Thinking, yes I'm serious !

iana · Guru

Thinking, yes I'm serious !

Corndoggy · Senior Member

Go see a doctor.

Whenarewethere · Guru

After many decades when wifey is shopping one should have learnt to allow one's mind to go blank, or it is a rope!

TheHeaths · Guru

Unfortunately Ian, I think you have too much thinking time on your hands!

Bicyclecamper · Guru

Well Iana, I was thinking, sitting around a fire, and also camping just before Xmas, and wondered, if a dream of mine could come to fruition. And it just may have done. I made an offer on something, that another country's government owns, but will be doing away with sometime in the next 8 years, and I received a reply this morning that they are considering it. It could come to fruition, or it could tank, but at least they are considering it. That is what thinking does especially around a fire whilst relaxing. So yes I too, do a lot of thinking.

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Friday 4th of February 2022 03:56:46 PM

dorian · Guru

I am, therefore I think.

iana · Guru

Ric and Dorian are definitely thinkers, as are Whenarewethere and others. But do you have periods when the mind is blank, for instance when watching TV or a film. Its a bit like understanding infinity, the mind just doesn't compute.

Radar · Guru

Iana, I am thinking about thinking.

With me, most of my life have been, for better word, a professional driver, I am always thinking, I did not have a choice.

8 years after retirement still can't switch off.

Whenarewethere · Guru

I can let my mind go blank, well almost, where sitting by the ocean & listening to water on the sand & rocks.

It also goes blank, ever faster, when I hear a politician!

Izabarack · Guru

For many, the desired goal of meditation is an absence of thought and the inner peace that comes with that state. Many religions organise repeated chanting or prayer to create a dream like state that includes an absence of thought. Add a bit of rhythmical breathing to get there quicker. I typical get to sleep within 30 seconds by turning off my thoughts.

-- Edited by Izabarack on Saturday 5th of February 2022 06:04:16 PM

86GTS · Guru

I am thinking what kind of idiot would need to be sitting around a campfire in the middle of Summer.

Corndoggy · Senior Member

All that thinking about thinking about something or thinking about nothing has given me a headache.

yobarr · Guru

Izabarack wrote:
For many, the desired goal of mediation is an absence of thought and the inner peace that comes with that state. Many religions organise repeated chanting or prayer to create a dream like state that includes an absence of thought. Add a bit of rhythmical breathing to get there quicker. I typical get to sleep within 30 seconds by turning off my thoughts.

You no doubt mean "meditation?" Cheers

Bicyclecamper · Guru

86GTS, I live in the highlands in the New England. It has been very cool up here this summer, so whilst I was cooking dinner, on my $20 Bunnings charcoal BBQ, it was only 10 C, so was almost sitting on top of it. I was wondering if the offer I made less than a week before, would/ or could be accepted, as I found out a week before that they were going to be decommissioning the place in 8 years time, and thought what a waste of money, so almost lightheatedly wrote an email, offering a nominal amount of money for it including taking over all costs of safely maintaining it to their standards, and then now to get a reply that they are seriously considering my offer, means sitting around a fire on a cooler weather night, I may be able to realize my dream. I had also been sitting around a fire when it came to me to have a go and make an offer. That's what good thinking gets you, and putting that thinking into motion.

-- Edited by Bicyclecamper on Friday 4th of February 2022 11:47:05 PM

peter67 · Guru

I've got a masters in CRAFT.

Buzz Lightbulb · Guru

I'm always thinking. My wife tells me that I think too much. Especially when I see a politician or so idiot say or do something that is so illogical. I wonder why did they say or do that?

I found meditation/mindfulness, or whatever they call it nowadays, helped. Not to stop thinking but to think about only one thing.

Mike Harding · Guru

Iana: you have posited a deeply philosophical question ie. what is the nature of consciousness and self awareness?

Do animals think? I have no doubt but that many do, dogs immediately come to mind, elephants too.

Can we *not* think? I doubt it for that would need our brains to have an off switch and ,then, who would turn it back on again? Even in sleep or drug induced unconsciousness we still think and have awareness, even patients who have recovered from deep comas report a level of awareness during their coma.

Mindless jobs? I think we go into "auto mode" most experienced drivers do this on long drives but retain a sub conscious awareness in case things go wrong.

I enjoy thinking and often use it as a means of relaxation. When trying to sleep I play or replay specific experiences in my mind in order to stop it wandering (and wondering) about all sorts and preventing sleep.

The nearest I come to not thinking is when fire gazing: sitting, in the dark, by my camp fire and gazing into the coals, for me this is akin to meditation and my mind often seems to "float" in this circumstance. This is an experience women seem to find hard to understand; "What are you thinking about?", they ask; "Nothing" I reply, "But you must be thinking of something?", they invariably reply... but I'm not :)

Edit:

Language: George Orwell considered this dilemma in his novel 1984; how well can we think with a restricted vocabulary? His conclusion and, it seems, that of the "Woke" set is that it reduces our ability to to assess complex concepts. I think I mostly think in words, sometimes in shapes, colours or concepts but without words I suspect my thinking would be very limited and this is the major reason I put considerable effort into ensuring my children learnt a wide vocabulary and had access and encouragement to many books.

IQ is difficult to measure with consistency especially across cultural groups but observation over the years has convinced me that command of language is a good indicator.

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Saturday 5th of February 2022 03:26:33 PM

Izabarack · Guru

yobarr wrote:

You no doubt mean "meditation?" Cheers

Yes, what a difference a t makes.

Got Mediation on the brain, been running Meditation workshops for my Uni students all week. Of course, Auto Complete does not help.

Izabarack · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:

IQ is difficult to measure with consistency especially across cultural groups but observation over the years has convinced me that command of language is a good indicator.

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Saturday 5th of February 2022 03:26:33 PM

A culture free IQ test has been a goal for Psychologists for many years. The current issue of Dementia in an aging population has raised a problem when Mental Health staff try to determine how far IQ has fallen off in the patient before them. The Brits have been using the National Adult Reading Test to get some indication of what a persons native IQ was in earlier days. This test relies on vocabulary. The test is quickly becoming useless because the latest generations have such a poor grasp of language (and Gramma) and the meaning of words.

BTW, IQ tests only measure what that particular test measures. Far to many concepts of what Intelligence is, to be consistently measured in or across cultures.

iana · Guru

Wow, what a great reply, so much better to discuss than WDH's :)

Mike Harding wrote:
Iana: you have posited a deeply philosophical question ie. what is the nature of consciousness and self awareness?
Yes I do a lot of thinking, about human behavior, instinctive reactions etc. etc. Including other animals too.
Do animals think? I have no doubt but that many do, dogs immediately come to mind, elephants too.
Maybe they do, but considering our thoughts are conversations in our heads, I wonder how they do that if they can't talk, or can they talk? You just have to see a dog or cat dreaming, theyre usually running, well that's what their body reactions are suggesting.
Can we *not* think? I doubt it for that would need our brains to have an off switch and ,then, who would turn it back on again? Even in sleep or drug induced unconsciousness we still think and have awareness, even patients who have recovered from deep comas report a level of awareness during their coma.
Interesting you should mention this, I can quite clearly remember being "out " after an operation, but being aware of persons around me.
Mindless jobs? I think we go into "auto mode" most experienced drivers do this on long drives but retain a sub conscious awareness in case things go wrong.
Sorry I can't do that, I hate boring, repetitious jobs, I once built a set of stereo speaker cabinets, and they turned out different to each other !
I enjoy thinking and often use it as a means of relaxation. When trying to sleep I play or replay specific experiences in my mind in order to stop it wandering (and wondering) about all sorts and preventing sleep.
Me too! especially when I wake up with those bad thoughts of the past, i need to block them away by inventing mind stories.
The nearest I come to not thinking is when fire gazing: sitting, in the dark, by my camp fire and gazing into the coals, for me this is akin to meditation and my mind often seems to "float" in this circumstance. This is an experience women seem to find hard to understand; "What are you thinking about?", they ask; "Nothing" I reply, "But you must be thinking of something?", they invariably reply... but I'm not :)
Yes, I think males have been doing this along time, a time of mind peace, a time of reflection, no need to talk to your buddy beside you, and yes, women just have to talk, its like a relief valve, if they can't "let it out", they're gunna explode :)
Edit:
Language: George Orwell considered this dilemma in his novel 1984; how well can we think with a restricted vocabulary? His conclusion and, it seems, that of the "Woke" set is that it reduces our ability to to assess complex concepts. I think I mostly think in words, sometimes in shapes, colours or concepts but without words I suspect my thinking would be very limited and this is the major reason I put considerable effort into ensuring my children learnt a wide vocabulary and had access and encouragement to many books.
Yes, and I realized I left out a dimension, that of day dreaming, stories based on what we knew at the time, passed on down through generations. When I thought of this I went to our libary and found the book "Time belong Tumbona" or in English the time of our ancestors, stories of the peoples of Papua New Guinea.
IQ is difficult to measure with consistency especially across cultural groups but observation over the years has convinced me that command of language is a good indicator.

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Saturday 5th of February 2022 03:26:33 PM

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Hey Ian, you have a King Parrot on your ID pic.
Why not continue seeking & photographing more of Australia's native birds? You have some indemic ones in WA that are not seen anywhere else in the world!

Our bird watching club encourages us to explore our state - we have to find one bird species per day. If we fail to keep ahead of the calendar, then we tally the numbers up & contribute 5c a bird. That goes to worth birding charities, etc. So far & we're well south of home we have 60 birds each for the month. If we leave the state, then the Qld list ceases until we return.

By all means have thinking times, times where you can down wind, relax but enjoy what you can see, hear. Some people would be very envious of your life.

Tony Bev · Guru

I think (pardon the pun)

That we all actually think, it is just that we all think differently

I am sure, that not many people thought the same way as, Albert Einstein, as it took many years for some of his theories to be proven

Santa · Guru

Resourcefulness is a good indicator of a peoples ability to think and improvise/ make do with what's available to them.

Seems to me the more governments nurture the lower socio-economic classes the less they are prepared to think or do for themselves.

Life experience shows us that not everybody is created equal when it comes to the ability to think creatively. smile

Mike Harding · Guru

Santa wrote:
Resourcefulness is a good indicator of a peoples ability to think and improvise/ make do with what's available to them.

It is so but I am doubtful it's an indicator of raw intelligence.

eg. Farmers are usually very good improvisers whereas, in my experience, scientists are often not yet I suspect the average IQ of scientists is higher than that of farmers. I think the ability to improvise is more a combination of intelligence and experience.

iana · Guru

Fighting and war, are the stimulus for innovation, during conflicts invention is rampant. I have found the inventiveness during the first and second world wars amazing.

iana · Guru

I put the same question to our little drinking group at the village I now live in, the conclusion was we all think all of the time, until we are asleep.

StewG · Senior Member

iana wrote:
I put the same question to our little drinking group at the village I now live in, the conclusion was we all think all of the time, until we are asleep.

I think I endorse that answer...

Buzz Lightbulb · Guru

iana wrote:
I put the same question to our little drinking group at the village I now live in, the conclusion was we all think all of the time, until we are asleep.

I think that we still think when we're asleep. Otherwise, how could we have dreams and some people have lucid dreams?

What I found satisfying is to think about one thing without anything else intruding on those thoughts.

-- Edited by Buzz Lightbulb on Tuesday 8th of February 2022 03:09:01 PM

iana · Guru

I'm glad people are still thinking about thinking. Dreams, what's going on in the conscious, sub-conscious?

Mike Harding · Guru

I occasionally have lucid dreams usually when the are very challenging and I clearly remember thinking; "I don't like this dream, I'm going to wake up" and I make myself do so.

Psychology is not a science and there is little understanding of dreams (despite what Freud may have thought). I dream more as I have aged. Mostly, I think, they are simply the ramblings of my mind as it processes almost seven decades of knowledge and experience, I attach no importance to them.