What's in your head space?

Organising your own head space is a challenge and it takes discipline and subtle control.

Many people are just not good at it though I live in hope as we move through the 21^st century this will be a governmental priority. Given the rise in the number of counsellors, therapists and psycho-analysts that are in practice more and more people are signing up. It has to be good thing since talk therapy offers effective pain relief especially if conducted by a professional and in a safe environment.

People with charismatic personalities know how to work their head space. They put barriers up to shut out the crowd. They live in their own world and believe that they have something unique to offer. This can enhance their educational and psychological traits or it can put them on the road to spectacular ruin. Charisma works both ways and can be a force for good or evil.

Man and moustache!

One figure in history who had bucket loads of it, is a man who’s remembered for heinous crimes. He started out life as a social misfit; a misanthrope who harboured a dark side. He was artistic and somewhat gifted in this field but, by a strange act of fate, he could not pursue his ambitions. He was deeply sensitive but this made him wary and watchful.  He enjoyed the company of animals and was caring towards them. His reclusiveness offered  no consolation other than to make him mistrustful of his fellow men, especially those he deemed to be “different”.

 He spent his young life building up a heap of negative images about a race of people that were causing harm to his country. He played the blame game and saw the economic hardships his country faced as the fault of these people. He thought that life came in a neat, little package. He was the Messiah, the Chosen One and he managed to convince a significant number of such. 

His brand of patriotism was to dupe his people into believing that they could be the most powerful nation if they annihilated a few million other people. This person also encouraged the extermination  if they did not follow his principles. And, strangely enough, no one stood in his way...at least in the beginning.

He was a despot extraordinaire. A whole country subscribed to his manifesto and a reign of terror was unleashed. He devised a system of torture and cruelty against every man, woman and child of this particular race. Herded up and transported like cattle they were taken to death camps where the “lucky few” were given hard labour whilst the others were put to death.

What was going on in this man’s head? Historians can hardly fathom it. Worse still, what enabled him to convince others and enlist their help in his murderous scheme for world domination? What kind of people believe that this is the path to success? Weak and dangerous minds follow their “Fuerhrer” like sheep. They follow ridiculous orders in order to keep face.

It’s a well known psychological tool….put a man in a uniform, provide him with the semblance of authority, a fancy title to match and….hey presto…you’ve produced a dictator! Tyrants have rampant egos that constantly seek adulation. Their ideas are crazy but when a bunch of weak minds gather together anything can happen….and it did.

People think that it couldn’t happen to them but, put them under pressure, and you’ll see that the reality is not so pretty.

He's got it!

The moral of this story is to keep your head space in optimum condition by protecting it from other dangerous minds. Check that your thoughts are yours and not borrowings from the media. Question authority….from wherever it comes….you parents, teachers, boss, friends, aunt and the man/woman next door. Remember that opinions are coloured by people’s life experiences and whether they choose to see if the glass is half full or empty. Filter information that’s received and have lock down sessions.

People love to play with your mind. They’ll say anything to create needless stress and worry. They’ll try and have you believe in their mantra/religion/ethos/mission statement.

De-clutter your mind and take a break from the chatter. Refresh your thinking by reading inspirational works. Polish your mind until it shines like steel and with the strength to match. Never accept what others say unless it resonates within. Be true to your values – when there's order in your head and space to think - then there’ll be order in your world.