Clarity

You are investigating a particular aspect of a certain subject and have experimented, read about, and discussed that aspect with others. You feel confident that you have uncovered facts and reasonably objective truths about this concept. You feel more qualified to express your opinion regarding the topic. As a result, others pay closer attention to what you have to say about your findings because they sense your mental clarity.

A wise teacher understands that the search for answers with the intent of objectivity–in as much as it is humanly possible–will yield appropriate, and more accurate results. The ability to keep personal attachments to opinions and beliefs in check while drawing upon data and intellectual acuity helps one cut to the heart of the matter. A degree of mental detachment from preconceived ideas is instrumental. This mental clarity is like a fog-light that cuts through the haze of lazy thinking.

When the necessity for arriving at accurate assessments is the primary goal, wakeful thinking and logic are the best tools to arrive at workable solutions. Competant detectives, journalists, physicians, researchers, and scientists are able to step back and look at assertions and problems impartially then arrive at balanced, insightful conclusions.

We expect such people who are judges, consultants, and licensed therapists to analyze and act in accordance with mental clarity. Their impartiality, paired with earlier successful experience will provide us with the best advice. For example, a competant attorney will study the relevant statutes and legal precedents as they apply to your case. She uses her expertise and qualifications so as to offer you the best advice and guidance that you need in matters regarding the official legal system as they apply to your specific situation.

Muddled thinking and broad generalizations are not helpful when we really need effective solutions to our problems. A mind that is wide-awake to the benefits and pitfalls that can be expected has the knowledge and foresight that increases one’s chances of success.

There are life situations when we need to enlist the aid of an expert professional. Worthwhile, helpful legal, financial, or health advice is best obtained from someone who has the clarity and presence of mind to provide such help. When we need someone who will help us achieve a beneficial outcome, we are wise to choose an advocate or mentor who has sharp, analytical intelligence and insight to guide us to a smart resolution of our problem.

We also must be discerning of the motives of others, including experts. In some situations, the expert may be tempted to misuse her or his power. Their clarity of mind has lost objective focus. The mind has focused upon egotistical advancement. Manipulation has become the name of the game. This is one good reason to use our own clarity of mind and tools of discernment to determine the efficacy of possible advocate or mentor candidates. If the expert mainly has her personal advancement and interests in mind, she will do whatever she can to fulfill those interests, even if this means she may take advantage of you.

The most common situations that require mental clarity, are those that require our own intervention and participation. We might be indecisive and become caught up in overthinking. What direction do we need to go and where are our best opportunities? Cultivating mental clarity will help us to more effectively work through the decision-making process. Mental clarity will help us to avoid the anxiety and scattered thinking that are often present in difficult situations that require a favorable resolution.

Effective people typically use intelligence and considerable understanding of situations to arrive at conclusions and make critical decisions. After looking at relevant scenarios from all reasonable points of view, they do not allow worry to delay important actions. Intellectual honesty and mental clarity serve us better than denial and mental fuzziness.

Ciao

The Blue Jay of Happiness quotes Friedrich Nietzsche. “Those who know that they are profound strive for clarity. Those who would like to seem profound to the crowd strive for obscurity. For the crowd believes that if it cannot see to the bottom of something it must be profound. It is so timid and dislikes going into the water.”