Deciding on a course of action

We covered two of the four basic steps of the mind introduced in a previous post.

• Read the surroundings the body is in
• Pick a best possible rule to apply for the situation
• Decide on a course of action
• Physically direct the body

Having chosen a best rule to apply in the given situation, the person now has to choose between different courses of action each with it's own probability of a favorable outcome.

The action with the lowest odds for a favorable outcome provides the greatest opportunity for growth. There are no guarantee of a favorable outcome even when the chosen action has the greatest odds for favourable outcome.

Deciding on a course of action is a personal choice and is usually a reflection of a persons personality. A wrong choice of action is the one that provides no opportunity for growth or a favorable outcome for the person.

Wisdom helps in balancing growth and favorable outcome. Wisdom does not guarantee a favorable outcome all our lives but improves our chances tremendously.

To decide a course of action a person needs knowledge of the situation, possible outcomes of various actions, a understanding of the various causal relationships involved. Common sense can comes in handy in new situations. Knowledge makes this step a lot easier.

Once a course of action is decided, implementing that action has it's own challenges. The next post will discuss the last step taken by the mind before it starts with step one again.

Applying rules

The second step on the working of the mind is the application of rules to situations.

A rule is a simple statement of cause and affect. We all have a repertoire of rules in our minds and we pick rules from this repertoire to suit the surroundings and our emotions. These rules by necessity are generic in nature because we never know what situation we will be in a future moment.

Because these rules are generic and are usually derived based on information outside of us,

I call them "Universal Principles". Most of these rules are formed from our own individual experiences and learning from others. Sometimes, we come up with a new rule and check it out if it works.

Very few people that have the luxury of time and intellect are able to contemplate on the rules they use in their daily lives.

Awareness of these universal principles is necessary to make sure we are picking the right one for the circumstance. Wise people over time, have made statements ( proverbs, words of wisdom, rules of conduct ) that people have followed as rules for long periods of time. These statements are general true and hold true in most circumstances.

Most of the time application of these universal principles to situations happens automatically like any other habit and the intent is always for gratification of life.

Understanding the universal principles is critical to ensure appropriateness of the application.

There are always more than one principle that could be used. The number of rules that come into play is directly related to the complexity of the situation.

We also have another set of rules about the rules themselves to help us in more complex situations. We call these rules. VALUES.

Values help us sort through the myriad of rules we can apply in a complex situation. Sometimes, talking to others, help us decide which rule to pick in a trying situation.

So to be good at step two, we need to be aware of all our rules, have a consistent set of values to resolve any confusion in the choices we make about the rules to apply.