The Small Mind

A portal to unhappiness

Gentle Reader,

It has long been my observation that the human being has a tendency to develop a certain smallness of mind.

Such attitudes are often said to be more prevalent in rural areas, hence the terms parochialism, provincialism, or their political cousin: ‘parish pump politics.’

Manifestations

Smallness of mind comes in many forms. In my own life, I have seen it particularly in regard to finances. Those who make it their sole aim to become financially independent will pursue this cause to their own detriment, neglecting themselves as their overarching goal takes precedence over important aspects of their own lives.

An aim like this starts out reasonable and wholesome, beginning with a sensible budget and investment plan. Yet after years, the impulse becomes an illness of sorts, and begins to disseminate. What began as shopping in second-hand clothes shops and using coupons to reduce grocery bills can morph into burning rubbish to save money in the weekly weighed bin collection, or moving halfway across the world to save on taxes.

In the end, the tail begins to wag the dog.

Another famous manifestation of the small mind, particularly prevalent in Ireland, is begrudugery. This term denotes a feeling not of envy of the success of others, which implies we want what they have, but a feeling of displeasure at another’s success for its own sake.

I understand the dark satisfaction derived from seeing an enemy or a competitor brought low, and I have seen such attitudes in friends, in relatives, and in myself. I understand the relish which can be found in observing a downfall…but I can also tell you that it is more freeing and joyful instead to wish the best for others.

Origins

Perhaps such a mindset is a consequence of colonialism, of living in a zero-sum environment which implied that your neighbour’s success signals your demise. Maybe it was once like that, and such thought processes make sense historically, if humans came from small communities with limited resources to go around, and so it made sense to watch your neighbour or your community, for any signs or tidbits of information which might confer an advantage.

Those small of mind still act like this, but returns are diminishing, and uni-dimensional. Despite this, the act of begrudgery and small-mindedness isn’t an easy habit to shake, because hating is a kind of drug, an intoxicant, a way for those who have joyless lives to transmute the sadness of others into a balm which they can apply to their own wounds.

This hints at a lack of integration, at an emotional immaturity, an inner-child whose sufferings manifest long into adulthood. But regardless of the cause, the end-result is the same: a legacy of curtain twitching.

Unshackling

The good news is that you don’t need to be like them. The present writer is here to remind you that there is no need to twitch the curtain, and that life can be lived in more expansive ways.

Like coming off any drug, you won’t see the benefits immediately. The sobering alcoholic who misses the heady nights of chaos does not immediately realise the advantages of teetotalism, because those advantages lie in his future, and have not yet been sculpted. It may take him time to appreciate the creeping peace which has begun to take a foothold in his daily life. Similarly, changing your mindset in regards to others takes time, but it’s a lighter way to live.

The human is not built to hold a grudge. Anyone who has done this will tell you it carries a heavy psychological overhead, and those who live with them for decades have, in the end, done the disservice only to themselves, consuming energy that could be better applied elsewhere.

If you’re still not convinced, my final point is that the small mind is constraining your opportunities. By closing all the doors and windows, by communing with the outside world only by peeping through the metaphorical blinds, you fail to ventilate your life, to let the winds of change, chance and opportunity blow through you.

After all, we are here to experience a series of self-exploratory moments, to steepen towards our actualised selves. Such development is multi-dimensional, and those who remain small of mind do not understand that life is a many-layered tapestry whose fabrics complement one another best when interwoven, that the outside world is a bright and airy place, far more welcoming place than our little minds want us to believe.

---

Many thanks for reading.

Affiliates:

My friend Paul Millerd runs the Pathless Path Community, a cozy online space where we support each other to find ways to live and work in the most authentic way possible.

I also recommend the Supernote e-ink device, which I use for reading, writing, and annotating documents. This affiliate link is only valid for EU customers.