The Harm of Unchecked Thoughts

Whosoever might read this, do me a favor, if you please. Are you perturbed? Are your perturbations regular, predictable and periodic? Then they must have particular causes that you encounter often. Now, on to the causes. Is the locus of your disquiet some group of people, perhaps? Do you find certain political bents insufferable? Are you incensed by a particular person? Are you frightened by or inimical to an idea? Are you generally frustrated at the workings of the world? If you answered "yes" to these questions, which most of you have (provided you're honest), then you have a problem. Or many problems, as the case may be.

The most important question of all is this: are your disturbances justified, after careful consideration of the object or the focus? Or are they otiose mental preoccupations that serve no one, including yourself? Consider carefully, because if the focus of your disquiet is outside your power, then your mental thrashings and contortions come to naught. Your mind, invariably, is occupied with useless chains of thought, endlessly looping back to the source without an iota of understanding reached.

The fact of the matter is, only you are the cause of your own mental disturbances; your anger, frustration, and brooding emotions. Nothing in this world can disturb you unless you allow it and give your consent. Your thoughts and emotions are not the inescapable consequence of some external thing. They are in your power, absolutely pliant should you make the effort. But this requires you see your thoughts and feelings for what they are: impressions of the world, not the world as it truly is. Most don't observe their own thoughts, precluding any real self-control; they instead" feel" them and are carried by them. The thoughts come and go unmarked and unquestioned, and few stop to ask that vital question: am I justified in thinking this way?

Now where does the danger come in? People's irrational preoccupations, their childish inability to control their own thoughts and emotions, are the cause of untold suffering in themselves and others. Minds occupied with false notions drive people to inequity, to abuse and murder, to commit all manner of atrocities. The only solution is take control of one's thoughts, rather than being dragged by them as by an inexorable undertow. The world does not drag a man through the dirt, he merely rolls in mud of his own accord.

After quite a while observing commentators on various forums and coming to know them, I'm struck by the sheer predictability. Various topics and news articles become like mental Rorschach tests--- few people will speak to the topic so much as take the opportunity to expose their mental hang-ups. In many cases I can safely say I know what these people think about, how long they think about it, and how silly it is to think about such things so excessively and fruitlessly.

For these people, my advice stands: observe your thoughts and emotions as you would words on paper, to be entertained or rejected as logic prescribes. Avoid letting them carry off your mind unnoticed, stealing away like a thief in the night.

i like this post.

star and flag

a reply to: Talorc

Some of your post sounds a lot like a book i have on Ho'oponopono.

a reply to: Talorc

I resemble this remark---no wonder Im an asshole and cant sleep..lol

a reply to: Talorc

There is no bad thought, only bad action.

a reply to: Talorc

How ironic that you would profess your knowledge on a message board.



I will certainly give more credence to the comments you make in the future, until they stop following the lessons you so clearly want to give now.

originally posted by: antiguaEstrella
a reply to: Talorc

There is no bad thought, only bad action.

Say wha?

No bad thought? Are you serious with that? There are plenty of harmful and bad thoughts whether the action is carried out or not. Bad thoughts will poison the heart and mind of a person--no action necessary

a reply to: NarcolepticBuddha

I am quite serious. There is no bad thought, only bad action.

Perfectly put, and straight edged to the readers understanding.

Very well, star and flag

Dang...high marks in my book op..........

addressing the way we think......I'm 63, and just now getting the deep details on the mechanics of mind and reality....and how to go about being constructive without putting off the rookies....
no need to get all anxious, huh!!

a reply to: Talorc

I'm good with everything, thanks.

a reply to: Talorc

You use here in your post quite few levels higher than my English, so I did not catch each and every sentence, yet I hope I figured out your main idea and saying, is something in the manner of:

a reply to: antiguaEstrella

There is no bad thought, only bad action.

But actions have there genesis in thought

I wonder sometimes if my thoughts are nothing but reactions to the meaningless things I have been influenced to believe are meaningful. More so after experiencing freedom to the point that it has been hard to come back from.

I know that there are no bad thoughts, but only bad actions, and I find myself doing nothing sometimes while waiting for the bad thoughts to evaporate from my mind, while I simultaneously do nothing, while the busybodies who surround me, who really do nothing but mow their lawns and worry about the value, the curb appeal of their valueless garbage frown upon my lack of activity.

I don't do absolutely nothing, but what I do, do, just fills the time between now and my inevitable death, and thinking about my death proves that most of my life was utterly meaningless according to the measure of those I am surrounded by.

I remind myself of that tune "Freak" by RadioHead.

I don't have to care, there are plenty of people with too little to do who would be happy to mind my business for me.

And I don't really care much at all.

Mankind has become bored because his life has become too easy, and like a "not very bright child" gets into trouble.

Anyway.

a reply to: Talorc

Great read, sir.

a reply to: Talorc
You have quite the vocabulary. I am just going to keep the dictionary out for this thread

a reply to: Talorc

S+F for this post! I just made a comment on another thread that reflects your thoughts. And have contemplated these ideas many times reading through ATS forums.

Do you find certain political bents insufferable? Are you incensed by a particular person? Are you frightened by or inimical to an idea? Are you generally frustrated at the workings of the world?

The most important question of all is this: are your disturbances justified, after careful consideration of the object or the focus? Or are they otiose mental preoccupations that serve no one, including yourself? Consider carefully, because if the focus of your disquiet is outside your power, then your mental thrashings and contortions come to naught. Your mind, invariably, is occupied with useless chains of thought, endlessly looping back to the source without an iota of understanding reached.

My personal philosophy in life causes me to remain aware that my immediate reality trumps external information such as social media topics. For instance; despite having certain thoughts and possessing empathy for social issues and global events such as the recent Syrian, Turkish, Belgium, France terrorist attacks, and the killings of officers in the States; none of those incidents have affected my day to day existence on a personal level.

I have learned to separate the currency of my own life (personal experiences) with the currency of the world (non-personal experiences).

The issues that present themselves here on ATS, that I *choose* to engage in, only exist when I log in. After I log out, it has no bearing on my existence, or thoughts. Unless I'm directly making a tangible difference towards the issue - It's simply mind entertainment. Nothing more.

I occasionally do work with a few NGO's, charities, and groups such as Amnesty International, to which I sometimes find myself in certain undesirable places in the world witnessing very unfortunate sad things every now and then. And at these times the issues I'm witnessing does indeed become part of my immediate reality and influences my thoughts. However, when I arrive home, I do not allow it to affect my sense of being or my perspective. Again, my immediate reality and personal experiences is always paramount.

After quite a while observing commentators on various forums and coming to know them, I'm struck by the sheer predictability. Various topics and news articles become like mental Rorschach tests--- few people will speak to the topic so much as take the opportunity to expose their mental hang-ups. In many cases I can safely say I know what these people think about, how long they think about it, and how silly it is to think about such things so excessively and fruitlessly.

Those who do so re; expose their mental hang ups- usually do so because they lead unfulfilled lives, or possess resentments, and/or unresolved personal issues. They are using social media to project (escape) their feelings of non- fulfillment by addressing social issues in the way they do. It is simply misplaced anger for more deeper and personal issues.

Again, it's only mind entertainment. The way I choose to interact here on ATS is not how I interact in the real world. The issues I may choose to discuss here never get discussed outside of here simply because it is not part of my immediate reality when I log off.

Sometimes, when I read ignorant, biased, bigoted, and hateful rhetoric here on this site, I will respond to it for pure entertainment. Deep down; the thoughts and opinions of others, and the current events of the world, do not change my life and world...

I'm Catholic and understand the difference between Venial (thought) and Cardinal (action) Sins.

I know religious perspectives aren't the vogue perspective for a lot of people today, but that perspective really sheds some light for me on being aware of bad thoughts and atoning (or coming to terms with and forgiving others and oneself) for having "bad" thoughts (most are natural reactions to perceived injustices) and getting it out rather than letting it pressure cook into an outburst of Cardinal (Actionable) violence or misdeeds against another.

Bad thoughts - better out than in festering into an outburst of action.

I dunno, a little drunk right now but that's my take on it.

originally posted by: TheConstruKctionofLight
a reply to: antiguaEstrella

There is no bad thought, only bad action.

But actions have there genesis in thought

But much as a thumb is a finger but a finger is not a thumb....

Thoughts, are not bad. Only actions are.