As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Ejemeka David Ezichi (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author is trying to convey in the book?
The striking idea in this book is how our thought value can affect the whole of our lives. Our character being the total sum of our thoughts. As the plant springs from and could not be without seed, so every act of ours spring from our hidden thoughts. The lesson from this book is so striking to me, to the extent that I come to realize that thoughts are so powerful that it can make or mar a man. When we keep a positive thought it makes our lives but when the thought is negative it mars our lives. I also realized the invisible portent of thought, that as unseen as it is, its capable to create a seen effect, as little as it seems to be, it’s ready to make profound and a phenomenal effect in life. I was made to understand from this book that no matter how a man tries to wrestle with his circumstances it’s not going to improve until the man improves himself and this improvement is by entertaining the right thought. We attract what we think, think of woe it will surely come, think of failure we must be it’s victim, fear anything it will engulf us be it death it will know at our doors, keep a grudge and malice our countenance will tell even when the face hides it, our conscience will prick. On the other hand, think good you will surely feel good, act good, look good and see good. I found out that it doesn’t take a different strength to oppress or to enslave another. It only takes the strength of thought because according to the author it takes strength to be an oppressor and strength to be an oppressed each of them are exerting energy. But, the conditional difference is what goes on in the mind of the other. This is why I believed the author that man is where he is as a result of his fought value. Poverty, riches, disease, power, weakness influence are subject to our thought process and value. I believe the idea here is for us to learn effect of thought to life.
2. What are seven ideas which 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. Thought and Character
As a man thinks in his hear so he is. Thought shapes our character and character is what we are even when no one is noticing us. As we think in secrete we manifest in open, even when we are oblivious of our act, by cause and effect we can still trace our act to the reservoir of our thoughts which slipped away from us in automation. Our talk, dressing, moves, disposition; they are all a reflection of whom we are inside. Both positive and negative character is not a thing of trait but a formation of thought. The microcosm of our character can be traced to our thought.
ii. Effect of thought on circumstances
This idea sent me a signal that circumstances does not respect a man by his muscles to toil and wrestle with his present unfavorable condition. Rather, situations give way from the very point a man thinks of the possible solution to his problem and get ready to reverse the cause then the effect will cease automatically. It boils down to the saying that there is no problem without a solution. For example, when I had the urge to change my financial stress, I thought of the way out, I figured that only way is to plan my finance, my yearly earning, my expenses and my savings and till today I have I break even and in a state of quantum leap.
iii. Effect of Thought on Health and Body.
Another most important idea is the knowing that our thought can have effect to our health and to our body. That the more healthy is our thought the more healthy our body becomes and reverse is the case when our thought becomes unhealthy. I found out from this study that when one looks unnaturally bored and pale with wrinkles his thought process is tainted with stress and unease and this gives room to disease and untold ailment. When one engages on worries instead of a constructive thought blood pressure tends to rise. When one is scared of doom, he lives with consciousness of unseen evil forces fighting him and likely to suffer an imaginary attack. The cause and effect of healthy or unhealthy body is traced to thought.
iv. Thought and purpose
This another ringing volume idea, until a thought is aligned with a purpose there will not be any intelligent achievement. Undoubtedly true, purpose is a sense of direction and any thought lacking a direction is adrift in an ocean of nowhere. For example I think of where I want to be in the next five years and give myself a time line of five years to get there. This is about thought and purpose, it streamlines our effort towards achievement.
v Thought Factor in Achievement. To this end, whatever a man achieves or fails to achieve is not really a thing of Fate or Luck but is really a thing of thought. No chance, no luck, no high favored, no blessedness. It’s all about structured thinking on the way to achieve a thing.
vi. Vision and ideas.
The unseen world of thought regulate the seen world of reality. We dream in the night it happens in the day; that’s the thing about vision and ideas. Sometimes it tarries but if one can make it clear and patiently pursue it; it must come to be. Every vision started with dream, and every dream starts by a flash of thought, then processed into idea into pictures of thoughts, translated into idea. At this point dreams ideas become reality. For example when I conceived the vision of being a lawyer it came like a flash of thought and several pictures of the type of law and my personality of practice began to evolve in my unconscious being.
vii. Serenity
This is the state of absolute calmness of the inner being. I found from this idea that equanimity of heart exudes power that can still any circumstantial storm. Its a state of being in absolute control of both the internal and external even the supernatural forces are under your command. For example, when my Mum passed on, during the burial I was pressed to consult the rain makers to withhold rain so that it will not disrupt the interment. But, to me it’s fetish, so I resolved not to consult them, I prayed in a state of absolute calmness of heart despite the fact that I was broken by the sudden demise of my Mum. Low and behold the lord restored my peace. When I prayed with such a confidence that it will not rain after the interment it never dropped though they conjured it contrary.
4. Quotes: Are there any statement that the author made that particularly got your attention? If so please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“Mind is the Master power that moulds and makes, And Man is Mind, and evermore he takes The tool of Thought, and, shaping what he wills, Brings forth a thousand joys, a thousand ills: He thinks in secret, and it comes to pass; Environment is but his looking-glass.”
To me I feel that what makes a man is the thought and how powerful or powerless is his thought determines the quality of his life. Therefore it has to be guided with all diligence because out of it springs the issues of life.
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?
Nothing at all.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and you find them helpful.
There were no exercises.
7. Was there anything you read on the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered on the previous question. Please comment.
Not at all.
Please rate the different questions on a scale of 1-10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Ejemeka David Ezichi (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea the author was trying to convey in the book?
The Effect of Constant Practice: I distilled the idea the author is trying to convey from the second paragraph of Chapter 1 on Page 4, where the author presented Jonathan the seagull as one who practices the act of sea flight with all sense of diligence and commitment. From this paragraph one can easily decipher that he places his business above pleasure, this is evidenced where he refused to just fish for breakfast as the rest of the gull do rather he left all alone to practice and acquire a great skill in sea flight. This attitude confirms a witty saying that “Practice makes perfect” no doubt about this, whatever one devotes his time, energy, resources in doing he must definitely turn to be dexterous on it. This book shows that Jonathan Seagull had no any other business than learning the sea flight with an extra ordinary skills and speed to an altitude that no seagull can dare.
I at this juncture defined practice as not just an exercise but the act of consciously doing a particular thing over and over again until the whole exercise gets registered in our subconscious being to the extent that we can unconsciously do the same thing without a flaw. Then, it all begins with a conscious effort. At this end, I can aptly say that the author is trying to pass a message on the supersonic force of constant practice to whatever vocation one delves into, he presented the actor Jonathan as a person with a resolve to touch the excellence, shunning mediocrity, and ready to pay the price of his excellent resolve of which he did by constant practice.
2. What are seven ideas which 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 Passion in whatever one does
I found out from the life of Jonathan as a person with unquenchable love to fly on the sea with a great speed and dexterity. At this juncture, I defined passion as a driving force, a shaker and mover, that which makes us unease if we are not doing it or if we did not do it well, it propels us and as well guarantee our future fulfillment and happiness. I solemnly believed that whatever one does without passion quit or mediocrity is always the end result.
ii. Confidence in oneself
I defined self confidence as what only you believe about yourself. That’s why the medieval philosopher Socrates quipped “Man know thyself.” This the fulcrum of every feat, for man to know and believe in himself. It is a sine qua non to the extent that there will be a point where nobody will believe you let alone your vision or strength to bring it to bear. But hear is the message the only person that will believe you at this point is yourself. Jonathan found himself in this shoe where his father and mother asked him to just do normal flying and scramble for food like the other gulls that what is most important is to get a daily bread. But, Jonathan refuted doing the normal and scrambling for what to eat rather he ventured more with confidence to what he believes which the end justified the means.
iii. Setting Right Ones Perspective or Priority
As to Joe what matters to him isn’t just food but an exceptional sea flyer not just ordinary but extra. To him what makes sense isn’t what the mother think that he is bone and feather because he doesn’t eat, but he said, I don’t mind being bone and feathers all I want to know is what I can do in the air and what I cannot do, that’s all. He knows what matters and what doesn’t.
iv. Understanding
Jonathan understood something his fellow gulls did not understand and that makes a whole lots of difference. This strengthened his cord to pursue his dreams and finally emerged as the leader of the gulls. Understanding is an act of knowing what to do that is lacking and how to do eat. He wasn’t the only gull but he understood the syndrome of mediocrity and did something to salvage himself and those who believe him. Therefore, I mean every aspiring leader should “know” For example, I came out from a region in my country where everybody feels that politics is a dirty game. I proceeded to study law and I stumbled on a study that politics is not a dirty game but politicians and this alone shaped my understanding and placed me on a trajectory of politics. And I got a mentor like Nelson Mandela.
v. Ready to be alone
Jonathan’s banishment teaches me that we are prone to discover ourselves when we are left alone. This is a point when we listen to ourselves more devoid of distractions and pressure. Here one with a sense of commitment can exert much effort tapping from divinity. This idea reminds me a point in my life when I chose to study law in my family I was seen as a dissidents, it didn’t go down well with almost everybody in my family because I have a radical but logical way of looking at things and I am a conversative.But, today almost all of them come to tap the wrath of legal knowledge even the society. It gives me acceptance.
vi. Paying a great deal of sacrifice
This speaks a lot of volume to me that we have got to pay sacrifice for our resolve. We need to as Jonathan did to whether the storm when we got a vision or dream to birth otherwise we must definitely miss it.
vii. Apt to teach
I also found out from this book that Jonathan was apt to teach. He knew his fellow gulls where in a stalk ignorance of the surging mediocrity but he always tried to enlighten them, trying to raise them but the remained adamant not until they found him on the eagles wing that some of the surrendered to his tutelage. So, it’s impressing for every emerging leader to be apt to teach. This I remembered that in my penultimate level of my LL. B my class mates gave me an award because I put them through the rigorous legal learning. I didn’t just research to know but to transmit it. I think it’s a good leadership virtue.
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?
I believe that the lesson I learned here will strengthen my resolve to pursue excellence and shun mediocrity.
4. Quotes: Are there any statement that the author made that particularly got your attention? If so please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you.
“I don’t mind being bone and feathers Mom, I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t do. Thats all.”
It got my attention because there is noting that interest me than someone knowing what he wants.
“But you can Jonathan, for you have learned, one school has finished and the time has come for another to begin.”
Jonathan told his brothers who came to fetch him telling that he has learned enough but to Jonathan believes that learning doesn’t end. So, it rings volume to my being that learning has no terminal.
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 are no ideas in this book that are not clear to me. But, I disagree with Jonathan who may be because of his achievement believed that heaven is not a place or time but reaching perfection see page 12 paragraph 12. So, I feel that it’s a fallacy and erroneous to believe that heaven is to touch a fallacy but any way is his believe but I don’t just agree.
6. Did the book contain exercises for the reader to complete? If so, did you complete all the exercises and you find them helpful.
There were no exercises.
7. Was there anything you read on the book that you would like to comment on that was not covered on the previous question. Please comment.
Not at all.
Please rate the different questions on a scale of 1-10. Ten is good and one is poor.
A. How interesting was it to read? 10
B. How helpful were the contents? 10
C. How easy was it to understand? 10
D. Would you recommend it to others? 10
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 10