Anonymous said:
I'm so introverted.
I'm constantly analyzing, thinking, opinionating, analyzing, analyzing, concluding, analyzing.
Is that really the problem though?
Yes. Your thoughts are exactly the problem. Incessant thinking is what causes us to suffer. 90+% of those conclusions and judgments that run through your head serve no practical purpose, except strengthening your own sense of self-righteousness. This is the ego. We all have one.
The negativity you speak of is only a function of your thoughts.
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. ~Shakespeare
Obviously you recognize that habitual thinking is a problem, otherwise you would not have made this thread.
To feel okay, you have to identify this tendency to think reactively, and learn to observe your thoughts. Your thoughts aren't YOU, they're just little opinions your mind tosses out in response to things you perceive. Most of the time they are prejudiced and self-serving. In other words, most of us think in this way to stroke our egos. When you come to a conclusion about something, you feel good, a little more secure. In reality, it's a bad addiction that ruins lives.
The truth is, most of us actually perceive very little of the world; most of what we see is our thoughts about what we see. Whenever your attention is on your thoughts, you are missing out on everything else. You don't need to be thinking all the time; to do so is exhausting and pointless.
Once you can observe your thoughts as they arise, you can also observe the gap between thoughts. In this gap is awareness. You are still perceiving, but not judging. As you learn to observe your thinking, these gaps lengthen. You learn not to follow pointless, self-serving lines of thought. The sensation of perceiving the world this way is extremely peaceful and pleasant. When you need to think to solve a problem, you think in a focused way and then you stop when you are finished.
You'll realize that what actually happens in life has very little bearing on your happiness; it is how you react mentally that causes suffering and frustration.
I know of no other way to learn to observe your thoughts than meditation. That is why people do it; so they can see what is actually happening in their heads. Look into it. Or, you can continue to live in your unconscious maze of judgment and analysis until you die. Most people do because they know of no alternative.
|
Threaded
Previous
Index
Next
Shop: Unfolding Nature: Being in the Implicate Order
Edit 
Reply 
1 2 3 4 5 all )
Anonymous
