Not By Thought Alone

By: Bradley Binversie

How many of us wrestle with own thoughts and our minds as we struggle to make sense of everyday life? We all do.

“If I can just figure this problem out. If I’m somehow smart enough, I will be able to get all the pieces to align and make sense, then I will be the master of my world.” We probably actually don’t say this part, but it’s something that high achievers particularly like to subconsciously believe that they’re in complete control and that through their intelligent thought, they will somehow bend the universe to their will.
I am coming to the conclusion that thought and intelligence, might only be a very small piece of the puzzle and at times might be more of a hindrance than the solution. Here are 3 contradictory quotes that I am meditating on.

“I think therefore, I am.”- René Descartes
“98% of all thought is repetitive and utterly useless.” Eckhart Tolle
“Your brain is good for two things: worrying about the future and replaying the past. It will do these things over and over… until those painful hurts become a part of your identity. ”-Richard Rohr

“I think, therefore, I am.” Rene Descartes is implying that the mind controls who we are, what we are, what we do, and make up our identity. This is hard to argue with. But then we get to Eckhart Tolle and Richard’s Rohr’s statements.

If “98% of all thought is repetitive and useless”, and the brain is primarily worried about the future and replaying the past. This would logically mean, who we are largely is outside of our control.
*If Thoughts=Self, but we don’t control thoughts, therefore we don’t control self.

That’s pretty humbling it it’s true. How many of us when brainstorming for solutions, literally find ourselves circling back to the same answers (even though we know they’re wrong). I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve written the same problems with the same answers down in my notebooks. We all do this.
Some of these teachers are implying that there is another part to the equation that goes beyond thought. The common misconception is that if we want our minds to work better, we need to activate all the parts of the brain. “IF the whole brain is functioning at a high level, we’ll think more clearly.” However, that’s most likely misguided. For us to have experience a higher performance level, we need to “quiet” and deactivate the parts of the brain that are responsible for that 98% of noise.

Contemplation, prayer, meditation, self-observation, flow, and many other names are used to describe this process. The process of quieting your mind and embracing the silence is an essential part that allows you to “step back” and become an observer to your own thought. It helps you to “see the forest, through the trees.” The Irony is this process is that you are actively becoming passive to your own ego and fully embracing the present moment.

There are many ways to reach these stages. Steven Kotler describes it as flow and that it can be achieved through sport, physical activity, and experiences. Have you ever played a sport and had real constructive rational thought? My guess is not, so much of your attention is focused on what you’re doing in the moment. You’re in the zone. You have flow. You’ve surrendered to the present. In surrendering to the present, your brain has diverted all of its energy to where it’s needed most and “quieted” the other parts. Your brain is utilizing all its energy on what it’s presently doing. This state of mind can feel almost “out of body” where time slows, space becomes blurred, and ultimate focus flows.

Meditation, Prayer, and Contemplation all do this as well. They might be uncomfortable at first, but once you push past all the worry about the future and the replaying of the past, you’ll be humbled and be in the present. This might be where you want to go for growth, beyond thought.

– Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
-Steven Kotler, The Rise of Superman