On The Nature of Thought
When I was in high school I had my first existential crisis.
I remember sitting in the library during lunch one afternoon with my normal group of friends and someone started asking provoking questions. Something like “what is the purpose of life?” or “why are we here?” or “what is the nature of the universe?”
After a little contemplation we all realized that these questions, the “big questions” were much more interesting and important to us than the questions we were being asked in school.
We started meeting at one friend’s house after school and on weekends for what we called “Blue Room Days’’ where we would ask each other these types of questions, fall down into our existential crisis again, and attempt to find answers. We called them Blue Room Days because of the color of the room and I guess it mirrored the prevailing mental state as well.
We would talk, then walk around the neighborhood, then talk more and many times we would leave with more questions than answers. Our group started as several friends, but quickly dwindled.
As time went on, our Blue Room Days came to an end. We graduated high school and went our separate ways. The Blue Room Days ended, but the questions never stopped in my mind.
Upon graduating high school, the predominant question in my mind was “What is the nature of thought?”
I want to share with you a model that I have been using to answer that question. I discovered this model about 18 months ago and it has proved remarkably effective at both explaining the nature of thought and also how to use thought in a productive manner.
Thoughts as Images
One of the first things I learned in exploring the nature of thought is that we think in pictures. It is almost as though we have a “mental screen” our thoughts are projected onto that allows us to see with an inner eye.
We use our minds to think of form images on our mental screens. This is happening all the time.
This is easily provable. Imagine your car… your house… your pet… your kitchen. Notice that as you think of each object you can “see” it using your mental screen.
Here’s the interesting bit. We can think whatever we want. You can choose what mental picture is projected onto this screen. The only limitation you have is in how creative you can get with your imagination.
Another thing to notice is that when we do not know what a certain object looks like, we cannot form the mental image of it. When we cannot form a mental picture, we call it confusion.
If I say “ATC Signal Controller,” most of you will have no idea what image to pull up other than a blank one. If I were to ask you to describe what an ATC Signal Controller was or what it did you probably wouldn’t be able to tell me. Confusion would reign in your mind.
Here is an image of an ATC Signal Controller:
This is a small computer that is used to control traffic signals at intersections. Every intersection has a computer like this to make sure that all the signal lights coordinate properly and minimize traffic congestion during rush hours.
Now that you have an image and some information accompanying it, you can answer the questions mentioned above and the confusion goes away. We replaced the confusion with knowledge and understanding.
Now we know what thoughts are (images) and how to eliminate confusion (the lack of an image for an object). So here is a question, “What does your mind look like?”
An Image of the Mind
When posed with that question, many of you will not be able to tell me and those of you that do likely have pulled up an image of the brain. You may use your brain to think but the brain is not the mind. We use our minds to think and the brain alone will not think.
After the death of Albert Einstein we kept his brain in a jar which still resides in New Jersey. Of course, Albert’s brain doesn’t do anyone any good because Albert is no longer with it.
We think using our minds; our minds form mental images using unformed thought power or energy. This “thought energy” is always flowing through your mind. Your thoughts never stop.
Imagine again the ATC Signal Controller. Without proper education and training, you would have no hope of programming an ATC Signal Controller. Just a minute ago you had no idea what it is or how it is used.
However, if you were to see a diagram of how the Signal Controller operates and have a knowledgeable expert explain to you how to use it you would probably be able to use the controller without too much difficulty.
The same is true of the mind. If you do not have a useful image that can help you use your mind in a productive way, there is no hope to harness and direct the power of thought.
This is the image of the mind that I have used over the past 18 months:
As of yet, I have not found a more effective way to control and direct my own thinking. An understanding of this one concept can give an individual the ability to achieve anything they set their minds to.
Tomorrow, I will be analyzing and explaining the practical uses of this image in more depth. I’ll talk to you then.
Sincerely yours,
Alex
