As A Man Thinketh
Assessment by Samuel Kobina Amissah Jr. (Ghana)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea in the book, “As a Man Thinketh” is the idea of the power of the mind to make or unmake an individual.
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. How powerful the mind is.
This is supported by the quotation, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This aphorism is so true to the extent that the mind is the light of the body. From infancy where we had little knowledge of the external world, we behaved with instinct but as the mind begin to grow and begin to pick up data from the external world, we begin to make choices and take decisions based on perceptions and perception is a thing of the mind. What we think or what we perceive influences how we react to events and circumstances which transforms into behavior and consistent behavior transmits into character. In my personally life I have always tried to read wide and assess situation based on deeper understanding and much reflection and not on what I hear or see. This has led me to be a human rights activist in my own capacity where in commenting on issues relating to gender, like whether homosexuals have rights or not, I have always advocated for tolerance and the need to judge people based on their heart and goodwill rather than “sex.” I have also campaigned against poverty which I think is the greatest canker facing most African nations. All of these thoughts which have led me to be a human rights advocate and activist stem from the fact that I have trained my mind to look at issues from a deeper and more rationale perspective and not from a myopic religious perspective.
ii. “Man can find everything connected to his being by searching.”
I think this is so true and I personally bear witness to the fact that when you search you will find. My quest for knowledge led me to use Facebook to search and like two Ivy League schools, these were Yale and Princeton. I then realized that there were some courses that Yale was given to the world for free through one article that the university shared on its facebook page. I quickly went to Youtube and searched for the Open Yale Courses and I don’t know how to express the depth of knowledge and understanding that I have been privileged to receive from these open courses. The same holds for Princeton University even though theirs is not formalized like that of Yale. This search for knowledge does not stop as I try to read materials on different religious dogmas to find out the truth about the creator and why humans are prone to conflict and always perceive their religion as the ideal. For instance, I don’t understand why Christians and Muslims always think that their religion is the true religion and this idea alone has led to many conflicts from the time of the Crusaders. This alone has casted doubt in my mind about the authenticity of these two blood thirsty religions and tries to know the nature of the True God by observing and analyzing events in the external environment.
iii. “For only by patience, practice and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of knowledge.”
This holds true because it is only through patience can an individual await his portion of blessings in life. One has to work hard, persevere and wait for the opportunity to manifest and he must be ready to grasp the opportunity when it avails. When you observe the world carefully, you get to realize that everyone was created uniquely and has been given the power to manifest his/her unique capabilities and no matter where you find yourself in life, there is always an opportunity for you to shine. I have tested patience in my personal life and it is worth the effort. When I lost the 2010 district assembly elections, I never gave up on serving my community and also contesting for the next district assembly elections in 2014 and this perseverance has led people to have extra confidence in me becoming their next leader. It was all through persistent communal service and social marketing and now I am confident that I will win the next district assembly elections.
iv. “A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild.”
This idea is important to me because it holds true in many situations. This is because the mind is the control centre of the body and like a farm, what you put into it or sow as in a farm will determine the produce. Sowing a seed alone does not give you a productive farm, but how you tend to the farm. So by cultivating your mind with good and righteous thoughts, you are sure to reap good and righteous results. Personally, I have always yearned for knowledge and the truth about the universe. This yearning for knowledge has caused me to read many materials but even with that it is not every material that I will be tempted to read. This is because if you give me a magical ritual book to read which has the capability of invoking known or unknown spirits, I will desist from reading it because I would not like to put myself in a dangerous arena where I may be haunted by those spirits. Contrary to that I will be tempted to read any material on leadership. This means that what you cultivate in the vineyard of the mind can make or unmake you.
v. “Thought must be linked with purpose” and the fact that “the man of weak thought can make them strong by exercising himself in right thinking.”
This idea strikes me because it asserts the fact that with constant practice and yearning, on e can become perfect or attain his or her goals in life. When I started my education in primary school, I was a poor student but one day I examined my life at the age of ten years and asked the question, what do I want to be in future? After deciding to become a medical a medical doctor, I looked at my ranking in class and realized that I need to work extra hard to accomplish that dream. With that I began to follow the brilliant guys after school and asking them questions, even hooking up with them till they go home then I began to practice what they told me. This caused me to shift from a poor student to an average student and within the next two years, I was among the first ten in 6TH grade or stage six as is known in Ghana. I have never given up on those tricks that I learnt from primary school and even though I encountered difficulty in certain stages in my academic life, I still hold on to that purpose.
vi. “Man can become the rightful master of himself.”
Being a master of one’s own life is perhaps the most challenging part of all human endeavors but it is the most rewarding. To become a master of one’s life, one needs discipline, patience, perseverance, self control, the right knowledge and the right thought. Having the right thought and applying them in the right way should lead an individual not to only master himself but also be a master of the environment. In the community that I live in, it is not easy for an individual to rise to the level of a graduate looking at all the challenges that one has to go through but with the right application of thought, perseverance and self control I have been able to overcome those obstacles and even climbed to the masters’ level. I now want to lead my community and I know it may not be easy but with the right thought, we will sail through. I have always held the belief that there is always a room for self mastery if we are willing to travel the mile and bear the cost.
vii. “Doubt and fear are the great enemies to knowledge.”
Although some degree of fear is needed to put people off certain knowledge, like dark powers, too much of fear is not good for acquiring positive knowledge that can benefit the individual and society positively. A certain degree of doubt is also needed or useful for one to tread cautiously in his/her quest for knowledge but one must always be optimistic and always look out for the bright side of things. I have always dreamt of having my doctorate degree in the USA even though I know it is not that easy but I try my best to look at the bright side of things and gather as much information about the school I wish to attend from the internet. Since I don’t know the opportunities that may arise in the future, I just keep my eyes open and think positive because everything is possible under the sun.
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 are ideas have shaped the way I look at things in my life and it will inspire me to search for knowledge and not only search for knowledge but to use them to better myself and the community I am living in. In my community I have developed a tree transplanting project to help green the environment and I have been a strong advocate for human rights. The idea of patience and perseverance has led me not to give up on my bigger dreams in life but to work hard and keep a focused positive thought. Since I am a product of my thought, I have also decided not to engage in negative thought processes that will make me unhappy later in life.
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?
“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of his thoughts.”
This statement is so important to me because the author links the essence of thought to character. It does not leave out the end product of thought which means that which ever thought an individual chooses to ponder on will yield a particular character or behavior. If one deliberates on evil thoughts it may lead to evil actions and vice versa. I buttress it with this quotation,
“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 endures in purity of thought, joy follows him as his own shadow.”
“Man is made or unmade by himself.”
This is in support of the earlier statement that a man is literally what he thinks. What we ponder on every day transforms into character and behavior and behavior over a period of time becomes attitude and attitudes define who we are. It goes on to state that, “In the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy, strength and peace. By the right choice and through application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection.”
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 is nothing that I am unclear about or disagree.
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?
The book did not contain any exercises for the reader.
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.
There is nothing in the book that I want to comment on that was not covered in the previous questions.
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 was the content? 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 Samuel Kobina Amissah Jr. (Nigeria)
1. What is the main idea that the author is trying to convey in the book?
The main idea that the author is portraying in Jonathan Livingston Seagull is the notion of perseverance and striving for betterment. It can also be seen as the quest to unleash one’s fullest potential regardless of cultural and environmental circumstances.
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 examples from your own life.
i. “For most gulls, it is not flying that matters but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered but flight.”
The idea here is to have a vision for yourself and the future. It was important to me because Jonathan Livingston Seagull had the vision to get out of the ordinary and pursue a greater goal which will benefit himself and the entire gull community in the long run. Personally, I decided to contest for the 2010 district assembly elections for Upper New-Takoradi after graduating from the University. I took that decision because I had always had the vision of leading my people to a greater height where I will advocate for improved infrastructure, local participation and transparency in governance.
ii. “Practice makes man perfect.”
This idea was important to me because from the book, Jonathan L. Seagull focused on continuous practice even in the mist of failure and in the end; he was able to achieve his dreams of being perfect in flight. This is so true because, in my own life experience, I had to continuously strive for knowledge by reading wide and not given up on reading even though I was a slow reader. This idea of continuous reading has led me to the masters’ level in education.
iii. When you are fighting a good cause, people may not support you in the interim but in the long run when your vision begins to manifest, you will have some of those who opposed you as followers of those ideals.
I chose this idea because throughout history, change makers like Abraham Lincoln,Mahatma Ghanadi, Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, Martin Luther King Jr. etc., all faced formidable resistances but because they were fighting for a good cause, even some of those who opposed them later came to support them or realized that they had good motives. In my personal life, this idea holds true because as I made up my mind to contest for the district assembly elections in the year 2010, most of the youth did not vote for me because they did not understand the fact that I was promoting the cause of youthful participation in local governance but now most of the youth have assured me of their vote in the 2014 district assembly elections.
iv. You set your mind in motion to fight for a good cause, you will meet along the way people with like mindedness to encourage and support you.
This is because as Jonathan L. Seagull began to perfect his act of flight, he met others who had also overcome their cultural restrictions to encourage him. This idea has manifested in my life several times and one instance is when I was advocating for human rights in my class and people were against the rights of certain category of people but at the end of the day I was able to convince them to come to the realization that all human were created equal and therefore have equal rights.
v. You cannot force yourself to behave in a way that doesn’t conform to your heart and goal in life.
This is because Jonathan L. Seagull at one time gave up the act of perfecting his fight and to behave like the other gulls but he later realized that even though he was trying to please his parents and the other gulls, he was not happy. He then had to give up impressing people and pursue his dreams. In my own life, I had once thought of giving up on contesting for the district assembly elections due to the way people conceive politics in Ghana as a ‘ dirty game’ but the thought of leading my community to a greater height had always encouraged me to fight on.
vi. You may encounter failure in your quest to bring a change or get to self perfection but with perseverance, one can overcome these failures.
When Jonathan L. Seagull tried to perfect his flight he failed several times but with perseverance and the right frame of mind, he was able to focus till he reached perfection. In my personal life, I have encountered failures in my academic life, for instance I passed with distinction from Junior High School to Senior High School but after Senior High, I had to struggle to enter the University due to financial challenges and low grades but I never gave up. I had to divert from Science to Art by funding my own education in other to enter the University to pursue a Bachelor of Arts program. I did not let the failures or setbacks deter me from pursuing my higher learning.
vii. Overcome traditional myths or obstacles before you can make an effective change in society.
This was a striking idea because Jonathan L. Seagull had to overcome the belief that the place of a gull in life is to eat and look for fish but not for flight and the perfection of flight. I my personal life, I had to overcome such stereotypes who think that the assembly member position is for people with ‘grey hairs’ and not for the youth who are mostly trying to settle in life. I always had to argue that the assembly member position is not about age but ideas and how one can make those ideas work.
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 ideas or lessons are useful to me in many ways: in my communal life, academic life and political life. In my daily personal life, it will be of great benefit because since I am a social being and dwell in a community, it will encourage me to focus on my dream of becoming the assembly member of the community regardless of all obstacles. Lessons like perseverance will be needed in both my academic life as a Master of Philosophy student and in my other academic endeavors.
Moreover, lessons like overcoming cultural myths and long cherished customs will enable me to endure the resistances that human rights activists face in their quest to promote human rights in their country. In my community, I will ensure that vulnerable groups like women and children have their rights protected. Communal forum will be organized quarterly to sensitize the populace on the need to promote human rights and how the world will be a better place when people are given the support and opportunity they need to realize their full potential.
4. Quotes: Are there any statements which the author made that particularly gets your attention? If so, please quote them and comment as to why they were important to you?
“We choose our next world through what we in this one. Learn nothing and the next world is the same as this one.”
This means that we need to aspire for knowledge in order to warrant a brighter future for us and our children.
“Till you can fly the past and the future, and then you will be ready to begin the most difficult, the most powerful, and the most fun of all. You will be ready to begin to fly up and know the meaning of kindness and of love.”
This quotation does not only talk about flight, but links the pursuit for perfection in flight to higher virtues such us love and kindness.
“The gull sees farthest who flies highest.”
This quotation is an aphorism which support the notion that the higher you go in life the greater your horizon and the greater the opportunities. It also means that the farthest you aspire for knowledge, the greater your chances of becoming successful in life.
“Your whole body from wingtip to wingtip is nothing more than your thought itself, break the chains of your thought and you break the chains of your body.”
I like this quotation because it talks about the power of thought and the fact that that you are depends on your thought processes.
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?
What is unclear to me from reading Jonathan L. Seagull was the concept of heaven. In the book, it was started that there was no heaven and by being perfect, it means you are in heaven. Even though the author was trying to prove a point to the younger gulls, I think the idea of heaven can’t be easily accepted or discarded since no one has proved of that ideal place described by various scriptures. I also agree that metaphorically, heaven can be used to describe a state of perfection or self actualization. I don’t know whether the author was using the word ‘heaven’ in its literal sense or he was using it metaphorically.
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 contain any exercises for the reader.
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.
There is nothing to comment on. Everything was captured in the questions.
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 was the content? 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