Undistracted thought, to me it was a mirage or something other people did. It was shallow questions if anything, like Taco Bell or Taco Jhons, Blonds or brunets, even such mind-benders as what was the name of the move that had that one girl in it? deep thoughts were done 2500 years ago by men in togas.
"An unexamined life is not worth living," Plato said that. It was in response to Socrates' speech talking about learning an asking ourselves questions. He thought that was the best way we can learn to live a virtuous life.
I often wonder if my life might have change course for the better if I had started reading philosophy earlier or asked myself a better question then Betty or Veronica (Betty of course) I can't go back now, only forward, but the past is still good for mining out clues as to where I am headed next and how I can avoid sinking further into old ways.
Taking notes is not something I excel in doing, often the end result is little more than chicken scratches and useless dribble. I needed a new direction. Something where I could extract the knowledge I sought while not having to decipher poorly written notes. I could take notes on the computer but I really don't care for that plus the mind remembers handwritten notes better.
I began writing down questions
Simple questions that summed up the idea of what I was reading or watching while leaving room for personal interpretation and exploration. I was able to write in short phrases that I could actually read and understand. (or type on my phone) A sloppily written one hundred plus word paragraph turned into a ten-word question that, when examined though my own lens, not the authors, left a far more powerful emotional impact.
A few examples:
- What would be truly good for me? Not what would make me happy?
- What must be sacrificed for the better?
3.When were some times I allowed other people's views and reactions to negatively influence my actions and go against what I knew was right for me?
This practice has given me many answers to problems I never knew existed. Things I did (or didn't do) or things I said (or didn't say) on the daily that was mostly forms of self-sabotage hidden as old habits, hang-ups, and unresolved sub-conscious problems. All small doses of toxic poison, not enough to kill but plenty to mess you up.
~meditations~