Thoughts are strange things.
We have them all day long in the countless thousands. We pay little attention to the majority that marches through our minds.
So where so they come from and what is their purpose?
I’ve often wondered if animals have a thought life.
Most of what I’ve read says that they act purely on instinct. I’ve often watched my cat licking himself in the garden when suddenly a bird lands nearby. He shakes his head in wonder and focuses on the bird. He both pays attention to the bird and begins to stalk it or he continues with his boudoir.
This is now where I will take writer’s license and speculate about my cat’s actions.
Perhaps he was not hungry at that moment and although a snack would’ve been nice, it still had to be caught. Perhaps he did not feel like eating bird but would’ve preferred a rodent or an insect instead. Perhaps he was tired from the night out and wanted to sit in the sun and relax.
I’ll never know because I’ve no idea if these thoughts ever crossed his mind.
Perhaps they did but because I’ve never actually had a conversation with him I cannot say.
There are some folk who claim to have the ability to understand animals and hear what they’re saying but I’ll leave that for you to decide.
We know that we think thoughts because we communicate with one another and articulate what we’re thinking.
What about babies? Do they have thoughts?
Do thoughts only exist when they can be expressed in words?
I do not have these answers and added the questions to get you thinking.
My posts over the past few weeks have looked at the signs of a weak mind and the case for a strong mind. The common point of both is that our mind process is based upon thoughts and how we deal with them.
Who defines what a good or bad thought is?
Does it revolve around the type of emotions it generates?
If these emotions are anger, fear or envy, does it mean the thought is bad?
Are bad thoughts ones that break you or others down?
Does your belief and culture dictate what a good or bad thought is?
In The Art of Thought Transformation, I looked at the action of rewiring your thought process.
I made it sound very simple but in fact many books have been written about the disciplines required to achieve this process.
These books detail the benefits of positive thinking, mind control, affirmations, meditation, the law of attraction and other subjects that tell you how to control your thoughts. From what I’ve read it appears to be a long involved process.
Surely if you are the originator of your thoughts, you should be able to control them at will?
Is it a matter of lack of discipline that has allowed your thoughts to run rampant or is it your lifestyle?
Have you seared your conscience knowing that you are acting contrary to your values?
I’ve asked a lot of questions that have no right or wrong answers other than to determine whether thoughts are the source of your problems or solutions.
My last question is not for the faint hearted: – What if your thoughts come from an external source?
You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. James Allen