The mind is indeed an amazing thing. With the right frame of mind, people can accomplish things that would otherwise be impossible or endure hardships that should break a man. There is one thing that the mind has an incredible time overcoming: The Human Heart.
The heart seems to be one of the forces able to tear down all of our defenses and break through any control our mind is able to place on our world. You can overcome a lot with your mind, but when it comes to the affairs of the heart, even those who are a master of "mind over matter" can find themselves completely ill equipped for dealing with the power of the heart.
There is another force that makes the heart and mind particularly difficult to reconcile and control: Perception. Wow. That is an amazing thing. I have often said that one person's worst day is just as bad in their mind as anyone else, no matter what their relative problems may be. Someone who has never starved scientifically feels the same way after a single day without food that someone who is constantly starving feels after missing a week. To an outsider, they seem nothing alike, but to the human mind, which can only comprehend what it perceives, they are the same.
Moving to a more obnoxious example, is when you are presented with something that you didn't have, and then you lose it. Take when you are a kid, and you think that you are going to get this special toy for Christmas. When the day comes, you realize that you did not receive what you thought you had. Now logically, you can see that there was nothing actually lost to you. Your heart however doesn't feel this way and you feel loss that at such an early age may seem incredible. The same thing holds true throughout our lives. Say you meet someone and you think that you hit it off well. You think that there is potential there. Perhaps you even agree to another date. Later that date is canceled, and there is no further progress made with that person. Technically you really didn't lose anything. You didn't have a relationship, or even a date before, but that doesn't keep you from getting upset, and depending upon the strength of your affection, it doesn't keep you from getting really hurt. In your heart and mind, you perceived that you had gained something, and feel the resulting loss. Aggravating indeed.
I like to, and traditionally do, have a great outlook on life. It frustrates me when I can logically see the reason that I shouldn't feel some specific way, but can't seem to shut off the feelings that I don't want. Maybe I am just not yet a master of the craft. Or perhaps the stronger you are as a person the stronger your heart becomes as well, and so there really is no way to ultimately win. Eh, food for thought.
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