Thinking makes it So 

"You live in a universe; and within you, you form pictures of the universe as it appears to you. And you can know nothing except for the pictures. But the pictures within you of the universe are not the universe." - A.E, van Vogt

What do we mean when we say we're 'thinking' about something?

Thinking is a mental event - it takes place in the mind, and is invisible to others. The only way we make it visible is when we say or do something, and others may infer what we are thinking from our verbal or non-verbal behavior. 

When we think, we process reality internally. Some people create pictures, others 'see' words, but the intention of the process is to 'model' reality, create an internal representation of the external or internal experience. In this way, we make our world coherent; we make sense of it. 

But whenever we model something, we know that the representation is something less than the real one. The same applies to our thinking. The reality maps we create in our thoughts are not the reality, they are like a shadow - it may have a similar shape and size, but we can distinguish the one from the other with ease. Try it now - visualize something tangible that you know well; no matter how good your imagination is, it pales into insignificance when compared to the original in respect of detail, texture, dimension, movement and of course the other four senses of smell, touch, sound and taste.

In addition, we do not perceive things as they really are, but through filters, some our natural senses, but others filters of belief and value which may distort our internal representation. The degree to which there is correspondence between our internal model and our external reality not only impacts on our comprehension and understanding, but also on our ability to make sound decisions. 

It is debatable whether words can define reality, language can really only describe it. Merely because we have a label for something does not mean we understand it. 

What is going on in your mind is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the real world, and so it becomes necessary to edit one's thoughts, to decide which ones are useful, and which ones are not. The primary responsibility of intelligence is to distrust itself - the thinking you should be most wary of is your own, since we tend to behave in accordance with our thinking.

Getting control of your thoughts is to gain control of your life - make your mind a servant, not your master.

D (just call me D)

justd@justd.ws

© Uncommon Sense Communication - Enabling Independent Thought