If Thoughts Were Things

Things. Objects. We build them, own them, buy them, gift them – very often they have a specific price tag attached, so they have a value in our minds.

Once they have been used and have aged, many objects lose their value and are discarded. A few are retained – maybe they were sparingly used, or maybe their utility only increases with time; in a few cases even the articulated value increases with time. But, by and large, most objects devalue with time and are replaced with newer objects that are more up to date, more useful to our current needs. (There are whole genres of lifestyle advice that have come up about decluttering our lives; ironically, some of the "declutter gurus" have found a profitable side-hustle in selling merchandise branded in their name!)

Most of us are generally careful and considered when we are acquiring objects, especially because there is an exchange of money involved. Even if someone gives an object without charging for it, most of us would check whether we have the space for it in our homes and in our lives, and only then accept and retain the object.

Yet, we don’t apply the same filters to thoughts which take up space in our day or in our minds. Every day, we accept – unfiltered, unquestioned – other people’s thoughts, ideas, concepts, and constructs about the world around us and even about ourselves. Some of us are constantly hungry even for new thoughts and ideas, feeding ourselves daily on the ever-expanding global data machine via print, the web, social media and entertainment channels.

In many cases these thoughts are not even originating from the person who is feeding them to us, but a part of a chain they have been fed by someone else earlier. Maybe the originator is even dead and gone, or unknown and lost in the mists of human history. The ideas may be outdated, distorted or even just simply wrong.

We unquestioningly pay a price for these thoughts, to accept and retain these ideas and this information, sometimes in terms of money but most certainly always in terms of our mind’s attention and the precious time of our lives.

What if we were to treat “thoughts” like “things”?

We would acquire only what we need, is of good quality, is useful and adds value to our life. We would learn to assess the value and the quality of the thought, idea, construct, at any point in time, and we would readily discard what no longer adds value, no longer seems correct or true.

This behaviour switch won’t happen a particular day, just because the calendar turned to a new year. It needs a constant practice of questioning:

• What is actually happening around me?
• What is the thought going through my mind related to that?
• Why is it going on?
• What will I do with it?

Most of us are not trained for this and have lived our lives without this kind of filtration and questioning.

Most of us are so immersed in our thoughts, that we don’t stop to consider where they originate and why.

Once we start considering this, we have already entered into meditation. It doesn’t matter where we are, what clothing we have on us, whether we are sitting in a certain posture, whether we have a particular book or text open in front of us.

Step 1 of this practice: start treating thoughts like things. Assess the quality of each thought that is being offered to you. Accept only that which adds quality and value to your time and your life.

You'll find the quality of your life and the quality of your days changing.