Taming the Mind

The second guideline for good living given by the Dalai Lama was to tame our minds. This idea has been explored by others as well. In the inspiring book, Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl distills his concentration camp experience down to an essence: the only thing he could control was his own attitude. This can be true for each of us. We can choose how we want to be, behave, interact, and we can do it. If we are too quick to anger, we can change that. If we get our feelings hurt too easily, we can change that. It seems in observing someone with dementia that there is an element of control for them too, in deciding what attitude to have. Certainly, it is my experience the person with dementia responds better when I am "being" the way I most intend to be: gracious.