Article by Dr Frank M. Wanderer

In our life most of us have experienced one or two mysterious encounters, when visitors come to us from the unknown. These special guests are in fact our own children. We love them, and we are happy that they are here, but most of us do not accept them the way we should. They do not receive from us the deep respect and awe that wanderers who come from the depths of the Universe duly deserve. Instead, we look upon our children as if they were our own property, and we try to condition them to become adults we will be able to be proud of.

Are we really good hosts for these visitors, is this really the way we should receive our guests?

The Nature of the Conditioned Patterns of Mind

In order to find the correct answer to the question above, we first need to know ourselves as well as possible. Since if we ourselves are ignorant of what or who we are, and what the purpose of our existence in this world is, we will only be able to use the conditioned patterns of mind inherited from our parents and teachers.

A characteristic feature of these conditioned mind patterns – no matter how different they might be in different cultures – is that they reproduce themselves. They therefore produce human replicas that meet the expectations and norms of the society they are born into. They adjust to, and keep the rules of their respective society, and they become effective members of that society. They think, behave and feel as expected from good citizens. In the meanwhile, they preserve the illusion of free choice, since the conditioned mind patterns are, to a certain extent, flexible.

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