As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Desalegn Terecha (Ethiopia)
1.What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
Mind is the governor and body is the governed. Brain is the central processing unit, whereas body is the hardware, which is ordered by the mind. Thoughts are processed in the mind and expressed in the body parts. We human beings are the outcome of our thought; we will choose our own destiny to the good or bad. For instance, if man chose good way, such as avoiding alcohol and becoming industrious, he could be worth and healthy person; if he chose bad things, such as involving in crime; he could be criminal and culprit and ends in jail and fugitive life. The thought we allow in to our brain shape our identity and our future.
The thoughts we have about ourselves shapes our whole being. Thus, our destiny is the result of our thinking and wishes. Thus, to be competent, responsible and successful individual, we must have good goals and dreams. According to this book; “As Man thinks”, in each of human being extraordinary potential is exist, however; the only way people exploit this potential by believing that they have such resources, skills and knowledge.
This is because the human mind is the master instructor of the body. Both to exploit external environment for once growth and development, and to widen out inner most potential, human’s thinking and self fancy matters. Human being holds the key to whatever his/her situation. This key is his thinking. Those who are born from the same father and mother and grown in the same family go in different direction. For instance, one might be a medical doctor and the other might ends in theft. These individual differences are largely as a result of this individual key i.e., thinking differences. This human thinking is buried and hidden in the mind and reflected when time and space of expression this things coincide. A noble man can child or man cannot
be a thief unless he had such buried and hidden desire for theft in his mind. Such immediate expressions are the result of his thinking. Human’s personality and appearance are reflections of his thought. By searching his inner belief, man can alter his situation to the acceptable and admired level.
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.
- Every human being is the sum total of his thought that is embedded in his mind.
As to the book ‘He that seeks finds; he that knocks it shall be opened.” This is to mean that unless we showed extra efforts to change our lives, nothing is achieved by seating idle and without efforts. To be successful in life dreams, plans, efforts, patience and perpetual attempts are indispensable.
- “Good thoughts bear good fruits, bad thoughts bad fruit.”
As stated similarity between human mind and the garden, man like good and industrious farmer who wants to harvest good quality product, human beings needs to protect their mind from falling of self destructing weeds of seeds such as fear, lack of self confidence, apathy, despondency etc. Thus, he has to believe in his inner capacity and let his minds sown with self esteem, success, self confidence, love, winning sprits. By pursuing this process, he sooner or later finds he is the master –gardener, the director of his life.
iii. The soul attracts which it secretly harbors; what it loves, and also it fears it reaches the height of its cherished aspirations.
Unlike other animals, we human beings advanced brain parts, which process thought and strive to achieve it. One becomes what he thinks and what strives to be. Few people know their purpose in life and do not work to realize it; since they did not know it and harbor it. Thus, when you harbor you goal, vision and mission in life in your mind and heart, you love to work on it and finally you reach that aspirations. The life I am living and leading now is harbor some decade ago while I was in high school or University. I harbored it, loved and worked on and for it, now I am living that aspired expectations. Even this training is part and parcel of those aspirations.
- “A man may be cursed and rich; he may be blessed and poor.”
In our communities there are individuals who have accumulated large amount of monetary and other resources at the expense of others’ efforts. For instance, these individuals are found in government, nongovernmental and religious as well as private organization. Their purposes in life seem accumulating money even by killing and robbing individuals. However, when we look deep in to their lives, they are not bliss. They lack peace of mind while their pocket and bank accounts filled with money. There is a saying which says ‘better to be a dissatisfied human being than, a satisfied pig.’ As far as my understanding and experience is concerned, I believe to have peace of mind than money that comes with embezzlement. The greatest profit in the world is peace of mind. Many people ended becoming rich and cursed because of accumulating money in sinful and illegal way. Thus, my aim in life is not to accumulate money through sinful way, but to get the fruit of my labor through right and legal way.
- A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile and commence to search for hidden justice which regulates his life.
If we have no any plan, we would be like a person in jungle without a compass or a map. That means we do not know, where to go, when and where to arrive. Similarly those people or individual who do not have plan become aimless. They try to perform and achieve everything, which often ends in failure of all. During this time, they engage in whine and revile. To rescue oneself from whine and revile and commence to search for hidden justice who regulates his life, one must make a plan, identify resources and possible obstacles, set timelines, get started on the journey of reaching the goal, expect challenges and make plans to overcome them. This requires skills of some sort that could be mastered through practice and efforts. According to my unstinting, these hidden justice, which regulates his life may include values and goals like assertiveness, decision-making, self-awareness, self confidence, social stress management, people management skills, among others. It is
- Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep in to the mine of his souls.
This holds true for every individual who seeks to change and transform
his life from unsatisfactory living condition to better and desired living situations. Unless one knows the call and reason behind his life by searching and continuous and persistent questing, it would be difficult for him to be successful individual as he does not have any guiding internal driving power to achievements. Simply an individual can assess and identify his inner purpose and talent by conducting investigation on his strength that often appreciated by his colleagues and families at which he excel others in that quality. The thing that gives him satisfaction when he performs them than other jobs is considered his areas of endowment in which he will be most successful. The type of goals that he set influences the happiness that the individual get when achieving them.
vii. “A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped.”
This is quite right saying as far as my knowledge and experience is concerned. I met a number of individuals who refused to improve their living conditions while individuals and organizations wanted to help them. I also believe that change and improvements begins from within and from that self individual. Unless individuals take the lead in the change and improvement process and efforts, it would be difficult for others to bring radical change and improvements. Others’ such as strong man’s effort would be facilitating and supporting role. I know individuals who ask and receive money by saying for business and education purposes, but waste it in alcohol and drugs. Thus, it such cases, external agents will play little role tiresome role. It is difficult to awake the one who deliberately sleeps.
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 was an en employed person who also used to work on par time basis as consultant. However, after I started reading this book, I completely halted employment for others and opened my own consultancy and training firm known as Holistic Consultancy Service for Development. Through this firm in the year 2015/2016, alone I have training more than 3000 individuals in the areas of small business management and entrepreneurship skills, conflict resolution, documentation of best practice, project design and management, data quality management, gender based violence and child protection.
Formerly, I used to fear such self employment, now I got the strength through reading this and other similar books. Although there are some challenges at the beginning, I believed that “there can be neither progress nor achievement without sacrifice, a man’s worldly success will be by the measure that he sacrifice his confused animal thought and fixed his mind on the development of his plans and the strength of his resolution and self reliance. Thus, it helped me to lift up my thought higher. This is because the book says “the higher man lifts his thought, the greater will be his success, and the more will be blessed his achievements.”
Here in my work places some months may have good business transaction, however, in other months the activities are not available, I understand and console with my cherish and beautiful vision, lofty ideals, in my heart and I say one day I will realize it. As stated in the book the greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. I read the notes from the book “As Man thinks, so is he,” particularly the parables such as ‘the oak sleeps in the acorn and the bird waits in the egg. Thus, for my inspirational ideas to change the lives of the youth, they are waiting place and time.
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.
“Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of his thought he forges the weapon by which he destroys himself.”
Some individual prefer the good way and spend their days with good friends who advocate for friendship, industriousness, to away from anti social activities, involving in voluntary community service, academic achievements, invention and innovation; whereas others resort to the contrary such as illegality, violating rules and regulation, involve in criminal activities. These two different choices of these types of people will gear their lives either to building or destroying destiny.
“He that seeks finds and he that knocks it shall be opened.”
Without seeking and knocking, man finds nothing and no doors of opportunities will be opened.’ Thus, to find and use the found opportunities man must have some prior dreams and set goals. I am enjoying my current self business because of my childhood ambitions of becoming own boss.
“To desire is to obtain; to aspire is to achieve. As this book, as man thinks, so is he describes, “he who cherishes beautiful vision, lofty ideals in his heart one day will realize it.”
It was my childhood, high school as well as university vision and my aspired expectations that helped me to start my own business and support more than 3000 individuals through empowerments and capacity enhancement trainings.
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?
“A man’s weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are all his own and not another man’s.” With regards to this sentence, I have different view than the author; we human beings are the results of our socializing agents such as families, school, peers, religion, Medias, community. While when we are upbringing, these socializing agents play a dominant and great role in our personality formation. For instance, some children may born and grew in neighborhoods where crime, position, drug use is high; whereas others may grow in decent environment where community members are respectful, free from drug use, voluntarily supports community service, and take a lead in school performance. In such situation children grew by having various models. Some of these models may gear them to the good and constructive way; whereas others may go in bad and culprit way. Thus, this statement does not hold true as the above mentioned socializing agent.
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?
No, it does not have any exercise. But the book is quite helpful. I suggested my friends to join this program.
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.
No all areas of the seven chapters are quite enough and well covered.
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 Desalegn Terecha (Ethiopia)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea the author of this book is discussing is that application of knowledge makes individuals great. In whatever areas of life, the one who practices better realizes his potential and develop out his hidden potential for his progress and development.
Nevertheless, application of knowledge in to practical realities ought to match with ones dream and vision. He knew with practiced ease that he was not bone and feather but a perfect idea of freedom and flight, limited by nothing at all. The more you perform something with concentration and purpose, the better you become excel at it. That means day to day and habitual exercise of skill or activity enhances you become proficient at it. That means as you give time and thought, avoid fear, develop self confidence in achieving it, predetermined things will be mastered easily. But in order to gain new skill, to excel in life from the ordinary living we must think outside of the box. But change to better way of living is not an easy task; it requires the breaking of rules and regulation, vale and norms accepted by the masses. Such breaking down of customs may lead to resistance and condemnation by the homogeneous groups who think that action is against their needs and interests. In order to win, someone must go beyond the ordinary thinking and accept the kinds of oppositions and challenges that forwarded against.
2. What are the seven ideas which were personally important to you and why? List these seven ideas followed by an explanation after each one as to why it was important?
- “For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly.”
In our day to day lives, we often face similar incidences from our fellows, colleagues, family members who only think of about getting ordinary things from life such as governed by love of money, food, and other materials. But there are few individuals who view life beyond material or monetary gain and develop high purpose driven life such as serving the whole humanity, enhancing the living standard of vulnerable people, inventing and innovating technologies and systems.that ease human sufferings.
- “Why, Jon, why? his mother asked. “Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the alhatross? Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers! 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, that’s all. I just want to know.”
Like Jonathan, many of us who think differently from the ordinary mass often face either advice or criticisms to alike others and follow the normal way of things. Such kinds of either advice or criticisms arise due to people’s limited understanding our purpose and aspirations for change and progress or due to envy. Thus, if we have well understood purpose and objectives, no matter how people try to inculcate us we would not be halted or obstacle from our way. For instance, when I was in high school, I used to study day and night to join University my nearby families and friends were advising me not to study hard for long time as they fear of studying hard for long time may possibly lead to madness and loss of weight; whereas, my opponents were not happy of my good ranks in classes as a result of envy. Nevertheless, if we have pre-determined goal, we do not leave because people are happy or unhappy. We keep up to achieve our purpose in life and show the outcome for both our likes and haters.
iii. As he sank low in the water, a strange hollow voice sounded within him. There’s no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by my nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I’d have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I’d have a falcon’s short wings, and live on mice instead of fish. My father was right. I must forget this foolishness. I must fly home to the Flock and be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull.
The voice faded, and Jonathan agreed. The place for a seagull at night is on shore, and from this moment forth, he vowed, he would be a normal gull. It would make everyone happier. Sometimes when we try to achieve something in life, the up and down may be sky-scraping, the failures may come now and then, the challenges from the people and the environment deter us to despair. During such times of challenge, we may say “why I face such sufferings?” “Why do not I act and be like others who spend their time in bars and dance clubs?” I live once. “What are the needs of working hard like a donkey?” But without effort and examination, there is no progress and development. This is to mean that unless we showed extra efforts to change our lives, nothing is achieved by seating idle and without efforts. To be successful in life dreams, plans, efforts, patience and perpetual attempts are indispensable. As the saying says ‘unexamined life is worthless.’ Thus, progress and development is not an overnight outcomes instead it comes with arduous and persistent practice and trials.
- His thought was triumph.
This is quite related with the saying ‘as man thinks, so is he. Thoughts are processed in the mind and expressed in the body parts. As I said in other parts, we human beings are the outcome of our thought; we will choose our own destiny to the triumph or defeat. But Jonathan was thinking triumph, and he is triumph too. For instance, if he chose triumph way, such as working hard for high speed flying and becoming different from the ordinary, finally he mastered what he thought in his mind and strived in his body practice. The thought we allow in to our brain shape our identity and our future.
The thoughts we have about ourselves shapes our whole being. Thus,
our destiny is the result of our thinking and wishes. Thus, to be
competent, responsible and successful individual, we must have good goals and dreams. According to this book; in each of human being extraordinary potential is exist, however; the only way people exploit this potential by believing that they have such resources, skills and knowledge.
- We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!
With regards to this my point of view is that change management and paradigm shift is quite essential in life. Yet, in many countries, talent continues to go to waste: thousands of young people face acute difficulties in making the transition to adulthood, and public perceptions of young people can often be negative, reinforced by unfavorable political environment and lack of good governance, with young people often being perceived as part of the problem rather than the solution and, at worst, viewed with fear and suspicion. Youth also live in fear, ignorance, and lack of self confidence as well as oppressive regimes. But with simple attitude change, they can change their lives for better. But people to come out of ignorance and other similar situation there must be somebody who acts as a leader and become a turning point in their way to progress and development. Once they understood that their lives should be having many other hidden potential and unforeseen opportunities, it was time for radical change. Thus, if once they understood this immense potential, there are no things and forces that stop them from getting out of ignorance and enjoying the opportunities and freedoms of lives.
- “Violating the dignity and tradition of the Gull Family.”
For those who sat idle, the sky is near. This is a saying from Ethiopia. Unless you tried and show efforts, everything seems simple. However, there can be neither progress nor achievement without sacrifice. When somebody tries to change something, he often faces challenges from the ordinary masses that simply seat idle and would like to maintain the statuesque (the prevailed and accustomed norms and values as well as ways of doing things). If someone comes with new ideas to change that customary way of things, those who sat idle become the maintainers of the statuesque and resist to any kinds of change. Like the gull families in the book.
vii. “Who is more responsible than a gull that finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life?
Often achieving what has been opposed by mass and believed as ‘impossible’ for others, gives a great satisfaction and pride. But most people who insisted us not to try the impossible are not glad to accept and believe our success due to lack of positive thinking or defeat. They do not want to appreciate our success; instead they outline innumerable reasons to reject the failure. Nevertheless, our achievements must not to be directed to despise others, but to show them they are also endowed with such capacity of making the “impossible possible.” Our prime purpose in life is not to hurt others, but to help must be the motto of good leader who showed by doing the impossible and delivered his fellows out of ignorance.
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?
It helped me to develop paradigm shift, persistence, and excelling the ordinary skill and attitude. Here I started business, but the business of consulting is seasonal, and the payments for facilities is quite high, as a result sometimes people come and told me to get employed, to minimize my office rent price by going to suburbs, but now I got paradigm shift attitude of diversifying my revenue sources, persist in challenges and expecting good after from ups and downs.
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.
“New sights, new thoughts, new questions. As known the social, political, economic, and cultural, and technological, environmental is changing from time to time and making living difficult for human beings. If we always do what we have done, we always get what we always got. As a result survival becomes impossible. As Darwin said the world is fit for those who fit. Otherwise, the fittest will survive and the incapable will die will apply to us. Hence, ‘New sights, new thoughts, new questions’ is quite essential in life.
“Do you have any idea how many lives we must have gone through before we even got the first idea that there is more to life than eating, or fighting, or power in the Flock? Without understanding our true essences of life and endowments many people had gone from this world due to poverty, ignorance, disease, and war. Thus, the emergence of good leaders is necessary to enlighten people about their true potential and endowments in lives.”
“Chiang, this world isn’t heaven at all, is it?” Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”
“You will begin to touch heaven, Jonathan, in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn’t flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit and perfection doesn’t have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there.”
Knowing once purpose life is good. Some individual consider heaven is some hidden places. But according to my understanding, human mind and body that live its full potential and purpose in life is the meaning of heaven. Making your mind and body perfect, knowing once true potential, having good thought, keeping one self from sin and evil thinking, showing leadership qualities and goodness for others, avoiding conflict makes you leading purpose driven life. The entire endeavors to find the meaning of life; and knowing and living it.
“Keep working on love.”
Loving what you work is quite essential for realizing your goal and achievements of your vision. Otherwise, your working becomes wasting of time. Love is above all values in the world. This may be love for your work, family, friend, and other. The holy bible says If I have everything, but not love I am nothing. Thus, to reach you vision, working on love is very good for all human beings. If you love what you are doing and your performance will performance will be appreciated and you will be successful.
“The gull sees farthest who flies highest. You have to be far sighted leader to reach your vision. Far sightedness is essential in every arenas of life. These kinds of people help to pull people out of fear or short sightedness in to hopefulness and purpose. People seek leaders who look beyond the current moment.”
“A mind full of fear has no space for dreams my own observation.”
A person who is full of fear does not act and achieve. This fear may inculcate in to the minds of individuals by different socializing agents and personalities. It is quite difficult to remove it immediately. Thus, to act and win we have to get rid of our fear, and replace our mind with self confidence and winning power.
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?
No, all are well understood, but requires repeated reading.
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?
It does not have any exercise.
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.
Not at all.
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? 8
D. Would you recommend it to others? 9
What is the overall rating you would give it? 9