WHAT MAKES A TOOL A TOOL?

What makes a tool a tool? 

That depends upon how broadly we define “tool,”, right? I think of a tool as anything that is an extension of our bodies that we use to accomplish a desired purpose. A hammer, an Instant Pot, a guitar, a language, a paint brush, a dentist’s chair, a college degree, a laptop, a signature, a skyscraper, a bandwidth, or the Mars rover Sojourner. Tools...all of them. And that’s just a beginning.

Be they simple or sophisticated, tools extend our reach, expand our efficiency, increase our accuracy, broaden our capacities, and even ease the physical demands we place on our bodies. The creation and utilization of them is likely the key promoter of human progress throughout history--and new ones are being invented daily. Why? Because they meet our ever-expanding needs and make things possible that we simply could not accomplish without them. 

 Having said all this, consider your mind (your capacity to think) for a moment. Is it not the most significant tool in our toolbox? By far! Where would we be without it? (Well, let’s not go there.) Fact is, the mind is the tool of all tools. Not only is it the one tool that is absolutely necessary in order to operate (much less invent) all other tools. It’s always readily available, it's extremely user-friendly, and it’s surprisingly programmable. It’s the ideal tool! 

Except for one thing. 

Like all other tools, it needs regular care and maintenance--only more--because of its crucial role vis a vis all other tools and its marvelous potential for our health and wellbeing (think personally and globally). 

Ironically our mind is probably the one tool we least maintain and most neglect--often because it doesn’t occur to us that we can. And must. 

How do we do it? First, let’s acknowledge and appreciate its wonder! Second, let’s set aside time to consciously care for it and keep it sharp. And third, let’s remember that a rusty, dirty, neglected tool isn’t just more difficult or even impossible to use. It can actually be dangerous. 

TODAY.

LET’S GIVE THE WORLD & OURSELVES A GIFT.

LET’S TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE THINK.