The Mind of the Young

As a counsellor I am naturally interested in child psychology. I wrote something on it for The Cosmic Kaleidoscope but in the end there was no much room for psychology. I had started that piece with a memory from my own early days:

Once the Child Mind had gone to the beach with the family. There it got an existential eye-opener. It all started out as innocent play. All the child minds were building castles of sand at the water’s edge. Then they were called by their parents to come and eat. The Child Mind also took a short nap and when it returned a bit later the others were already at it again by the sea shore.

This time the Child Mind just stood still for a while. Suddenly everything had become immense. The ocean was vast, the sky so high, the sandcastles they were building so insignificant. The kids themselves looked very small while the parents looked faint and tiny all the way up there on the grass knoll. Only two sandwiches and a glass of lemonade ago the child minds had been busy building together; prattling and teasing, playing and singing. Now everything was filled with a mysterious great presence. What they were doing seemed insignificant. Little Child Mind standing there alone experienced an awakening it would never forget: ‘Tiny me may be playing along with others, while something much greater in me watches everything that is taking place.'”

Have you ever seen a child come to a halt like that? It stands completely still in its own world, looking like a statue to the outside world. When children just stop like that it becomes difficult for others to understand what they are reflecting on, or whether anything at all is going on in their minds. Some children withdraw into themselves for some time while others seem to be jumping quicker in and out of it.

Adults have different ways of dealing with kids who suddenly turn in on themselves. Some schoolteachers may not care much for “daydreamers” in the classroom, and straightforwardly comment: “Now did you check out from reality again!”, or sarcastically: «Aha, again we are being blessed by the presence of our veteran daydreamer», or even judgmentally: «Numbskull Jack», and so forth.

A more understanding person may suggest: “You look thoughtful, anything you would like to share?” But chances are that what fills the young mind is not easily communicated or expressed. Instead of concrete thoughts or feelings it may be work in progress, something about to take form, basic perception … conception, pure presence … being—who knows what is going on? And who needs to know?

It would probably be better if adults could understand and wisely assist the observant member of the coming generation in developing a proper balance between being introvert and extrovert, between the material world and the other place. “You seem to be thinking a lot, come, let us do something simple and practical, what do you think about this …” And the best would be if the mental and psychic-spiritual evolution may continue throughout childhood and youth, and not get stuck far too soon with demands of rigid adult norms and a materialistic lifestyle.

Bio-psychological developments
In children the skeleton grows fast, while epoch-making bio-psychological phenomena stand in line eagerly waiting to be expressed. This is very much the case on the pure mental plane as well. Puberty is not only about sexual maturation, but about waking up to a whole new world where adult humans live for the rest of their lives. For many young people the spontaneous reaction to this first meeting with the adult world takes the form of a significant reaction against status quo and enormous will to contribute to radical changes. This then is the essence of adolescence: recognising responsibility.

In his observations on bio-psychology, Shrii Sarkar offered among other things the following:[1]

– At around the age of thirteen in hot countries and fifteen in cold countries, the testes and ovaries develop due to the secretion of a special type of hormone.

– In males the testes are the glands which convert lymph into semen. As soon as lymph is converted into semen, the nerves are affected and there is a corresponding change in one’s thoughts. It is the pituitary gland which tells the testes to convert lymph into semen [that is, testosterone and spermatic fluid]. When the production of lymph goes beyond the capacity of the body to utilize it, it is converted into semen and comes out of the body. Thus, sex desire is created in the mind.

– If the secretion of the testes glands is normal, a sense of dutifulness will be created in the mind. A boy will be proud of the fact that he obeyed his father. But if the boy was only three years old, he would not be able to feel a sense of dutifulness.

– If the testes are over-active and there is over-secretion of hormones, a youth develops the spirit of rationality. The pubic hair grows due to the activity of the testes. This is the physical effect. The development of rationality is the psychic effect. The nervous system will also be affected. If not hindered by the natural flow of the lymphatic glands [for that person], over-secretion leads to the development of hair in the arm pits at the age of fifteen to seventeen in hot countries and seventeen to eighteen in cold countries. Along with this the feeling of rationality grows. For example, a boy may say, “No, father, do not ask me to do that. It is not good.”

– If there is under-secretion of the testes glands, there will be less hair; and if, at the same time, the sex glands do not develop at the specified stage, the boy will become very cruel. He may, for example, take a grasshopper and cut off its legs. You may have seen such a boy at the age of thirteen, fourteen or fifteen: he may be unsocial, he may not mix with others. This is due to the under secretion of hormones from the testes glands.

– In the case of ordinary secretion, sex longing is created. If there is over secretion, a youth acquires the power to transform that longing into universalism. In those of you who have a longing for Parama Puruśa, an over-secretion took place in your hormones between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. At that stage the idea to become great comes into the mind.

– If there is under-secretion of the hormones of the testes glands, a youth will develop less kindness, and less hair will grow in the armpits and pubic region. If you see a man with these physical characteristics, then and there you can come to a conclusion about the extent of his kindness. Moreover, such a person will most likely support dogma. He will not have the moral strength to protest against dogma (including scriptural dogma), and he will not support a new idea.

– If the testes function properly and if there is no hindrance from the lymphatic glands, intelligence will develop. Without the testes, the solar plexus [the area around the anáhata cakra] will not be developed and intelligence will decrease.

In The Cosmic Kaleidoscope, the section on yoga exercises in the chapter on spiritual practices, offers an important observation on bio-psychological effects of such exercises on the body-mind. The book also gives advise on diet, life-style, etc. with regards to the development of the mind.

Note
“Aspects of Bio-Psychology”, Yoga Psychology, The Awakening of Women. Electronic Edition of the Works of P.R. Sarkar, Version 9.

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