Are we the voice of thoughts?
A 2020 study, published in the journal Nature Communications was carried out by psychologists at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada.
They uncovered that humans think an average of 6,200 thoughts a day.
All thoughts are outward and come from an experience. This is the “cause” of the thought, and the “effect” is our reaction to it.
Through my own learnings, I am coming to an interesting idea.
Although thoughts find us and many times we interact with these thoughts, like an internal dialogue, there is a third entity, a conscious entity, an awake entity that does nothing more than listen to this dialogue.
Whether these thoughts come in sporadically or are inculcated through others, you ultimately have the choice of how you react to them, but you do not choose them.
The quieter the mind becomes, the more this entity listens to our own endless internal dialogue. This entity is also a version of what we believe to be ourselves.
A quick practice to try is to sit down in a quiet space (not always easy) and listen to these thoughts.
Some may be positive, others negative. Some spiritual. Some thoughts will take you into a wormhole, extracting a hold new set of thoughts. While this is happening, see if you can pay attention to all conversations within your mind without reacting to them.
It is my belief that the mental suffering (not biologically) we inflict on ourselves is because of this chattering mind. “I can’t believe you did that,” or “why did I do that,” are but a few examples of scenarios that have taken place in my head.
I’ve been vigilant, although not always, in seeing this conversation take place and being mindful to not let the energy or emotion of this dialogue cloud the present moment, which is a moment where nothing much is going on.
The awake mind is able to detect this conversation and see it for what it is, just a conversation, an internal battle between what was, what is to be, and what is no more.
The more you are able to pay attention to your internal conversations the less power they have, the less they cease to be and the more energy you can devote to this moment.
When we are attentive to the moments in our experience, conversations start to become less, clarity rises and the ability to get free of our own mental constructs can take place.
This concept has become more and more important as I grow older.
The cost of an uncluttered mind won’t give you endless nirvana or ecstasy, but it can help you to understand your self-inflicted suffering, so you can be in a place of peace, which is priceless.
This is available to all of us because it is always here.
I find myself in this place more often.
The river of our life’s experience is constantly flowing, and we can only swim one current at a time.
With love,
Anand
I write articles, stories, and poetry on well-being. Subscribe below to get on my free newsletter so my work can be delivered directly to your inbox. Thank you for visiting.