A very interesting article about the "mind"

As the article points out, defining the "mind" is not an easy task.  The author spoke with Dan Siegel, a professor of psychiatry at UCLA School of Medicine, who came up with a definition:  “the emergent self-organizing process, both embodied and relational, that regulates energy and information flow within and among us.”  That may take a few readings to absorb, but it yields many interesting results.  

The article points out one of the results of that definition:  "This means that without optimal self-organization, you arrive at either chaos or rigidity—a notion that, Siegel says, fits the range of symptoms of mental health disorders."  This is incredibly interesting to me because of my interest in emotions.  I interpret it to mean that if the mind doesn't optimize its own emotional processing systems, the inevitable result will eventually be either "chaos", which, in the extreme, will manifest itself as a thought disorder such as Schizophrenia, or "rigidity", which will lead to an emotionally restricted, shallow life.

The author says, "Finally, self-organization demands linking together differentiated ideas or, essentially, integration. And Siegel says integration—whether that’s within the brain or within society—is the foundation of a healthy mind."  Thich Nhat Hanh talks about the importance of "non-duality", which is essentially the same as being "integrated".  Thich Nhat Hanh also says, "Peace in oneself, peace in the world" and "we are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness", which is taking non-duality to the cultural level.  If accomplished, both the individual and the culture would benefit tremendously.

Finally,  

When Siegel was asked in return whether he belonged in America, his answer was less upbeat: “I thought how isolated we all are and how disconnected we feel,” he says. “In our modern society we have this belief that mind is brain activity and this means the self, which comes from the mind, is separate and we don’t really belong. But we’re all part of each others’ lives. The mind is not just brain activity. When we realize it’s this relational process, there’s this huge shift in this sense of belonging.”

We are all connected.  If you really understand what that quote means, you are well on your way to real health and happiness.