As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Joyce Nyanchama (Kenya)
1. What do you think that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author states or he is conveying that mind is the master power that molds and makes and man is mind and evermore he takes. The tool of thoughts, and shaping what he will bring forth a thousand joy a thousand ills, he thinks in secret and it comes to pass the environment is but his looking glass.
Our mind is a powerful tool and whatever we feed it matters very much anything good and bad we see today it’s all about a small seed called thinking, it sprouts either in good or bad, beautiful thing we see in the world it was just a thought and put in action to be a reality, whatever we think we have to be careful what we speak comes out of what we think, positive thoughts results in to positive outcomes. Even our children when they are born whatever we record on their thinking makes them or spoil them, it is a reflection of our lives, if you want to know the kind of a family look at the behavior of the children you will note if it is a decent family or disorganized one just through our behavior.
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 life.
i. “Knowing.”
The knowing allows us to set bigger goals dreams and feel good about ourselves when that goal is attained
ii. There may be conflict between old paradigm and new paradigm.
This is creating itself in any given circumstances, we fight with our old thinking, and it is not easy to adopt new thinking instantly, but with time we catch up living our old behavior and accepting new once, it is evolvement, in old age our forefathers, never used to wear clothes, but used leaves and skins to just cover their body but things changed our thinking advanced we started wearing clothes, we never had computers, phones the mode of communication was different people could use drums when they wanted to pass a message, use donkey for transportation but currently things are digitalized and more advance through our thinking, so what man thinks comes to life.This kind of conflict is temporary and will disappear after achieving what we want.
iii. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.
Not only embrace the whole of mankind being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his or her life a person is literally what she thinks, her character being the complete sum of all her thoughts.
iv. The vision that you glorify in your mind.
The ideal that you will build your life by this you will become we are what we are because it is what we have made ourselves to be, nothing comes by surprise your behavior tells it all, you are either good positive person or otherwise, think positive and get positive result, think negative and get negative results.
v. The dreamers are the saviors of the world.
As the visible world is sustained by the invisible so men, through al their trials and sins and sordid vocations are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers, it cannot let their ideas fade and die, it lives in them, it knows them as they realities which it shall one day see and know.
vi. Victories attained by right thoughts can only be maintained by watchfulness.
Many gives way when success is assured and rapidly fall back into failure. To maintain high standard of success needs a lot of discipline once you achieve success you need not to relax but keep on aiming higher and higher because going up means you can also come back if you don’t follow the doctrines of success.
vii. He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little, he who would achieve much must sacrifice much, he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
In life we have to sacrifice more to gain more, when we go extra mile we achieve more, the desire to get better and better with new thinking, innovations, crazy ideas, makes it all when ford made the first car he never thought of a reverse gear until the thought came in his mind, what if I want to go back without making a u turn, and in that crazy ideas reverse gear was invented, so the more we think the more we get new ideas and new things in life.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping to create a better world? If so, how?
This ideas will help me be a critical thinker in life, purify my thinking capacity and know that the out come of my thinking can affect me, and the community positively or negatively, whatever we see in the world good or bad it started with thinking in our mind, evil thinking comes out in action when we see distraction, it is the effects of our thinking, what we feed our mind is very important how we speak to elder or young people means a lot because some children imitate our behavior teaching them to use polite words, kind words, will make them good citizens in the society, our world is destroyed be people who think negatively atomic bombs it is just an ideas that kills innocent people in the world, thinking egocentrically makes people be selfish.
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.
“To desire is to obtain, to aspire is to achieve.”
Shall man’s basest desires receive the fullest measure of gratification, and his purest aspirations starve for lack of sustenance, such is not the law such a condition of things can never obtain ask and receive
“Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so shall you become your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be, your ideal is a prophecy of what you shall at last unveil.”
Our dreams comes to reality when we put them in action, dream big and big things happen in our lives, whatever we desires starts with a dream and then put it on reality, the outcome is what people will see practically, in life we create our world in our mind, our family what life we want to our children where we will reside, what kind of school our children will attend, what type of house we will build, we get ourselves in that dream land and what follows is action through hard working, being positive, choosing who to work with and support our ideas, from there we start and be constant without giving up, it won’t be an easy journey sometimes we will want to give up but once we go back to what we want then we keep on moving without looking back
Nothing comes easy we have to work for our future we have to outshine the worlds challenges, we have to be deaf for those who discourage us, and focus on our dream we need to visualize our dream lets be positive and look at a bigger picture ate the end we will smile when we achieve our heart desire. The greatest achievement was ta first and for a time a dream, the oak sleeps in the acorn the bird waits in the egg and the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs dreams are the seedling of realities.
“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.”
When our minds are settled it makes us think critically and positive issues come up when we react without being calm, in any situation clam mind gives out best result in life, how we talk to people even those who have offended us means a lot, do not be tempered it spoils your good morals and thinking, it doesn’t matter who we speak to be it a child or an elder person let us guard our thoughts, because it is a powerful tool that can build or destroy the community at large.
“It does not matter whether it rains or shines.”
“How many people we know who sour their lives who ruin all that is sweet and beautiful by explosive tempers.”
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 did understand the content in the book and do not disagree with any of the ideas written.
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?
This book has no exercises.
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.
None.
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? 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 Joyce Nyanchama (Kenya)
1. What do you think that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author is trying to convey is that we have hidden potentials in our lives, the author uses birds/animation to symbolize our lives, we lack achieving our goals, aspirations, and our ultimate vision due to others, when we listen about what people say about our lives and what we are supposed to do, we limit our ability to achieve our ultimate goal, in life we are supposed to aim higher no matter what, we unleash our potential in us in order to gain what we want, also the author elaborate that we need to keep practicing every day in our lives as per what we love doing, there is no turning back, every day every time we learn new things in life so after we learn we do not stop learning but aim higher and we need to be with people who can encourage us to achieve our goals, not those who do not believe in us, some people will pull you down, will tell you it is impossible but when we do it without failure and not listening their words we move forward to our goals.
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 life.
i. Why is it so hard to be alike the rest of the flock?
This is one way of discouraging you to achieve your goals, when you do something unique people will call you names, and even you become an outcast but after achieving your goals again the some people will come to celebrate for your success, to be the best in anything you should give out deaf ears to negative people and go to your crazy ideas no matter what they say.
ii. It is not flying that matters, but eating
Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat, very true people are comfortable in their comfort one as much as you get what you want they do not see the reason why you should struggle any more, what they are after its indeed if you can get food what is the need of going higher heights to do extra thing, those who need the best have to commission themselves to achieve it, it is not all about eating or end point of something but how best you do it.
iii. There is a reason to life, we can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill.
What is the reason of your life? We have a purpose I this life and we should know exactly why are we living, we are a good example of our world, if we show love to others, they emit love to use making the world better, people are called in this world to serve different, purpose what is your purpose?, so are doctors, lawyers engineers once you have a purpose in this life do it better and best of your ability, that is the legacy we leave behind, what will people remember you with when you bow down in this life.
iv. A seagull never speaks back to the council flock
Our ideas, have been suppressed due to superiority we cannot speak our minds out because it’s a taboo in African when a child gives out her views we term it bad manners, no morals, because you are not supposed to speak in front of our elders, it goes round without being heard, even if you have brilliant ideas, as long as you are not old enough it is of no essence.
v. So this is heaven, he thought and he had to smile at himself
When we achieve our goals, our dreams and vision we feel that fulfillment, the ultimate goal, you feel that peace of getting what you wanted and your heart desire is settled, but you have to keep the fire burning it is not a comfort zone but it makes you aim higher and higher.
vi. Forget about faith
Sometimes we have to forget about faith and face the reality by working harder, this makes me remember people that do not work and expect miracles will happen, especially our youths in Kenya, they go where they are promised heaven on earth without sweat, and the saying goes no pain no gain.
vii. I don’t care what they say, I don’t care what they think I will show them what flying is.
In anything we do determination matters, it doesn’t matter what others say about you, your inner spirit will make you achieve what you want, but when we fear what others will say about us then we will never achieve what we want, on the way to our success we will lose so many friends, many discouragement here and there word naming but we should be focused on out goal and what make us happy.
3. How will these ideas or lessons help you in a practical way, both in your daily personal life and in helping to create a better world? If so, how?
This ideas will help me in programming my life, it is evident that there is nothing impossible in this world as long as you are determined to do it, I will also encourage my fellow friends and community to know that it doesn’t matter where you are it matters where you want to be, but we have to pay the ultimate price to be on top, mostly on the way we will be enemies of so many others but we will make other friends with similar goals and aspirations.
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.
“To stall in the air is for them a disgrace and it is dishonor.”
When you aim higher you will never look back because there is a burning desire to achieve more and more, once you stall in the air it means you are really not up to the task, so we also have to be determined in whatever we do without giving up no surrender no matter what happens.
“Flick like fire into a wild tumbling spin to the right.”
Once we perfect what we are doing it will be more enjoyable you will be able to do more and more with pleasure it won’t be a hard task but something you do enjoy.
“You will begin to touch heavens.”
Indeed once you sail through what you love more and more opportunities will crop up, you will make new friends all over and your thinking will broaden.
“Everything that limits us we have to put aside.”
In any situation anything that you feel doesn’t work for you , you put it aside and work with what makes you happy even people who doesn’t encourage you you cut the links cause they will be dragging you behind. Keep focused and face new challenges with determination
“The only true law is that which leads to freedom.”
The law that leads to freedom is the best freedom from captive of your thinking without feeling remorseful is the best where by you know what you want and you are not bound on what will others say about me or what will I become in the community even when seagull was banished from the flock he didn’t give up I kept on doing exactly what he loved and made new friends who challenged him to achieve what he really wanted, and that was indeed the best experience in his life time, sometimes we fall in bad hands and they determine our future we look at the failure and accept that there is nothing we can do and in the real sense we are capable of doing more and more, people have made us believe that we cannot amount to anything but the truth is that we can do whatever you want at any cost without feel offensive, sometimes we need to stand tall and face reality, and ask ourselves hard questions, do we believe what people say about us, can we be able to change the story of our lives by doing what is right in the right place no matter what others are saying, whatever they are saying it is there opinion but not yours.
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 did understand the content in the book and do not disagree with any of the ideas written.
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?
This book has no exercises.
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.
None.
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? 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