So many things to consider; giving an allotment of thought time to. Some are simple, while some cause frustration. This is what happens to me when something of a substantive issue enters my mind. Either by the randomness of Lloyd W. Duncan
thought itself, or by one the five senses, it enters and demands attention. I have made an effort over the years to compartmentalize every area of my life, on and with purpose. This works very well for me, and a lot of others I’m sure, and one of the reasons is that the use of this system helps one to be of solid character and not act on a whims. When you make a decision about something that will become a point of your character, you can stand in a strong comfort-zone. A zone you built based on real understanding of not only the issue itself but, that this issue was tested against the appropriate compartments’ supporting thoughts and developed beliefs. An established decision making process becomes a powerful tool to manage the bombardment of random thoughts you receive each day. And the application of established beliefs and principals, the guardrails of each of life’s compartments, becomes the backbone of your character, the strength of your stance on any issue.
The frustration comes in the first area of consideration. Analogues of a hospitals ER, I call it thought-triage. That simply means that I gather the thoughts that came into my life today, or this week, by whatever means, and make the first decision. That being, which ones have a priority deserving of more thought time, which ones are not likely to change my stand on that issue and, which ones may do exactly that but?
ORIGIN:
Is anything faster than thought? Is it faster than light, slower, or does it have no speed, because it just "appears"? Inquiring minds want to ...well, sorry. What if you had the chance to see the transmitter that was sending thoughts to your mind’s receiver? Is it God, is it random, is it real? Random just does not work for me, at least not by itself. Very few thoughts "pop up" in an uncontrolled manner. They have a cause, a reason for being but, is it the "sending" of those thoughts that is controlled, or is it some sort of thought triage that happens in our receivers? These things that occur at the incipient stage of every thought will not answer to our desire to know. Whether they are created and sent to us or created in us, we may never find out - as our "own" thoughts seem unable to provide us with the instructions to do so. You can see in this observation that from the very beginning of the slightest mental activity, from any small single thought, if you will, that we are designed reactionaries. We can only react to the thought that enters our consciousness. And only speculate at where it was the split moment before. Was there a before? There is an obvious exception to this premise however, and that would simply be the thoughts that are generated thru the senses; you heard something, saw something, felt, touched, or tasted. All of these create thoughts.
MANAGE:
You've heard the term "compartmentalize", before. In the topic of managing things "mental", it usually refers to suppressed memories; blocked out pains, sights and sounds. Guarded from entry into the conscious where they play out again, and injure, again and, not without its own ill effects, "usually". Psychiatrists and the like tend to want to open up those places, get the pain out, suffer it again and "Now, let’s defeat it!” Not being one of those persons I've always wondered why you would allow someone "in" that wants to overcome the natural defenses of the most magnificent marvel on the planet, our brain. While some come away from such battles with a new empowered position in life, others end up worse than when they began. And rarely is it found to be due to the inadequacies of the mental "professional", but rather the inability of the patient. In any case, I have realized that to compartmentalize is a natural function of the mind. And like all natural abilities, this one, too, can be manipulated and enhanced for the good of the individual. Like running for developing the strength of legs and endurance of lungs, so can the mental capabilities of the mind be enhanced! Let me say here, to be more clear than my earlier eluding, I am not connected in any way to the mental medical field. I speak only from my own common sense and practice. Having said that, and being in this environment of very diverse subject offerings, I will also state that this is not an offering in the science fiction genre. And, moving along....
