It has been my observation that people , in general, have stopped thinking, and therefore stopped questioning.
I do hear questions, such as " How much does this saree cost? You think it's worth the price?" A lot of such questions actually. Or " Have you tried this restaurant? Great food!" But never a question about "Is our education system worth the money and time we invest in it?"
or
"What can we do to make the political class more accountable?"
or
"How much money do we really need to live a comfortable life? Is all this struggle really worth it?"
or
"Where are we going as a species? Are we learning and practicing the right thought patterns?"
I am not here to point fingers and blame anyone. Because blaming is damn easy. There is an expiry date to how much we can blame someone else, and we crossed it long back.
So , yes, we are responsible for everything that we experience. So what are we doing about it , to change those experiences?
Answer: Think!
Some of the reasons why we have stopped thinking are:
a. Thinking is uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable because :
b. Thinking requires analytical skills and lots of data. Whenever a question arises in my mind, I read, I listen to podcasts/ videos, I find people on social media who know something about the subject and try to learn more until I am satisfied.
c. Thinking is free. Nobody pays you to think about life. Everyone pays you to think about something that they are interested in- which is mostly fired by profit.
d. There is no guarantee that you are on the right path, or that you will find the right path or whether it will lead you to a more peaceful mental condition.
e. Thinking is risky business. When you think , you find loopholes and issues everywhere. You actually see what is the reality rather than what they are trying to show. Governments and people in power , the Game Changers don't want you to think- they just want you to follow orders! The moment you start thinking, you behave out of order, that is noticed and whatever is different, gets attacked.
f. Thinking requires immense courage. Thinking isn't meant for the sheep. Find me one person who thinks and is a coward at the same time. Impossible! Thinking is empowering! Thinking is educative!
g. Thinking is adventurous. And adventure isn't everyone's cup of tea. No. Adventure isn't just the capacity to jump from a cliff with safety harness strapped across you and posting pictures of it online. That's the commercial definition of adventure. They want to make it accessible to everyone. So yes, go pay some money and jump off a helicopter and be adventurous. Really? Is that who an adventurer is?
h. Thinking leads you to evolve continuously. Until you have actually found the answers , you will keep changing- some part of your life will keep falling apart, and some new part will keep building in it's place.
i. Thinking is painful! It actually hurts very deep. When you continuously ask what? Why? Where? When and How? and as you start walking down those dimly lit ways into your mind and into complete darkness- where no mentor, no book, no external guidance helps...it is scary, it is lonely. It leads one to question the very act of thinking....'why did I think in the first place? ' ' If I had not thought over that, I would not have reached here.'
But it is an act that must be practiced continuously.
Thinking is worth it!
That is what meditation teaches. In order to quiet your mind, you need to start speaking with yourself. When you ask it to be quiet, it fires different questions and desires at you.
It is a long process and one that must be undertaken at one's pace. It is not an act that can be blindly copy pasted.
In conclusion:
Thinking is the biggest adventure one can have in their life. Yes it is uncomfortable, painful, risky but it is also full of magical moments, new discoveries, new thought patters.
So please do try it and share your experiences with others who are thinking!
I do hear questions, such as " How much does this saree cost? You think it's worth the price?" A lot of such questions actually. Or " Have you tried this restaurant? Great food!" But never a question about "Is our education system worth the money and time we invest in it?"
or
"What can we do to make the political class more accountable?"
or
"How much money do we really need to live a comfortable life? Is all this struggle really worth it?"
or
"Where are we going as a species? Are we learning and practicing the right thought patterns?"
I am not here to point fingers and blame anyone. Because blaming is damn easy. There is an expiry date to how much we can blame someone else, and we crossed it long back.
So , yes, we are responsible for everything that we experience. So what are we doing about it , to change those experiences?
Answer: Think!
Some of the reasons why we have stopped thinking are:
a. Thinking is uncomfortable. It is uncomfortable because :
- It leads you to investigate and question and this process is time consuming and mentally tiring.
- Although you may reach certain conclusions, it is difficult to apply those new lessons to your current scenario. So thinking leads you to new areas, these new areas do not fit in with your old system and this gap is stressful, to say the least.
b. Thinking requires analytical skills and lots of data. Whenever a question arises in my mind, I read, I listen to podcasts/ videos, I find people on social media who know something about the subject and try to learn more until I am satisfied.
c. Thinking is free. Nobody pays you to think about life. Everyone pays you to think about something that they are interested in- which is mostly fired by profit.
d. There is no guarantee that you are on the right path, or that you will find the right path or whether it will lead you to a more peaceful mental condition.
e. Thinking is risky business. When you think , you find loopholes and issues everywhere. You actually see what is the reality rather than what they are trying to show. Governments and people in power , the Game Changers don't want you to think- they just want you to follow orders! The moment you start thinking, you behave out of order, that is noticed and whatever is different, gets attacked.
f. Thinking requires immense courage. Thinking isn't meant for the sheep. Find me one person who thinks and is a coward at the same time. Impossible! Thinking is empowering! Thinking is educative!
g. Thinking is adventurous. And adventure isn't everyone's cup of tea. No. Adventure isn't just the capacity to jump from a cliff with safety harness strapped across you and posting pictures of it online. That's the commercial definition of adventure. They want to make it accessible to everyone. So yes, go pay some money and jump off a helicopter and be adventurous. Really? Is that who an adventurer is?
h. Thinking leads you to evolve continuously. Until you have actually found the answers , you will keep changing- some part of your life will keep falling apart, and some new part will keep building in it's place.
i. Thinking is painful! It actually hurts very deep. When you continuously ask what? Why? Where? When and How? and as you start walking down those dimly lit ways into your mind and into complete darkness- where no mentor, no book, no external guidance helps...it is scary, it is lonely. It leads one to question the very act of thinking....'why did I think in the first place? ' ' If I had not thought over that, I would not have reached here.'
But it is an act that must be practiced continuously.
Thinking is worth it!
That is what meditation teaches. In order to quiet your mind, you need to start speaking with yourself. When you ask it to be quiet, it fires different questions and desires at you.
It is a long process and one that must be undertaken at one's pace. It is not an act that can be blindly copy pasted.
In conclusion:
Thinking is the biggest adventure one can have in their life. Yes it is uncomfortable, painful, risky but it is also full of magical moments, new discoveries, new thought patters.
So please do try it and share your experiences with others who are thinking!
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