Talking to Yourself Makes You Smarter, page 1

reply to post by HangTheTraitors

As I said before, I think the study is taken a little out of context. Talking to one's self can help reinforce the point at hand. It helps preserve task direction and stave off confusion. It's partly why, in squad based communication, there is a lot of redundancy and pointing out of the obvious. Not only is it to keep the squad on-task and moving through a confusing and stressful environment - it is also to keep one's own self on track and 'in the game.'

To that end, I think it really depends upon what you are talking to yourself about, and what you intend to gain from doing so. In religious contexts - as with all individuals - people tend to be very simplistic in their approach and expectations. Despite scripture and experience to the contrary - people will pray as though they are sitting on Santa's lap in the hopes that God will humor their laundry list of wants... because they believe he exists (and that it somehow allows them to call in support from a causality-manipulating entity).

A wise person would pray for understanding, endurance, self-improvement, and integrity. Whether God gets involved in your prayer, or not - it helps to reinforce your goals and open your mind to finding the 'answers between the lines' (that you may or may not interpret as God's doing). It can help you to step back from an inherently self-centered perspective to see the bigger picture.

Example - I lost both of my parents at a fairly young age. I will never know what it is like to invite my parents over for Christmas, to allow my children to be spoiled by them, etc. I can only imagine what it would be like to call Mom and ask her how she got some meal to taste the way she did. It was on one day, for whatever reason, I was thinking on that point... and I fixated on the word "imagine." ... It's true. I can only imagine. Which means that anything I think I am missing out on is all in my imagination; getting upset over it or depressed is only a distraction from the opportunities I do have.

Was I praying, necessarily? No. But, there again, I carry on conversations with my concept of God on an hourly basis. I'm not really one for formalities, and if the being responsible for creating me has a problem with it... said being can only blame itself. Which is why I don't think God gives two #s about formalities and the structure of religious institutions; probably finds the entire ordeal comical, if God could be said to have a singular intelligence resembling a human's.

In either case, I do take exception to your post. I can, basically, guarantee you that I'm rated as a vastly superior intelligence to your own via most (if not all) available metrics. I'm not exactly what you'd call "religious" - but I feel your comment is intentionally designed to induce collateral damage. I don't hold contempt for people simply because of their intelligence... but I do develop quite the pointed tone when dealing with people who justify their sense of intelligence too heavily on the shortcomings of others.

There's a difference between confident pride taken to boasting versus justifying one's own thoughts based on the errors of others.

reply to post by Wolfie0827

thank you for adding a few good points to the discussion.

You're welcome.