I've noticed a pattern in any kind of frustration that I've ever experienced. It's an amazing discovery because when patterns are found in problems it is easier to find solutions for them - and I believe I have a solution to frustration or anxiety of any kind. It comes from an understanding of our hearts, minds, and will power.
My eight year old came home one day from school with a book about idioms. He died laughing as he read the text and looked at the artists’ literal interpretation of the idioms contained in the book. You might imagine the literal cartoons that would go along with figurative expressions like ‘I laughed my heart out’, or ‘keep your eye on the ball’. Everyone in the family thought the book was very entertaining, and we still find that the images come back to our minds when we hear certain idioms.
But I have since come to recognize the frequent use of idioms in American vernacular and now appreciate them for more than their entertainment value. Idioms are often used when words don’t come easily to describe a certain idea or emotion. Therefore it follows that deeper understanding can be found by exploring the cultural context of idiom expressions.
Since idiom-lore has been introduced to me by my son, I have recognized that scriptures are full of them. The emotional matters that perplex society today also required unusual expressions in order to be explained by ancient Hebrews and Greeks who authored our scriptures. The Holy Bible has had a pervasive influence on America. An interesting monolog[1] on the subject highlights the important role the bible played in early New England. Schools and churches alike used the bible to teach literacy. Over the last 400 years as our ancestors learned to read and write from translated Hebrew and Greek scriptural texts, which taught not only English words, but Hebrew and Greek phrasing styles and idioms, which are now inherent components of English culture. This is doubly true for Latter-day Saints whose doctrinal canon includes The Book of Mormon in addition to the Holy Bible - a book which was also authored by Hebrews and which uses the same idiom expressions as contained in the Bible.
Idioms I hear most often are expressed in relation to human emotions, and particularly emotions related to the heart. An idiom website I found had over one hundred idioms related to the heart. Among them were: A change of heart. Bless your heart. Aching heart. Heart of stone. Faint of heart. Open heart. The list goes on. Idioms are not difficult to understand in light of their cultural context. For example, it is common knowledge that to have a change of heart involves a change in understanding or outlook, not the literal exchange of the organ in the rib cage for a new one. But to describe a change of heart and what brought that change about can take some effort. Therefore, a silly play on words has come to over-arch the difficult task of verbose explanation.
One such idiom type gives functions from one body part to another, in a sort of playful way, yet its meaning is clear. Consider the biblical euphemism, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he[2]. The part of man usually understood to be at the center of thinking is the brain, not the heart. Or the expression peace of mind. Feelings such as peace are typically associated with the heart, but this expression applies the feeling of peace to the organ typically associated with thought, or the brain.
Another great idiom found in many[3] scriptures uses the phrase blindness of mind. Blindness is a condition typically associated with visual sensory abilities rather than the mind. While we know the mind cannot see in the same way our eyes do, we inherently know through this idiom that when we engage in sinful behavior, the result on our will to learn spiritual truths is exactly like the darkness that falls upon our eyes at night, preventing us to see the world as it truly is. These illogical expressions work to teach spiritual lessons very well.
Through scriptural idioms, we find hearts that can think, minds that can feel and see; hearts that make noise, walk, move, are fixed, perish, play music, are ravished, have wisdom, trust and rejoice, and hearts that understand[4]. Through each word play we can learn some deeper lesson about the nature of our hearts - lessons that can only come through study and meditation.
But of the many sensory experiences attributed to the heart, three in particular were known to coexist in the Hebrew understanding of the word, Lebab, or heart. These functions are knowing, feeling, and willing.[5] This insight adds understanding into the many scriptures[6] that refer to loving or serving with heart (feeling), mind (knowing), and might or strength (willing). In Hebrew it would not have been necessary to separate these functions into different words as we do in English, for each was commonly understood as an inherent component of the heart.
Hebrews and Greeks further considered the heart to be the center or core of all emotions and passions.[7] Another variation of the word heart as used by Hebrews and Greeks is a word that relates to breath, as in ‘the breath of life’ that was breathed into Adam’s nostrils by God when he gave him life. Further, there is another word that describes the heart as the sort of breath that exists in inanimate life such as plants. So all living things have hearts as it were, but Hebrew draws a fine line between human hearts and the hearts of other living things, a concept essentially missing in English. In other words, the vast array of heart derived emotions we feel as human beings are what set us apart from other animals; they are in fact what make us human.
According to modern science, the feeling aspect of the figurative heart has its literal home in the limbic system of the brain. Interestingly, this complex arrangement of neurons and structures is positioned at the brains’ center or core. Neuro-science explains that the limbic system “is involved with many of the expressions that make us human, namely, emotions, behavior, and states of feeling” [8]. Perhaps it is no mistake that Hebrew and science acknowledge the origin of emotion to be at the core.
The Hebrews had an advanced perspective on the multiple functions and interconnected relationships of the heart, and understood it to be the center of man. Through a process of time and through language and cultural changes these intricate inner heart relationships seem to have lost their meaning, and seem to have become understood as independent functions. It is as though the two have been divorced from one another and people must choose between them.
Those who favor intellect increase in objective intelligence, while those prone to feeling grow in their emotions, but I observe few who have found a harmonious balance between the two. This widening gap between the two characteristics becomes evident as intellectuals downplay emotion as irrational, while emotion prone individuals scoff intellectuals as being smart but lacking in common sense. But it is the general misunderstanding of society that has been relocated - intellect and emotional connectedness are as associated today as they ever were among the Hebrews, whether we realize it or not.
I find the shifting of society's general views interesting, sometimes confusing, and always worth studying. In my professional field of Geographic Information Science, the relationships of observable patterns and trends in the material world are analyzed and visually represented on a map where conclusions may then be drawn. I have learned that this pattern of thinking and analysis can be extended into the non-material but nevertheless, real world. Our individual and collective dynamically shifting moral views can also be mapped, and powerful conclusions can be reached.
My eight year old came home one day from school with a book about idioms. He died laughing as he read the text and looked at the artists’ literal interpretation of the idioms contained in the book. You might imagine the literal cartoons that would go along with figurative expressions like ‘I laughed my heart out’, or ‘keep your eye on the ball’. Everyone in the family thought the book was very entertaining, and we still find that the images come back to our minds when we hear certain idioms.But I have since come to recognize the frequent use of idioms in American vernacular and now appreciate them for more than their entertainment value. Idioms are often used when words don’t come easily to describe a certain idea or emotion. Therefore it follows that deeper understanding can be found by exploring the cultural context of idiom expressions.
Since idiom-lore has been introduced to me by my son, I have recognized that scriptures are full of them. The emotional matters that perplex society today also required unusual expressions in order to be explained by ancient Hebrews and Greeks who authored our scriptures. The Holy Bible has had a pervasive influence on America. An interesting monolog[1] on the subject highlights the important role the bible played in early New England. Schools and churches alike used the bible to teach literacy. Over the last 400 years as our ancestors learned to read and write from translated Hebrew and Greek scriptural texts, which taught not only English words, but Hebrew and Greek phrasing styles and idioms, which are now inherent components of English culture. This is doubly true for Latter-day Saints whose doctrinal canon includes The Book of Mormon in addition to the Holy Bible - a book which was also authored by Hebrews and which uses the same idiom expressions as contained in the Bible.
Idioms I hear most often are expressed in relation to human emotions, and particularly emotions related to the heart. An idiom website I found had over one hundred idioms related to the heart. Among them were: A change of heart. Bless your heart. Aching heart. Heart of stone. Faint of heart. Open heart. The list goes on. Idioms are not difficult to understand in light of their cultural context. For example, it is common knowledge that to have a change of heart involves a change in understanding or outlook, not the literal exchange of the organ in the rib cage for a new one. But to describe a change of heart and what brought that change about can take some effort. Therefore, a silly play on words has come to over-arch the difficult task of verbose explanation.
One such idiom type gives functions from one body part to another, in a sort of playful way, yet its meaning is clear. Consider the biblical euphemism, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he[2]. The part of man usually understood to be at the center of thinking is the brain, not the heart. Or the expression peace of mind. Feelings such as peace are typically associated with the heart, but this expression applies the feeling of peace to the organ typically associated with thought, or the brain.
Another great idiom found in many[3] scriptures uses the phrase blindness of mind. Blindness is a condition typically associated with visual sensory abilities rather than the mind. While we know the mind cannot see in the same way our eyes do, we inherently know through this idiom that when we engage in sinful behavior, the result on our will to learn spiritual truths is exactly like the darkness that falls upon our eyes at night, preventing us to see the world as it truly is. These illogical expressions work to teach spiritual lessons very well.
Through scriptural idioms, we find hearts that can think, minds that can feel and see; hearts that make noise, walk, move, are fixed, perish, play music, are ravished, have wisdom, trust and rejoice, and hearts that understand[4]. Through each word play we can learn some deeper lesson about the nature of our hearts - lessons that can only come through study and meditation.
But of the many sensory experiences attributed to the heart, three in particular were known to coexist in the Hebrew understanding of the word, Lebab, or heart. These functions are knowing, feeling, and willing.[5] This insight adds understanding into the many scriptures[6] that refer to loving or serving with heart (feeling), mind (knowing), and might or strength (willing). In Hebrew it would not have been necessary to separate these functions into different words as we do in English, for each was commonly understood as an inherent component of the heart.
Hebrews and Greeks further considered the heart to be the center or core of all emotions and passions.[7] Another variation of the word heart as used by Hebrews and Greeks is a word that relates to breath, as in ‘the breath of life’ that was breathed into Adam’s nostrils by God when he gave him life. Further, there is another word that describes the heart as the sort of breath that exists in inanimate life such as plants. So all living things have hearts as it were, but Hebrew draws a fine line between human hearts and the hearts of other living things, a concept essentially missing in English. In other words, the vast array of heart derived emotions we feel as human beings are what set us apart from other animals; they are in fact what make us human.
According to modern science, the feeling aspect of the figurative heart has its literal home in the limbic system of the brain. Interestingly, this complex arrangement of neurons and structures is positioned at the brains’ center or core. Neuro-science explains that the limbic system “is involved with many of the expressions that make us human, namely, emotions, behavior, and states of feeling” [8]. Perhaps it is no mistake that Hebrew and science acknowledge the origin of emotion to be at the core.
The Hebrews had an advanced perspective on the multiple functions and interconnected relationships of the heart, and understood it to be the center of man. Through a process of time and through language and cultural changes these intricate inner heart relationships seem to have lost their meaning, and seem to have become understood as independent functions. It is as though the two have been divorced from one another and people must choose between them.
Those who favor intellect increase in objective intelligence, while those prone to feeling grow in their emotions, but I observe few who have found a harmonious balance between the two. This widening gap between the two characteristics becomes evident as intellectuals downplay emotion as irrational, while emotion prone individuals scoff intellectuals as being smart but lacking in common sense. But it is the general misunderstanding of society that has been relocated - intellect and emotional connectedness are as associated today as they ever were among the Hebrews, whether we realize it or not.
I find the shifting of society's general views interesting, sometimes confusing, and always worth studying. In my professional field of Geographic Information Science, the relationships of observable patterns and trends in the material world are analyzed and visually represented on a map where conclusions may then be drawn. I have learned that this pattern of thinking and analysis can be extended into the non-material but nevertheless, real world. Our individual and collective dynamically shifting moral views can also be mapped, and powerful conclusions can be reached.
Personal Shifting
I have observed within myself and others continual movement and shifting of beliefs and feelings about those beliefs. Feelings often fall out of synchronization with beliefs as we sift through our values; what matters or doesn’t matter to us, and to what degree of importance certain ideologies have within our cores. This necessary continual state of flux is driven by the discord that exists when our hearts and minds do not agree and are therefore separated by some degree. At such times we feel an internal state of turmoil and unrest which naturally moves us to either change our mind to satisfy the conditions of our heart, or to change our heart to appease the demands of the mind, ultimately seeking peace of mind and heart once more. This continual state of internal mental and emotional shifting finds resolution as knowledge and emotion find unity and result in confidence and peace.
This shifting and moving can be modeled and analyzed, but might best be understood by exploring an emotional or moral dilemma. The following model is my explanation for the spiritually shifting attitudes faced by individuals who are spiritually active, less active, apostate, or otherwise. We will consider an individual's heart, mind, and will when facing the moral decision to drink alcohol.
Phase 1 exists as this particular person was taught that alcohol consumption is wrong. They know it, feel it is a right principle, and their actions or will follow through. Initially the three components of the heart represented by points in a model are synchronized, unified, or harmonious.
Phase 2 commences when curiosity of the constantly discussed flavor or effects of alcohol consumption become overpowering and the person yields to it. Willpower has shifted, leaving belief and feeling behind, and creating a separation now called dissonance, or discordance. Discordance can not be tolerated for sustainable amounts of time. It is human nature to resolve dissonance as soon as possible. In this state of discord the subject must choose how to reconcile this dissonance, and can either bring their will power back in accordance with belief and knowledge, or belief and knowledge must yield to their will.
Phase 3 begins when the second shifting takes place, which shifting is either made by will, belief, or feeling. If unity exists among the three components, the cycle is complete. If not, a third or fourth shifting will take place until unity is reached. Either movement will bring unity of heart and result in a feeling of relief, or perhaps some degree of peace, which comes from unity alone. But that unity of heart may or may not be in accordance with God's will. This phase is complete when unity is achieved. In short, unity is the goal and reward.
NOTE: Once personal unity is arrived at, the individual feels a sense of peace, happiness, confidence, etc. I believe this peace, whether based in righteousness or wickedness is a tender gift from a Loving God. However, when this feeling of satisfaction is arrived at through wickedness, I believe it is only a matter of time before the individual will recognize that their newly found unity of heart, is out of unity with God's will, and then a new dissonance will emerge. At this point the model begins again, and will ultimately find personal unity of heart, mind, and will, and best of all, totally synchronized with the will of God.
“This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God”.[9] As spiritual and immature offspring of Deity, we have been given the divine gift of mortality; a testing ground designed to challenge our minds and hearts and which provides experiences for us to choose how we will react to difficulties, and how we allow mortality to shape us. The very act of physical separation from God into a state of discord with him is evidence of his love and mercy. As I said before, separation or dissonance is the motivating factor that causes a yearning for reunion. The way our hearts and minds align with his will in the end is of most importance. Just as our hearts and minds are in a constant state of shifting and moving ultimately seeking unity and peace, we ourselves move and shift in our relationship with God. As we try out his doctrines and prove them true in our lives we experience unity with him, or as we fail to understand and feel the importance of his doctrines, we fall out of unity. But the discordant state that exists when two parts are not on equal ground always moves us to resolution and peace again as long as we don't smother the dissonance and sweep it under the rug. It may not be our preferred time scale, and may not even be in this life, but the ultimate day of reconciliation will come.
The movement of the heart and mind we experience in life relative to each other, and their collective movement in relation to God’s heart and mind can be characterized in four phases. I have attempted to ‘map’ the locations of these movements in the graph below, which is perhaps a model more than a map. I can’t think of any discordant mortal experience that doesn't have a place on this map. Our individual experiences are so diverse and unique that I couldn't begin to name them all, but any experience we face has a place in this model. My hope is that my reader will perhaps consider their own personal discordance's and apply them to this model, and in the process consider the ultimate goal of reaching personal unity of heart and mind first of all, and secondly that they may bring their unified heart and mind into unity with God’s will, perhaps with a few necessary adjustments. Such is my greatest desire that all my spiritual brothers and sisters will do so as we work to return to our Father in Heaven.
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[1] David D. Hall. Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in Early New England. See chapter 1
[2] Proverbs 23:7
[3] 2 Corinthians 3: 14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Alma 48:3; 1 Ne. 7:8; 1 Ne. 17:30; 3 Ne. 2:1
[4] Jeremiah 4:19; Ezekiel 11:21; Isaiah 7:2; Psalms 57:7; Jeremiah 4:9; Jeremiah 48:36; Song of Solomon 4:9; Exodus 36:2; Psalms 28:7; John 12:40
[5] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7436-heart
[6] Mark 12:30; Matt. 22:37; Deut. 6:5; Luke 10:27; Moro. 10:32; Doctrine and Covenants 59:5
[7] See http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3824.html
[8] Strominger, Norman L; Demarest, Robert J.; Laemle, Lois B.; Noback’s Human Nervous System, Seventh Edition: Structure and Function.
[9] See Alma 34:32-34
“This life is the time for men to prepare to meet God”.[9] As spiritual and immature offspring of Deity, we have been given the divine gift of mortality; a testing ground designed to challenge our minds and hearts and which provides experiences for us to choose how we will react to difficulties, and how we allow mortality to shape us. The very act of physical separation from God into a state of discord with him is evidence of his love and mercy. As I said before, separation or dissonance is the motivating factor that causes a yearning for reunion. The way our hearts and minds align with his will in the end is of most importance. Just as our hearts and minds are in a constant state of shifting and moving ultimately seeking unity and peace, we ourselves move and shift in our relationship with God. As we try out his doctrines and prove them true in our lives we experience unity with him, or as we fail to understand and feel the importance of his doctrines, we fall out of unity. But the discordant state that exists when two parts are not on equal ground always moves us to resolution and peace again as long as we don't smother the dissonance and sweep it under the rug. It may not be our preferred time scale, and may not even be in this life, but the ultimate day of reconciliation will come.
The movement of the heart and mind we experience in life relative to each other, and their collective movement in relation to God’s heart and mind can be characterized in four phases. I have attempted to ‘map’ the locations of these movements in the graph below, which is perhaps a model more than a map. I can’t think of any discordant mortal experience that doesn't have a place on this map. Our individual experiences are so diverse and unique that I couldn't begin to name them all, but any experience we face has a place in this model. My hope is that my reader will perhaps consider their own personal discordance's and apply them to this model, and in the process consider the ultimate goal of reaching personal unity of heart and mind first of all, and secondly that they may bring their unified heart and mind into unity with God’s will, perhaps with a few necessary adjustments. Such is my greatest desire that all my spiritual brothers and sisters will do so as we work to return to our Father in Heaven.
_______________________________________________________________________________
[1] David D. Hall. Worlds of Wonder, Days of Judgment: Popular Religious Belief in Early New England. See chapter 1
[2] Proverbs 23:7
[3] 2 Corinthians 3: 14; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Alma 48:3; 1 Ne. 7:8; 1 Ne. 17:30; 3 Ne. 2:1
[4] Jeremiah 4:19; Ezekiel 11:21; Isaiah 7:2; Psalms 57:7; Jeremiah 4:9; Jeremiah 48:36; Song of Solomon 4:9; Exodus 36:2; Psalms 28:7; John 12:40
[5] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7436-heart
[6] Mark 12:30; Matt. 22:37; Deut. 6:5; Luke 10:27; Moro. 10:32; Doctrine and Covenants 59:5
[7] See http://lexiconcordance.com/hebrew/3824.html
[8] Strominger, Norman L; Demarest, Robert J.; Laemle, Lois B.; Noback’s Human Nervous System, Seventh Edition: Structure and Function.
[9] See Alma 34:32-34
Thank you for this great piece, dear Eric. I have been studying human behavior for years. Take the Holocaust for example. Why some people going through the same experiences reacted so differently. Their choices had very life changing consequences for victims and perpetrators alike...then we too, have the story of king Noah.. Why in the world was he able to behave the way he did? He would have never done the damage he did, if his people wouldn't have turned a blind eye to his iniquities, as you put it so clearly, the people " failed to understand and feel the importance of the Lord's doctrines". What a significant warning for us today as we are incessantly tested in these last days. Why king Noah's people failed the tests presented to them and chose to go along and ignore the truth? You said it so well "the ultimate goal of reaching personal unity of heart and mind... into unity with God’s will". This is why they failed. They lacked this unity of self and God's will. We see it more and more today. When we can't see the danger or evil in our choice of friends, influences, ideas, or environments we deceive ourselves ...our heart and mind become spiritually blind. We lose our compass as we turn a blind eye...and anything goes...we fail to see and fight for truth and light that can only come from God. True peace of mind and heart can only be found when we are indeed, " totally synchronized with the will of God.". Another great and inspired essay!
ReplyDeletePatty Hurt
This is sort of groundbreaking stuff, Eric. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Eric, Great essay. Another to add to your list is "bowels of compassion". From a science standpoint, medicine has found great concentrations of thinking brain cells located both in the heart, and in the lining of the abdomen. It's a reason why heart transplant patients sometimes experience memories belonging to the donor. Interesting enough, there's a major nerve (vegus) that goes from the heart to the eye. We are commanded to have an eye single to the glory of God. The Lord has set up physical systems both inside of us, and external to our bodies whereby our thoughts can be relayed to him. There is no magic, and no miracles, only things we don't understand.....yet.
ReplyDelete