The Fuel of the Old Mind

Metaphorical Narrative

The old mind is not a wise elder.
It’s a rusty engine that sputters to life only when fed toxic fuel — worry, judgement, and false urgency.

Pour in those fumes and it roars, driving you on detours, keeping you performing endlessly. But stand still, check the ground beneath your feet, and notice: this engine doesn’t run on truth.

Give it reality — the here and now — and it chokes. It sputters. It stalls.

Because the facts are not fuel for the old mind. They are fire that exposes it bare.

Core Insight

Old mind is not yours. It obeys old masters. Its fuel is worry and judgement — not care, not truth.

The moment you anchor in present facts, you cut the supply line. Peace isn’t created; it’s revealed, once the hijack is starved.

Saturday Experiment

When sudden worry or judgement hijacks, don’t fight it.

• Say out loud one fact of the present moment. (“I am safe. I am breathing. I am here.”)
• Repeat until the worry-engine runs out of fuel.
• Notice the silence that follows. That silence is peace.

Sunday Reflection

In third person, journal:

• What fuels the old mind most often in their day?
• What changes when they switch to naming only facts?
• How does their body respond when the engine stalls and peace returns?