One way to not think is below thought…

… the mysterious realm of the unconscious… that pre-verbal tangle of instincts, reflexes, and habits bred into the gene pool over countless generations… primed to fight, flee, or freeze without deliberation… easily trained to respond, quite predictably, to so many rewards and punishments not of our choosing.

Sometimes these impulses serve us well… but they are incapable of insight… rendering us as vulnerable as, and with no more dignity than, Pavlov’s salivating dogs or Skinner’s pecking pigeons.

Another way to not think is above thought…

… the largely uncharted territory of trans-verbal presence… a vantage point of freedom beyond the stranglehold of predisposition and conditioned response. But how are we to cultivate the bare naked ability… dare we call it a “skill”… to see and hear what is right before our eyes and ears?

The good news is that doing so does not require superior intellect. Doing so requires things much more powerful, rare, and precious… the uncommon humility to admit my ignorance, the uncommon curiosity to seek again and again, the uncommon honesty to embrace each discovery no matter how painful, and the uncommon courage to proceed accordingly.

Next Meditation: Inclinations

Existentialism Humanism existentialism freedom humanism pavlov skinner