On thinking and distraction

Today’s two treasures are thinking and distraction.

I’ve come to the conclusion that original thought is quite rare, and seldom occurs during daily life. Distractions which derail original thoughts are overwhelmingly present and ubiquitous in our lives — they exist almost everywhere we look.

Religion is the opiate of the masses. I can’t take credit for that statement. I believe it can be credited to Karl Marx. Boy, is it insightful. There’s nothing quite like blending together indoctrination, repetition, music, and the smell of incense. With all that distraction, it’s virtually impossible to actually think for yourself. That’s exactly when your mind is receptive to being programmed — being told what to think, rather than thinking for itself.

Television, the Internet, even books, are all distractions. Habits, daily rituals, and even music are also distractions of the mind. Crossword puzzles, the daily jumble, games on your phone… all are distractions. All of those things, yet again, make it more difficult to think for yourself — to have original thoughts. In all of these cases, yet again, your mind is receptive to being programmed.

Distractions are compelling to us because they occupy the mind, freeing it from the difficult job of actually thinking. Far too often, we simply regurgitate some prior thought, or hum along merrily as we progress through some distraction.

Original thought requires patience, determination, and mental rigor. The mind is happy to occupy itself instead with the peaceful comfort of repetition of some daily ritual. Shower thoughts have emerged as a “thing” that occurs sometimes, when the mind is distracted with ritual, and some mental puzzle pieces accidentally fall together in some interesting way. We consider them as insights, when in fact, they’re accidental correlations. True insight doesn’t occur when the mind is distracted with ritual.

Original thought is extremely difficult. One reason is because it is easily dismiss-able — incongruous, foreign, possibly arguably wrong, often at odds with our understanding. Original thought is quite distinct from the enjoyment of distraction which we so readily embrace.

Any repetition, any pattern, any confirmation of some held belief is a distraction. The hum of a motor, the sound of the train on the tracks, the fluttering of the drapes in front of an open window — all are distractions. All are impediments to original thought.

It appears that only via quiet meditation can we think original thoughts. I came to this conclusion during quiet meditation, so I may be biased.

Today’s two treasures are thought and distraction. Think about it; both are definitely yours.

Appreciate, Comment, Savor, Spindle, Fold, or Mutilate as indicated.