Thoughts Thought Through

We spend our entire existence being told what is expected of us…how we are to behave…where the boundaries lie…what is acceptable and what is unacceptable…what we can do and what we are forbidden from doing.

While we jealously guard our independence, we understand that it is necessary to hand responsibility for much of the decision-making to others. Rules and regulations are in place for the common good – that much is generally understood.

But while it is necessary to be compliant in the way we act, there are no such restrictions on how we think. There is no way to independently monitor our thoughts. The privacy of our heads and our hearts is unable to be breached.

With freedom, though, comes responsibility. As individuals we are personally responsible for what we do with the thoughts that we have. To think is to process thoughts…to reason…to consider.

The motivation for illegal or senseless actions starts in the mind of the individual. It starts with a thought. In the final analysis however, it’s not so much a matter of us being what we think but rather being what we decide.

There are times when we struggle with our thoughts. Challenged by random and obscure ideas, we can start to doubt our mental stability. But it’s in thinking about our thoughts and not ignoring or fearing them that we can reach a point of acceptance and understanding.

By choosing to confront our thoughts and developing strategies to deal with them we grow as individuals. More than that we get to know ourselves. We can be a better friend to ourselves.

It’s important to acknowledge our thoughts and pick them apart by reason and logic.

We have that freedom…we have that ability…and we have that responsibility. It’s ours and ours alone.