The burden of intelligence and abstract thinking

Using the mind for abstract thought is often an effective choice for avoiding engaging in physical life and relationships.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: ketsuko

I fall into that trap, its like an ongoing internal struggle i face. I imagine we all face a similar struggle, at the very least i would hope so.

The mind is always trying to solve a problem - that is it's job. What problem do you have right now? Is there anything wrong until you think about it? The mind produces the illusion that there is a problem so it can keep busy. Would you be content with nothing? Could you be content with just this moment as it is without wanting different or more?
Is there any need to tell stories about 'things' - stories about other people or yourself, events and other times (all abstract things - thinking is thinging)? There may be no need but it does happen. No thought is true because they flip flop, one minute they say this, the next they say that - that is why there is no rest from them - they conflict because there are two sides. One changes his mind.
However, the thoughts are seen, the thoughts are known to be happening. The mind changes but the knower of the mind does not.
Can the quiet space the thoughts appear in, be noticed?
Thought can make life rather heavy but if one notices the space which surrounds them, life is lighter.

a reply to: Aliensun

The final goal there is enlightenment, but not likely to be fully achieved, but the journey to that effort can be rewarding.

The goal of achieving enlightenment is an abstract thought.

What is enlightenment and is it somewhere else? 'Somewhere else' is an abstract thought.

Is there a 'you' that has to find 'enlightenment'?

Abstract thought produces an 'illusionary you' and an 'illusionary enlightenment''. Take away all thought and what is there?
Always just this.

Words - abstract thought- make believe there are objects, when really there is just what is happening.

It should still be considered a gift and also essential for constructive evolution.

The 'dumbing down' appears deliberate, it has been a control method for thousands of years.

Thinkers are the way forward.

a reply to: funkadeliaaaa

I disagree with the premise, that thinking abstractly as a talent leaves one unprepared for real life. Failing to engage with real life when it comes a calling, failing to reach out and grab life when opportunity knocks is what leaves one unprepared for the real world. The capacity to think deeply, and to cogitate upon matters by way of lateral thinking, or conceptualising matters using abstract means, is not mutually exclusive to living real life.

Real life lived without the ability to engage in internal mental gymnastics, if you will pardon the clumsiness of the phrase, is no healthier than the opposite condition. Both living too much, and too little in the mind, can have disastrous consequences for life outcomes, and ones health and well being. Those who live far too much in the world, and far too little in the imagination, are far more prone to being disenfranchised, and becoming cynical to the point of apathy. Those who live far too much in the mind, looking at the big picture from an oblique angle to discern its nature, miss out on what happens right in front of their face, and are therefore prone to suffer the effects of their inattentiveness.

Those who ignore the space between their ears, refuse to exercise it by way of deep thought, may exist, but they do not LIVE, because living is about more than getting up, going to work, eating three square meals, going to bed, and remembering to pay ones taxes. However, the crucial part of living in the mind, is being aware at all times that along side that one must feed, one must be clothed, and prepared to engage with the process by which those things are achieved.

One cannot be said to live in the mind at all, if one is unaware of this fact, or incapable of engaging with the concept!

I love thinking. And I love delving into the abstract realms of thought and existence. I think it all depends on the thinker, his/her surrounding experiences and the nature of thought itself.

our surrounding experiences can influence most of what we think by subconsciously staying underneath our conscious experience, where thought is perceived and analyzed/experienced/lived/received. The subconscious flows into the conscious, so if for example, I am living a life where I've had physical and emotional problems as well as economic and social, I can imagine the burden of thinking flowing through that conscious awareness Based on the subconscious composition of a traumatized/shocked existence.

But then there is also the issue of the thinker, who also decides how "it" reacts to the thoughts and emotions that flow through the experience. There are some people who handle stressful situations better than others. Some people smile in times of adversity and have a strong will power to keep on trucking. Others break down and can't take it. There is a mental toughness, others reach enlightenment and get it, some are indifferent, yet others get lost in non-thought and just live in the physical world of "consensus" reality, where there's a society full of humans that go around being actors in the big play of life on the world's stage (reference to shakespeare).

And now on to the nature of thought itself. The thinking ability we possess is interesting to say the least. It's curious surely. I wouldnt go so far as to say human thought is the best thing to happen since apple pie, because it certainly is not. At times, human thought can be dark or malicious and at times it can be creative or just non--existent; as is the case when you're really tuning in on good music or in the zone during a sport and you're in the moment. It is so flexible and dynamic it truly is something to think about it allows you, to turn on an inner flashlight into yourself and others. The truth may not be what you're expecting. It may be different from some one else's truth. That's because our consciousness is just as complex as this universe we are a part of, which blows my mind that as tiny organisms on a small planet we can at least think about such an "out there" idea

Thinking is mental exercise. It can have a toll on you and make you feel drained. That's why we have to participate in physical activity as well. And that doesn't necessarily mean exercising or going to the gym. It means synchronizing or trying to synchronize some of your inner desires and thoughts with actions in the outer world. If you always think about meeting someone special, but you are shy and don't talk to other people and make the effort to meet someone, you're gonna spend the rest of your life just waiting for it to happen and it won't feel fulfilling. Same goes with a bunch of other possible thoughts. But then we have to realize there's the part of our thoughts that are pure imagination, and to get those to manifest into consensus reality, we have to do a lot more thinking, science, and acting in physical reality. Thinking about flying with machines existed before the actual machines. A bunch of smart people thought about how to create their idea and make it happen. It happened because of thought, and abstract thought too (mathematics)(Physics). Then a bunch of "smart people" thought about how to throw bombs off these machines. And there you have it, thought is a double edged sword, so don't think too loud And always remember we aren't as smart or intelligent as we think we are.

-Just a thought

originally posted by: Yeahkeepwatchingme
a reply to: onequestion

Man it's all a distraction. Wealth, the quest for fame, "success", material glitz, ego it's all a setup, so we're distracted by "real world issues that are grounded in reality and fact" instead of seeking who we really are. Also seems like thinking about facts instead of ingesting them is frowned upon in this era.

Isn't it this way because there's so much to digest anymore? A person needs many years of schooling before they can even begin to hack at the fundamentals and/or "make a better wheel." It requires tremendous thought and genius, even after someone has digested all of it, to "make a better wheel." Most of us, sadly, will break the wheel instead, even with everybody assisting us and giving us every opportunity. Computers and machines, performing many of the labours of the past, enable us to teach and digest, but unless we actually increase our IQ, or otherwise our ability to hack something better once we've digested, it's difficult to see how we'll be productive with all this knowledge. Maybe more credit is due to hte average person, though. Maybe it's more about a vast array of things to improve, so much that even the dumbest of us will find work to do.

How can you fix something if you don't know what it's doing?

So I'll say only after a person has digested can they start "thinking about facts." How far that goes in practical reality is a mystery.

Oh and there's a piece of research I remember. It had to do with chimps. I guess what happened was in the research monkeys break the rules to do what's obvious, whereas the human children follow the rules, even when the rules might seem worthless if investigated. The hypothesis which results is that the reason humans dominate the planet is immitation.

Here it's:
www.rep licatedtypo.com - Imitation and Social Cognition in Humans and Chimpanzees (I): Imitation, Overimitation, and Conformity...

It kind of backs up what you say, but in a positive light.

I will agree OP that deep thinking and acquiring knowledge do come with a price. We know that ignorance is bliss and in fact we on ATS boast of denying ignorance so in essence we have chosen to deny ourselves bliss ( at least for now ). Eccl 1:18 says it this way. " For with much wisdom comes much sorrow and more knowledge brings more grief."

I think we would do well to become more like little children and leave some mystery to life and "re-learn" to enjoy simple things.