17: Thinking About Thought

I am the type of person who likes to think, plot, plan, and even scheme. Most of those thematic synonyms are devoted to storytelling, but the first one on my list is geared primarily toward myself. I often silently sit or stand and think about all sorts of things, but if anyone asks me what I am doing or thinking, I respond with, "Nothing."

The truth is that I have plenty of thoughts running through my head. These thoughts cover a wide range of topics and themes. More often than not, they are questions and answers, musings, or scenarios I am running through. Most of it would be complete nonsense or so far removed from any relatable topic at hand that it would be difficult for someone else to make the connections.

This is not an attempt to brag about how well I think my mind works. With the average person having 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day, I do not have the patience or the time to even consider how to count my thoughts. The intent of this rather loosely conjoined logic in monologue form is about the power and influence those numerous thoughts have on us each day.

The Different Types of Though

This is not a full list, but they are what they are regardless of how you view them. Just keep in mind that everyone uses these forms of thought each day, and they are governed by all sorts of factors that I will mention in the next section.

Reasoning: The act of thinking about something in a logical way. This typically occurs when a person combines the results of multiple experiences that they have learned from to create, discover, or hypothesize a pattern or behavior.

The most popular literary example of this in action would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, but a more practical form of reasoning would be something as simple as observing traffic on that daily commute to work; having gone through the process as many times as I am sure nearly everyone has, we cannot help but take in those types of moments and adjust our behavior so that we make it to work on time.

Critical thinking: Based on the idea that a reliable deception comes from reliable information, is a way of thinking that involves questioning, analyzing, and evaluating information to form an opinion, critique, or judgment. This procedural process can vary in speed and is influenced by personal and provided information.

All sorts of examples represent this particular train of thought. The first that comes to mind is a courtroom. Decisions made in a courtroom made by a judge or a jury have rules that dictate how the presented information is considered. Yes, that was an oversimplification of any court proceedings anywhere, but as long as you see it as a process, that is what counts.

Other examples that include this type of thinking are computer repair/builders, mechanics, plumbers, people who review things, electricians, and any other protections that take persisting information or presented information and apply to form a conclusion.

Conceptual thinking: This form of thought involves using creative and inductive reasoning to solve real-world problems, it is the ability to analyze abstract concepts, hypothetical situations, and patterns to identify connections and gain new insights.

This form of thinking is something that is used in all kind of ways. If you have ever noticed a pattern, predicted someone’s behavior, or even ran through a hypothetical senior in your head then you have used form of thinking.

This thought process is heavily used when solving riddles and brain teasers like this one. How do you spell candy only using two letters? The answer: C and Y.

Intuition: This is a natural, almost instinctual process that's often unconscious and autonomous, it is a way of thinking that involves forming a quick judgment or decision based on feelings, knowledge, and perceptions.

Sometimes intuition can feel like a supernatural instinct, but what you may not realize that the human subconscious processes information at about eleven million bits per second while the conscious mind processes around 40 to 50 bits a second. This vast increase in what the subconscious can handle makes those gut feelings instant.

Governing Factors of Thought

There are more ways of thinking than what I have listed, but all thought processes have elements that govern how the different types of thought take in and produce information. These governing factors direct personality and influence a person’s perspective.

The first few factors that could be considered the most obvious have to do with a person’s attitude. Anywhere from optimistic to pessimistic and cynical to idealist, all have an influence on how someone thinks.

Other factors that govern thought have to do with having a purpose. This can be due to but is not limited to political, spiritual, creativity, educational, religious, geographical, and cultural reasons. In short, a purpose is the reason for which something is done, created, or for which something exists. These meanings can be shared or they can be personal and kept private, they apply motivation when there might not have been any, and they change the overall formula of thought.

The last factor I am going to mention has to do with information, it is the cornerstone of every thought we have, but there are so many ways a specific bit of information can be taken. It is not enough to say that you should pay close atendtion to the quality of what information you recive, you also have to consider your interoperation as well as others interpretation of that same information.

That might sound a bit obvious, but the interpretation of information is usually distorted by summarization, assumptions, and implications derived from leading questions. Naturally, people do their best to navigate the tangled branching path that information can lead us down. Still, problems do happen when the information you are looking for is within a shroud of another’s intentions.

What is the point of all of that?

Well, the human brain is the most complicated organ in your body, it is responsible for everything that makes a person them. While scientists have mapped the brain's different regions, some questions have not yet been answered.

While we can outline, name, define different thought processes, and even diagnose mental illnesses, we still do not know what makes conscious thought possible or why we need to sleep and dream.

Of course, plenty of studies have provided evidence that we are aware and that sleeping and dreaming are necessary, but they are similar to the study of gravity; we know there is a reason for it and we understand how it works, but we can only define it by its effects and not from the source itself.

I think the mind and the brain that contains it is the most miraculous thing a person possesses. It does not matter how self-aware you are, how quick your react, or what your IQ is; your mind does everything in the sections above and then some; it does all of those things while making connections between what you learn, observe, and feel and still manages to keep our body going.

Our minds are continuously working to figure out, manage, and improve that thing we call life. Sure, we all struggle at times, but no one can truly appreciate the good without knowing the bad. I see my thoughts as valuable, and I think others should view their thoughts as valueable as well. Spend them wisely by sharing them when they will do the most for you and the ones you care about.

To end this post I would like to bring up an overly used quote that honestly represents the power of what you have between your ears. You have probably read or heard this quote before, but please appreciate this core concept that influences everyone’s thoughts. “Cogito, ergo sum.” (“I think, therefore I am.”) – René Descartes. Until next time, I am Nolan… Ex Tenebris.