As a Man Thinketh
Assessment by Bafana Welcome Dhlamini (South Africa)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author goes on a very difficult journey of cognitive understanding. Whereby he tries to help figure out how human beings can strive to improve or change whatever condition they seem to find themselves in. According to the author, our success on whatever problem or quest we have as humans depends on the battle of the mind. That is to say, he regards the human mind as the ultimate source of success, health and purpose. But now the author does not only dwell on the mind’s ability to make one successful through careful cognitive positive patterns that comes from beholding that which is good. But he largely emphasizes how the mind can also destroy one if not carefully taken care of in terms of what goes through it. In practical terms, the author aims to show that whatever goes through our mind will produce outcomes similar/parallel to what went in.
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. Cause and effect is as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought.
This idea is so misunderstood and profound in its nature. Most human beings fail to understand why certain bad things occur in their lives. And this is solely in the choices that we make presently. The effects of those choices, whether good or bad, are bound to catch up with us in the future. When I take a personal review on this idea, I come to an understanding of why I was diagnosed with TB. The choices I made years back by smoking are catching up with me. So in a basic sense, this idea seeks reveal to us that everything that we face in our daily lives has a cause. And mostly, that cause lies in the power or weakness of our thoughts in situations that we encounter. It is therefore important to guard and construct our thoughts in ways that will yield positive results whether physically, emotionally or spiritually.
ii. Every man is where he is by the Law of his being.
In essence, this idea reveals the importance of belief. What we believe in holds power over us, and likewise we hold power over what we believe which in turn creates the Law in which we choose to operate as human beings. This idea is of the most importance to me because I believe in Love, the Law of love precisely. Therefore, the manner in which I lead people is centered around the understanding of doing unto others as I would love them to do unto me and that is out of Love. As human beings we neglect this idea, and cling to the idea that we face circumstances due to the environment surrounding us. This idea makes us understand that our reality is an inside out process where all that occurs needs to start from within us.
iii. Every man must be prepared to make great personal sacrifices to accomplish an object.
Great success comes from understanding what needs to be sacrificed in order to achieve a predetermined goal. It is always a matter of understanding that the object obtained is greater in value than that which needs to be sacrificed. Great leaders like Mandela, gave up most of their lives in order to obtain peace and freedom for the future generation. His emancipation was driven by a cost benefit analysis that revealed the greatness that would come in South Africa if he sacrificed his freedom for the greater good of the rest of the country. Today, personally I have so much economic, political and religious freedom through the blood and sweat of the great South African leaders.
iv. Blessedness, not material possessions, is the measure of right thought.
Research has proven that wealth can never be a way to attain peace, most rich people struggle with stress and depression because they do not have peace within
themselves, they are still worried about obtaining even more wealth. But the idea around blessedness stretches out the important point of accepting and appreciating
the life that one has and relationships that you have with your family and friends. Because experience is golden. This means that regardless of life problems that
we experience, we still find ways and reasons to be happy through right thoughts. Personally, as a person who grew up without parents. No amount of material could
make me happy and not think of my loneliness. But the love shared with cousins and siblings was more of a blessing in disguise to my happiness, and it created a
healthy state of mind within me.
v. Suffering is always the effect of wrong thought in some direction. It is an indication that the individual is out of harmony with himself, with the Law of his being.
This idea highlights the importance of discipline. Which is the exact reason why most people have struggles and suffer. When one plans to do a certain task at a given time, once he allows that time to pass by the individual begins to experience pressure and stress when the task is due. Meaning that the decision to choose not execute the task on time has left one not being in harmony with himself.
vi. A man only begins to be a man when he ceases to whine and revile, and commences to search for the hidden justice which regulates his life.
Personally, this idea has been a wonderful experience for me. Growing up, I had this tendency of feeling pity for myself that I was an orphan and couldn’t share the same happiness as other kids. But the moment I started to see how much God has put at my disposal in terms of opportunities, I then realized that my case is not a worse case scenario.
vii. A man should conceive a legitimate purpose in his heart.
This idea is so important to me because I always believed that one should always have a clear purpose with regards to what he/she wants to achieve in their lifetime. And being a leader has always been my aspiration, and I have seized every opportunity that was presented to 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?
These lessons can help me to always pay careful attention to what goes through my thoughts. In a way, I need to equip my mind with that which I aspire to achieve because by beholding we become. And in terms of creating a better world, I believe that people only buy into leadership that has a clear directive (purpose). Meaning that all initiatives that aspire to establish should be based on these principles in order to ensure growth for people I interact with.
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 got my attention because as men we always look to find problems from outside of ourselves that contribute to our circumstances. And make less progress in finding ways that can improve us personally to change our situation.
“Even if he fails again and again to accomplish his purpose, the strength of character gained will be the measure of his true success.”
One should never be afraid to take actions to reach their goals. And failure can only lead to a more experienced approach when we try again after failure.
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?
The author clearly made his ideas vivid in the whole book. And all examples and analogies made throughout the book made perfect sense in highlighting the points he made. And I totally agree with his point that the mind can be cultivated to yield positive results in one’s life.
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, the book did not have any 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.
I think all questions touched on the most important aspects of reviewing a book.
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? 9
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? 9
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Bafana Welcome Dhlamini (South Africa)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The author’s main idea is that one should never be limited in anyone’s thoughts, realities and ideas of what is and what is not. Only through self-determination and persistent challenge of what seems to be can we be able to do things people don’t think are impossible to achieve. From birth we are born into realities created by other people’s intellectual capacity and limitations and it is only through understanding that choosing a different path that we can understand that which we can achieve in our own lives. Most importantly, never be comfortable with any status quo.
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. Society will always mock you whether doing good or bad.
This idea is so important, in life it is really difficult to do anything without getting any negative opinion from people around you regarding either your inability to do that or how impossible whatever you are trying to do will be. So, it is always important to listen to our inner voice that will drive us to our goal or purpose because we are the sole masters of our visions. As long as we are still influenced by what people have to say about us, we will always find it hard to believe the truths about ourselves. Our identity and character will remain pre-determined.
ii. Always seek the company of those like you.
Ideally, being around people who have the same mindset and vision as you is always beneficial. People who share the same vision as you will always seek to improve and push you to be a better person. And also expose you to different ways of achieving your vision by not limiting your individual aspirations. This idea has been so important in my life. Back in my High School years I had the privilege to make friends with great people who only wanted to be the best. And I achieved a Bachelor pass with four distinctions in my final year, which was due to the company I had. The friendship was not based on the background we had, but on the vision each one had to push themselves beyond what was considered the best. And one of my high school teachers once said ‘In the absence of the best, the worst becomes the best; which was the reason why I have always wanted to be among the best people so I can learn and challenge myself.
iii. Be willing to share knowledge.
This is probably one of the best ways we can learn. The more we share the knowledge that we have, it is actually the more we gain more insight and perspective. This idea has been so important in my spiritual life. Ever since I have decided to take over the proceedings of divine sessions and Sabbath school lessons that we usually have at home and share the bible teachings and revelations that I come across, and the more I do it, it is actually the more I start understanding the bible even more because it convicts me even more. One of the best aspects of creating a shared knowledge base is that you can learn from your mistakes and avoid doing them again. You can, however, draw on your best experiences and ensure that they are repeated! That’s pretty much all there is to it. When people discuss what hasn’t worked so that their teammates can learn from their mistakes, it stops others from making the same mistakes. This is why sharing information with colleagues is so important.
iv. Know how to deal with negativity positively.
When faced with negativity, it is always important to develop a positive reaction towards the negativity. Not everyone is going to see the good in everything that you do. And some critics can only make you better in whatever that you do. While in the process of learning as well, we face challenges that could lead us to quitting whatever we started. So having a strong will and desire to achieve something out of every negative situation is what builds our positive character.
v. Independence comes from taking initiative.
We should always seek to initiate whatever is in our thoughts so that we can gain independence. Independence helps us to overcome fear of failure. Which is a learning curve. This independence can help us grow from living a life that has been predestined by people around who do not even know our individual qualities and skills. Only through such can one get to understand what it is that they are good at.
vi. Self-confidence is power.
The level of one’s confidence determines how far one is willing to go or can go in order to achieve their purpose in life. There is so much power in believing that you can overcome through the power of your being. And accepting that everything that makes one who they are is enough to be anything one can think, without feeling the need of being like or having someone else’s things. This idea pertains to being brutally honest with yourself in terms of what constitutes your being and what does not. It means that you are not scared of exposing your weaknesses, because only out of them can one understand how good he/she is.
vi. Freedom is a necessity for growth
Everyone needs freedom in order to grow. Restrictions only create limits and barriers around us.
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?
Personally, these ideas can help improve how I approach initiatives that I want to establish. I believe that I can be a bit conservative when it comes to showing people what I am capable of, but because I compare myself too much this then makes it difficult to come out of my comfort zone.
I am a person who likes working with people and having a positive impact on their lives. Therefore, getting such idea’s about how Jonathan managed to change the lives of the other gulls from his flock really inspires me. The manner in which he was able to display love in all that he was teaching them stood out for me. I believe that Love should be displayed in whatever that we choose to do.
The world will always need people who are influenced by these ideas of so much compassion and willingness to go an extra mile for the benefit of others. Not everyone will always know what they need until someone introduces them to that. It can either be education, freedom and experiences. Leaders like Mr. Ghanndi can be quoted as leaders who wanted to break new grounds for the greater good of others.
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.
“Life is the unknown and the unknowable, except that we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can.”
This statement really caught my attention. Because I believe that most people tend to make this mistake in life, of living a life that is not fulfilled because they never saw the need to explore that which they did not know. I believe that as much as life has so many unknowns, we can at least try and find answers to some of the unknowns. Sometimes these answers only lie in us just giving it a try. We can only know as much as we choose to know in this lifetime and no matter how long one lives, it does not matter. What matters is having lived an impactful life. A life that will change and pave new pathways for a thousand of generations to come.
“But you, Jon, he said learned so much at one time that you didn’t have to go through a thousand lives to reach this one.”
This statement really touched me because most people really find it difficult to just find who they are before they can even live. This is because of so many imposed ideas and pre-conception of what life is and what it should not be. And they end up living the lives of the different people who impose their opinions on them.
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 believe that the author did a wonderful job and found ways to show us his ideas regarding what freedom is. And I can only agree with everything that he said.
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, the book did not have any 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.
I think all questions touched on the most important aspects of reviewing a book.
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