Imagine that all brains were synchronized to produce a global mind. How would that unified mind be? Which ideas would it have? Which choices would it make? Which actions would it take? Would it be happy with things as they are? Would it change them? Would it care more about the planet than we do today? Would the world be a better place?
Now imagine the global mind was linked with your brain. You were in control. What ideas would you have? Which choices would you make? Which actions would you take? What would you keep, stop and start?
This short exercise changed your experience, right? In an instant, it made you think differently as you followed the suggestions and reflected on the questions. Bigger ideas, choices and actions were considered.
Widening the scope of mind expands our thinking. It also makes us more altruistic or humankind, as I like to call it. The scope of mind refers to what we are aware of and have access to mentally at any given moment. It is important, because what we focus on will direct our energy, be cultivated, and ultimately manifest in the physical world.
When you enter a certain scope of mind, you activate a cluster of preset attitudes and automatic reactions, like turning on and off the configuration of a system. This means you don’t have to waste energy on thinking, and can act fast and effortlessly. The actual scope of mind will unconsciously shape your perceptions and frame your decisions.
Identifying with a particular scope of mind can influence our thoughts to a degree where we are ready to defend, fight for — and in the extreme die for — the principle, position or property. Much suffering in the world arises from identification with one scope of mind and ignoring or fighting others.
Psychologists talk about having a certain mindset, by which they mean a person’s self-perception and way of looking at the world. The mindset can be positive or negative, optimistic or pessimistic, fixed or growth, etc. There is not as much focus on being in a particular scope of mind, although it frames both the experience and the outcome.
A narrow scope of mind limits the outlook and affects the ability to make balanced and informed decisions. A wide scope of mind can make you miss important details and try to save…
