Olukorede Emmanuel Prosper – Assessment

As A Man Thinketh By James Allen
Assessment by Olukorede Emmanuel Prosper (Nigeria)

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?

The book is an object to stimulate men and women to the discovery and perception of the truth that “they themselves are makers of themselves” by virtue of the thought which thy choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they may have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness. (Quoted from the Forward). The book also portrayed an idea that whatever a man allows into his mind determines his taught, then his word, then his action, then his character. Hence, as he (man) thinks, so is he.

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. By right choice and true application of thought, man can ascent to divine perfection: These idea is personally most important to me because I have found it true in my daily experiences.

ii. Man holds the key to every situation: It means in my entire endeavor, there is no situation that I don’t have answers to.

iii. Men do not attract that which they want but that which they are: I can only have what is compatible with my character.

iv. Not what he wished or prayed for does a man get but what he justly earns: This is important to me because I have heard many people saying “Let gather money in a crooked way then I will pray for forgiveness. But from this idea, I realized that it what I do that determines what comes to me.

v. Good thought and action can never produce bad result: I will always remember in whatever I do so that my thought and action can be guided that good begat good and evil begat evil.

vi. Change of diet will not help a man who does not change his thought: That all I need to change my circumstance is not to change my diet but my thought is one of the ideas I realistically need in my life. I have come to believe that if my life changes for better as a result of my changed thought, it will put whatever I want on my table.

vii. There can be neither progress nor achievement without sacrifice: My 7th quoted idea means a lot me, having read the book, I began to think about notable great men who in one way or the order made difference in their time – people like Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo, even Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible, all paid sacrifice(s) to the point of losing their lives in order make things happen in their time. So I know that in order to see the world I desire to see, I must be prepared to pay a whole lot of sacrifices even if it will cost me my life. I had once have face death in school because I wanted to prove on campus that there is nothing good in cultism.

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?

By right choice and true application of thought, man can ascent to divine perfection: This idea will greatly help me in my consciousness in making choices. One of my greatest fear and I know it also apply to every man is the fear to make the right choice at the right time. More so, when I can break out to do what my mind says knowing that is the right thing to do, I can make the best out of life in my generation.

ii. Man holds the key to every situation: In my daily experiences in life, I will always live with the mindset that nothing is greater me (unless God) except what I allow to control my life. I have also come to learn that there is nothing I may experience in life that has not been experience by somebody elsewhere – though not everyone scales through due to their reactions to it but if someone has ever scaled through, I can also make it.

iii. Men do not attract that which they want but that which they are: I have come to realize that it is not everything that I will ever want in life that will come my way unless my thought change for as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. More practically, I have come to observe my life closely by the virtue of this point and I have discovered that people that has ever go attracted to me or that has ever move close to me are people that appreciate my personality and what I do.

iv. Not what he wished or prayed for does a man get but what he justly earns: This idea has reminded me of the fact that I can only reap whatever I sow. If do good, I will have good reward and if I do evil, I will have bad reward. The world is fashioned to give to everyman according to his work and like a common saying which is ever true, ‘No matter how long a lie may have travelled, it takes just one day for truth to overtake it’.

v. Good thought and action can never produce bad result: If my good thought is in alignment with my action, I can never regret my action

vi. Change of diet will not help a man who does not change his thought: Food is mainly to keep the body alive and strong for physical activities but the heart of man which is the seat for every thought and decision produces issues of life. What makes a man is not the food he eats but what comes out of him which is the produce of his thought.

vii. There can be neither progress nor achievement without sacrifice: I have learnt that to achieve success is not going to be a bed of roses, it will cost me something but the result at the end of it all will be worthwhile.

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.

i. Thought in the mind hath made us.
What we are by thought was wrought and built.
If a man’s mind hath evil thought.
Pain comes on him as comes the wheel the ox behind.
If one endure in purity of thought.
Joy follows him as his own shadow – sure.

This quote reminded me that evil thought brings pain and suffering over a man that harbors it.

ii. As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the Lord of his own thought, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself what he wills.

The quote caught my attention because it made me realize that I am the architect of my own life – I am who I want to be.

iii. A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will bring forth.

This quote tells me that my mind can never be without growing something unless I am dead – so what it grows depend on me.

iv. Every thought – seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage of opportunity and circumstance. Good thought bear good fruit, bad thought bad fruit.

It reminded me that every information that enters into my heart has the capacity to grow and bear fruit.

v. 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.

This quote reminded me that anyone I give as excuse for my failure is the one I have given the power to control my life. So until I take responsibility for I do either wrong or right, I am not prepared to succeed in life.

vii. Man will continue to have impure and poisoned blood, so long as they propagate unclean thought.

This quote caught my attention because it has to do with my health; it means I stand a chance to have poison blood if my thought is poisonous – Wonderful!

Viii. You will be what you will to be;
Let failure find its false content
In that poor word, “environment”,
But spirit scorns it, and is free

It masters time, it conquers space;
It cows that boastful trickster, Chance,
And bids the tyrant Circumstance
Uncrown, and fill a servant’s place.

The human will, that force unseen,
The off spring of deathless soul,
Can hew a way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.

Be not impatient in delay,
But wait as one who understands;
When spirit rises and commands,
The gods are ready to obey.

I love this quote basically because of the last stanza. It tells about God responding to man’s request.

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?

Not at all

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 to be done, though there was a suggestion to request for a weekly eMeditation in which I have subscribed for but I will do that latter.

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.

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? 6
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 7
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 9

 

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
Assessment by Olukorede Emmanuel Prosper (Nigeria)

1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?

The author tried to portray that it is madness for a man to be doing same thing the same way and be expecting different result. He also expressed that what a man has not been able to do may not be his limitation if only he can put more effort. And lastly, in trying to make difference in life (i.e. to change the status quo), challenges will come but with faith, perseverance and determination all things will work together for good.

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. Life is not all about eating but flight:
I desire to be known all over the world which is also the dream of an average human being but this may not be possible when I try to keep to the status quo but rather dare to change the process for a different, good and better result. For instance, I was the State General Secretary of Nigeria Christian Corpers’ Fellowship during my service year, the office of the secretary is highly respected and reverend in which several secretaries before me had taken for granted but during my tenure in the office, I tend to look into why some people before failed and I realized that it is because the office holders are reverend and respected but never respect the people under them in return. I see every chance to lead as privilege, opportunity to serve and not a time to exploit or feel on top of the world. The best level of leadership is service.

ii. You can never succeed when you give up on your goal:
This reminded me of a popular saying which says “a winner never quit and a quitter never wins”. There was a particular time in my life when I could not even address a group of three or four people without shivering but whenever I see my colleague composed anytime they are presenting, I tell myself, I can do it better if I am given another chance. I went on with this idea into university where I got a platform to address a group of 130 people at least once in a week – though at start it was as challenging as ever but latter it becomes what I enjoy and always yearn for more; why? Because I didn’t give up.

iii. Life is about readiness to learn what is new time after time:
As a person, I always look for opportunity to learn and this is more reason I applied for this program. I believe the more I learn, the more I feel like I need to learn more – and any time I see opportunity to learn, I see a preparation for another task ahead that must not be taken for granted.

iv. Nothing encourages a man like success:
Though I am not expected to be limited or discouraged by failure but the best I encourage I can ever have is to succeed in whatever I do – I always desire to see at least little or more improvement in whatever I am doing. Some keep trying to break forth in what they are doing and later died without result but as for me, I desire and I will obtain excellence in what I am doing just like Jonathan Seagull.

v. A man’s meat is another man’s poison:
This idea reminds me that I should never make a mistake of expecting everyone around me to think as I think, to love what I love and to hate what I hate. Just in a game of soccer, what makes some people to be happy is the reason another group of people cries.

vi. What makes life beautiful is LOVE:
I have found out that progress and development can only happen in a place where there is love. I strongly believe and this has been my message all along that the answer to the problem of the world is LOVE especially my country Nigeria.

vii. Your success is not complete until others have benefited from it:
I have always desire to be a problem solver. Anytime I have what people need, it gives me a lot of joy. Recently, I was trekking along a street, when I saw a commercial bike man who was trying to change a particular denomination to a smaller one. Though he did not look to my side being a passerby who may not be able to help but every other bike men he tried to seem not to be ready to help. So walked up to him and asked if I can help him, he said yes, and then I changed the money for him. Though the assistance may seem small but to the man in question, it was a big assistance and to me also it is a thing of joy to put smile on someone’s face.

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?

The ideas will broadly help me in my perception about life.

i. Life is not all about eating but flight:
Jonathan Seagull realized that there is more to life than fighting over food. He discovered that flight will bring him to a place of abundance. I see flight as a point whereby ones potential is highly discovered and maximized.

ii. You can never succeed when you give up on your goal:
This idea will help me in the fulfillment of the world I desire. Even as I strive within my locality to make difference and it seems nothing is improving but with hope and persistence, all will be well.

iii. Life is about readiness to learn what is new:
Nobody can ever be an island of knowledge. So no matter my experience, academic prowess and my achievement in life, I should always give room to learn because that way to improvement and perfection.

iv. Nothing encourages a man like success:
This will help see every success in whatever I do as opportunity to do more.

v. A man’s meat is another man’s poison:
Even if i am rejected by my people in a bid to better their lot, I should always remember that there are people elsewhere who desire to have whatever I have to offer and that with time; my people will look for me.

vi. What makes LIFE beautiful is LOVE:
Chiang’s final word to Jonathan Seagull was that he should “keep working on LOVE”. This suggested to me beyond any doubt that what i need most to make a better world is love. Like I always say, you may do any other thing in life and fail but you can never love and fail.

vii. Your success is not complete until others have benefited from it:
As said by Man is a Political Animal, I believe I have not learnt or achieve anything in life until it blesses people around me. Man can only enjoy where there is cordial relationship.

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.

i. It was not eating that mattered but flight.
This quote touched me because Jonathan Seagull said to challenge the other seagull that there is more than enough food outside their abode but it only those who can fly will enjoy it. Jonathan has never struggled to get food since the period he has developed the skill to fly. This quote also brought to my remembrance a popular saying that “The down is crowded but there are many spaces on top that are yet to be occupied”. Hence, I need to explore and exploit my potentials to the maximum.

ii. “Irresponsibility? My Brothers!” he cried. “Who is more responsible than a gull
Who finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life?
Nothing is as fulfilling as discovering the purpose for living. It is always my desire that God will help me to fulfill my reason for existence. There are times I had find myself in places I don’t like to be as a result wrong decision but this has brought to my notice again that what gives meaning to life is discover once purpose for living and pursue it to the maximum.

iii. Heaven is not a place and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect
This quote has provided me another meaning to heaven. So many times I wonder how it is possible to have heaven on earth but now I know that heaven could mean more than a place man goes after death but it could mean a point where by man enjoy what he is doing to the point that no other person can do it like him.

iv. Keep working on Love:
I have discovered that love is in stages which mean no one can love enough. The old Chiang left a parting word for Jonathan Seagull that change his perspective about life that he should keep working on love, love should be his watchword and that he should never get tired of loving or stop loving. To a very large extent, I believe constitution of countries is meant to caution the citizens in order not walk out of love – the law preaches against don’t kill, don’t still, don’t rape and so on would not have been needed if her citizen will love one another. The Bible captured it better when it says own no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery”, “You shall not murder”, “You shall not steal”, “You shall not bear false witness”, “You shall not covet”, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Love is the best.

v. “Your whole body, from wingtip to wingtip,” Jonathan would say, other times, “is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your thought, and you break the chains of your body
This quote re-affirms what was said in the book titled “As a man thinketh”. The main different between Jonathan Seagull and the other seagull is the way they think. Jonathan always think about the possibility of flying to the uttermost but other seagull thinks destiny has made them who they are and there is nothing they can do about it. When I can break the chain of my thought, I can break the chain of my limitation.

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

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 contain 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.

NO

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? 7
B. How helpful were the contents? 7
C. How easy was it to understand? 6
D. Would you recommend it to others? 8
E. What is the overall rating you would give it? 8