mind is a beautiful servant but a dangerous master essay

THE MIND: A Beautiful Servant. A Dangerous Master.

Introspection, vol. 3.

The human mind is an intricate and powerful entity, capable of incredible feats of creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. It is the seat of our consciousness, enabling us to perceive, think, and make choices. However, like any tool, the mind can be both a beautiful servant and a dangerous master when left unchecked. That is one of the reasons why sometimes periods of victory pose more threats than difficult times. This duality of the mind is a topic of profound significance, as it underscores the importance of understanding and harnessing the potential of our mental faculties while being mindful of the risks they can pose when left unchecked.

In this essay, we will explore the dual nature of the human mind, examining its potential for both creativity and destruction, and the importance of cultivating a mindful approach to harness its power.

The Beautiful Servant

The human mind is a beautiful servant when used wisely. It possesses the capacity for creativity, problem-solving, empath…

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Jan 14, 2013

As we’re in the thick of the dark months, with seasonal affective disorder at the height of its power, I thought I’d use the blog to tuck in one of the most useful things I’ve heard in the last couple years. A quote. Just ten short words:

"The mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master."

I've heard this quote attributed to bestselling author Robin Sharma (he mentions it in his book The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari ). I've heard it attributed to David Foster Wallace (more on that in a minute), Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Yogi Bhajan (none of those are right). As best I can tell it is a proverb, likely an old Asian one, that's been brandished by anyone and everyone who discovers its power.

The idea is: don't let your mind push you around. Treat it like your minion! Put it to work to solve your math problems, crunch your numbers, parse your texts, do whatever it is you do for a living, and then when you get home at the end of the day... give it a rest. Because, sure, your brain can detect patterns in who seemed to squint at you at that dinner party, how that soured friendship and recent breakup means you're a people-repelling troll, how an unfriendly gas station attendant means humanity is doomed... but when it comes to the chaos of everyday life, these mental calculations aren't always relevant -- if you let your mind whir incessantly, it can lead you into mental sand traps.

In his 2005 Commencement Speech at Kenyon College, David Foster Wallace made this point to graduating seniors: "the choice of what to think about," he reminded them, is essentially our greatest power. He argued that "the exact same experience can mean two totally different things to two different people... The only thing that's capital-T True is that you get to decide how you're gonna try to see it." Though haunted perhaps by his own difficulties in taming the terrible master, the speech is very much worth a read or listen .

Lastly, I recently came across a sort of example of how to convert the master into servant in the moment. In his essay "Altered States: Self Experiments in Chemistry," Oliver Sacks details a chapter of his life (in the 1960s) where he experimented with hallucinogenic drugs. At one point, toward the end of his druggie days, he started experiencing terrifying hallucinations (when he was not in fact on drugs, but in the throes of withdrawal from chloral hydrate). First his coffee turned green. Then he stepped onto the bus and saw the passengers alongside him all had huge egg-shaped heads. He was overcome with terror. He was sure he had lost it; he was about to scream or become catatonic, when suddenly... somehow, he ordered his brain to work. He writes: "The best way of doing this, I found, was to write, to describe the hallucination in clear, almost clinical detail, and, in so doing, become an observer, even an explorer, not a helpless victim, of the craziness inside me." He stopped his drug use shortly after. Here's a pdf of the essay.

Thanks for indulging a day of adage. We'll get back to science next week. In the meantime, if you have a quote or proverb, that, to your surprise, has stuck with you over the years, please share it.

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Mind, a beautiful servant but a dangerous master – Osho

Brain as an organ belongs to nature while the mind is personal, belonging to an individual with all the unique learnings and conditionings. Mind is a powerful tool and like any tool, we must use the tool when it is needed and leave it aside when there is no need. What happens if the tools starts to control the user?

In one of his discourses, Osho baba made a brilliant analogy to drive this point. Imagine a class full of kindergarten students playing and running around when there is no teacher in the class but as soon as the teacher steps in to the class, children quietly go back and settle down in their seats (of course barring one or two that need to be specifically told to sit down). In other words, when the teacher walks in, in some sense an authority has walked in and thus kids settle down recognizing that authority. The same applies to our mind and our thoughts, the moment our being or our consciousness evolves, it becomes the authority and the mind quietly settles down.

When that point arises when we become the masters, then in true sense mind becomes a tool at the control of the user. Most of us use the car as a means of transit but once we reach our destination, the car is left at the parking lot and we don’t drag it around everywhere go. The same happens to the mind, once the master takes control. We use it when needed and not get used by it.

George Gurdjieff in his teachings also used the reference to a Classic Indian painting that shows a house in a mess because the house has no master and all the servants have created a chaos, due to lack of authority. This painting is precisely the state of man today with mind, thoughts, fears and desires creating the state of utter chaos.

Can the mind be brought under control? Can an authority emerge from within us? The answer is a resounding yes. There are many methods to get there, and meditation is one of such tools to rise above the mind and use it the way you want.

Clear Mind – Drawing Parallels Teaching of Zen Masters and Rumi

If god exists then why there is so much poverty on earth.

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What Is Hamlet The Power Of The Mind

“The mind. A beautiful servant, a dangerous master.” In the Tragedy of Hamlet the mind plays a vital part, not just in Hamlet but everywhere. The one thing in this world that can lead you to great glory or a great disaster. It controls all emotions, actions, and thought process. In Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the mind holds the greatest power of all. In the beginning of the play we meet Barnardo, Francisco, and Horatio. their emotions and actions lead everyone to their demise when the guards are scared of the ghost king. The play starts with Horatio waiting for the ghost to see what the night guards are so afraid of. Now that Horatio has seen it, he decides Hamlet needs to see the ghost for himself, but when Horatio brings him to the ghost

The Ghost in Kenneth Brannagh's Hamlet Essay

• 1 Works Cited

When Hamlet sees the ghost for the first time, the first words out of his mouth are, "Angels and ministers of grace defend us" (I:4:39). This is the first sign of evil that is sensed through the ghost. The men had no idea what kind of a spirit the ghost was, whether it was sent by heaven or by hell. Horatio then shows his concern, warning Hamlet that the apparition may lead him to a horrible place and change form "Which might deprive [Hamlet's] sovereignty or reason / And draw [him] into madness" (I:4:73-74). This gives us a foreshadowing of the events, which will take place in the play. Later, due to Hamlet's heavy load of emotional problems, he is drawn into

The Perfect Con Man, Hamlet

In the first Act in the play, Hamlet is the last person to see his deceased father. Granted, Hamlet is the only one to speak to the ghost and he is by himself when he does, but the guards and even Horatio, “Before (his) God, (he) might not this believe. . . Without the sensible and true avouch. . . Of (his) eyes. (Act I Scene I Lines 56-8)” serve as witnesses that there is indeed a ghost and it is not just a figment of Hamlet’s imagination.

An Analysis of the Characters in Hamlet Essay

murder in a rash mood. It is not seen by Gertrude. It tries to urge

Suspense In Hamlet

When Hamlet sees the ghost he is shocked that Horatio and Marcellus were being truthful, he immediately starts rejoicing and asking the ghost questions “Say why is this? Wherefore? What should we do?”

There is No Ghost in Hamlet Essay

The ghost first appears to three soldiers on guard: Bernado, Francisco, and Marcellus, along with Horatio, a friend of Hamlet and visitor to Denmark. Bernado and Marcellus desire to reveal the ghost they have witnessed for the past

Hamlet and Horatio Essay

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       In Act I, Scene II, one is first made aware of the strength of Hamlet's relationship with Horatio when the latter informs Hamlet that he has seen what he believes is the ghost of the former King Hamlet. This introduction to the relationship between Horatio and Hamlet demonstrates the strong bonds of trust and confidence they share. Unlike the other characters who have seen the apparition and would choose to shrink away from it, Horatio, recognizing the ghost for who it might be, tries to make contact with it, albeit unsuccessfully. After this initial contact, and recognizing the significance of what he has witnessed, it is Horatio that takes Hamlet into his confidence to relate what he has seen. "As I do live, my honored lord, 'tis true, / And we did think it writ down in our duty / To let you know of it" (1.2. 220-222). Horatio gives Hamlet a very detailed account of the sighting, answering Hamlet's questions with the honesty and insight of a concerned friend. It is obvious by Horatio's candor that he is neither fearful of Hamlet's response, nor is he concerned that Hamlet will not believe his accounting of the event.

Character Of Horatio In Hamlet

Shakespeare uses Horatio to unfold the story of Hamlet, beginning with the opening scene all the way until Hamlet’s death. In Act 1, Horatio foreshadows what is in store for Denmark and Hamlet. After encountering the Ghost once before, Horatio becomes skeptical about its presence. Although Horatio has now seen the Ghost, unlike before when the knights spoke to him about it, he fears that it has appeared to share some dark news. "A mote to trouble the mind’s eye/In the most high and palmy state of Rome/A little ere the mightiest Julius fell,.../And prologue to the omen coming on,"

How Does The Ghost Influence Hamlet

To start with, the ghost heavily influences the development of a few characters in the play which includes Hamlet and his friends. In the opening act, Hamlet’s friends encounter the ghost of the former king while standing guard on the wall of the castle. They are the first and only characters besides Hamlet that the ghost influences. They are also the only ones besides Hamlet that can see the ghost. This furthers the story by sending Hamlet’s friends on a mission to tell him of his father’s return. From the beginning of the play Hamlet is already depressed and down after being called home from school to return to Denmark to witness the funeral of his father. Following the funeral Hamlet meets up with his friends where they tell him of his father’s ghost. Immediately, this sparks Hamlet’s interest and he wishes to hear more of his father. ‘The king my father!/For God’s love, let me hear.” (1.2.192-95 Hamlet) Here Shakespeare shows Hamlet’s interest in the matter

Perfect Idealism In Shakespeare's Hamlet

The play Hamlet is a fable of how the ghost of a slain king comes to haunt the living with disastrous consequences. A rancorous ghost and a brother 's murder, lead the gloomy setting of Hamlet 's Denmark. Hamlet story opens with an encounter between young Hamlet, his dad 's ghost as well as the prince of Denmark. The ghost reveals to Hamlet that its murderer was his brother Claudius, who then rapidly wedded his widowed queen, Gertrude. As a result, the ghost presses Hamlet to seek vengeance on the man who stole his throne as well as his queen to which Hamlet consents.

Examples Of Madness In Hamlet

In the opening scene of the play, a ghost identified as Hamlet’s late father appears before Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus. To the audience, this can be seen as the first sign

Karma In Hamlet

In the beginning of the play, Hamlet is approached by his father’s ghost who personifies fate. We can already tell that this is not a good sign and only bad can come out of it. Horatio did not have a good feeling at all about this visitation

Essay The Hamlet Ghost

The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father. A young man named Horatio, who is a school friend of Hamlet, has been told of the apparition and cannot believe it, and one of the officers has brought him there in the night so that he can see it for himself.

Hamlet 's Rational Mind : William Shakespeare 's Hamlet

In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, there are many conflicts present that can be applied to modern time. Hamlet, as the protagonist, displays many difficult aspects that haunt mankind to this day. Hamlet is a dynamic character. He believes that he is the smartest person in the room, which most of the time he is. He comes up with conniving schemes to get his revenge. Although Hamlet believes in his brilliant plan to feign madness, it causes so much suspicion from others that it ultimately causes the untimely death of himself and others.

Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1 Analysis

This story begins on a cold night in Denmark Elsinore Castle when Hamlet’s trusted friend Horatio, and some guards see a ghost, the ghost of King Hamlet to be exact. The philosophical and complicated yet socially popular young Prince of Denmark, Hamlet, is busy fuming at his uncle Claudius who married his mom two days after his father's death. Hamlet suspects that they conspired to kill his father, and he even contemplates suicide. His hopes are lifted when he hears about the ghost.

Psychoanalytic Analysis of Shakespeare's Hamlet

Hamlet is not the first one to see the ghost, Marcellus and Bernardo were. The next night it appeared to Horatio as well. It was only after its first two appearances that Hamlet got a chance to see the ghost. At this point the reader doesn't have much of a choice but to take the ghost at face value. If several characters saw the ghost…there must really be a ghost. It's not until Hamlet's second encounter with the ghost that the reader is asked to decide whether they buy into the idea of the ghost being real.

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UPSC Essay Topics - Important Essay Topics for UPSC Mains 2023

by Vajiram & Ravi

Essay Course for UPSC

UPSC CSE Mains 2023 Essay Question Paper

UPSC Mains Optional Test Series

Mentorship Program for UPSC 2024

Understanding UPSC Essay Topics holds significant importance as it evaluates the candidate's ability to analyse, present arguments, and communicate effectively. In this article, we will explore the diverse range of UPSC essay topics, their significance, and essential tips to excel in this section. Get ready to enhance your writing and analytical skills and make a strong impression on the evaluators with well-crafted essays.

UPSC Essay Paper

The Essay paper in the UPSC Mains examination requires candidates to write multiple essays , each on a different topic, chosen from a given list of options. The essay topics for UPSC cover a wide range of issues, including social, economic, political, cultural, and philosophical aspects, both national and international.

The essay paper holds significant weightage in the UPSC Mains examination, contributing 250 marks out of the total 1750 marks . Scoring well in this section can have a considerable impact on the overall ranking and selection for the coveted civil services.

Weekly UPSC Essay Topics By Vajiram & Ravi

The UPSC Essay Paper is an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their proficiency in expressing ideas and analysing complex issues. Vajiram & Ravi Pensive-Weekly Essay Writing Programme provides you with two Essay Topics every Saturday based on the previous year's question papers and the changing trends analysis. You can submit your Essay for peer evaluation on vajiramandravi.com. This will help you nourish your writing skills, give you clarity of thought, and build the capacity to express opinions in a logical and coherent manner.

Important Essay Topics for UPSC 2023

The purpose of the essay paper is to assess the candidate's ability to critically analyse a topic, present well-structured arguments, and communicate their ideas effectively. It also evaluates their knowledge of various issues, their clarity of thought, and their capacity to express opinions in a logical and coherent manner.

Some of the Important Essay Topics to prepare for the UPSC Mains Examination 2023 are:

• Gender Equality
• Environment/Urbanization
• Economic Growth
• Federalism/Decentralization
• Agriculture
• Economics 

UPSC Essay Topics on Philosophy

Every year, UPSC typically provides you with two or more essay topics centred around philosophical thoughts, Indian philosophical schools, or quotes from notable personalities. To effectively address these philosophical topics, you should refer to Philosophy Books to gain a foundational understanding. Here is a list of UPSC Essay Topics on Philosophy :

• Everything comes to him, who hustles while he waits.
• We are always blind as we want to be.
• You cannot step twice in the same river.
• A disciplined mind brings happiness.
• The price of Greatness is Responsibility.
• People would rather Believe than Know.
• Mind - A beautiful Servant? Or a dangerous Master?

UPSC Essay Topics on Art and Culture

The UPSC Essay Topics related to Indian society, art, and culture cover a wide range of subjects, offering great diversity. To gain knowledge about the static content on these topics, you should rely on fundamental books on society, as recommended for the exam. Here is a list of UPSC Essay Topics on Indian Art and Culture :

• Culture changes with economic development.
• Culture is what we are, Civilization is what we have.
• Social reform is a myth if places of worship are open only to all castes and not to all genders.
• Impact of Globalization on Indian Art and Culture.
• Caste System - India’s Enduring Curse.
• Godmen - A Threat to Indian Art and Culture?

UPSC Essay Topics on Science and Technology

UPSC essay topics on Science and Technology can largely be addressed through current affairs. You may also benefit from consulting a Science and Technology Book for UPSC to compose a comprehensive and well-rounded essay. Here are some UPSC Essay Topics on Science and Technology:

• Deglobalisation is good for the world.
• Science is organised Knowledge. Wisdom is Organised life.
• Technology is a Weapon against Poverty.
• Prioritising Education Technology for Global Growth.
• Technology is the silent factor in International Relations.
• Scientific and Technological Progress cannot be equated with Human Progress.

UPSC Essay Topics on Education

Education stands as one of the preferred UPSC Essay Topics, with an essay related to this subject often appearing in the paper each year. To tackle this topic effectively, you should stay abreast of Current Affairs , incorporating significant changes and advancements in the field. Let's explore some of the Essay topics for UPSC centred around education:

• Self Education is a lifelong curiosity.
• Education Breeds Peace.
• Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
• Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking.
• Schooling is not Education.

UPSC Essay Topics on Polity and Governance

To comprehensively address Polity and Governance topics, you should acquire fundamental knowledge from Polity Books for UPSC and Current Affairs. These resources offer static information about relevant issues and their historical context, which proves valuable while writing UPSC Essay Topics on Polity. Here are some Essay Topics on Polity and Governance:

• The Role of Politics in Development.
• Should Youth in India Consider Politics as a Career?
• Art, Freedom and Creativity will change society faster than politics.
• The politics of Identity is the Politics of the Weak.
• People should not be afraid of their Government. The Government should be afraid of its people.
• Government Surveillance - Good or Bad?

UPSC Essay Topics on Economy

Essays concerning economic growth are frequently included in the Essay Paper. To tackle these topics effectively, you should refer to Economy Notes for UPSC to gain a comprehensive understanding. Once the fundamentals are grasped, you can enhance their essays by incorporating examples, data, and statistics to create a multidimensional perspective. Here is a list of UPSC Essay Topics on Economy:

• We don't have to sacrifice a Strong Economy for a Healthy Environment.
• India, a $5 trillion Economy - Dream or Reality?
• Digital Economy: A leveller or a source of Economic Inequality?
• Innovation is the key determinant of social welfare and economic growth.
• Labour Reforms in India and its Role in Economic Growth.

UPSC Essay Topics on Social Issues

Social issues are a significant aspect of the UPSC essay paper, reflecting the candidates' understanding of societal challenges and their ability to propose viable solutions. These essays provide a platform for candidates to analyse, critique, and suggest measures for pressing social concerns. Topics related to social issues in the UPSC Essay paper may include:

• Inclusivity and Plurality are the hallmarks of a Peaceful Society.
• A Gender-sensitive Indian Society is a prerequisite for Women and Child Empowerment.
• The weaker sections of Indian Society - are their Rights and Access to Justice getting Better?

Previous Year UPSC Essay Topics

Practising previous year's essay topics will help you become familiar with the UPSC exam pattern , word limit, and the types of essay questions frequently asked in the Mains Examination. Analysing past essay topics will also allow you to identify recurring themes and trends, enabling you to prioritise their preparation accordingly. Regular practice with past essay topics will instil confidence in you, helping you feel more comfortable and prepared for the actual exam.

• Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.
• Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
• History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.
• A ship in the harbour is safe, but that is not what a ship is for.
• The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
• A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.
• Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.

Tips to Excel in UPSC Essay Paper

• Understand the Topics: Thoroughly comprehend the essay topics, including the keywords and instructions. Choose a topic that aligns with your strengths and interests.
• Plan and Structure: Devote some time to plan your essay. Create an outline and organise your thoughts in a structured manner, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Be Objective: Present balanced arguments and avoid a biased or one-sided approach. Consider multiple perspectives and present a holistic view.
• Provide Examples and Evidence: Support your arguments with relevant examples, data, quotes and evidence to strengthen your essay.
• Maintain Clarity: Write in a clear and concise manner. Use simple language and avoid jargon or overly complex vocabulary.
• Practice Regularly: Regular practice is essential to improve Essay writing skills. Write essays on diverse topics to enhance your versatility.
• Time Management: Allocate appropriate time for planning, writing, and revising each essay to manage time effectively during the examination.
• Revise and Edit: Review your essays for coherence, grammar, and structure. Make necessary edits to refine your work.

FAQs on UPSC Essay Topics

What are the important UPSC Essay Topics?

Here is a list of UPSC Essay Topics asked in Mains Examination previously:

• Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have.
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
• What is research but a blind date with knowledge?
• Best for an individual is not necessarily best for society.
• Wisdom finds truth.
• Ships don’t sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them.
• Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.
• Technology as the silent factor in international relations.

How do I Prepare for the UPSC Essay?

To prepare for the UPSC essay, focus on understanding the essay syllabus and past topics to identify recurring themes. Regularly practise writing essays on various topics to improve your writing skills and time management. Structure your essays with a clear introduction, main body, and conclusion.

Which is the best source to practise UPSC Essay Topics?

The best sources to prepare Essay for UPSC include official UPSC materials, newspapers, and magazines like The Hindu, Yojana , and Kurukshetra for current affairs, standard books on diverse subjects, government reports and publications, online platforms like PIB and PRS India, UPSC previous year papers for understanding the exam pattern, and regular practice of essay writing on various topics.

© 2024 Vajiram & Ravi. All rights reserved

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Insights Weekly Essay Challenges 2022 – Week 81 : Mind – a beautiful servant? Or a dangerous master?

Insights weekly essay challenges 2021 – week 81.

3 July 2022

Write an essay on the following topic in not more than 1000-1200 words:

Mind – a beautiful servant? Or a dangerous master?

CLICK HERE FOR ESSAY SYNOPSIS 

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Unearned Wisdom

The Mind is an Excellent Servant, but a Terrible Master (Reversal)

The Mind is an Excellent Servant, but a Terrible Master Robin Sharma

The David Foster Wallace graduation speech comes to mind when I read this quote. The message is that your mind represents your automatic, default setting, your mind does whatever it is biologically wired to do, and part of this wiring requires to be hopelessly and eternally selfish and self-centered. But there is a remedy, and it comes in the form of a liberal arts education – because it teaches you how to think.

A proper education will give you the capacity to think and will teach you decide what you want to think about. it can make you less selfish, and less self-centered. If you can choose to, throughout your boring daily routines, to avoid taking out your anger on people who get in your way, because you understand that they may be having a more difficult time than you, then you escape your default setting, and become more attuned to people around you, and less dissatisfied because your petty needs aren’t instantaneously being catered to the second they arise.

Economists think that people want money because of the utility it can bring. In other words, the mind is a rational agent that makes a conscious choice to pursue money. But neuroscience studies suggest that it is the chase of money that is its own reward.

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift” – Einstein

One experiment by Stanford neuroscientist, Brian Knutsson, showed that the nucleus accumbens, a region in the brain, lit up as a reaction to the prospect of receiving money. This is the region in the brain that tells us what we want, in a primitive way. When the same area is stimulated in the brains of rats, they will press a lever until they drop from exhaustion.

We understand the nucleus accumbens as acting like a gas pedal that accelerates our pursuit of rewards, while the prefrontal cortex acts like the rational pilot, determining which rewards are worth pursuing, and which are not.

The End of Wisdom is the perfect book for anyone who wants to arm themselves against the many ways in which people are misled by faulty financial advice, psychological theories, and simplistic career or life advice. With its mix of humor and insight, this book is sure to entertain as it enlightens. Link to Book – Link to Video

The experiment confirms the idea that the mind is a terrible master and an excellent servant, capable of accelerating towards its desired goal, even if such a goal was self-destructive – if the pre-frontal cortex chooses badly. In the case of money, a generally desirable goal, you might wonder why such an example proves that the mind can be a terrible master.

First, the pursuit of money is not always desirable. It is possible to become blinded by the pursuit of money, at the expense of everything else, including one’s mental and physical health. Any compulsive gambler can attest to this.

But the pre-frontal cortex is also responsible for allowing individuals to pursue completely irrational goals. In The Laws of Human Stupidity , Cipolla describes any kind of lose-lose behavior as stupid or irrational. An example of this would be blind revenge, where both parties become worse off.

But what happens if we reverse the phrase, “The mind is an excellent master, but a terrible servant.”

If you’re interested in exploring the darker parts of human psychology that most people ignore, read The Dichotomy of the Self .   Link to Book – Link to Video

Unsurprisingly, it too makes sense, since the mind is both servant and master and is both terrible and excellent. In other words, the mind is both diligent and lazy, brilliant and stupid.

The mind is a terrible servant, because it is rebellious and complicated, emotional and fickle.. If the mind was a great servant, you would never complain about your lack of willpower, you would rarely have regrets, and you would never be late for anything you thought was important.

In fact, most of the time, people know what they ought to do. The real challenge is to do it.

We think our actions express our decisions. But in nearly all of our life, willing decides nothing. We cannot wake up or fall asleep, remember or forget our dreams, summon or banish our thoughts, by deciding to do so. – John Gray, Straw Dogs

Unlock timeless wisdom with “The Greatest Words They Ever Said.” This handpicked collection of enduring quotes is your passport to the ideas that have shaped civilizations. More than a book—it’s a treasury of intellectual gems. Elevate your mind; enrich your life.

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• Irrational Beliefs and Happiness
• The Experiencing Self
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2 thoughts on “The Mind is an Excellent Servant, but a Terrible Master (Reversal)”

This reminds me a lot of the Schopenhauer phrase “a man can be as they will, but they cannot will as they will.”

I like your reversal too, and it works well with “reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions”, in that the mind is a great master when reason is used to facilitate and provide nourishment for ones passion, or ones will– and is a terrible servant when it fails to do so.

Though, and it’s an interesting thing about cliches and aphorisms, where you can reverse their points a lot of the time and end up with a fresh way of looking at the same truths.

Very interesting. Do you mind sharing which text by Schopenhauer this is from? And you are absolutely right about aphorisms and maxims generally. It is not only insightful to take the reverse of a common aphorism or cliche, but indicative of deeper truths about the nature of language and of knowledge. I will expand on this in the future. Thanks for your great comment.

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The Mind: a beautiful servant, a dangerous master

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Body, Mind, & Spirit

Osho is one of the most provocative and inspiring spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. Known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, the influence of his teachings continues to grow, reaching seekers of all ages in virtually every country of the world. He is the author of many books, including Love, Freedom, Aloneness; The Book of Secrets; and Innocence, Knowledge, and Wonder.

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Swami Devageet

Osho International Foundation

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Maneesha James

Swami Chaitanya Keerti

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The mind - osho.

a beautiful servant,

a dangerous master

Copyright © 1987, 2012 OSHO International Foundation

www.osho.com/copyrights

Images and Cover Design © OSHO International Foundation

The Mind – a beautiful servant, a dangerous master , by Osho

From a series of OSHO Talks titled: Satyam Shivam Sundaram, #7

This OSHO Talk is complete in itself.

The series Satyam Shivam Sundaram is available in book and audio formats.

The Mind is also available as an original audio recording under the same title, spoken by Osho.

Published by

OSHO MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

an imprint of

OSHO INTERNATIONAL

www.osho.com/oshointernational

Distributed by Publishers Group Worldwide

www.pgw.com

ISBN-13: 978-0-88050-017-3

How does watching lead to no-mind? I am more and more able to watch my body, my thoughts and feelings and this feels beautiful. But moments of no thoughts are few and far between. When I hear you saying, Meditation is witnessing, I feel I understand. But when you talk about no-mind, it doesn’t sound easy at all. Would you please comment?

Meditation covers a very long pilgrimage. When I say, meditation is witnessing, it is the beginning of meditation. And when I say, meditation is no-mind, it is the completion of the pilgrimage. Witnessing is the beginning, and no-mind is the fulfillment. Witnessing is the method to reach to no-mind. Naturally you will feel witnessing is easier. It is close to you.

But witnessing is only like a seed, and then comes the long waiting period. Not only waiting, but trusting that this seed is going to sprout, that it is going to become a bush; that one day the spring will come and the bush will have flowers. No-mind is the last stage of flowering.

Sowing the seeds is of course very easy; it is in your hands. But bringing forth the flowers is beyond you. You can prepare the whole ground, but the flowers will come on their own accord; you cannot manage to force them to come. The spring

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The Last High By ShivaniK

Criminals and what makes a criminal “A mind is a beautiful servant but a dangerous master”. As the thought goes, what makes a criminal is his mind and each mind functions differently. This essay broadly tries to reflect on the profound dark minds of the criminals and what goes into their psyche. Who is a criminal? What makes them criminals and what are the factors which lead us to term a person as a criminal? A criminal is a lawbreaker. They are the ones who commit crimes. The intensity of the crimes may differ, but the underlying mentality of each criminal is same. From petty crimes to horrendous gruesome unforgivable acts; these minds may be working differently but on a subconscious level, they all host similar chain of thoughts. Man is a social animal and is affected majorly by the surroundings he lives in. The upbringing of a person and the social culture in which he is raised goes far longer to mold a person’s character and behavior than we realize. A general idea gathered from the data available based on case to case criminals suggests that they all had a disturbed family atmosphere during their childhood. Most of them had unhappy families and strained relations of their parents. Lack of motherly care, love and affection had permanent impact on their tender minds. Some of them had even been a victim of domestic violence. Devoid of love, care and negligence by their parents, they became aloof and usually sought happiness and peace by carrying out unusual activities leading to sadistic pleasures. I once happened to read, “A human being is the most difficult of machineries to handle”. This thought was a revelation to me. Parents play a pivotal role in a child’s life. A good family with conducive environment for the child’s growth is imperative. It is this time when they grasp about social behavior and eventually develop positive thoughts and a sane mind. A happy mind is a healthy mind. ( Just a little scribbling to get my hand writing skills back)

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Mind Is Beautiful Servant But a Dangerous Master

Often this question arises that, while we meditate, we watch our thoughts but glimpses of no-mind are far away. Meditation is a long pilgrimage. Witnessing is beginning of meditation and no mind is culmination of long pilgrimage. Mind is a beautiful servant but a dangerous master. Witnessing helps you make mind your obedient servant. Witnessing helps you sow the seeds of meditation but flowering of the seeds is beyond your control it happens on its own. You have to be witness to the arising impatience, which eventually transforms into profound patience allowing the existence to play through you the music of no mind. Thoughts have a unique pattern they come one after the other with a very fine moment of silence. Witnessing helps you catch those glimpses of silences and to stay there. Longer you stay, deeper is your meditation, the no mind. Happyho also provide best tarot reading services in Noida  and Delhi NCR India area. Often we get swayed with the thoughts, the mind takes the control and becomes the dangerous master. In anger exactly this happens and we see ourselves loosing control. We ponder later why this happened, we uttered what we did not want we acted what we did not plan. So there was some one else there, not yourself. Who this was, is not you it is the mind with all its fear, anxiety and unconscious memories of past. Witnessing brings you to the center of your being helps you connect to yourself with out judging right or wrong, good or bad. Just, pure witnessing let the thoughts come and go. You have enormous trust in your witnessing and so complete surrender to the existence. That is good enough why hanker for No-mind. To know the no-mind you need the mind. No mind is a state, which will happen to you without your knowing, you see its reflection in yourself. The new You.

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How yoga can help you recover from breast cancer in body and mind

The mind is a beautiful servant, but a dangerous master

Osho had it right on this topic. The mind, indeed, is a beautiful servant, but a dangerous master. This brings us back to our journey through the 8 limbs of yoga, today arriving at the 6th limb, dharana, or focused concentration. By way of a quick review, we’ve been through the 1st limb, the yamas, or the external observances or guidelines for how we interact with the world around us. The 2nd limb is the niyamas, or internal observances, guidelines for how we interact with and conduct ourselves. The 3rd limb is asana, or physical practices, the 4th is pranayama, or breathing practices, and the 5th is pratyahara, or withdrawal of focus from the external to the internal.

So now, in the 6th limb, or dharana, we learn to focus our awareness on one point, which can be our breath, a mantra, or any item of our choice. We learn to consciously direct our awareness to this single point, and then maintain it there for some period of time. As you know, this is not easy. Most of us are all too familiar with the monkey mind, or a mind that rapidly darts from one thought to the next, seemingly without any reason. In yoga these disturbances of consciousness are often referred to as the vrittis, or the fluctuations of the mind. One minute I’m thinking about my grocery list, and then all of a sudden I’m rehashing some grievance from 10 years, ago, and the next minute thinking about what I’m doing this week, maybe a doctor’s appointment, and then maybe back to the grocery list, or maybe onto something like the meaning of life or what is there beyond our universe. Our minds are naturally busy, and this is what they do if we don’t learn to direct them a little better. And this is where that “dangerous master” idea comes in. If we do not learn to direct our thought patterns in a way that is good for us and supports us on our chosen path (whether that is just happiness, or growth, self-realization, or enlightenment), this monkey mind can easily turn into a vicious cycle of negative thoughts which stir up negative emotions and then result in us behaving in ways that aren’t our best. For example, we’re all familiar with that rabbit hole of fear and negativity that we sometimes find ourselves in when we have some routine cancer follow up scheduled. I have bloodwork and a PET scan coming up, and I know from experience that one way I could allow my mind to go is this: what if the labs show my tumor marker is up, and the PET scan shows a recurrence, because I do have that weird pain sometimes, maybe that is a bone metastasis, if I have a recurrence can I really tolerate more treatment, shit I don’t know how I’ll tell my family, maybe it’d be better if I just didn’t treat it, I’ll just run away so nobody has to see me die…. and OMG, where did all of that come from?! Nothing is even wrong. I feel great, and that funny pain I mentioned is obviously just a soreness related to my exercise regimen, and I know that if I just think clearly and rationally. There is NO reason for me to be thinking any of this bad stuff. But our minds can be tricky, and get us into some really ugly places if we allow them to. I’ve mentioned before this phenomenon called negativity bias, where it is our brain’s natural tendency to focus on negative things, because evolutionarily that protected us from threats. But for most of us, we don’t really need that to be our predominant state. Obviously our minds are not a bad thing, and we need them to help us function in the world, but we must not let them become our master. We must learn to allow them to function as the beautiful servants that they are, without them taking over and wrecking our peace. We must train them to bring us back from these negative spirals, and instead remind us of all the good going on inside of us and around us.

Sooooooo, dharana, or one-pointed focused concentration, is training us to bring our awareness to one object, and to then maintain it there. Naturally, our minds will wander, and this is where the practice comes in. We just patiently practice, over and over again, gently bringing our awareness back to that point. And eventually, over time, we are able to stay focused, our minds learn to wander less, we are less fidgety, and more relaxed. Those fluctuations of the mind begin to settle, like the waves on a stormy sea settling down, until the mind becomes a vast body of tranquility and peace. Of course, those stormy seas with come again from time to time, but if we practice dharana, we will be able to calm them easily and return to our natural place of bliss and serenity.

So how do we do it? Well yoga asana is a great place to begin, as it takes much focus and concentration to be able to hold our bodies in certain positions for the prescribed time during our practice. Simple meditation practices, such as focusing on the sensations of the breath, or counting the breaths back from 10 are also great places to start. Just know that your mind will wander at first, and don’t get frustrated. Just as if you were training a frisky puppy, gently and lovingly redirect your awareness back to your point of focus each time it wanders. There are innumerable other meditation practices you can try as well, from candle gazing to mantra recitation, mindfulness practices, and more. There are even a number of phone apps these days that can get you started in your practice.

Yoga and all of the yogic practices are so good for us, in training our minds to work for us, not against us. Keep practicing friends. And I will too, so I can get through this upcoming testing without a meltdown. 😉

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Quote Investigator®

Tracing Quotations

Government Is Like Fire, a Dangerous Servant and a Fearful Master

George Washington? John Tillotson? Jonathan Swift? James Fenimore Cooper? Frederick Uttley Laycock? Robert Heinlein? Apocryphal?

Dear Quote Investigator: A cautionary statement about statecraft has often been attributed to George Washington. Here are three versions:

1) Government is like fire, a dangerous servant and a fearful master. 2) Government, like fire, is a troublesome servant and a terrible master. 3) A government is like fire, a handy servant, but a dangerous master.

Washington died in 1799, but I have seen no citations in the 1700s or 1800s; therefore, I am suspicious. Would you please examine the provenance of this remark?

Quote Investigator: Several researchers have attempted to trace this saying, and no substantive evidence supporting the ascription to George Washington has yet been located. The earliest linkage to Washington appeared in “The Christian Science Journal” in 1902 which was more than one hundred years after his death. Boldface has been added to excerpts: [1] 1902 November, The Christian Science Journal, Volume 20, Number 8, Liberty and Government by W. M., Start Page 465, Quote Page 465, Published by the Christian Science Publishing Society, Boston, … Continue reading

The first President of the United States said: “ Government is not reason, it is not eloquence,—it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant, and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”

The master-servant metaphorical framework has a very long history. In 1562 water was described as a good servant but a cruel master. The spelling of the period was not standardized as shown by this excerpt: [2] Year: Imprint date 1579 (Date on document 1562), Title: Bulleins bulwarke of defence against all sicknesse, soarenesse, and woundes that doe dayly assaulte mankinde: which bulwarke is kept with … Continue reading

Rayne water is bynding and stopping of nature, water is a very good seruaunt, but it is a cruell mayster.

In 1637 the report of a great conflagration led a writer to state that fire and water were both good servants but evil masters. Indeed, the context suggested that this assertion was already considered proverbial. The word “evil” was spelled “evill”: [3] Year: 1637, Title: Monro his expedition with the worthy Scots Regiment (called Mac-Keyes Regiment) levied in August 1626 by Sr. Donald Mac-Key Lord Rhees, colonell for his Majesties service of … Continue reading

… the Temple St Marke was almost all burnt, and the Dukes Palace was preserved with great difficulty; which verifies, that fire and water are good servants but evill masters.

A sermon in 1674 employed the master-servant figurative language by embedding it within a simile about fancy. Here “fancy” meant imagination with a strong connotation of desire: [4] 1674, A Supplement to the Morning-exercise at Cripple-gate Or Several More Cases of Conscience Practically, Resolved by Sundry Ministers, Sermon 19: The Sinfulness and Cure of Thoughts by Mr. S. C., … Continue reading

Fancy is like fire, a good Servant but a bad Master; if it march under the conduct of faith it may be highly serviceable, and by putting lively colours upon divine truth may steal away our affections to it.

The words attributed to George Washington followed the same template, but “government” was substituted for “fancy”. Examples presented below will show that over time each of the following terms has been placed into the simile template: “zeal”, “the passions”, “love”, and “the press”. In addition, the following terms have replaced “fire and water” within the proverb: “the bank”, “the press”, and “opium”. These examples are not meant to be exhaustive; instead, they illustrate the variability of the expressions.

Interestingly, the instances ascribed to Washington have shifted the semantics of the phrase about fire. Traditionally, fire was described as a good servant, but the revised remark used words such as dangerous and troublesome. Hence, the connotations of fire were negative as both a servant and a master.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

In 1682 the Archbishop of Canterbury John Tillotson preached a sermon titled “The Danger of Zeal without Knowledge”, and he employed the simile template with “zeal” instead of “government” or “fancy”: [5] Year: 1700, Title: Arch-Bishop Tillotson’s: Sixteen Sermons, Preached on Several Subjects and Occasions, Volume 2, Author: John Tillotson, Late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, Editor: Ralph … Continue reading

There is nothing oftner misleads Men, than a misguided Zeal; it is an ignis fatuus, a false fire, which often leads Men into Boggs and Precipices; it appears in the Night, in dark and ignorant and weak minds, and offers it self a guide to those who have lost their way; it is one of the most ungovernable Passions of Human Nature, and therefore requires great knowledge and judgment to manage it, and keep it within bounds. It is like fire, a good Servant, but a bad Master . . .

In 1732 a collection of adages and witty sayings called “Gnomologia” included two relevant entries. One entry repeated the proverb about fire and water, and the other entry placed “the passions” into the simile template: [6] 1732, Gnomologia: Adagies and Proverbs; Wise Sentences and Witty Sayings, Collected by Thomas Fuller, Quote Pages 58 and 203, Printed for B. Barker, A. Bettesworth, and C. Hitch, London. (Google … Continue reading

1) Fire and Water are good Servants, but bad Masters. 2) The Passions are like Fire and Water; good Servants but bad Masters.

In 1738 the prominent literary figure Jonathan Swift writing under the pseudonym Simon Wagstaff published “A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation”. The proverb about fire and water was included, but the context suggested that Swift was criticizing the banality of the speaker: [7] 1738, A Complete Collection of Genteel and Ingenious Conversation: According to the Most Polite Mode and Method Now Used at Court, and in the Best Companies of England by Simon Wagstaff (Jonathan … Continue reading

Ld. Sparkish. You know, his House was burnt down to the Ground. Col. Yes; it was in the News: Why Fire and Water are good Servants, but they are very bad Masters.

In 1746 an essay by Sir John Barnard about raising money for the British government employed a metaphor with the term “the Bank” replacing “Fire and Water” in the statement immediately above: [8] 1746, A Defence of Several Proposals for Raising of Three Millions for the Service of the Government for the Year 1746 by Sir John Barnard, Quote Page 33, Printed for J. Osborn, London. (Google Books … Continue reading

I say further, That the Bank is a very good Servant, but a very bad Master; and it would be very easy to prove, that the Bank depends as much, for their Flourishing, on the Favour of the Government, as the Government does on the Assistance of the Bank; and therefore the Benefits ought to be reciprocal.

In 1785 “The Gentleman’s Magazine” printed an article with a set of resolutions directed toward older people. The term “love” was placed into the simile template: [9] 1785 August, The Gentleman’s Magazine, Volume 55, A Set of Resolutions for Old Age, Start Page 581, Quote Page 582, Printed by John Nichols for David Henry, London. (Google Books Full View) link [10] 1785 September, The Edinburgh Magazine, or Literary Miscellany, Set of Resolutions, Start Page 125, Quote Page 126, Printed by MacFarquhar and Elliot for J. Sibbalp, Edinburgh. (Google Books Full … Continue reading

Love, like fire, is a good servant, but a bad master. Love is death, when the animal spirits are gone.

In 1809 a newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland described a dinner party that was attended by some members of the U.S. Congress. A toast offered at the event placed the term “the Press” into the proverb instead of “fire”: [11] 1809 July 11, Federal Republican, (News item from Lancaster, July 7), Quote Page 2, Column 5, Baltimore, Maryland. (GenealogyBank)

The Press—A good servant, but a bad master —may its freedom remain unimpaired; but may it never be encouraged in proscribing private character, or dictating measures to the representatives of the nation.

In 1832 a letter from a doctor that was published in “The Boston Morning Post” in Massachusetts placed the term “Opium” into the proverb instead of ‘fire”: [12] 1832 July 27, The Boston Morning Post (Boston Post) (Letter from W. Hunt M.D. about the treatment of cholera), Quote Page 2, Column 1, Boston, Massachusetts. (Newspapers_com)

Dr N. observes, in the first stage the most sedative treatment is essential, whilst in the second, the very opposite, that of excitation. I think Opium is a good servant, but a bad master.

In 1838 the popular novelist James Fenimore Cooper published a non-fiction work titled “The American Democrat”, and he included an instance of the simile using the term “the press”: [13] 1838, The American Democrat by J. Fenimore Cooper, On the Press, Start Page 124, Quote Page 125, Published by H. & E. Phinney, Cooperstown, New York. (Google Books Full View) link

It is a misfortune that necessity has induced men to accord greater license to this formidable engine, in order to obtain liberty, than can be borne with less important objects in view; for the press, like fire, is an excellent servant, but a terrible master.

In 1869 the famous showman Phineas Taylor Barnum published the memoir “Struggles and Triumphs: Or, Forty Years’ Recollections of P. T. Barnum”. He applied the simile to money: [14] 1869, Struggles and Triumphs: Or, Forty Years’ Recollections of P. T. Barnum by Phineas Taylor Barnum, Chapter 31: The Art of Money Getting, Quote Page 473 and 474, J. B. Burr & Company, … Continue reading

Money is in some respects like fire — it is a very excellent servant but a terrible master. When you have it mastering you, when interest is constantly piling up against you, it will keep you down in the worst kind of slavery. But let money work for you, and you have the most devoted servant in the world.

In 1902 in “The Christian Science Journal” printed the saying under examination with an ascription to George Washington as noted previously in this article:

In 1907 “Motives of Mankind: A Study of Human Evolutionary Forces by Frederick Uttley Laycock was published, and the term “government” was placed into the simile template, but Washington was not credited. This version referred to both fire and water. Also, the phrase “good servant” was used instead of “dangerous servant’; thus, the continuity with past instances was clearer: [15] 1907, Motives of Mankind: A Study of Human Evolutionary Forces by F. U. Laycock (Frederick Uttley Laycock), Quote Page 190, The Open Road Publishing Co., London. (Google Books full view) link

Government, like fire and water, may be a good servant, but is a bad master. It is not difficult to realise that when we think of the motives of the individual.

In 1915 the famous muckraking author Upton Sinclair released “The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest”, and he included a short item with the saying attributed to Washington: [16] 1915, The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest, Edited by Upton Sinclair, Quote page 305, Published by Upton Sinclair, New York and Pasadena, California. (Google Books … Continue reading

By George Washington (First president of the United States, 1732-1799) GOVERNMENT is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force! Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master; never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.

In 1927 a version of the simile with ‘government” was printed in “The Milwaukee Journal” of Wisconsin, and no attribution was given: [17] 1927 June 24, Milwaukee Journal, Where Newspapers Aid The Government, (Acknowledgement to Longview, Wash., News), Quote Page 2, Column 8, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Google News Archive)

Government, like fire, is a good servant, but a bad master. Let either once escape from the most rigorous control and its tendency is to spread in every direction and seize upon whatever it touches that can be converted into fuel to strengthen and extend it.

In 1929 a version of the simile was printed in the “St. Petersburg Times” of Florida, and no attribution was given: [18] 1929 January 15, St. Petersburg Times, The Good That Publicists Do, Section 1, Page 4, Column 2, St. Petersburg, Florida. (Google News Archive)

Government, like fire, is a good servant, but a bad master.

In 1966 the well-known science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein published the prize-winning novel “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” which included a futuristic instance of the simile: [19] 1987 (Copyright 1966), The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein, Quote Page 240 and 241, Published Ace Books, New York. (Verified with scans in 1987 edition; not yet verified in 1966 … Continue reading

Comrade Members, like fire and fusion, government is a dangerous servant and a terrible master. You now have freedom—if you can keep it. But do remember that you can lose this freedom more quickly to yourselves than to any other tyrant.

In conclusion, the connection of the saying to George Washington is currently unsupported. Yet, servant-master metaphors for fire and water have a long history that extends back before the birth of Washington. Also, the simile built on the metaphor was applied to “fancy” and “zeal” in the 1600s. Thus, QI would be unsurprised if future researchers locate examples before 1902 of the simile applied to “government”.

(Great thanks to Dennis Lien whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Many thanks to Barry Popik for his very valuable research on this topic located here . Special thanks to the reference “Respectfully Quoted” edited by Suzy Platt which examined this saying and provided evidence that the ascription to Washington was probably apocryphal.)

Update History: On December 28, 2016 the P.T. Barnum citation of 1869 was added to the article.

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• Christian Lange - Nobel Lecture: Internationalism

Christian Lange

Nobel lecture.

English Norwegian

Nobel Lecture * , December 13, 1921

(Translation)

Internationalism

In accordance with the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation, every prizewinner is supposed to deliver a public lecture on the work which earned him the prize. It has seemed natural for me, when fulfilling this obligation today, to try to give an account of the theoretical basis of the work which is being done for international peace and law, work of which my efforts form a part. It is probably superfluous to mention that this account is not original in any of its details; it must take its material from many fields in which I am only a layman. At best it can claim to be original only in the manner in which the material is assembled and in the spirit in which it is given.

I shall discuss Internationalism , and not “Pacifism”. The latter word has never appealed to me – it is a linguistic hybrid, directing one-sided attention to the negative aspect of the peace movement, the struggle against war; “antimilitarism” is a better word for this aspect of our efforts. Not that I stand aside from pacifism or antimilitarism; they constitute a necessary part of our work. But I endow these words with the special connotation (not universally accepted) of a moral theory; by pacifism I understand a moral protest against the use of violence and war in international relations. A pacifist will often – at least nowadays – be an internationalist and vice versa. But history shows us that a pacifist need not think internationally. Jesus of Nazareth was a pacifist; but all his utterances, insofar as they have survived, show that internationalism was quite foreign to him, for the very reason that he did not think politically at all; he was apolitical. If we were to place him in one of our present-day categories, we should have to call him an antimilitarist and an individualistic anarchist.

Internationalism is a social and political theory, a certain concept of how human society ought to be organized, and in particular a concept of how the nations ought to organize their mutual relations.

The two theories, nationalism and internationalism , stand in opposition to each other because they emphasize different aspects of this question. Thus, they often oppose each other on the use of principles in everyday politics, which for the most part involve decisions on individual cases. But there is nothing to hinder their final synthesis in a higher union – one might say in accordance with Hegel’s dialectic 1 . On the contrary. Internationalism also recognizes, by its very name, that nations do exist. It simply limits their scope more than one-sided nationalism does.

On the other hand, there is an absolute conflict between nationalism and cosmopolitanism . The latter looks away from and wants to remove national conflicts and differences, even in those fields where internationalism accepts, and even supports, the fact that nations should develop their own ways of life.

Like all social theories, internationalism must seek its basis in the economic and technical fields; here are to be found the most profound and the most decisive factors in the development of society. Other factors can play a role – for example, religious beliefs, which have often influenced the shaping of societies, or intellectual movements – but they are all of subsidiary importance, and sometimes of a derivative, secondary nature. The most important factors in the development of society are, economically, the possibility of a division of labor, and technically, the means of exchanging goods and ideas within the distribution system – in other words the degree of development reached by transport and communications at any particular time.

From ethnography and history we can discern three stages in the development of social groups, limited by the possibilities provided through economic and technical development: the nomadic horde whose members live from hand to mouth; the rural community (county) or city-state where the scope of the division of labor is restricted; the territorial state and the more or less extensive kingdom in which the division of labor and the exchange of goods reach larger proportions. Every time economic and technical development takes a step forward, forces emerge which attempt to create political forms for what, on the economic-technical plane, has already more or less become reality. This never comes about without a struggle. The past dies hard because the contemporary political organizations or holders of power seldom bend themselves willingly to the needs of the new age, and because past glories and traditions generally become transformed into poetic or religious symbols, emotional images, which must be repudiated by the practical and prosaic demands of the new age. Within each such social group, a feeling of solidarity prevails, a compelling need to work together and a joy in doing so that represent a high moral value. This feeling is often strengthened by the ruling religion, which is generally a mythical and mystical expression of the group feeling. War within the group is a crime, war against other groups a holy duty.

Today we stand on a bridge leading from the territorial state to the world community. Politically, we are still governed by the concept of the territorial state; economically and technically, we live under the auspices of worldwide communications and worldwide markets.

The territorial state is such an ancient form of society – here in Europe it dates back thousands of years – that it is now protected by the sanctity of age and the glory of tradition. A strong religious feeling mingles with the respect and the devotion to the fatherland.

The territorial state today is always ready to don its “national” costume: it sees in national feeling its ideal foundation. Historically, at least in the case of the older states, nationalism, the fatherland feeling, is a product of state feeling. Only recently, during the nineteenth century, and then only in Europe, do we meet forms of the state which have been created by a deliberate national feeling. In particular, the efforts to reestablish peace after the World War have been directed toward the formation of states and the regulation of their frontiers according to a consciously national program.

It is characteristic that this should take place just when it is becoming more and more clear to all who think about the matter, that technically and economically we have left the territorial state behind us. Modern techniques have torn down state frontiers, both economical and intellectual. The growth of means of transport has created a world market and an opportunity for division of labor embracing all the developed and most of the undeveloped states. Thus there has arisen a “mutual dependence” between the world’s different peoples, which is the most striking feature of present-day economic life. Just as characteristic, perhaps, is the intellectual interdependence created through the development of the modern media of communication: post, telegraph, telephone, and popular press. The simultaneous reactions elicited all over the world by the reading of newspaper dispatches about the same events create, as it were, a common mental pulse beat for the whole of civilized mankind. From San Francisco to Yokohama, from Hammerfest to Melbourne, people read at the same time about the famine in Russia, about the conference in Washington, about Roald Amundsen’s trip to the North Pole 2 . They may react differently, but they still react simultaneously.

The free trade movement in the middle of the last century represents the first conscious recognition of these new circumstances and of the necessity to adapt to them. Some years before the war, Norman Angell coined the word “interdependence” 3 to denote the situation that stamps the economic and spiritual culture of our time, and laid down a program for internationalism on the political level.

Inherent in the very idea of politics is the notion that it must always “come after”. Its task is to find external organizational forms for what has already been developed as a living reality in the economic, technical, and intellectual fields. In his telegram to the Nobel Committee recently, Hjalmar Branting 4 formulated the task of internationalism in exactly the right words when he described it as “working toward a higher form of development for world civilization”.

The World War showed how very necessary it is that this work be brought to a victorious conclusion. It is a matter of nothing less than our civilization’s “to be or not to be”. Europe cannot survive another world war.

Moreover, if the territorial state is to continue as the last word in the development of society, then war is inevitable. For the state by its nature claims sovereignty , the right to an unlimited development of power, determined only by self-interest. It is by nature anarchistic. The theoretically unrestricted right to develop power, to wage war against other states, is antisocial and is doubly dangerous, because the state as a mass entity represents a low moral and intellectual level. It is an accepted commonplace in psychology that the spiritual level of people acting as a crowd is far lower than the mean of each individual’s intelligence or morality. Therefore, all hope of a better future for mankind rests on the promotion of “a higher form of development for world civilization”, an all-embracing human community. Are we right in adopting a teleological viewpoint, a belief that a radiant and beneficent purpose guides the fate of men and of nations and will lead us forward to that higher stage of social development? In propaganda work we must necessarily build upon such an optimistic assumption. Propaganda must appeal to mankind’s better judgment and to the necessary belief in a better future. For this belief, the valley of the shadow of death is but a war station on the road to the blessed summit.

But teleological considerations can lead no further than to a belief and a hope. They do not give certainty. History shows us that other highly developed forms of civilization have collapsed. Who knows whether the same fate does not await our own?

Is there any real scientific basis for the concept of internationalism apart from the strictly sociological approach?

For thousands of years, prophets and thinkers have pointed to the unity of mankind as constituting such a basis. The idea was developed in theory by the Greek philosophers, especially by the Stoics, and from them early Christianity took it up as a moral-religious principle, preaching the doctrine of God as the universal father, and that of the brotherhood of man. The idea was revived as a confirmed maxim at the beginning of more recent times by a number of writers – among them, the heretical Sebastian Franck 5 , the Jesuit Suárez, one of the founders of modern international law 6 , and Amos Comenius, the last bishop of the Moravian Brethren and the father of modern teaching. With Comenius, the concept actually acquires a physiological tinge when he writes: “Thus we human beings are like a body which retains its individuality throughout all its limbs.” 7 Thereafter, the idea was kept alive in Western cultures. It dominated the leading minds during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, from William Penn and Leibnitz to Wergeland and Emerson 8 .

In recent times, biology has found a totally rational and genuinely scientific basis for the concept. The unity of mankind is a physiological fact. It was the German Weismann’s 9 study of jellyfish (1883) that opened the approach to such an understanding. Other scholars went on to prove that the law which Weismann had applied to jellyfish applied equally to all species of animals, including man. It is called the law of “continuity of the germ plasm”.

Upon the union of the male germ cell with the female egg cell, a new cell is created which almost immediately splits into two parts. One of these grows rapidly, creating the human body of the individual with all its organs, and dies only with the individual. The other part remains as living germ plasm in the male body and as ova in the female. In this way there live in each one of us actual, tangible, traceable cells which come from our parents and from their parents and ancestors before them, and which – through conception – can in turn become our children and our children’s children. Each of us is, literally and physiologically, a link in the big chain that makes up mankind.

All analogies break down at some point. And yet it seems to me appropriate to look upon mankind as a mighty tree, with branches and twigs to which individuals are attached as leaves, flowers, and fruit. They live their individual, semi-independent lives; they

Wake, grow and live, Change, age and die. 10

The tree, however, remains and continues, with its branches and twigs and shoots, and with constantly renewed leaves, flowers, and fruit. The latter have their small, short, personal lives. There are leaves that wither and fall unnoticed to the ground; there are flowers which gladden with their scent and color; there are fruits which can give nourishment and growth. Leaves, flowers, and fruit come and go in countless numbers; they establish connections with each other so that a net, with innumerable intersections, embraces the whole tree. It is at this point that our analogy breaks down – but the tree is one, and mankind is one single organism.

During the World War, two natural scientists, independently but with the same purpose in mind, developed and clarified the significance for internationalism of this biological conception 11 . Their work, especially the second author’s application of the theory, with which many natural scientists disagree, need not concern us here. Of sole use to us is the fact on which it is based. I wish only to draw a single conclusion: if mankind is a physiological entity, then war-international war no less than civil war – is suicide, a degradation of mankind. Hence, internationalism acquires an even stronger support and a firmer foundation to build on than that which purely social considerations can give.

The consequences and applications of the theory of internationalism, as it is here defined and supported, are not difficult to establish. They appear in the economic and political fields. But their fundamental importance in the purely spiritual fields is limited.

Economically, the consequences of internationalism are obvious and have already been hinted at. The main concept is that of an international solidarity expressed in practice through worldwide division of labor: free trade is the principal point in the program of internationalism. This also agrees with the latest ideas and theories in the field of natural science. Concord, solidarity, and mutual help are the most important means of enabling animal species to survive. All species capable of grasping this fact manage better in the struggle for existence than those which rely upon their own strength alone: the wolf, which hunts in a pack, has a greater chance of survival than the lion, which hunts alone. Kropotkin 12 has fully illustrated this idea with examples from animal life and has also applied it to the social field in his book Mutual Aid (1902).

It is necessary to linger in a little more detail over the political consequences of internationalism. Here the task is to devise patterns of organization for the concept of world unity and cooperation between the nations. That, in a word, is the great and dominating political task of our time.

Earlier ages fortified themselves behind the sovereign state, behind protectionism and militarism. They were subject to what Norman Angell called the “optical illusion” that a human being increased his stature by an inch if the state of which he was a citizen annexed a few more square miles to rule over, and that it was beneficial for a state to be economically self-supporting, in the sense that it required as few goods as possible from abroad. This national protectionism was originally formulated by the American Alexander Hamilton 13 , one of the fathers of the United States Constitution; it was then transplanted by the German Friedrich Lists 14 from American to European soil where it was converted to use in the protectionist agitation in all the European countries.

Hand in hand with nationalist economic isolationism, militarism struggles to maintain the sovereign state against the forward march of internationalism. No state is free from militarism, which is inherent in the very concept of the sovereign state. There are merely differences of degree in the militarism of states. A state is more militaristic the more it allows itself to be guided by considerations of military strategy in its external and internal policies. The classic example here is the Prussian-German kaiser-state before, and especially during, the World War. Militarism is basically a way of thinking, a certain interpretation of the function of the state; this manner of thinking is, moreover, revealed by its outer forms: by armaments and state organization.

It is against this concept of the sovereign state, a state isolated by protectionism and militarism, that internationalism must now engage in decisive battle. The sovereign state has in our times become a lethal danger to human civilization because technical developments enable it to employ an infinite number and variety of means of destruction. Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master. The independent state’s armaments, built up in a militaristic spirit, with unlimited access to modern methods of destruction, are a danger to the state and to others. From this point of view we can see how important work for disarmament is; it is not only a task of economic importance, which will save unproductive expenditure, but also a link in the efforts to demilitarize – or we might say, to civilize – the states, to remove from them the temptation to adopt an arbitrary anarchical policy, to which their armaments subject them.

If the sovereign state were supported only by the narrow, self-serving ideas embodied in economic isolationism and militarism, it would not be able to count on a secure existence, for internationalism could wage a fairly effective fight against it. But the sovereign state is also sustained by a spiritual principle: it claims to be “national”, to represent the people’s individuality as a distinct section of mankind.

It has already been said that in most states the “nation” is a product of the state, not the basis for the creation of the state. And when it is asserted that these “nations” have anthropological character of their own, a “racial” character, the answer must be that the state which is inhabited by an anthropologically pure race is yet to be found. Scientific investigations prove that there is in all countries an endless crossbreeding between the various constituents of the population. A “pure race” does not exist at all. Furthermore, although various external anthropological distinctions – the shape of the head, the hair, the color of skin – are exact enough in themselves, we cannot prove that any intellectual or spiritual traits are associated with them.

And “nationality” is nothing if not a spiritual phenomenon. Renan has given the valid definition: “A nation is a part of mankind which expresses the will to be a nation; a nation’s existence is a continuous, daily plebiscite – un plébiscite de tous les jours.” 15 The first clause is a circular definition. It is both sharply delimited and totally exhaustive because it puts the emphasis on the will to be a nation. The concept of nationality thus moves into the realm of the spiritual. There it belongs, and there it should stay.

Internationalism will not eradicate these spiritual distinctions. On the contrary, it will develop national characteristics, protect their existence, and free their development. Internationalism differs in this from cosmopolitanism. The latter wants to wipe out or at least to minimize all national characteristics, even in the spiritual field. Internationalism on the other hand admits that spiritual achievements have their roots deep in national life; from this national consciousness art and literature derive their character and strength and on it even many of the humanistic sciences are firmly based.

Diversity in national intellectual development, distinctive character in local self-government – both of these are wholly compatible with inter-nationalism, which indeed is really a prerequisite for a rich and varied development.

It is the political authority over common interests that internationalism wants to transfer to a common management. Thus, a world federation, in which individual nations linked in groups can participate as members, is the political ideal of internationalism. Before the war, a first groping step was taken in this direction with the work at The Hague 16 . The League of Nations marks the first serious and conscious attempt to approach that goal.

A definition of internationalism along the lines which have here been discussed could take the following form:

Internationalism is a community theory of society which is founded on economic, spiritual, and biological facts. It maintains that respect for a healthy development of human society and of world civilization requires that mankind be organized internationally. Nationalities should form the constitutive links in a great world alliance, and must be guaranteed an independent life in the realm of the spiritual and for locally delimited tasks, while economic and political objectives must be guided internationally in a spirit of peaceful cooperation for the promotion of mankind’s common interests.

One last word.

Has this theory of internationalism any relevance to our religious needs, to the claim to eternity that irresistibly arises in the soul of every thinking and feeling person?

There are surely many of us who can only regard the belief in personal immortality as a claim which must remain unproved – a projection of the eternity concept onto the personal level.

Should we then be compelled to believe that the theory of materialism expressed in the old Arab parable of the bush whose leaves fall withered to the ground and die without leaving a trace behind, truly applies to the family of man?

It seems to me that the theory of mankind’s organic unity and eternal continuity raises the materialistic view to a higher level.

The idea of eternity lives in all of us. We thirst to live in a belief which raises our small personality to a higher coherence – a coherence which is human and yet superhuman, absolute and yet steadily growing and developing, ideal and yet real.

Can this desire ever be fulfilled? It seems to be a contradiction in terms.

And yet there is a belief which satisfies this desire and resolves the contradiction.

It is the belief in the unity of mankind.

* Dr. Lange delivered this lecture at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. This translation is based on the Norwegian text in Les Prix Nobel en 1921-1922.

1. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831), German philosopher in whose view a concept (thesis) interacts with another concept (antithesis) to form a new concept (synthesis) which in turn becomes a new thesis.

2. The Russian famine of 1921-1922, the Washington Conference on naval armaments and Far-Eastern questions (November 12, 1921-February 6, 1922), and the Arctic expedition of the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), were all in the news at the time of the laureate’s lecture.

3. Norman Angell (1872-1967), recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1933, in The Great Illusion (1910).

4. Hjalmar Branting (1860-1925), co-recipient, with Lange, of the Peace Prize for 1921.

5. Sebastian Franck [Franck von Wörd] (1499?-1543), German free thinker and religious writer who left Catholic priesthood to join the Lutheran Church but later separated from it.

6. Francisco Suárez (1548-1617), Spanish theologian and scholastic philosopher who refuted the patriarchal theory of government.

7. John Amos Comenius (1592-1670), Czech theologian and educational innovator; the quotation is from his Panegersia (1645).

8. William Penn (1644-1718), English Quaker and founder of Pennsylvania in North America. Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz (1646-1716), German philosopher and mathematician. Henrik Arnold Wergeland (1808-1845), Norwegian poet, playwright, and patriot. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882), American essayist, poet, and philosopher.

9. August Weismann (1834-1914), German biologist.

10. “vekkes, spirer og födes,/skifier, eldes og dödes.”

11. Chalmers Mitchell, Evolution and the War (London, 1915). G.F. Nicolai, Die Biologie des Krieges (2nd ed., Zurich, 1919; the second edition, but not the first, was supervised by the author himself).

12. Prince Peter Alexeivich Kropotkin (1842-1921), Russian geographer, social phi-losopher, and revolutionary.

13. Alexander Hamilton (1757?-1804), first U.S. secretary of the treasury (1789-1795).

14. Georg Friedrich List (1789-1846), German born economist, naturalized American citizen who returned to Germany as U.S. consul.

15. Ernest Renan (1823-1892), French philologist, historian, and philosopher; the quotation is from “Qu’est-ce que c’est qu’une nation?” (1882), a lecture delivered at the Sorbonne.

16. The Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907.

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