25: Just a Thought – The Cycle of Mentality

Some things never change, and that puzzles me. After all, the human mind and body are built to change and adapt to what comes our way, but for the most part, people are in a cycle that more often than not prevents the changes that matter.

NOTE: As the title suggests, this is merely a thought, a theory that lies somewhere between philosophy and science; it is intended to stimulate thought and entertain. (No experts were consulted during the creation of this post.)

The cycle I am referring to is one that everyone falls victim to and benefits from. I think it is fair to call it a universal standard when it comes to how an individual approaches anything. The cycle is as follows: Ignorance, Learning, Arrogance, Maturity, and Understanding. Each phase of the Cycle of Mentality is relative to the topic or situation at hand, and has subphases that create varying results.

Cycle of Mentality

Ignorance:

This phase is primarily characterized by a lack of knowledge or being unaware of any given topic. While the title of this phase can be taken as an insult, the truth of the matter is that it is a word; it means what it means, and no one can argue the fact that they have never been in this mental phase because doing so will show that they are currently in this particular phase right now.

The subphases are Experience and Willfulness. Taken separately, these subphases are not as bad as you would think, especially when you are looking at a younger mind. Experience in this case is often represented by the constant repetition of the word “Why”, and Willfulness presents itself as the refusal to accept the answer that was given. Relatively harmless in a younger mind, but when this occurs later in life, the results are different.

Learning:

This phase is vital to the development of a mind. One could say that Learning is what drives and helps to define the other phases, but Learning has its subphases that lead down some uneven roads. The subphases are Avid, Circumstantial, Reluctant, and Experienced.

An avid learner is in it for the joy of learning, whereas a circumstantial learner is learning for a specific reason, such as achieving a goal. A reluctant learner is using the learning process as a placeholder because goals do not matter beyond a certain point, and the experienced learners comprehend the process of learning; they treat it as a tool to be used or a formula to apply. It is not so much something to experience as it is a method of acquiring information.

There is a rabbit hole one can fall into regarding teaching methods; people will debate on how to teach, but the unescapable truth is that learning is in and of itself dependent on the individual, the quality of the source material to be learned, and the mindset of the one learning.

When the who, what, why, and where of teaching meets the varied combinations of subphases applied to learning, you get something that is far from standardized. You get people stating their version of reality or truth.

Arrogance:

The Arrogance phase is categorized by an individual’s insistence that they are proficient in a given topic. Like the Ignorance phase, this is not as bad as the word itself implies; this is because the word in question is used to state someone’s opinion of another person; therefore, the word usage is highly subjective. (Yes, that may be arrogant of me to say.)

The subphases are Confidence, Dilutional, and Experience. Confidence is self-aureity that is based in or upon something real, Dilutional is self-aureity that is based in or upon something that is not real, and Experience is knowing when and why to switch between the other two.

An example of the Arrogance phase is the universal train of thought that leads a person to believe that no one could possibly understand what they are feeling, going through, or what they are thinking about.

In all honesty, this phase is perhaps the most hazardous of mindsets, and yet, it is the one in the most demand. This phase puts the ego at risk, and with the modern understanding of what the ego is, other people still want to see it fly or come crashing down. From entertainment to politics, a flavor of arrogance is introduced while people watch to see if it will succeed.

Maturity:

This phase is when you realize that you do not know it all; it is the acceptance of what is, and yet you still decide to put in the work to attempt to create what you would like. Maturity has nothing to do with age or being fair, and everything to do with how you use what you have to deal with the here and now.

The subphases associated with this phase are the entirety of every phase listed above it. The thing that distinguishes the phase of maturity is the concept that actions are more understandable than any words or feelings.

Maturity is about knowing that time matters, and that your efforts or the efforts of the people around you matter only to the point that you allow them to. You can be selfish, generous, or anywhere between. This phase is the culmination of a person’s experiences that make them who they are.

As phases go, Maturity is the crossroads of the mind. This is where you make the choice to contenue on as you are, or make the changes you need. I think that it is fair to mention that by the time most people reach the Maturity phase, they seldom opt to change.

Understanding:

When you can openly see things from perspectives that are not your own, this is where Understanding begins. To take a broader look at the topics and situations that may or may not affect your life is something that most people would deem admirable, but the true ability to understand goes beyond that.

One might think that this phase is the polar opposite of Ignorance, but they would be wrong.

This phase is where the insights of prospective can lead you down all sorts of paths. An open and understanding mind is not necessarily a bad thing, but it can dilute resolve when resolve is needed.

The Ignorance and Understanding phases both display a state of mind that almost always leads to the Arrogance phase, but this is a cycle I am referencing. These phases are at the top and bottom of this list because if you make a loop of it, they are right next to each other.

The same two subphases, Experienced and Willfulness apply, along with the subphase of Growth. Experienced understanding can lean toward a mastery of communication; it can also inspire manipulation. A willful understanding can unite as well as segregate people, but growth is kind of tricky.

Growth is heavily reliant upon change, and the nature of change is selfish. Growth is for the betterment of the individual; growth is change, and change is not easy. True change causes a person to be ignorant of how they have gotten to where they are, and once they learn the process, they tend to view it as arrogantly simple. Once they mature, they start to understand what has brought them to this point, and the cycle continues.

A Conclusion

The mind is amazingly complex. If you stop to imagine this cycle happening in your brain for every topic, experience, situation, and thought, it is cause to make one admire and be fearful of everything a person goes through every moment of each day.

The conclusion I have come to is that the cycle does not stop. Sure, consistency is greater than or equal to a stable life, but change, as chaotic as it may feel, is what propels people forward. It is all a matter of choice, action, and reaction; it does not matter what your stance on any given topic is; what matters is that you understand that everything comes around full circle. Everyone has the strength of mind to endure the change they seek; it is only a matter of taking those changes moment by moment. Until next time, I am Nolan… Ex Tenebris.