THOUGHTS About… THINKING

It’s hard to turn off our thoughts, don’t you think?

And since we can’t truly turn them off, why not think thoughts that make us more relaxed, content, productive… and… thoughtful.

While I’m traipsing the backroads of the Irish Isles, I turn once again to a forever friend and guest blogger.

Who better to turn to than my “retired” Physician Associate and deep thinker buddy Jim Ferguson. Jim is one of those rare people who can rationally combine his religious, philosophical, and scientific thoughts and not get himself tied up like a pretzel. While you think about this.. let me say…

Over to you James…

Well…yours truly has once again been invited to share a few thoughts and to cast them out into the MOTF blog-o-sphere for your consideration.

As I was pondering on a topic to write about, I found myself going down a deep rabbit hole on the topic of thinking!

Yup…I was thinking about THINKING!

I know… I know… you are probably thinking,

1. How did Larry ever hook up with this nut job, and

2. This guy definitely needs a hobby.

The answer to the 1^st question is a long story and probably worthy of a blog post in and of its own right (and one that could lead to jail time for both Sir Lawrence and myself…😊).

To address the second point-given my ADHD nature, I’ve got more than enough hobbies to keep me going for the foreseeable future.

Sooooo… back to this concept of thinking about thinking.

It sounds like an episode from Seinfeld…right? The show all about nothing!

Well…let me tell you that there is a lot of thinking going on about thinking (and the nature of consciousness which is a blog topic in its own right) and there are many neurobiologists out there who are sharing their wisdom on the topic. 

One such expert in the field is Joe Dispenza. Go look him up on-line. You will find lots of references to explore.

Joe has become one of the “gurus du jour” in the field and my impression is that he has now become more well known as a “celebrity” than he is as a hard-core scientist. This seems to be the case for so many who venture into the arena of being an expert in a specific area plus being a public figure.

They become a celebrity. One could argue that this is the case for people like Deepak Chopra, Dr. Andrew Weil (my mentor), Dr. Oz, Dr. Fauci (he of COVID-19 fame), Willard Scott (RIP), and the list goes on.

Back to the theme lest I get too distracted.

I actually have listened to Joe Dispenza lecturing on neurobiology topics including the topic of thinking and he has some fascinating things to share on that theme. I would never accuse him of “selling out” to the celebrity juggernaut as I find his talks both stimulating and grounded in solid science. Maybe he has found a happy medium between his science and celebrity. 

Dispenza states that the average human thinks anywhere from 40,000-70,000 thoughts per day.

Were you aware of this? I was blown away by that number when I first heard him say this during one of his talks a few years back.

If the average person thinks that many thoughts, what about me and my ADHD mind? Geesh…that must mean that I am upwards of close to 80,000+ thoughts per day. I am always thinking things, pondering, considering, reflecting upon things! It is challenging to slow my mind down on a good day! 

I found that stat to be truly astounding BUT what I found even MORE astounding (and alarming at the same time) was this next stat. You might want to sit down for this one!

Dispenza says that of those 40,000-70,000 thoughts you think on a daily basis, 80-90% of those thoughts are the SAME THOUGHTS that you thought yesterday and the day before that and so on!

Joe Dispenza

In other words, the thoughts we think today are merely repetition of thoughts we have had for days, months, years previous. Think about it and see if this is true for you. I did a study on myself and found that his statement was pretty accurate!

This has profound implications for those who find themselves “stuck in a rut”, “bogged down”, “who can’t seem to get out of their own way”, “who are constantly sad, depressed, anxious”, “who have that nagging monkey mind that never stops”, etc.

We know from solid science since the mid-1970s that the cells of the brain renew themselves. For decades before that time, it was understood that once humans reached five years old, we stopped producing new brain cells and stopped forming new neural connections. Not so!

The work of neuroscientist Candace Pert and her colleagues discovered that the brain continues to produce new brain cells (neurons) throughout the life span. The science on this theme has exploded exponentially during the past two decades. We now understand the brain to have the property of “neuroplasticity” i.e. it can produce new neurons and can rewire synapses throughout our lifetime.

Sooo…. the brain has neuroplasticity. Check.

Now back to the thinking part of this discussion.

Dispenza and others argue that if we want to get out of our own way, out of the ruts we find ourselves in, to address depression and anxiety, monkey mind, etc. we need to give serious attention to how we think!

We all have different habits of thinking. One size does not fit all in this case.

Some are deep thinkers while others maybe not so much. Some are easily distracted while others are not. If we find ourselves waking every day to the same mental and emotional stress in our lives, could one of the keys be to think deeply on our thinking patterns and to direct our energies towards changing these patterns. This makes perfect sense!

A quote from the Baha’i writings states, “The reality of man is his thought…”

This makes perfect sense and is on target with Dispenza’s thinking.

Whatever we think tends to manifest itself in what we then believe and then what we believe becomes our reality manifesting itself in our actions. The key according to Dispenza and others in his field is to change our thinking which then rewires the synapses (connections) between the neurons in the brain and then the result is new behaviours. Change our thinking=change our actions! 

Sooo…. how do we go about this process?

Dispenza recommended that we practice meditation. During meditation we can practice thinking about our thinking and then adapt so we are then thinking new thoughts and avoiding going down those old thought pathways over and over again. To be proactive and develop new thinking patterns.

Other mind-body practices (Tai-Chi, Qi gong, Guided Imagery, Autogenics, Hypnosis, etc.) would also meet this need for developing new thought patterns. I have practiced meditation and I have found it to have profound effects on my thinking patterns. 

Bottom Line: if we want to change the way we think, we need to first think about how we think (and we are all different based on our own individuality) and then implement new practices that allow us to develop and reinforce new thought patterns that will then manifest themselves in our outward actions.

If we do this, it results in rewiring of neural synapses in the brain which can lead to (as Candace Pert said decades ago) recreating ourselves on a daily basis.

This may seem simplistic yet it makes so much sense and people have been utilizing these simple mind-body practices for thousands of years with excellent results.

Peace,

Jim

What Would YOU Do?

Today I’m happy to share with you another guest post from Jim Ferguson.

When Jim sent this post to me, I frankly hesitated. Hmmmm… this doesn’t sound like me.

As you likely know, I profess myself as an atheist. Jim (as you may know, and if not, will soon find out) is a devout Baha’i adherent.

Religiously, we are 2 trains on separate tracks. And yet.

While I don’t confess to a belief in God, I do admire and respect many many of the teachings of the various religions. And I respect Jim’s beliefs and understanding of religious texts and philosophies.

Many of you who read this post today share a religious commonality with Jim. And others may not.

Making the world a better place cries for understanding each other. A willingness to listen, and if we don’t totally agree on everything, we know that humans are one, and all have the same right to share this world, so long as we cause no harm to another.

I think Jim’s final paragraph is a lovely summary.

So without further delay, here’s Jim:

Greetings MOTF-ers, tis I, Jim Ferguson, back for another rendition of guest blogger for Larry.

I am, as usual, happy to give the lad a break from the mental strain of coming up with blog topics every week or two. Okeedokee…let’s get at it!

Have you ever come across the old bumper sticker “WWJD”?

It was popular a couple of decades ago as people wondered “What Would Jesus Do” (WWJD) in this situation or that situation!

I’ve been pondering this myself lately as I have witnessed the forces of societal decay and disintegration manifesting themselves before my very eyes. Maybe you are observing it too.

It is hard to be blind to the fast decline setting in with daily accounts of war, rumours of war, mass shootings, poverty, political unrest and corruption, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, crime…need I go on?

Let me state up front that I am not a card-carrying Christian BUT as a member of the Baha’i Faith, I love and revere Christ and His teachings.

I could not be a Baha’i without acknowledging the validity of Christ and Christianity as I acknowledge the validity of the other great spiritual Teachers to humanity-Krishna (Hinduism), Buddha (Buddhism), Zoroaster (Zoroastrianism), Abraham and Moses (Judaism), Muhammad (Islam), and Indigenous spiritual Teachers such as Deganawida (Iroquois Confederacy), among others.

Baha’is believe that the Creator has sent a new Prophet to humanity for this age-Baha’u’llah, who teaches that there is only one God and that all the great religions come from one God and all humanity are members of one family. That’s another story for another blog.

I consider myself a student of religion having studied the history and spiritual teachings of various religions since childhood.

The other day as I was pondering and meditating on the destructive and negative forces plaguing humanity and what the solutions were to the myriad problems confronting humanity, I found myself thinking of that bumper sticker and wondering what Jesus had said to humanity in His teachings. What did He tell humanity to do or how to live that could contribute to the betterment of our world? 

I decided to go to the Bible and read only the red-letter words as they are the words of Christ.

My conclusion has been and remains that Jesus brought many teachings for the spiritual upliftment of the individual and of society. If one ignores the man-made interpretations attached to the religion today and goes directly to the red words one can find gems that can inspire goodness in the individual which can then translate into goodness in society at large.

Here is an answer to “WWJD”.

I am providing a sample of His teachings for you but have a more extensive list if anyone wants it. This sampling focuses on basic qualities that I feel relate to making the world a better place. Also…I am not offering any interpretation. I leave that up to you in your personal meditations. 

So…” WWJD”? He would tell you/remind you:

Not to live by bread alone but “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matt 4:4

To worship “the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” Matt 4:10

That: Matt 5:3-10

-the poor in spirit are blessed “theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

-those who mourn are blessed “they shall be comforted”

-the meek are blessed “they shall inherit the earth”

-those who hunger and search for righteousness are blessed “they shall be filled”

-the merciful are blessed “they shall obtain mercy”

-the pure in heart are blessed “they shall see God”

-the peacemakers are blessed ”they shall be called the sons of God”

-those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake are blessed ”theirs is the kingdom of heaven”

That “You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matt. 5: 14-16

That “whoever therefore breaks one of the least of the commandments and teaches men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” Matt. 5: 19

That “unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5: 20

That “whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement. And whoever says to his brother “Raca” (worthless) shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, “you fool” shall be in danger of hell fire.” Matt. 5: 22

To hold true to your word, “But let your yes be yes, and your no, no. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one” Matt. 5: 37

To turn the other cheek, “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” Matt: 5: 39

“And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” Matt. 5: 41

To “give to him who asks you and do not turn away those who want to borrow from you.” Matt. 5: 42

To “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” Matt. 5: 44-48

Not to “do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men…But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” Matt. 6:1-4

To say the Lord’s Prayer Matt. 6: 9-13

That “if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matt. 6: 14-15

That “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matt. 6: 19-21

That “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness” Matt. 6: 22-23

That you cannot serve both God and material wealth and to not worry about worldly affections. Matt. 6: 24-34

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you” Matt. 7: 1-2

Not to look at the sins of others when you yourself are a sinner. “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but consider not the beam that is in thine own eye?…Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” Matt. 7: 3-5

That “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Matt. 7: 12

That whoever hears His teachings and practices them “I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matt. 7: 24-27

That “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matt. 12: 25

That “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” Matt. 12: 35

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul” Matt. 16: 26-28

That “if you have faith…nothing will be impossible for you” Matt. 17: 20

To be humble: “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18: 4

Not to offend: “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!” Matt. 18: 7

To forgive your brother his trespasses: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matt. 18: 35

Not to murder, not to commit adultery, not to steal, not to bear false witness, to honor father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself. Matt. 19: 18-19

How to be perfect: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Matt. 19: 21

To “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matt. 22: 37-40

To “have peace with one another.” Mark 9:49

Well…there you have it.

A sample of the teachings of Christ on the nature of peace, humility, forgiveness of others, righteousness, turning the other cheek, meekness, not being judgmental, giving to the poor, living a spiritual life, etc.

I conclude that if the world demonstrated more of these qualities, we would be living in a better world. One does not need to be a Christian to appreciate the teachings brought to humanity by Christ and to realize they are good medicine for what ails the world. Next up…WWBD? (What would Buddha do, or, What would Baha’u’llah do? We could do a whole series…😊)

Peace,

Jim Ferguson

To Be Childishly Wise And Wisely Foolish

*head to the bottom of this post for my recording this week of a Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) instrumental piece simply titled STEPHANIE.

The fool doth think he is wise,

but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.

So, am I wise?… or a fool? Oh, what a tangled web…

Good ole Will Shakespeare poured forth his great nuggets of wisdom through the jesters and fools within his plays.

We often absorb serious messages more readily when we don’t know we’re being schooled… it’s a bit like when I’d blend vegetables into what I was cooking so the kids wouldn’t realize they were eating “health” food (shhhh… they’re all in their 30’s and still don’t know).

To write a few words of wisdom – I’ve discovered a thousand times – is no easy feat. To paraphrase E.B. White, the perfect sentence is one from which nothing can be added or removed. Every word plays its part.

You know the power of a mere few words… yes, the classic example of Hemingway’s famous 6-word story of sorrow: For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Like just about everything I do in my blogging and songwriting, I’ve once more been on the hunt for inspiration. And while I’ve been called a jester or a fool many times in my days – wise?… well… I’ve not often stood accused.

It’s pretty clear that most of our wisdom is acquired through the experiences of life… the hard knocks, the tumbles, the luck, and joys… still I believe some can be taken in more casually and obliquely through the process of osmosis ie. reading, playing, and enjoying the simple joy of cartoon characters.

Have you noticed how much of the great wisdom of the world today comes, not only from the Shakespeare’s and Hemingway’s, but… in a complexly simple form… from the mouths of children or children’s writers?

To wit, I’ll share a tiny morsel of the “accidental” sagacity that, like seeping slickness, comes our way in cartoon word’ish wizardry.. I give you THE TAO OF THE ‘TOONS…

Dr. Seuss rhymed these wads of wise thought:

• Today you are YOU, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. YOU are the only YOU. Isn’t that awesome? There’s nobody alive who can be you better than you. So never aim to be just like someone else. It’s a waste of a perfectly good you.

• I’m afraid that sometimes you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ’cause you’ll play against you.

• Be who you are and say what you feel because the ones who mind don’t matter, and the ones who matter don’t mind.

Linus van Pelt (of Peanuts fame) is the thinker and philosopher. He’s thoughtful and respectful and is often the voice of reason among his Peanuts gang. Linus clings to his security blanket while remaining perpetually hopeful.

Linus blanketed us in great perception:

• Brothers and sisters should never be in the same family.

• Most psychiatrists agree that sitting in a pumpkin patch is excellent therapy for a troubled mind.

• I dread getting old… I don’t want to have to wear bifocal teeth!

• There’s a difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker.

• Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use.

Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes) is an Obi-Wan of a kid too.

• I think night time is dark so you can imagine your fears with less distraction.

• Getting an inch of snow is like winning 10 cents in the lottery.

• Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.

• People always make the mistake of thinking art is created for them. But really, art is a private language for sophisticates to congratulate themselves on their superiority to the rest of the world. As my artist’s statement explains, my work is utterly incomprehensible and is therefore full of deep significance.

……………………

And finally, let’s leave the jesters and wise folks behind with their nuggets of words, and try out a nugget of music magic from the songwriting artistry of Lindsey Buckingham (written in 1973), interpreted by me “duetting” with myself on my guitar!

When asked where the name of the song Stephanie originated, Buckingham said: “The song Stephanie, well that was really just an instrumental piece that didn’t have a title, and, uh, Stevie said why don’t you name that Stephanie, and I said, OK, and that’s what it was.”