Dear Friends,
Two weeks ago—April 15th, to be exact—was the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. That weekend there were several shows on television featuring researchers explaining exactly how and why the Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, and why it broke in half as it went down.
As research tools have become increasingly sophisticated, it now appears that the Titanic was a much stronger ship than many people have been giving it credit for. In fact, some researchers now believe that other ships in the same situation would have sunk much faster.
None of this, however, relieves the captain of the Titanic, Edward John Smith, from being at least partially responsible for this tragedy. Although there may never be any conclusive evidence for this, many people strongly suspect that Captain Smith made a decision during the Titanic’s voyage that proved to be disastrous for everyone on board.
That suspicion reminds me of something that came up when I was writing the first chapter of Row, Row, Row Your Boat. To stay with the boating metaphor, I described the body as “the physical vessel itself.” But I just couldn’t bring myself to refer to the mind as “the captain” of that vessel. I settled for “the brains of the boat,” instead. Why? Because for most people the word “captain” evokes an image of a wise decision-maker in a crisp, white suit—a figure entirely worthy of our total trust. But is the mind really that trustworthy?
In the case of the Titanic, it seems that the captain might have been influenced by someone else on board during that fateful trip . . . Mr. Bruce Ismay. Ismay was the chairman of the White Star Shipping Line—the Line that had built the Titanic, and touted it as both the biggest and the fastest vessel on the seas.
When the Titanic received news that icebergs were drifting toward their latitude, there is reason to believe that Ismay may have convinced the captain to speed up to avoid the approaching icebergs, rather than slow down or change course altogether. The reason? So the Titanic would arrive in New York in record-setting time, living up to its highly publicized reputation for speed.
Do you see the parallel here? Just like the captain of a ship, your mind does have the final responsibility for deciding where you want to go, and how you want to get there. But sometimes your mind can be influenced by the “Bruce Ismay” that resides within your consciousness—that is, by your self-serving ego. Disconnected from the One Divine Spirit that unites us all, your ego will encourage you to make decisions that may benefit you in the short run, but are not in everyone’s best interest in the long run.
Don’t let your ego—which can be just as fearful as it can be grandiose—chart your course for you! That can be a Titanic mistake . . . literally! Always make sure that your mind remains open enough to receive divine direction. It’s the kind of direction that comes through intuitive nudges, divine signs and synchronicities, and the intuitive wisdom of others. And it’s the kind of direction that you can always trust to be in your best interest, as well as the best interests of all.
Steven
© 2012 by Steven Lane Taylor
www.rowrowrow.com
Steven Lane Taylor, LLC
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