Article May 5, 1986 Issue

Peace of Mind, not "piece of mind"

RONALD GRAY WALKER

One day, while serving in the armed services, I reacted emotionally to what I considered a gross injustice and impetuously gave my senior officer a "piece of my mind." In my outfit such a serious breach of conduct was unthinkable. He could have given me a severe reprimand. But instead he just calmly caught my eye for a moment, and then, without a word, turned and walked away. Of course, my anger melted instantly. Later my apology was graciously accepted and the incident was forgotten. But I was deeply humbled and learned a lesson that no reprimand could have taught.

The lesson? To maintain a more spiritually poised attitude; to subdue impetuous reaction; to embody such Christlike qualities as patience, forbearance, humility, and love; and to base my thinking more consistently on an understanding of God as the one infinite Mind, that same Mind "which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil. 2:5.

Do you have a human relationship problem? Do you want to pray more effectively for world peace? Many are recognizing that we need first to put our own house in order, that is, to think and act in a way that is healingly beneficial to ourselves and others. Many others believe that because thoughts are unseen, they have little bearing on the course of events. This belief stems from the false assumption that we possess a finite mind of our own, competing with millions of conflicting mentalities. Result: irreconcilable viewpoints, confusion, chaos.

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