Containers and containment

A container as we all know is something that holds something within it. Contain also means to limit. So, apart from containing something within, a container also limits the contents to its own limits. The contents can never become larger than the container. So far, this reads like something out of a dictionary. True enough, but its relevance cannot be over emphasized, as the rest of the article attempts to prove it.

The mind is a container for our thoughts. We often think that we can think about just about anything that we want, but in reality, it is different. Fantasizing is one thing, thinking is another. To a large extent, even fantasies are bound by the restrictions placed by the container, the mind.
When Jules Verne wrote about nuclear submarines and scuba diving equipment which would enable the diver to stay underwater for prolonged periods of time as he could carry his own supply of oxygen, this was clearly a fantasy, but one which was well beyond the scope of an average man's fantasy, during his time. How then was he able to come up with something so fantastic? It's only because he stretched the limits of his container, or even disallowed its existence. Often, when we read the works of celebrated philosophers, scientists and writers, we feel that they were way ahead of their times. In reality, all they did (although this was the toughest part) was to suspend their own disbelief. They refused outright to be limited by the bounds imposed by the container of their thoughts, their minds.

I have read that animals kept in captivity for extended periods of time do not even make an attempt to leave their cages, even if the door is left open, as their minds are thoroughly conditioned to believe that they are not open. They have resigned themselves to their fate and have accepted blindly the limits of their freedom. All too often, we are in similar situations ourselves.
If there is something that we feel is beyond us, more often than not, it is a result of the conditioning of our mind. If we refuse to accept it at face value and try to explore beyond, chances are that we will find that we can achieve a great deal more, but we often don't possess the courage required to do so.

The movie 'The Matrix' shows us an over simplified version of the same, time and again. One of the most memorable scenes is one in which Morpheus, one of the central characters asks Neo, the protagonist, to jump from the roof of a very tall building, to the roof of another building right across the street. Neo stares in disbelief while Morpheus tries to explain to him that the rules of gravitation do not apply in that particular dimension of the world, and that if only he believes that he can make the jump, he can. He demonstrates it by jumping himself, but Neo tries and still fails. Only because he cannot suspend his own disbelief. In another scene, when Neo sees a young boy bending a spoon, a la Uri Geller, he is stupefied, but the boy explains to him that he only needs to think that the spoon is one with him and he can do it. Neo goes on to do just that and succeeds in bending the spoon.

The point is lost on many people as they stick to the examples provided while ignoring the message 'contained' within. We need not be able to jump fifty feet or bend spoons to break the shackles imposed upon us by our own minds. We just need to realize that we can overcome several of these limitations. I have seen people lose long standing fears just because they made an attempt to conquer them. I have always been extremely nervous about things as mundane as swings and a ferris-wheel, but I decided that I had to do something that would throw my fears right out of the window, and so signed up for a bungee jump.
What happened next was something that was totally unexpected. Not only did my violent fear disappear, but I enjoyed myself so thoroughly that I did the jump two more times!

Anybody can overcome any fear and cross over any mental barrier, if only they are willing to suspend their own disbelief. Once that perceived myth is busted, the mind automatically increases the bounds of the container, giving one more room. Keep busting the myths and see how the horizon pans out. Happy exploring!