I. The Mind & Self…
the foundation to all knowledge
"…to know oneself is the foundation stone of knowledge.'
- Douglas MacArthur
The MIND is the most valuable asset that any person could ever possess, and at the same time is something everyone possesses. It is the tool that gives rise to your personality, knowledge, thoughts, consciousness, feelings, and reality-and your very existence. The mind is where all of one's knowledge is perceived, interpreted, and stored. It is the basis of knowledge- for knowledge does not exist without a mind for it to exist within. There exists no knowledge in the world itself, for the world does not try to understand itself. Only the minds of animals- in particular, humans-do that.
One of the greatest misfortunes in this life is that upon exiting the mother's womb, one is not given an instruction manual on how to operate this invaluable tool-a tool that alters not only oneself but also the very world in which we live. When you read an instruction manual for any kind of gadget, you are reading for the purpose of utilizing the gadget to its utmost degree. When the "gadget" is your own brain, such utilization is essential, for that is where all information streams into the mind.
Intimate knowledge of anything yields the best possible use of whatever one has knowledge of. For where would the racecar driver be if suddenly placed into an unknown vehicle? The painter who switches from acrylics to watercolors? The computer user who switches from a PC to an Apple™? How much more important is this need for intimate knowledge when what needs to be intimately known is the knowledge of oneself?
Additionally, psychological knowledge is exceptionally important in dealing with the ever- increasing dominance of social organizations, imposed upon this world by others with br