Noble Mind
An Exploration of Human Nature.
Consciousness, Intellect, and our Mind.
Chapter 12 Our Noble Mind
In this chapter
In the previous chapters we have started to look at some practicable applications of a Noble approach. We looked at a conscious way of being that we can use to promote better ways to support ourselves and others and we have described a motivational mapping of states of consciousness that can help us achieve planned objectives.
Those examples offer genuine benefit but are similar to existing practices that are already used in coaching, therapy, and general motivational work.
It is time to consider further steps forward.
A Work in Progress
As I have pointed out elsewhere, everything presented in this book can be thought of as a work in progress. All of my explorations, including the basic H I Mind Model, are at the level of ‘proposition’ which needs deeper research. The Noble Mind Project is even more speculative at the moment, hence this chapter.
What follows is a brief mention of where I believe there is value in deeper thinking about the implications of the H I Mind Model.
The Significance of the Noble Focus
Our Noble Focus provides us with qualities that make us uniquely human. Our Noble Focus gives us experiences, such as wonder, awe, and unconditional love. Our Noble Focus provides us with motivations to seek and make real a better future for ourselves and the planet as a whole.
As a race, and because of our Cultural and Noble Focuses, we have become uniquely powerful and influential. Yet we also face several existential crises. These include cultural stagnation, international wars, economic, intellectual, and geographic inequality, ecological destruction, failures in international law, climate abuse, and so on.
Of all our human qualities, it is the Noble Focus that is best able to provide powerful non-selfish motivations that may provide our best opportunity to deal with these crises.
It is for this reason that this book is titled Our Noble Mind. I believe that we need to make use of our noble qualities, our broad minded thinking, and our abilities to seek the best possible outcomes as a high priority, to protect our individual and our shared futures.
A Mind Made More Noble
All our Focuses are important but if we can learn to more fully recognise our Noble Focus, and even consciously adopt a Noble Philosophy, then we will put ourselves in a position of maximum potential benefit.
The Noble Mind Project: Noble Philosophy
Noble Philosophy begins with a simple observation: what has allowed humanity to flourish is not physical dominance, but behaviour. Our capacity to care, to cooperate, to be fair, truthful, and compassionate is what most clearly defines us as human. These behaviours can be observed, practised, and strengthened. They shape our relationships, our cultures, and our sense of meaning.
The Noble Mind Project proposes a way of understanding these behaviours through the Hemispheric Intelligence (HI) Mind Model. This model explores how patterns of human behaviour may have evolved and how they continue to shape our experience of the world. Within it are qualities that reflect humanity at its best: selflessness, generosity, kindness, compassion, humility, and the ability to experience unconditional love. These are not abstract ideals; they are lived capacities that can guide how we think, act, and relate to one another.
Noble Philosophy is not a new philosophy competing with those that came before it. Rather, it is a practical orientation that draws upon what many philosophies already recognise: that human flourishing depends on how we treat ourselves and others. Noble Philosophy does not seek to argue against existing traditions. Instead, it offers a way to apply what we already know about human goodness in clear, grounded, and actionable ways.
At its heart, Noble Philosophy is concerned with practice. It seeks to translate insight into lived experience, and theory into ways of being. By consciously choosing behaviours aligned with our most humane capacities, we can deepen our self-awareness, strengthen our self-respect, and improve how we communicate with and support those around us. In doing so, we not only improve our own lives, but also contribute to healthier, more compassionate communities.
Noble Philosophy begins where we all can begin: with how we show up for ourselves and for others. Through simple, intentional choices—such as holding space, listening without ego, and acting with humility and care—we activate the Noble Focus within ourselves. From there, support becomes safer, more authentic, and more empowering. And when growth does occur, we learn to recognise it, honour it, and celebrate it—when the time is right.
Unconditionality
As a practicable example, I want to share one of many ideas about the potential significance of taking our Noble Focus seriously.
One aspect of the Noble Focus, and hence our Noble Mind, is our potential to separate our self-benefit from our shared or selfless benefit. An example of this is Unconditional Love, which can be part of a spiritual intention or objective but can also appear as an experiential feeling (something that we experience directly in certain circumstances) rather than a decision that we make.
I want to explore and describe this briefly here, and also touch on other forms of unconditionality that we may choose to make use of as part of a Noble Philosophy. These other example of unconditionality can include choices to practice Unconditional Forgiveness or Unconditional Acceptance.
What is Unconditional Love?
Unconditional Love is obviously a feeling, but one that is not guarded or made dependent on who our love is aimed at or how the object of our love is expected to behave. For example, we might experience Unconditional Love for our child, or children in general. The love that we experience when we ‘fall in love’, or lust after a potential mate or partner, or ache to own a ‘precious’ object is what I might call Possessive Love. Possessive Love can be very strong, just like Unconditional Love, but has more psychological desires, lusts, and conditions than Unconditional Love.
Alternate Forms of Unconditional Love.
Unconditional (or Selfless) Love can be expressed in many ways.
For example:
• Service. A life of service is one given over to the benefit of others or of causes that are not directly for our personal benefit.
• Faith. Holding a faith, particularly one that represents causes and ideas that are trans-generational, allows us to honour something bigger than our own selfish interests. We may experience our faith as a form of Spiritual Belonging.
• Vocation. A life-calling, or a role that is founded in faith, service, or devotion to something that is larger than our day-to-day concerns and ambitions, provides us with a sense of belonging that is not dependent on our own potential to benefit.
• Connection/Kinship/Devotion. Living life connected to significant others in ways that we get to feel heart-opening, or we may feel gratitude or joie-de-vie.
Unconditionality.
I believe that the Noble significance of ‘Unconditionality’ is not just about love, it can also be about how we chose to connect with and relate to other people in general. It can be about how we ‘attach’ our sense of self-worth to actions and outcomes. It can be about recognising how often we hold ourselves back when we have unrecognised fears of being exploited, or being found unworthy, or exposed in some damaging way.
Perhaps, with a conscious recognition of our own Noble qualities, we can choose to love, appreciate, forgive, or simple accept a little more unconditionally.
More.
There are many more potential Noble considerations to be explored. For example: What actually is the influence and contribution of the hemispheric nature of our brain? The H I Mind Model is not a model of the brain. It does not really attempt to identify brain activity but concentrates on behavioural needs, regardless of which particular parts of the physical brain might be involved. The attributes described by modern hemispheric theory are not, in the main, included in the H I Mind Model, though a basic concept of two complementary processes is. This can be expressed in various ways: knowledge and creativity, logic and intuition, protection and exploration, for example.
The way that I believe we ‘project’ our internal intelligence, composed of two main influences, can also lead to the ways that we set up our societies, the way that we maintain relationships, the way that we go about rearing our children, and the way that we do politics.
Another aspect of the H I Mind Model that is under-developed is fundamental research on what imperatives actually are. Which are the most important? How much variation is there from person to person? How do imperatives relate to cognitive core beliefs?
And there is a whole list of important topics that I have not included in any detail, including spirituality, the intellectual importance of music and dance, our shadow self (what happens when we rebel or suffer excess trauma), and our common mental disorders of depression, anxiety, burnout, languishing, and confusion – all of which can be mapped to our Focuses.
Collaboration.
When I think of how much work that there is to be done to convert the H I Mind Model and the Noble Philosophy from concept to theory to practice, I know that there are years and years of work needed. Far too many years for me to even make a reasonable start. One reason for this book is to begin to find bright minds to carry this work forward, as a collaboration of researchers, champions, explorers, and practitioners.
I am going to close on this thought, possibly a future work for me or others: A Noble Philosophy, based on an appreciation of our own Noble Mind should be able to ask tough questions and seek plausible and hopeful answers. The Hemispheric Intelligence Mind Model, and the Noble Mind that it describes seems, to me, to offer an approach to answering some very tough questions.