“Mindfulness and Infinity of Thoughts: Tahv Mindedness: Living with the Maximally Infinite” is a brief, concise book by Peter George Gross, MD, PhD. It appeals to curious minds looking for new thoughts who welcome thoughts-messengers. The book addresses the general secular layperson without intending to exclude any other type of mind.
One book reader commented, “I don’t think that way,” so the thought-messages of the book were uncomfortable for him. It is this kind of discomfort of Mindfulness between different minds that is, in fact, the subtle point of the book; minds facing thoughts unknown or emotionally strange to the mind feel they have to either learn or reject thoughts that seem incongruous at first thought. Regrettably, most teaching situations in human society recommend rejecting thoughts different from one’s (our) thoughts rather than learning from the apparent discords. It is this thoughts-rejection that becomes the insurmountable hurdle to thoughts-exchanges among minds and is the source of so much hatred and violence in our world. This book teaches that no matter how brilliant a mind may be or how it thinks of itself, there is an infinitely impenetrable collection of thoughts inaccessible to all minds. It is this awareness that is the beginning of Tahv-Mindedness.
As a thoughts-messenger to his readers, Dr. Gross invites them to contemplate their minds’ infinite possibilities and consider how such awareness, combined with Tahv-mindedness, can inspire positive change within themselves and in the broader world.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, to achieve this higher level of Mindfulness, one needs to pass over some hurdles of unaccustomed reasoning, not unlike and not more difficult than learning to play soccer, tennis, or basketball, or play the piano, or learning to read and write. Readers can and will overcome the hurdles of thoughts between their minds and the thoughts-messages of the book, as there are no technicalities involved that might make such hurdles insurmountable.
Dr. Gross names the maximally infinite collection the “Tahv,” in honor of Georg Cantor, who started his sequence of increasing infinities by naming them Aleph null, Aleph 1, etc. In this book, Dr. Gross shows that the Tahv, the maximally infinite, consists of all thoughts. The Tahv thus integrates Cantor’s tours de force of strict logic with Dr. Gross’ insights into human cognition; Dr. Gross presents a compelling argument that recognizing and embracing the personal lesser infinity of thoughts within each mind can lead to profound personal and societal transformation when combined with Tahv-mindedness. The hidden undercurrent of thoughts in this book is that Tahv-mindedness has the potential to foster greater tolerance and understanding among individuals when awareness of the source of all thoughts, the Tahv, becomes part of the memory bank of every individual mind, every individual mind of infinite thoughts being but a minuscule, tiny yet uniquely different part of the Tahv; contemplating this message will instill a sense of hope and optimism in readers, inspiring them to consider the potential for positive change in the world.
The author, Dr. Peter George Gross, has been married for 56 years, has four children, and has six grandchildren. He is an astrophysicist, physician, and eye surgeon. He considers his mind somewhere in the middle of all the minds he has encountered. His journey and experiences are woven into the fabric of this book, creating a sense of connection and empathy with the reader.