Transcend the mediocre mind

We are all familiar with Albert Einstein.

He was one of the great scientific minds of the 20th Century. He helped formulate quantum physics and his theory of relativity changed science forever. He was also a man who worked very hard to reconcile what he felt was the spiritual nature of the Universe with his scientific mindset. I have been fascinated by some of his quotes and the great depth of his understanding.

One of my favorites is, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

On its surface this quote looks to be about the struggle of our great spirit to become all it can be amidst the turmoil, negativity and aversion to change that would occupy mediocre minds. The sentiment would ring true enough to those of us seeking to be “great spirits.”

But the thought occurs to me that those who would find themselves on that quest would more likely be deterred by their own mediocre minds than by those we feel surrounded by. Indeed, perhaps it is our own mediocre mind that even allows us to imagine that those other mediocrities even exist.

I believe that every great spirit will always find his or her greatest challenges in their own false thoughts of limitation and scarcity; in their egos needs to be right, to compare, to judge, to understand and to blame. It is in the attempt to satisfy the ego that we encounter our own mediocre mind. And to be certain, that mediocre mind will violently oppose all of our attempts to transcend its needs and enter into the higher Self that would be our great spirit.

So, for me the question becomes, “How quickly can I recognize when my ego is running the show and then, move away from its needs?”

One way that has come in very handy for me is to simply become aware of how my thoughts are making me feel. In other words, when you are thinking negative thoughts, doesn’t it almost always make you feel uncomfortable? Conversely, doesn’t it always feel good to think more positively?

Each of us came to this human existence with that ego detection system already installed. I would invite you to dust it off and make use of it. It will help you put aside that mediocre mind.