Monday, July 13, 2009

A thought-ful post

Lately, I have been thinking about thinking. Or in fancyspeak, metacognition.

Throughout the day, millions of thoughts race across our heads at breakneck speed, sometimes not even pausing enough for us to register them. There are the happy thoughts, and there are the not-so-happy thoughts. The older we grow, the percentage of the latter grows with us. There are a million things to think about, and not surprisingly a large portion of it is again, about thinking.


How much we think! Ugh.

What people in the past thought about us and what we thought of them. What they thought we thought about them and what we thought they about us. What we made people think. What people made us think. What people are thinking about us and what we're thinking about people. What people think we're thinking about them and what we think people are thinking about us. What people will think of us and what we will think of people. What people will think we will think about them and what we will think people will think about us. You get the drift. I could go on, but there are only three tenses. Of course, there's the fourth kind of 'tense' which is what listing all of this has made me. There's just so much unnecessary thinking. And no matter how many times we tell ourselves and the people we care about that it's not worth it, sometimes we just can't help thinking. 'To hell with it!' is an excellent strategy, but it does have its moments of failure.

Most of the time, it's easier when people just express the thoughts in the form of speech. Out with it. Over and done. But they don't. They don't and we don't and all of us just choose to clam our mouths and trap the thoughts in the head. For the better. To keep things cordial. Us confusing them, them confusing us. We don't talk, we think. Because talking would be worse. But sometimes, thinking is worse. To keep on thinking is even worse. Not only does it drive us nuts, all this thinking... is almost exhausting. But it remains, an essential part of human life, to think about things that are not worth thinking about, even though no one really likes to nurse an occasional migraine or two.

So, in order not to think, we do things. We do things in the hope that we can think about the things we're doing, and not think about the things we shouldn't think about. However, this only works if we're actually thinking about what we're doing, and not cheating our way through this solution. And then of course, there's the random wellwisher. One who comes along to invalidate whatever we're feeling with advice as moronic as, "Hmmm... Try not to think about it." Actually, that does give us something else to think about -- how to decapitate said wellwisher using nothing but dental floss.

Sigh. Thoughts. Complex words that do not have a speech bubble wrapped around them. Words expressed in a language no one can understand fully. Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em.

However, the best way to get rid of any thought is to blog about it. It's a tried and tested method. For some reason, it helps. Stops right there. We can carry on with life. And that's what I am trying to do. It's not like I have a particular thought in my head right now that's driving me crazy. It's the thinking about thinking that's driving me crazy. And I do hope that after hitting 'Publish post', I can stop thinking. About thinking.

PS: Any 'wellwisher' bewda will be dealt with using the famous thwack of Bhai's weekend edition rolled-up newspaper, or as Viv calls it -- 'weapon of ass destruction'.



20 comments:

Chaos said...

theres this first thought that comes to me right now.......Gold!!!! :D.....bole to yeh to hona hi tha.

Baaki self and dreamer have had so many discussions on this. and theres only one logical conclusion that i can think of ..... Bole to apun sochta hai isliyeich apun jeeta hai..... I think therefore i am.
Now that is a philosophy that gives huggee headaches to all my freinds around. :-s

prathi said...

Silver....

\\the best way to get rid of any thought is to blog about it

I agree...even writing down what you think will help. It makes the thought process more organized and clear.

A "hatke" post!!!

nits said...

bronze...

bhai ye kya hua... itna senti kyu...

Meira said...

Bronze ke baad consolation prize milta hai kya?
GOod, out with that thought. But as I usually do, I forgot the next thought!

Sanchit said...

first para kitta complex tha, had to read it twice to make sense

Prats said...

Yeh kya tha?????

I was like yeh Bhai ko Kya hua... Abhi time aa gaya hai baby Aish to take over the bar :-P

By the way how is she no posts about her from Long time... are you trying to groom her through secret training???

Jass said...

Bhai ko chadgayi ! :P

Tejal said...

:( get rid of the thought? Blogging makes me think about it even MORE :P
n i totally get what u're sayin :)

P.S.- i missed both of u too :( i keep commenting randomly.. shouting I HEART Viv here n there so that he doesnt forget me. Has he? :( nahiiiii

:P

~ Lopa said...

So much of think, thoughts, thinking, thinks, will think post !!

Definately hatke.... but blogging doesnt help me to stop my thinking; but sharing thoughts helps :)

Koi Pahailee said...

my ankles hurt after reading this.....

rt said...

aiyyyooo...i cudnt read it enuf to understand so i gave up!!!

here i 'm said...

my head is totally spinning after so much thinking :P

mythalez said...

too much thinking about thinking i say!

the only way out of the "vicious cycle" is to get tired of thinking about thinking and think about something else :P.

shweta said...

errr....it's like pausing and having some fresh thoughts and leaving the older one's aside. I can totally relate but does that makes me sound crazy. Nevermind.

Shwets

Sayesha said...

#Chaos,
Yeah man... luckily my headache is gone after posting it! :D

#prathi,
Thanks. :)

#nits,
Senti nahin re... sochful! :P

#Meira,
Hehehe! :P

#Sanchit,
First para?? Do hi toh sentences hain!! :O

#Prats,
Yeh mera dimaag satkela tha... hota hai hota hai kabhi kabhi. :D

Aishu is doing bigtime nakhra and doesn't want to speak to me or my mom! Sheesh! :/

#Jass,
Bhai ko toh hamesha chadhi hi rehti hai... lagta hai aaj utar gayi! :/

#Tejal,
Hehehehe... reverse system hai tera!

//so that he doesnt forget me. Has he? :( nahiiiii

Hahaha! Jis bhi post ka uska naam aata hai, poochhta hai Tejal nahin aayi? Hahahahaha! Apne fan ka fan hai woh! :D

#Lopa,
:)

#Koi Pahailee,
Wohi toh! My hair hurts!!! Imagine!

#rt,
Hahahaha... even I gave up! :P

#here i'm,
Meeeeeeee toooooo!!!!!!! :P

#mythalez,
//the only way out of the "vicious cycle" is to get tired of thinking about thinking and think about something else :P.

Hahahahahah! :D

#shweta,
//does that makes me sound crazy. Nevermind.

I can totally relate to that! :|

Thousif Raza said...

oji very thought ful post indeed, very 'thought' provoking he he



take care and keep writing......

Jibi said...

Halla.

For me you couldnt have clicked the publish button for this post in a more apt time. I am right now goin through a really intense phase of your so called "metacognition"(nice word there actually:)) phase, even so much so that I had to resurrect my blog just to get something out of me.

What you wrote is what I needed to read right now. Thanks.

Hope I can keep it in mind and 'think' about it:)

Jibi said...

Sorry for barging in like that here.

Hope you are fine with a new comer.

Shadee001@gmail.com said...

Bhai......maine socha fir thoda aur socha fir soch soch ke soche soche socha ki.. aaila apun itne time se bhai ke bar me lurkagiri kar rela hai, its time to maro (read post) a comment :)

Solid blog hai Boss!!!!!!!

Tejal said...

//Apne fan ka fan hai woh! :D
omg. u made my day! :D :D :D