WHEN ‘THOUGHTS’ BECOME ‘THINKING’

 

“We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far”.                                                             Swami Vivekanand

 

It is believed that we get about 6000 -60000 thoughts each day! Thoughts bombard us from apparently nowhere. Thought is the sound of overactive mind like a rumble of an engine. Interestingly, thoughts are beyond our five senses but still they do exist with undeniable impact on our lives. 

 

Mark Twain said: “Life consists of the storm of thoughts that is forever flowing through one’s head”.

 

“Thought” is a process of mental deliberation or the product of that process – idea, opinion or belief. Thought is essentially the combination of observation (information gathered through five senses) and memory (recalling people, places, things, events, experiences). Simply put, thoughts stem out of our memories only. They are blinking of our memory bank. The Individuals who can store more data in their memories and are able to process them in more meaningful way are ‘geniuses’. Thoughts are mental cognitions.

 

Let us see how a thought is formed from neuroscience’s point of view. The human brain has 100 billion neurons. The neurons generate electrical impulses for communication. Neurons generate electrical signals via brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. The electrical signals thus produced propagate like a wave through thousands of neurons leading to thought formation.

 

Thoughts are automatic and out of our control. If we are eating, we can stop eating, if walking, we can stop walking, if talking, we can stop talking. But can we do it with thoughts? They are relentless (even during sleep) and not as easy as to stop eating or talking. Even when we are idle, we get thoughts. Thoughts are random till we consciously think.

 

The interesting thing about thought is there can be only one thought in mind at a time. It is like we cannot put more food in mouth if we already have mouthful of food. No two thoughts can be present at the same time! We have to vacate one thought to give way to another.

 

Thoughts and emotions have profound effect on one another. Thoughts can trigger emotions (positive as well as negative). The resultant outcome is our behaviour.

 

It is important to know that Thoughts and Thinking are not the same. 

 

Many thoughts pass through mind all the times. As mentioned earlier they are automatic and not under our control. However, some thoughts engage us more than others. This engagement is the process of thinking.

 

Thinking involves reasoning and reflecting. It is an internal conversation. Thought is like a single note of music which may linger or float away or drift into oblivion. Thinking is like playing music using notes in a way which has its own melody. Thoughts come and go but thinking stays.

 

Someone has explained in a wonderful way – Thinking is like a flowing river; thoughts are the bubbles rising to its surface. Each bubble shimmers with vigour before popping into silence. Whereas the river runs deep and strong.

 

Thinking requires efforts, thoughts do not. Thoughts become thinking when we attach an identity to the thoughts. That is why it is said – “You are what you Think”. 

 

Let us see few examples. Two persons get headache. Both get thoughts about what it could be. One person lets the thought pass and take it easy. The other person attaches importance to the thought and thinks that it is serious.  The thought now becomes thinking. That person’s life becomes stressful and is consumed by negative thinking. A stage comes when one starts believing what the mind commands. Mind reflects what one thinks.

 

Everyone knows the role of ball boys In Tennis. At a grand slam event two ball boys had thoughts of playing like champion players one day. One rubbished the thought and let it pass. The other one attached importance to the thought and started imagining him as a great tennis player in future. He was consumed by thought in a positive way. That ball boy in future became the legendary John McEnroe! No one knows what happened to the other ball boy.

 

 

Can we change our thoughts and emotions?

 

With right efforts we can change our negative thoughts. Shifting our attention and reappraising the situation are some of the ways to do it. Some researchers have found that 50% of happiness is determined by Genetic Influence, 10% by our circumstances. The other 40 % depends upon our own efforts to be happy. We feel what we think. 

 

Mindfulness is the way to real internal happiness. It is non-elaborative, non-judgmental present centered awareness in which each thought, feeling, sensation that arises is acknowledged and accepted as it is. Mindful meditation, if done properly and regularly confers positive change in life. (Calmer, more Resilient and Happier). If we are aware of our thoughts and emotions, we can change them.

 

Bhagwat Gita has an enlightening teaching in Chapter 6.6 which says: -

बंधुरात्मात्मनस्तस्य येनात्मैवात्मना जित: |

अनात्मनस्तु शत्रुत्वे वर्तते तमैव शत्रुवत् |

 

For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.

 

It is for everyone to introspect – 

Are we using our thoughts or are being used by our thoughts ?

 

 

Dr Hemant Antani