bad·mind — (ADJECTIVE) Jamaican patois expression describing someone who is jealous of others and is constantly critiquing other people’s lives. This person is extremely envious of the success of others, wishing/plotting for their downfall or failure.
“Him badmind mi because mi a drive BMW.”
It’s a phenomenon. And it is real. Jealousy, of course, is an undeniable human emotion. So much so that in many cultures, for all of history, there are traditions and stories and belief systems that address it, and seek to protect loved ones against it.
One thing about my professional experience so far working in NYC that I’m especially grateful for is the cultural exchange I’ve been able to be part of. It’s through going to an after-work drinking session at the Trading Post in the Seaport District (R.I.P. — it didn’t survive the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, and it was a true fave) and half-drunkenly bonding with a senior team member from Greece, that I learnt 1. how similar Greek and Jamaican cultures happen to be, but more importantly, 2. the power “the evil eye” holds in her life.
After we talked at length about how she basically makes mannish water all the time (I mean with real goat head too; a great feat in an NYC apartment, mind you), she delved into how her mother uses every opportunity, every day, to leave small evil eye charms in every nook and cranny, every crevice of every space that her loved ones occupy.
“When it comes to warding off the mystic malevolent forces of the world, there is perhaps no charm more recognised or renowned than the ‘evil eye’,” according to BBC. The article continues:
“To understand the origins of the evil eye, one must first understand the distinction between the amulet and the evil eye itself. Though often dubbed as ‘the evil eye’, the ocular amulet is actually the charm meant to ward off the true evil eye: a curse transmitted through a malicious glare, usually one inspired by envy. Though the amulet — often referred to as a nazar — has existed in various permutations for thousands of years, the curse which it repels is far older and more difficult to trace.”
The curse which it repels is badmind!
Envy, jealousy, badmind, evil eye. All seem, to me, to be the same concept.
In ancient Egypt, the Eye of Horus was buried with pharaohs to protect them in the afterlife. In Turkey, it is still a tradition to bring an evil eye token to newborn children. I know in Jamaica, some people tie red string around newborns’ wrists to protect them too. The Ojo de Venado or Deer’s Eye charm is a Mexican form of magical protection against the evil eye — a person (not an evil person, per se) harming you or your children by looking at you or them with envy and/or praising them, even without touching them.
So, I think it is fair to say badmind is real, and that it is a universal law. I can’t address the badmind of newborn babies, so I’m inclined to maintain my sense of spirituality and maybe even traditions like red string/charms in my future (at least to be safe, right?), but as for the badmind of material things and of earthly success, I do think we can heal that.
I think badmind comes from a mindset that only perceives lack. I know, because I’ve felt it. Most recently with regard to relationships, seeing majority of my best friends and countless people in their close-knit bonds with their life partners while I am yet to meet mine. My mom had already been years into a serious long-term relationship with my father by the time she was my current age, and had me when she was just a year older than I am right now. But, I am aware of the focus on the self-comparison and lack in this scenario, the fact that I *don’t have* a serious partner.
The point of this entry is to highlight a simple addition to this mindset that can actually shift it for the better, and leave you with the thought that a little mindfulness can heal badmind.
If I shift my mindset from focusing on the lack in my life, to framing everything, no matter what, in light of abundance, then I subconsciously, subtly, open myself up for possibility. Yes, I *don’t have* a serious partner — yet.
I can still get one. I’m alive and breathing and am my wonderful self.
It’s through working through this within myself that I’ve concluded that badmind is prevalent in cultures/societies like Jamaica’s, and possibly other emerging markets, because equal, widespread opportunity and upward social mobility are still ongoing struggles. The default of the majority is still to focus on what we lack, and that is understandable, since what we lack objectively amounts to a lot, but it is also objectively overwhelming and unhelpful. Almost impossible to move past with any sense of progress, purpose, or possible prosperity.
If somehow, we could train our minds so that our default thought as we come across things we first feel envy toward, or perceive to be impossible for ourselves (cue self-limiting beliefs), could always be “I can have that too,” we’d operate as if we could, and I’d argue that is how we would. “Perception is reality” isn’t really an empty trope. What once represented sour sources of jealousy would suddenly transform into visual sources of inspiration. Badmind would be over, and we’d unlock new heights for our lives.
Mind over matter, people. Bob’s been telling us forever to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery, as none but ourselves can free our minds 🙂
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