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News | Apr 30, 2011
The Jukebox Inside Your Head
I grew up in the United States with an antique jukebox in our home. Just like the one seen on TV’s Happy Days at Arnold’s Diner.
If I’m dating myself and you have no idea what I’m talking about, a jukebox is a 1950s era machine filled with vinyl 45-records that was typical in burger joints, diners and bars. You could drop a coin in and select the song you wanted to hear. Anyone and everyone that approached could influence what came out of the jukebox — happy or sad songs, danceable or love songs.
Your mind is like a jukebox!
The human mind behaves in a way that is much like the jukebox.
The jukebox is this complex machine that has the ability to play all these different songs. Yet, it has no control over what it plays. If someone choses number B8, then it will automatically play whatever record is programed for B8. If someone punches into the jukebox F3, then it will automatically play whatever record is programmed for F3.
These patterns are repeated over and over. And, it doesn’t even matter who the person is that is pushing the buttons. The response is always the same. The Jukebox has all these different records stored within it but has absolutely no control over what comes out. It is not the master of this response or of what record it plays.
Your mind is also a complex machine that is slave to whatever buttons someone pushes from the outside. If someone says something you find offensive, your mind plays a specific record in response. When you find something sad, another record will be played. If you see a certain type of person, the mind will play the record that says, “Wow, he is beautiful!” or “She is ugly!”. Even your own child or spouse may say something that you find annoying and you will respond with a special aggressive record. All of these records are in reaction to stimuli that has nothing to do with your own being. Why is it that something outside of us has such a power to make us servant to our reaction?
The jukebox is 100% servant to this external input. There is no possibility for it to break free of this and become its own master.Fortunately, there is one difference that gives us humans a chance of overriding this pattern. And that is Separation! We have the ability to create separation between Mind and Awareness.
Even though the mind is this amazing machine that outputs all these different responses to external stimuli, there is a separate entity while it is all happening. And that is our awareness. Our awareness is watching it all go down. But ONLY IF we wake up! When we can pause and separate the mind and be aware of what is happening, then we can become the Master. The master of our own actions and reactions to the external stimuli that punches our buttons everyday. And then, we have a chance to stop that automatic record from playing.
This month, I invite you to tune into the jukebox inside your head. Become aware of how your mind goes into automatic response mode with external stimuli. When someone says something or does something, use separation to allow your awareness to kick in before your jukebox mind starts playing the usual song. Be aware of the minds pattern to be offended, sad or mad. Wake up and be the master of your own words or reactions to the things that are happening outside of you.
Your awareness makes you the one who can push the skip button on a record you do not want to play, or pull the plug on the jukebox at anytime you choose.
Shanti Out,
