Testing Thoughts

I'm not going to blog about the Covid-19 pandemic today, as we are already bombarded with too many depressing news from all over the world. We can consider ourselves lucky that our infection rates are still relatively manageable, even though it comes at a great cost to the nation.

What is more interesting is how people are coping with it. It is strange how many are finding an abundance of time unbearable. What do you mean there's nothing to do? Of course, people have a lot of things that they can do, like acquiring a new skill, or finally reading those books that have been collecting dust on the shelf. It's just that they are not interested in pursuing them. Many of us are simply interested in diversions--anything that takes our minds off the present moment.

It's as if being still and quiet for even a minute is an unthinkable act. To many, life is not here and now, it is always elsewhere. Let's examine the now for a while. What's happening now? A thought occurs. Another thought, and another, and another one...it simply goes on ad infinitum. Where do they come from? Did you will it to appear in your mind? No. It simply appeared. You apparently have no control over them.

Now, if you have no control over them, do you know where do they lead to? What is the natural direction of your thoughts? Do they always end up with some kind of conclusion? Or do they lead you to some kind of creative breakthrough? Some eureka moment? Rarely. They simply run around in circles, chasing their own tails.

External circumstances can trigger new chains of thoughts: an attractive-looking person passing by, flashes of scenes from an action movie, a snippet of gossip overheard. Then the thoughts in our minds are churned again, swirling around like particles in a snow globe.

Isn't our thinking mind the most interesting instrument that we possess? Why can't that be the constant subject of our investigation? Why can't the mind examine itself? Is that even possible?

Most definitely. Wise men have been doing that for ages. It's called meditation. And there, you have a default activity that you can indulge in anytime. It's a great hobby--one that brings enormous benefits.

Hang on, what benefits? In what way can this seemingly self-indulgent act of mind-watching be a productive activity? Simple: it's because everything about your life stems from there. Every action has its seed in a thought. Thoughts snowball over time into actions that determine the course of your life. And if you have no idea whence they come from, how do you have any control over your own life?

Like that dreaded virus that is wreaking havoc all over the world, all thoughts have an incubation period in the mind. And when you do not test and detect them early, you have no control over which ones would take over your mind, and ultimately your life. So seize the next thought and put it to the test.