Rule the Mind, Dismiss the Rest

Principle Number Two of Active Neutrality: Rule the mind, dismiss the rest.

I think differently than everyone I meet. So do you. I will never know how any other person thinks, or what values they really hold true. Neither will you.

There are so many outside influences and biological processes that alter our minds, even gut bacteria have a say in personalities.

That’s where this principle comes in: I cannot stop another person’s reactions, I cannot stop neurons firing, or bacteria acting strangely, but I can control how I react to it all. Not en masse, adrenaline is still going to shoot up and feelings will still happen. But I can filter it. I can look at these things logically and ask myself “ok, what’s needed from me next?”

To be free, you have to accept the consequences of each successive action you take. That includes accepting how others react, knowing we don’t have control. If I have control over my mind though, I can make sure what I do and say is necessary and with purpose, that way I can accept any consequences that come.