ARE YOU YOUR THOUGHTS?

I have designed and am now delivering a new program, The Emancipation Transformation Program. It is an audacious title for what I believe is an audacious result: to know yourself beyond your mind.

Step 1 in this program is to directly engage with the question, “What if I’m not my thoughts?

If you’re not your thoughts, then there’s a strong possibility you’re something deeper, something constant, something beyond that continuous, ever-clanging mental noise.

The concept that you are not your thoughts—that the true self is the observer—is central to nearly every spiritual tradition, philosophical school, and transformational entity. All these entities contend, including our enterprise, hold to a basic understanding, a foundational philosophy, that the true self is the observer of one's thoughts, not the one who generates or subscribes to them.

Our methodology at the Contemporary Elder Institute is structured inquiry, dialogue, and guided self-reflection. These are designed to help members disrupt their automatic ways of thinking and experience a new relationship with their thoughts and identity.

Inquires like “What if everything you believe about yourself is just a story?” Or. “What would life be like if you stopped holding onto your past interpretations of yourself?” The inquiry moves participants into an observer position to their thoughts. They have to look backward into themselves.

Contemporary Elders develop themselves to be the observer who can stand next to the swirl of thoughts and not get sucked into its vortex. When they do get sucked into the swirl, and they do, they can quickly find the escape ladders now to get out of the proverbial rabbit hole.

There are many routes to becoming this thought-observer. Mine are Socrative and Appreciate inquiry, focused breathing, walking in nature, writing, and solitude. To sustain this thought-observer capacity, I know that I must get on the field where this game is being played. Besides, I’m a player, and players have to play.

My teammates are philosophical and spiritual teachers, poets, therapists, and elder cohort groups. My newest coach and teacher is AI. And I know I’m still the quarterback. On the field, I must keep my head in the game.

The opponent is always my thinking mind, forever having a home-field advantage. The hometown fans are the glut of thoughts with loud shouts, boos, and self-directed insults.

But then I realized that most thoughts are not even my own. Much of the time, it’s my wayward mind freestyling with other people’s words.

THE NATURE OF YOUR THOUGHTS

On average, it's estimated that people have between 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. That's a lot of mental activity happening in your mind.

Have you ever wondered how many of those thoughts are genuinely profound or just random musing? Start to notice.

Research reports that around 95% of our daily thoughts are repetitive—recycled thoughts from the day before. Of those, a high percentage (up to 80%) can be negative or self-critical. Truly profound or new thoughts probably make up a tiny fraction, maybe 1% or less.

Those few profound thoughts, though, can have a disproportionate impact—shaping insights, decisions, or moments of clarity. What qualifies as a "profound" thought?

I’ll speak for myself: a profound thought fundamentally shifts my perspective instantly, changing how I see myself, others, and my situation. It’s not just an idea; a profound thought catalyzes change.

Profound thoughts often feel like a sudden click, an “aha” moment that barges in, opening new possibilities or undoing old beliefs, instantly altering you and the future.

Contemporary elders develop practices to ignite profound thought. They find a practice that works for them: meditation, contemplation, inquiry, journal writing, walks in nature, or prayer. They figure out the right combination. I do them all, but the time spent varies. Depends on who is on the field with me, staring at me on the opposing side.

In our work, we begin with self-inquiry to get to profound thinking.

WAKE UP - MOST OF YOUR THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOURS

In the vast thought labyrinth of your mind, the many thoughts you entertain are not entirely your own. Thoughts like echoes bouncing off the walls of external sources—society, upbringing, media, social networks, and interpersonal interactions—Vulcan Mind Meld fuse with your beliefs and experiences. However, unlike Spock, you preserve those thoughts.

These borrowed thoughts come subtly from childhood, familial values, and societal norms. Now add the media, social networks and neighbors, bombards you with perspectives and narratives, subtly manipulating your opinions and desires. Then, add your emotions and how they tilt your thoughts one way or another.

Every interaction leaves an imprint, shaping the mosaic of thoughts you call your own. These past-based thoughts shape your view of the world and your view of yourself in the world.

We keep these borrowed thoughts for various reasons. Some resonate deeply, aligning with our core values or others offer solutions to personal dilemmas or traumas.

Many of these borrowed thoughts linger out of habit or societal pressure, ingrained through your constant repetition supported by cultural reinforcement.

To distance themselves from these borrowed thoughts, elders dive underneath them to observe them and note what they bring to our internal dialogue.

This deepens perspectives, fostering empathy and understanding. It challenges assumptions, sparking innovation and creativity. Yet, amidst this cacophony of borrowed thoughts lies the quest for authenticity—discerning which thoughts truly reflect our essence and which warrant reevaluation.

Awareness becomes paramount in navigating this mental tapestry. By acknowledging the origins and motivations behind our thoughts, we empower ourselves to sift through the noise and cultivate a conscious, authentic inner narrative.

Through this introspection, Elders liberate themselves from the grip of borrowed thoughts, forging a path toward clarity, self-awareness, and the genuine expression of their unique perspectives.

LESSONS LEARNED IN THE EMANCIPATION TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM

Lesson 1:

Thoughts are temporary; awareness is constant. Thoughts vary—some happy, some sad, some strategic, but most are random. However, the consciousness that observes these thoughts remains constant. That consciousness is you.

Lesson 2:

You are not your mind’s commentary. The mind loves to label, judge, and narrate your experience. When you identify with that internal dialogue, you get caught in its ups and downs. But when you recognize that you’re not the story but the storyteller, you create space between you and your thoughts. You move from being lost in them to watching them.

Lesson 3:

Thoughts are rooted in past experiences or future projections, but the “real” you exist only in the present moment. Being aware you are right here in the present moment minimizes the influence of memory and imaginings.

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