The Inner Dialogue Conundrum
Right now, as you read this, there is a voice in your head vying for your attention
I know, because I have the same voice. The internal dialogue voice that always needs to analyze, speculate and commentate on the moment itself. It's as though there's a part of ourselves that doesn't want to exist in the moment. Instead, we'd rather be one step removed from the experience itself.
Living in the moment requires intense dedication to ignoring our stream of consciousness. Our mind can't handle being shunned in favor of the senses. It can often feel like our thoughts are a child crying out for attention, incapable of simply sitting still and allowing things to be as they are.
We must know the answer right this moment in order to secure ourselves. We require some sort of anchor to let us know we are ok, that we are safe. There is a clear benefit to this aspect of our mind.
To be without any kind of judgmental and discerning eye makes a person vulnerable to predatory forces and isn't ideal. A heightened mind is a product of our survival instinct, and it's understandable to be drawn towards a cautious and vigilant mindset.
The problem arises when our inner-dialogue takes over
It has been said that the mind is a terrible thing to waste. This is true, but it can also be said that the mind is often a terrible thing to use.
The power of the human brain is staggering. It can split the atom, create a network that connects all of humanity, send a man to both outer and inner space.
But it also has the compacity to completely destroy itself. Life is often a test of our ability to overcome the conversation we are having about our lives and simply live the fucking thing.
The moments of clarity and genuine exuberance comes when we drop the layers of bullshit we paint on top of the actual experience. We receive glimpses when we're with close friends or intoxicated and it makes us yearn for the present moment.
We're a human being, not a human thinking
Ok, I definitely didn't make that one up. But our own self-imposed classification states the obvious truth: our life is primarily intended to be experienced, not commented on. Humans often thrive when they are unbounded by their intellect.
The mind can jail a person as easily as it can fuel their rocket ship to outer space. It is a tool of unimaginable power, one that we are still learning to fully harness. Such incredible power comes with equally incredible amounts of responsibility and awareness.
If you aren't careful, your mind's power will swallow you up into a sea of despair and self-pity. If hell is real, surely it's in the mind. The human brain can create worlds of tangible pain and misery for the user suffering under its reign. It is very good at telling a story and will find every possible way to make you believe that story.
The truth lies outside of the story
We all have stories we tell ourselves about who we are, what we used to be and what we could become. It's a neverending fantasy, one that tantalizes our ego into believing it's on the verge of international stardom or on the precipice of absolute disaster. It tantalizes us into believing it is the end all, be all defining factor of our lives.
But it's just a story laid on top of a persistently changing experience, one filled with twists and turns out of our control. If we'd stop to smell the roses, maybe we'd stop commenting about what they actually smell like.
The mind is a beautiful mystery, one that humans are still wrapping their heads around. Our ability to harness this miracle in evolutionary biology is still in its infancy.
For this reason, it is good to keep in mind that the sophistication of our inner dialogue is often only matched by its deceptiveness. Sometimes tuning out your mind by dialing back into your senses is the best option. An absence of thought can truly be the smartest decision to make.
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Really inspiring & motivational contents sir. Thanks for sharing with us.☺
Worth reading every word of it mate👊🏽👊🏽 Yr thinking is next level I must say
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. :)