heart/mind horticulturists

George G Clark, 04 September 2009

Some people are more concerned than others about the inner workings of their hearts and minds. The concern can take many forms: we can think of heart/mind horticulturists, farmers, engineers, doctors and even policemen. Note that the images transform radically when concern shifts from one's own heart/mind to those of other people.

It is useful to split heart/mind concerns into secular and sacred varieties. There are overlaps between them (notably transpersonal psychology) but they help to map the territory.

On the secular side are the so-called neutral observers. These include psychiatrists, psychotherapists and psychologists, the less formal counselors, and the informal, everyday, wise friends. Here the main concern is with having a 'normal' and 'well adjusted' heart/mind such that you do not rock too many boats and thus disturb the status quo. Being normal is thought to be good for you personally and for society at large; it involves having a secure sense of self.

On the sacred side there are two main branches, the religious and the spiritual. The religious branch is often ritualised and bureaucratised and closely linked to the secular concept of being a normal and good citizen who knows their place and who is willing to stay in it. The spiritual branch, by way of contrast, embraces the abnormal and transcendent.

The spiritual branch is radical in pointing to uncommon sense and to counterintuitive appreciations of the heart/mind. Being radical in this way involves mind training through discipline and meditation. In its extreme form it might involve enclosure in a monastic setting or seclusion in ascetic retreat; in its everyday form it might involve belonging to a community of like-minded souls. Being abnormal in this way is thought to be excellent for you personally and for society at large. It involves cultivating stillness such that the chatterbox mind is calmed and clarity and peace of heart/mind results. It involves seeing through the illusion of an individuated and abiding 'self'.

The sacred and secular varieties of concern might thus be seen as irreconcilable. But there are common features. Both are based on the idea that 'reality' is not what it seems. An individual's reality is heart/mind-made and is due to a unique set of causes and conditions that come in part from nature and in part from nurture. By paying attention to what goes on in your heart/mind it becomes possible to transform reality as you know it. It is never too late to change your mind!

But, as we noted above, some people are more concerned than others about the inner workings of their hearts and minds. What chance (a) that the key global opinion leaders and decision makers are among the concerned, (b) that they might change their view of reality, and thus (c) that we move towards a more socially just, peaceful and environmentally sustainable future? In short, what chance of heart/mind horticulturists having the upper hand?

"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed."
From the preamble of UNESCO's Constitution