I first came to appreciate the meaning of this phrase when I was pursuing my Diploma in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It was a common phrase used daily by one of my classmates, Felix.
Whenever his peer complained about a boring day, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Whenever his peer talked about how sexy was the girl in the other faculty, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Whenever his peer criticized about the way he dressed, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Whenever his peers were worry about how tough the examination was going to be, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Whenever his peers praised his toned muscle and tanned complexion, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Whenever his peer was feeling down, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Whenever his peer was feeling excited about certain things, he would say, “it’s all in your mind.”
Almost at all circumstances, he would utter the same phrase. It seemed funny when a playful young guy utter the same phrase to whatever described to him by his peers. But it was also difficult to say that he was incorrect.
Many years down the roads, I still think that the phrase could be universally true for almost all of our feelings and experiences.
What are the feelings that are not first generated in our mind?