A thought which is the past tense of ‘Think’, can be explained as the process of analysing or considering various options, this implies using a known element to explain the unknown. ‘You can only think that you know or can compare to. We use the word ‘thought so often that it renders it difficult to define it. Everything in our ‘mind’ is called ‘thought’. To think is to employ the conscious mind in a deliberation. A thought is restricted in it’s nature by experience and our five senses of hearing, seeing, smelling tasting and touching.
Thoughts come forth as idea-like, memory-like, picture-like, or song-like. They are usually short-lived, discrete events, unlike a continuous event such as the constant murmurs of a fridge or a fan. We all experience thoughts but few pause to question them-or think about thought, why? Because you need a thought to think a thought, all very complicated and confusing!
Referring to a dictionary we get :
“A Thought is an idea or opinion produced by thinking, or occurring suddenly in the mind”.
This is interesting because when you look at the definition there are so many unknowns offered, ‘thinking’, ‘occurring suddenly’- by whom or from where?
The point to note here is that thought has to be provoked to appear, it does not spring up on it’s own, a past experience or a suggestion but before the provocation, where was that thought?
We can reduce the definition of a thought to being a series of neurochemical interactions occurring within the brain comprised of a tight networks of nerve cells, that self interact and through that interaction electrical fields are generated. This electric field are observed to be no more than the brain processing raw perception, recognising the stimuli that are taken in by your various senses to help you understand your environment -‘turn things over in your mind’. But the difference between perception and thoughts is that while perception is tied to stimuli, thoughts are not. Which means you can think about ‘rain’ without it raining near you.
The interesting point here is that these nerve cells and their activities are found in the entire body and as such the electric fields can be measured all over the body. Anywhere you have a nerve cell, there will be electricity produced. Thoughts are seen formed in this electric field as disturbances. This then implies we are thinking with all the body not just the head! So be careful how you talk to yourself, the whole body is listening and thinking!
A Thought can then be said to be the means by which we interpret this electricity produced in relation to the stimulus received through the five senses-sight, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling. The measurable perturbations and disturbances in the brain’s overall electric field are your actual thoughts racing through your mind or body.
So thought are metaphors, self referring, they give us the ability to participate in perception of experience. They carry our experiences from the past to anticipate the future for current satisfaction. Observing babies one notes how the babies quickly collect ‘experiences’ to use in order to manifest their wishes. By employing different sounds they receive reactions and attention, this starts to build their experience ‘I cry I attract and get what I want’, especially ‘if mummy is around’, ‘I smile, to influence a good action’, ‘touch to communicate wants’ etc,etc,
A thought is therefore not the ‘origin’ nor the ‘end’ of the ‘Thinking’ process– We know that something has to trigger a thought and from nothingness it comes rolling down gathering momentum to eventually die out once that self absorption melts away. The dryness in my mouth triggers the thought of a need for a drink and from experience, I know water quenches my thirst, so I get water and the minute the water touches my dry lips, the thought perishes into nothingness from hence it came.
From this endeavour to define a ‘thought’ one thing becomes clear, I am not a thought, but the one that thinks, and as such the quest for ‘Who am I’ then continues
But take heed :
Thoughts are like an open ocean, they can take you forward on their waves, or sink you under into their abyss.