There are times when all we want is uncomplicated nutrition

It’s the staff of life isn’t it? Beans on Toast. Tasty, simple and easy to cook. And how lovely it is to be offered something simple that’s tasty and nutritious. So how about a little Beans on Toast for the mind? How about something that’s simple yet easy to understand, universal in it’s nature, and powerfully beneficial in the real world.

So often nowadays the information we’re bombarded with is complicated, unnecessary and often confusing. We have people with Degree’s in everything from Jazz Dance to Surf Science and we’re all trying to be smarter and wealthier than the next person as a result. I really feel it’s time to get back to basics and remind ourselves about some important healthy mind ingredients.

Let’s start with togetherness

Even though governments have successfully instilled the importance of keeping socially distant, wearing masks and washing hands etc, we must remember how importance it is that we retain an awareness of how crucial our togetherness is. All we need do is simply remind ourselves that we are in fact all in this together. We might need to remain mindful of not transferring a virus, yet we must also remain mindful of compassion, gentleness and our oneness.

The emptiness of no identity is all about recognising our oneness

In some respects the Buddhists are on to something with their concept of emptiness. They say that we are all intrinsically interdependent and there is no such thing as I. In this respect, if we weren’t all so keen and building such powerful identities, perhaps we would gain a better sense of how we are all one; one species that is interdependent with everything around us.

But let’s not get too distracted, Buddhism is certainly one of those subjects that we humans have chosen to overcomplicate. Suffice to say, when we put aside our precious identity and look a little deeper, we will clearly see the oneness we posses with each and everyone around us. Know that the man or woman who seems so different to you is in fact, at their root, the same as you. It is our failing to recognize this fundamental truth that causes our prejudice, hatred and opinions, to form. At root we are all one.

Love is not something to work at it is something to feel for ourselves

Our togetherness is so much easier to foster once we see the importance of love for ourselves. We must remember that the aspects we dislike about ourselves are something that has been taught to us – or learned by us as a result of childhood confusion. We project these (often unconscious) unlikable aspects on to others. We feel prejudice toward others when we believe in there being something wrong; that there is something wrong with how a person behaves, looks or sounds. That there is something wrong with us. Forget wrong or right. See the whole person. See them just as you are: Learning to be a better person. Learning how to become whole.

So there we are, some simple nutrition for the mind. And you know what? I fancy some beans on toast for my tea. How about you?