Dakota Beacon

Time marches on and getting old is a fickle fact of life. A person can accept that fact. But one does not have to give in prematurely to the ravages of Old Man Time. I am not talking about physical aches and pains, bumps and strains. I am distinguishing between the physical brain versus one’s mind, i.e., attitude and mental state.

Many my age have taken the advice offered by Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Harvard Medical School, and other professional groups on staving off the effects of aging on the brain. Active brains seem to be the key. Reading, solving puzzles, learning a language all exercise the gray matter. For me, math was never my forte. I was an average math student. Yet, I am still fascinated by the beauty, the precision, and the symmetry of math. Today I still dip into math books and logic in my library.

My recent brain workout focuses on blockchains, bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies – how they are constructed, why they work, and when they will become true stores of value and a fully accepted medium of exchange. Seeking answers to these questions keep the synapses firing in my brain.

Hold that thought. Let’s talk mind. Over the years I assembled a binder of favorite poems. One poem in particular struck me recently, one by Sir Edward Dyer (1550?–1607) titled “My Mind to Me a Kingdom Is.” To be sure, his poem does not exalt the Kingdom of Self.

Dyer may or may not be talking about the Kingdom of God within the believer made possible by the indwelling Christ (Luke 17:20-21; John 3:5-6). Spirit and soul are not the same entities. God’s Spirit communing with a person’s spirit makes possible the reconstituting of a person’s soul (including the mind) into God’s earliest intended design. Stop! Enough! No theological lectures! Please! That’s a different topic for a different time. Even so, Dyer’s poem may be germane. Recognize that a regenerated spirit controls the soul including the mind bringing it into right relationship with the Father. Look at a few stanzas.

My mind to me a kingdom is;

Such present joys therein I find

That it excels all other bliss

That world affords or grows by kind.

Though much I want which most would have,

Yet still my mind forbids to crave.

Content to live, this is my stay;

I seek no more than may suffice;

I press to bear no haughty sway;

Look, what I lack my mind supplies.

Lo, thus I triumph like a king,

Content with that my mind doth bring.

Some have too much, yet still do crave;

I little have, and seek no more.

They are but poor, though much they have,

And I am rich with little store.

They poor, I rich; they beg, I give;

They lack, I leave; they pine, I live.

I laugh not at another's loss;

I grudge not at another's gain;

No worldly waves my mind can toss;

My state at one doth still remain.

I fear no foe, I fawn no friend;

I loathe not life, nor dread my end.

My wealth is health and perfect ease;

My conscience clear my chief defense;

I neither seek by bribes to please,

Nor by deceit to breed offense,

Thus do I live; thus will I die;

Would all did so as well as I!

Dyer’s mind may have been imbued with God-given grace. You can almost hear the overtones of Christ’s presence (Philippians 2 ff) flowing out of him without ever mentioning Christ once.

Returning to the exercises of the brain, even such simple things as learning new skills, engaging in conversation -- and writing -- may lead to preservation of cognitive function with age.

Dennis M. Patrick can be contacted at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).