Embrace The Toolkit

In the last week’s blog, we saw why we need to have different and diverse experiences. In this one, we’ll see how that should always be one’s mindset – embracing the realization that, what we have or know is not all there is. And why we must embrace the toolkit rather than just one tool. You can consider this blog a sequel to the previous one.

“A is B for me”?

Embracing a mindset of openness and the realization that there is always more to learn and experience is crucial for personal growth and development. Yet, it’s not uncommon to encounter individuals who use statements like “X is Y for me” as a means to avoid trying new things or adopting positive habits. Such statements often stem from a place of delusion or resistance to change.

I’ve seen people making some mindless statements to avoid taking up a good habit or even exploring something new, justifying their laziness by masking it with some pseudo-logical reason.

Ex: Singing is meditation for me.

At least 20%

To truly claim that B is A for me, one has to know both A and B to the same extent right?

At least if not to the same extent, one has to have a deep understanding and substantial experiences on both sides. At least 20% of the larger one. Here, the number is not the focus. It’s not merely about knowing the surface-level aspects, but about immersing oneself in the different facets of each experience. If one says A is B for me, it would be valid if they have dedicated a significant portion of their time to both practices, isn’t it?

If you say singing is like meditation to me, to make that statement valid, you need to have practiced sitting still for at least 1/5th of the time you’ve spent practicing singing. Or to say singing is like a spiritual ritual to me, one has to have done at least some amount of spiritual ritual, right? Only then can they establish a genuine comparison, right?

Of course, this statement won’t be true if the person has very less experience in both aspects. Statements coming from such people are not valid anyway.

Product of Ignorance

It’s important to recognize that such claims arise from delusion or the reluctance to step out of one’s comfort zone, which is again a product of ignorance. Most of the time, the people who say “That is this” for me are in delusion. They are using a nicer narrative to say that I haven’t tried to cultivate that in my life.

Sure, not everyone needs to cultivate everything. But if it’s proven to be great, time and time again and you still say “That’s this for me”, instead of trying it, are you not being delusional? At least don’t try to hide that ignorance by saying “That is this for me” implying you are not missing out on anything, it makes it even harder to see as not stupid.

‘A’ is just one tool

Music is one form of meditation, I mean that not scripturally, but just the way it feels or just considering the possibilities of it being a meditation tool. And if you are a musician or a deep music lover, you know that music can act like meditation.

Embrace the Toolkit

But like any form of meditation, there are limits to what that particular method can do. That’s why meditators adopt a mixture of techniques or methodologies into their practice. They switch methods when needed. Of course, they’ll concentrate on one method for most of their practice time.

But the use of other tools is always embraced by anyone wise. That’s a crucial mindset.

Just because you have a hammer, do not try to hit everything with a hammer. Or even if you consider that activity/aspect of life as a toolkit, always remember that almost any toolkit (apart from the ultimate Knowledge) cannot have all the tools necessary for all purposes. Every toolkit is purpose specific. There may be some multi-purpose uses but they are very small compared to the specific purpose-driven uses right?

Effectiveness

And most importantly, don’t say my hammer is like your screwdriver. Look how stupid that sounds just reading it. The hammer is great but the screwdriver is great too, they solve separate problems. But both of them are great at their specific purposes. One can probably hit something with a screwdriver too. One can probably twist/spin/poke something with a hammer too. But how effective are they? How effective is a tool not designed for that specific purpose? Even in meditation, there are methodologies each effective for their specific purposes. They are wise enough to “Embrace the Toolkit”

To truly embrace the mindset of continuous growth and learning, it is crucial to “Embrace the toolkit”, that is to be open to new experiences and to recognize the value of having diverse tools/skills. Avoid the trap of delusion and complacency by being willing to explore different practices, tools, and methodologies. By doing so, you open yourself up to a world of possibilities and ensure your personal growth and development remain dynamic and ever-evolving. One such tool is the skill of Note-taking or building a Second Brain. It’s very much overlooked. Try it for a year, if you think it isn’t life-changing kind of useful, you can stop.

And speaking of note-taking, please consider reading one of the beautiful products of my note-taking, my book – The Flower of Fulfillment.

Thank You

Sanath Kumar Naibhi