The Attributes of a Virtuous Mindset

1St Virtue Be Integrated To bring elements of love, care, respect, momentousness, and inner spirit to bear on all one’s words and actions is sincerity, the cornerstone of integrity. You and I In all sincerity, as I begin this work, I am placing You, the Reader, in the forefront of my conscious mind. You are the spur that triggers me to pour out to You what is coming to me from the force of inspiration. This force will keep us connected during Your journey through this work. To begin with, this is a monologue but intermittently through the book, it will turn into a quasi-dialogue between You and me because I want You to be immersed in what You read, so much that You subconsciously put me at the centre of the attendant chatter in your mind. The reading will bring a natural flow of subliminal messages to You. If you must know, a subliminal message is a series of imperceptible impulses sent to someone’s mind below the threshold of awareness. Equally, your reactive expressions, opinions, or emotions, relating to what You read in the book, will reach me assuming You direct thoughts to me. There is nothing mysterious or spooky about this marvel of nature that is at work routinely in all humans but mostly without our awareness; we are less inclined to explore and get to know this curious natural phenomenon mainly through weariness and inertia. Seemingly it is our characteristic indolence that is preventing many of us from wanting to be inquisitive about the various miraculous powers and sensitivities in us; for example, experiencing events in the physical that echo prior thoughts or spoken words, and déjà vu which is an uncanny feeling of having lived through the present situation sometime in the past. The New Year Frenzy Be that as it may, at the stroke of midnight on 1 January 2024, the entire humanity was united in a hysteric frenzy amid a spectacular display of fireworks to draw a line between 2023 and 2024 to put the past behind us. You ushered in the new year with an exuberant cheer, hugged everyone in sight, and wished them a ‘Happy New Year’. Just then my awestruck mind leapt back to 2022 and wondered: if an idea like a date can spur humanity to come together, why can’t a nobler idea of resolve to draw a permanent line between war and peace put the unsavoury past behind us for good? Had only 1% of good wishes greeted by everyone that year come true, the world would not be in such a dire state now, more than one year later. Were the wishes not sincere? Were they hollow and meaningless? Why does a new-year wish for good health, happiness, and prosperity not manifest any noticeable outcome? Is wishing anyone happiness, good health, or prosperity on an important occasion a vain effort? Is it done just to routinely conform to social norms such as shaking hands, hugging, kissing, or giving flowers? The answer is mainly an emphatic Yes. What we say amounts to pseudo-words creating only a fleeting warmth and pleasantness. We have become consummate practitioners of fakery – the makers of nothing - burgers. Power of words Then what about the one major endowment gifted to mankind - the innate ability to speak and convey meaning through words? We live and breathe words. Words may be spoken or written, or unsaid and unwritten. Any which way they may be conveyed, they are potent seeds sprinkled from the mind or heart. A response will spring from them sooner or later. “What we speak becomes the house we live in” - Hafiz Words are the bricks and stones of the pillars of literature and the history of civilizations and nations. They may bear magical predictive ingredients. Legendary seers have brought iconic truths to mankind through words infused with prescience, and the vigour of prayer or a spiritual ritual is amplified by the repetitive enunciation of words and sounds. Words are virtual connective tissues or hormones that arouse emotions of joy or despair. Words sung by a mother to her unborn child will entrain the mother and child for life. No matter how far apart in life the two may be, their words when sung will close the space between them. Even when uttered in silence, words can bring the world together just as they can set it apart. They change the most unbending of minds and hearts. Words are energy-propelling ripples in the air – the manifesters of thoughts into things. Depending on how they are spoken, the words create vibrations that even affect positively or negatively the growth of plants in your garden and summerhouse. Powerful words when heard with clarity ring echoes in the mind of the listener and create lasting meaning. They may be sung or spoken, but when conveyed unseen and unheard amid the night, they are sublime influencers that build bridges between humans. Such is the power of words that needs to be understood and embraced by humans as a tool with the potency to heal, comfort, encourage, arouse, or even demoralize others. Heal your words to heal your wounds. In practical life, do people follow up on the wishful messages they habitually send to others to find out how the recipients have been affected? The answer is mainly an emphatic No because it is not done in practice. These are perfunctory age-old obligatory protocols and rituals performed in any organized society. What people say in speech could be innocuous ringtones of polite gestures because that is what people do at the onset of a new year. Sincerity Truthfully, humans engage in all this disingenuous paraphernalia unthinkingly which may be viewed as harmless socializing, but the sobering truth is that it is a grave abuse, disregard for, and neglect of sincerity – a highly esteemed character quality of candour and purity that is vital for the effectiveness in any personal endeavour and interactions with others. It is a wellspring of all other virtues and values for mankind to grow and groom.