Every society has specific aspects of her cultural values dedicated to the harvest and utilization of inspiration either corporately through designated festivals or personally through certain prescribed rituals and observances ultimately targeted at mental wellbeing. Nigeria is a wealthy nation today because nature has bequeathed to her an indispensable source of energy to power the technology of our modern civilization. Petrol is the fuel of our modern civilization just as inspiration is crucial for robust mental health.
The mind as a crucial component of human existence gets attacked, assaulted and at times battered through our daily interactions with others like wives, husbands, siblings, children, colleagues, business partners and many others. We are vulnerable to negative emotional expenses such as hurt, bitterness, discouragement and sustained anger that are capable of shutting down the continuous flow of vital psychic energy. This is the price we pay for being higher animals and in possession of a mind with sophisticated cognitive function such as intellect, emotion, affection and conscience.
Irrespective of race or color; every human mind survives on a continuous dose of inspiration as the fuel of the mind. Inspiration is the act or power of exercising an elevating or stimulating influence upon the intellect or emotions that invariably provides energy for the mind. What we seek in substances of abuse like cocaine and marijuana even alcohol is available in harmless and effective dosage through inspirational techniques. One of the most crucial responsibilities of leadership whether at home, school, clubs or in the community at large is to inspire, to energize and to empower the followers especially in moments of disillusionment.
Religion is one of the most potent avenues for getting inspired which explains the upsurge of religious activities in our country especially during the military years. Traditionally, religion is an essential facility deliberately designed to supply inspiration for the mental wellbeing of the people through sacred instructions which could be formal or informal. One of the most priceless vehicles of inspiration is the spoken word either in interpersonal or corporate settings. When written words in our holy scriptures are creatively interpreted; they are capable of uplifting and energizing the mind especially in moments of discouragement. Positive words furnish positive energy while negative words drain energy from the mind and may precondition the mind for mental distress.
Communication styles as channels of inspiration are very crucial to mental health. Our words can either make sick or heal. Parents need to ensure that they inspire their children because they are the primary socializing agents. Children come into our lives with empty mind slates that get programmed through the words we speak to them. Words are capable of activating resilient forces of character like courage, faith, patience, love, fortitude, tolerance, forgiveness, cooperation, trust just as words can equally activate negative psychological forces like hatred, bitterness, prejudice, envy and many others. Children who grow in the atmosphere where positive, inspiring words are spoken do better in life than those who grow in the atmosphere where bitter, negative words are predominant. Our educational instructors know the value of positive words hence their preference of negative reinforcement over punishment in correcting children. Negative reinforcement dwells more on getting the child to learn the consequences of misdeeds through experience rather than negative, punitive strategies in words and actions.
The bottom line is the creative use of words to correct without discouraging. Embedded in our religious practices are chants, rituals and recitations that are designed to inspire us for different situations and circumstances. Music is often described as the food of the soul because it is a rich source of inspiration for weary souls. Certain brands of music have been associated with provoking latent creative thoughts prominent in the lifestyles of our outstanding personalities. The cinema industry need to appreciate their enormous impact on the psyche of their viewers and should produce films that uplift the mind rather than those that induce depression.
Even at a personal level; the capacity of an individual to generate inspiration ultimately determines the overall quality of his life especially as one grows older and the empty nest syndrome sets in when all the children have left the house and one is retired. This capacity could be obtained through daily meditation on sacred scriptures, listening to selective music, contemplative interactions with significant others that can inspire and prayer. Early morning prayers are usually emphasized in all religions as a strategy of infusing the mind with adequate doses of inspiration sufficient for the hassles of the day. Africans may need to learn more contemplative techniques which are channels of inspiration rather than orgies, noise-making, emotional dissipation and excitation. This art of extracting inspiration from the activities of our daily living is of utmost importance in guaranteeing mental well- being across the lifespan.
Dr. Adeoye Oyewole
adeoyewole2000@yahoo.com
+234 803 490 5808 (WhatsApp Only)
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