WYSIWYG – is the acronym for What You See Is What You Get. In the old days of web design, the web page’s appearance is precisely the way you see it in your editing tool. Of course, technology has evolved into apps and so on, but the acronym has remained.

So, Why am I writing a blog about technology trends? Let me give some context here – I am listening to Byron Katie these days. And the essence of her work is through four questions; she helps your meet your thoughts with understanding. And in one of her podcasts, she said, ‘If your mind believes something, it will see evidence of the belief everywhere because that is how it can keep the belief intact.’

And this stayed with me – and I want to explore this statement in this blog. In some ways, the mind is WYSIWYG except what mind/thought believes it gets. How can this be true? Let’s say I have a belief that I should get a promotion. If you take the ‘I’ Out of this thought – it is a bunch of words that my mind believes. It is obviously not true because I would have already gotten the promotion if it were. Since I do not, my mind needs to find evidence to support the belief. 

How does it do that?

I am in a meeting, and my boss praises one of my peers – my mind thinks, ‘This is why I am not getting promoted because my boss likes my peer more than me.’

I am in a meeting, and my boss praises me – my mind thinks, ‘He praises me so much how come I do not get a promotion.’

I get my annual bonus. My mind thinks, ‘If I had a promotion, how much more bonus would I get.’

Since ‘My promotion’ is just a dream or fantasy and not reality, the mind has to keep doing this to keep the dream alive. I just want to stay with this thought because that’s what my mind does all the time. It creates a story and then looks for evidence in all things. Or, in some cases, makes up the evidence, however absurd it may be. And where the mind goes body goes too, which means our body lives in a mind-created world with no connection with reality.

The list of beliefs is endless, and the mind keeps at it until you find another thought or manage to clear the confusion around the thought. The belief mind wants to hold onto is – ‘I should get promoted.’ The first question is, ‘Is this true? Is this absolutely true?’ The answer is no unless you are God or an omnipotent being. The minute we question this thought – the mind has to ask what it is doing? The mirage disappears – it suddenly realizes promotion is just another dream. And then, a few moments later, it starts looking for evidence for another belief. And we question it again and again until as soon a thought arises, it is met with understanding, and it disappears.

This is what all spiritual practices, meditation, Tolle talk about. The mind may believe that what it sees is what it gets, but if you know it is all an illusion, you can go through it.

Can you see how your mind is looking for evidence to support its dream?