Book 2 (My Opinion, Your Self Is My Self) - Chapter 2, Part 1

Our opinions and beliefs create the world around us. We know that magnets attract things. We also know that electromagnets are even stronger magnets. Since the brain creates electromagnetic waves, what is it attracting? But even without discussing such metaphysical and ephemeral ideas, there are simple ways for thoughts to manifest in the physical world. Ways for our thoughts, opinions, and beliefs to make their way out of our heads and into the world around us.

We know that stress causes ailments and changes in the physical body. But if stress is mental how can it affect the physical body? Not only does stress affect the body, but it does a lot of damage to it. Stress and mood in general, affects glandular function among other things. Glands are responsible for hormone and pheromone production. While hormones affect the individual’s body, pheromones and possibly hormones as well, are sensed by other people. This may be conscious or subconscious, but there is communication. Thus the mental state of one person makes its way into their physical world and may be perceived by another. Think of being happy while someone around you is moping around. Think of someone “being a drag”, what about them is the “drag”? Think of the effect of someone who is “feeling down”. What does it do to you?

Body language is another physical manifestation of thought. Mental attitude, as well as individual thoughts, produces a variety of signals. Poker players specifically look for, and practice to conceal, these “tells”. The signals may be conscious or subconscious, but for the most part they are subconscious. The people around the individual also pick up on these signals subconsciously for the most part. Without a conscious reason or any conscious action, there may already be a complex dynamic in place between people. Consider a situation when an employee dislikes their manager and their body language is screaming it every time the manager sees them, or vice versa. They may not be aware of this consciously but subconsciously there may be, and most probably will be, a mirror reaction. Thus the mental state of a person again makes its way into their physical world. We may say we like caramel, but if at that moment our faces contort into a grimace, then it doesn’t really matter what we said, our expression told the truth. The people simply reflect that grimace back. “I like caramel” said with a grimace will result in the response “I can’t stand the stuff”. Imagine the reaction from someone if we were to tell them “I like getting my teeth drilled at the dentist”. Consider what the facial expression accompanying that statement is. Consider the following statements and responses with their accompanying expressions “I like chocolate cake”, “hey me too”. “I like raw onion cake”, “yeah sorry you’re on your own there”. Actually you may really like onion cake, but then you would have attracted, and would actually be saying it to someone who can reflect that back to you.

As we speak, regardless of our words, there is the tone of our voice. Our mental attitude is translated into terseness, tenderness, irritation, attentiveness, all conveyed by the tone alone. The words may mitigate or enhance the tone, but the tonal information is there without them. The people around us pick up on the tone and adjust their behavior accordingly. The adjustment in their behavior and attitude may and most likely will mirror the tone. This mental attitude may once again be conscious or subconscious when conveyed, and when received. Ever notice that when visiting an area with a different accent, people will begin to emulate it rather quickly? While conscious awareness of the tone allows people to exercise conscious control over their reaction, there is nonetheless a manifestation of the mental into the physical. What we think and feel, makes its way into the physical world around us. Shouting what is being said, will overshadow what is actually being said. Telling a child that their having broken something is alright in an angry tone will clearly convey the anger, but not so clearly that it is alright.

To be continued...