust, etc.
“A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile.”
This statement particularly got my attention because it is a truth I personally discovered and which I usually used since many years. I’ve born in a poor family, so I always suffered of lack of money, what is not favorable to study in good conditions. Despite that I never complain. Contrary, I do effort to work hard in school in order to change one day my miserable condition. It helps me a lot. For many people if they have problems they while and accused others to be responsible till the problem affect them totally and ruin them. For mine even if you insult me. I ask myself how I gave you opportunity to do such thing to me. Thus help me to control my behavior and avoid giving you that opportunity again. It is the same thing I do when something unfortunate arrived.
“Thoughts of doubt and fear can never accomplish anything. They also lead to failure. He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure.”
Thoughts of fear and doubt are really enemies of achievement. This is an idea we should share with everybody. For me if I plan to do something even difficult when I have trust and forget about doubt and fear, it works. Fear and doubt destabilize man and ruin all his potentials powers. We have to banish them in our mind if we want to do great achievement. In church they always told us, even if you have some problems don’t be afraid, just trust in God and everything will be fine. And they teach us that if you asked something the Almighty god don’t doubt, if you doubt your prayers will never be granted.
“The strength of the effort is the measure of the result”.
This statement particularly got my attention because I also personally do the experience and I know it is a truth. For the author to accomplish any achievement you have to do an effort, and as you make effort, as you will be pay. For my case when I was preparing the A-level I failed the first year, because I have got poor note (1) in mathematics. The reason of this poor note is that I never do effort in learning that subject .I was thinking it is too difficult. So as I did less effort I got poor result. So the next year, I decided to do much effort in learning it. As consequence I have got good note on the exam and I didn’t fail again. If you are lazy and you refuse to make effort you will be all the time at the same place you will never success in your life. If you are waiting for miracle you will be surprised because there is no miracle. If you want miracle, be pure, think right and make much effort in everything you are doing. By doing this you will touch great achievement. Then people will talk about “miracle”. You only will know that is not miracle but it is the result of your own effort.
“Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power”.
I am just interested in this assessment. I should always have it in the mind. It will help me to control my thought. I know that It is not easy to control one’s thought and be calm in every circumstances. But with a little effort I will manage it. It worth trying.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
I think all the ideas are right. After first reading there were some ideas that seem unclear, but as I read many times I’ve got the essential. What is the problem now is how to practice all these good advises.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There is no exercise in the book.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
There is nothing to comment again.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 8
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by ADONOU Adjoa Brigitte (Togo)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book is: with willingness and self-determination we can banish every limits and do with our life what we want it to be. Freedom is our right. We have to claim it; we have to be free. Then we can do great achievements.
2. What were the seven ideas which were personally most important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important to you. Use personal examples from your own life.
i. If you opt for perfection in something you need to do practices anytime.
Practices are very important for us if we want to master something. It means that, every day, how busy we are, we have to spare few minutes for that thing. That is what Jonathan and the others seagulls that choose to learn about flying always do. The reason why that idea got my attention is last year I decided to improve my English. So, I plan to do practices. Every day I should read English book or heard a CD. At the beginning I respected this law and I myself realized improvement. But after few months I thought that what I have learned was enough and I began to laze. Consequently I regress. Now I should always have in the mind that “perfection doesn’t have limits”.
ii. If you want to achieve something you just need to understand it and you will success.
This proceeding got my attention because I personally tried it. It works. I am administrative secretary and I am currently the assistant of the Human Resources Director. Last year I learned in a seminary for secretaries that in order to get in the role of an assistant and do it very well, I need to understand exactly what is it. I tried to practice what I learnt and since that period, I realized high improvement in my works. Even my boss remarks it but till today he never knows my secret.
iii. Love and forgiveness. Thus is important because we need it for a better world. What the author is conveying about love in this book is true love and that is not easy to practice. (It is the same that Jesus Christ taught). This kind of love means: love not only your friend but also those who hate you. It is why that the author make Jonathan who was forecast by his brotherhood forgive them, come back to that same brotherhood and teach them what he learnt. Just few people can do this. I personally recognize that in some circumstances that kind of love is difficult to practice. Just those who have a finished character can do it. But I think that love is important and I should “keep working on love” us Chiang advised Jonathan.
iv. The way to touch an achievement is not only full of success. There will be necessary some problems but these problems are not synonym of defeat. With courage and determination we can overcome those problems and attain our goal.
v. To success, we have to be ambitious. We have to break free from our society’s habits and opt for high noble things, which seems more difficult but which can bring us freedom and achievement in the future. In the world of Jonathan, all the gulls are lazy and they don’t have any ambition. They just think about what to eat. But Jonathan thinks different. Instead on thinking “food”, he thinks about what else he can do for his blooming and he find it: fly. At the beginning it was difficult for him, but by doing practices anytime he master it. He even becomes monitor for other gulls. Not only he can go where he want and find better food but he is also free and have honor.
vi. Personal effort is important for a great achievement. All the gulls that choose to learn do effort themselves, before meeting a monitor. Even if there were nobody to teach Jonathan how to fly. Every day he lonely do many practices and tried to know what he was able to do in the air and what he is unable to do. Gradually he discovers lonely many techniques of fly. And then after he met two gulls who brings him to the heaven and help him more. The other gulls that Jonathan taught when he came back from the heaven did the same thing. They approach Jonathan with determination; they do something willing help, so Jonathan helped them. If you seat where you are, wishing that God will send somebody to help you, you will wait for a long time.
vii. Some of your decisions and your visions can make even your best friend be distant to you. But not be afraid for living lonely if it is for a great cause. Even if your friends abandon you like Jonathan who was sent out, you will find other friends that share the same ideas with you. You can work with them till you accomplish what you plan. When you will success, it will be possible to conquer easily your old friends. Seeing the result of your decision some of them will come to you in order to learn what you knows.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping you to create a better world? If so, how?
These ideas will help me in my practical way to change my mind. They will also help me to definite some purposes and work with determination to accomplish those purposes. I will also keep working on love and try to touch perfection in everything I am doing. It is also an obligation for me to share these with my close relations. If all of us try to deal like Jonathan, we will all success.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly got your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time, heaven is being perfect.”
This statement particularly got my attention because it is conveying a lesson that many people even I don’t know. It is why we are facing today many problems in the whole world. Presque everybody like heaven and wish to touch it but they don’t know what it exactly means. If anybody can consider like the author that “heaven is being perfect”, then anybody will try to being perfect in everything he is doing in this world. Then we can create a better world, a world where everybody would be brilliant like the gulls that Jonathan met in heaven.
“We choose our world through what we learn in this one. Learn nothing, and the next world is the same as this one, all the same limitations and lead weights to overcome.”
By this statements, the author is given us advice, he is telling us how to manage in order to change our life what we want it to be. If I am poor today but I would like to be rich in the future, instead of complaining all the time about my miserable situation, I have to learn, work hard, and make plans that can help me get lot of money in the future. If not, even after hundred thousand years, I will be still poor. For example today I am an administrative secretary and as I would like to change my career in the coming years, I decided to learn (I am following IIGL courses and I also plan to attend a social workers professional school). It means that “my next world” will not be a world of secretary, but a different world.
“Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this word to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can”.
This statement seems to be one of lazy people. They always have something to discourage people who choose to do something great in their life. If the first people who lived in this world thought like this, should we have any shelter to rest today? The earth is not create with houses, lorries, boats, phones and all the thing we are using today. All these things are created by our ancestor who was not lazy and try to invent what they can. We don’t pay anything for using these today. And I think know it is a must for us to learn and to achievements that can help the humanity progress.
5. Is there anything in the book that you do not understand or are unclear about, or are there ideas which you disagree with and, if so, why?
There is an idea which I disagree with: for the author you don’t need faith to do what you want to do, you just need to understand it. ”Forget about faith… you don’t need faith to fly”. In my view, to touch perfection in something “faith” is as important as understanding. Have faith on oneself and on what you are doing is very helpful. So understand the thing is necessary but after understanding it is also important to have faith.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all of the exercises and did you find them helpful?
There is no exercise in the book.
7. Was there anything you read in the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions? If so, please comment.
What I would like to comment is the behavior of the parent of Jonathan who tried to discourage him. In our life we always have among our close relatives and friends someone who discourages us when we choose to do something different. Often these people are lazy and are not ready to do something that needs much effort and exceptional sacrifice. Like the parents of Jonathan and the others lazy gulls, there are people who just think about what they can eat. Learn, work hard today in order to be free in the future is not their problems. So we must be clever when talking with these people. I think sometimes it is not good to expose our plan to such person if we are just at the beginning. Not they will discourage us and we will never realize our project. We have to be clever and be able to discover such people and then know how to deal with them.
Please rate the following questions on a scale from 1 to 10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 9
B. How helpful were the contents? 9
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9