FEED YOUR STARVED INTELLECT

FEED YOUR STARVED INTELLECT Beat Stress T HE problem of stress is very common. Almost all of us suffer from stress and so we need to find a method for destressing. Experience shows that there is no mechanical technique of destressing. Such a technique could be applied only to a robot, not to a living human being. The first step is to diagnose the problem of stress. This is the beginning of the process of destressing. Stress is actually a problem of starvation. Just as our body needs food, without which we would go hungry, so also does our intellect need ‘food’. When we have a feeling of stress what we are actually experiencing is intellectual or spiritual starvation. A verse from the Bible which is part of the Lord’s Prayer says: “Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6: 11) These words are meant to indicate to us the course we need to take in self-training. It tells us that we need to feed our souls and relieve our spiritual starvation. But this can happen only if we learn how to extract spiritual food from our daily experiences. In nature, it is the honeybee which demonstrates this method by extracting nectar from flowers and making food from it for itself. Similarly, there is spiritual nectar for a person in every experience that one faces. This nectar has to be extracted on a daily basis from the experiences that we have. If we fail to do so, we shall suffer from spiritual starvation. For example, while at work in your office, you may feel that you are being discriminated against. If you reflect on the matter, you will find that what you faced was not a result of the discrimination-factor, but of the quality-of-work-factor. That is, the reason was not discrimination but was rather your own deficiency in whatever qualities were required in your office. Discovering this is like extracting nectar. Once you have extracted this ‘nectar’ you will find positive lines on which to think. You will focus on improving the quality of your work and soon see that there will be no more ‘discrimination’. When we have a feeling of stress what we are actually experiencing is intellectual or spiritual starvation. Discover the art of feeding the intellect and you will never complain of stress.