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Partly because of the fluid nature of Hindu mythology, and partly because of my all too human memory, I cannot point out the precise source of this theory. It is a story about the creation of the universe. It says that the creator of the universe was not old man Brahma. It was Kama, god of desire.

First came the idea for a universe, and then, everything else. How perfectly sensible!

We have convinced ourselves that we are only bodies and little else. That we can see with our eyes (or telescopes, or microscopes) everything there is to see in this universe. That it is all viewable matter and measurable action. And because we quite obviously cannot account for a lot of imbalance in our worlds, we factor in the variable called luck.

The thing about the way we go about lives is that we see ourselves as bodies seeking something tangible. A peak physical condition so we can become more attractive; or a well-paying job so we would be prosperous. We pursue these goals by doing things that by must to get them. Pay attention — ‘doing’.

But if doing were all it took, wouldn’t everyone get more or less the same results in our nice little physical world? This is where all our ideas about a physical and measurable universe are dashed to pieces and we are forced to compensate for its shortcomings with the L-word.

I have noticed this often and am sure you have too. When one has a dream or decides to pursue a goal, he or she is told, ‘thinking alone won’t get things done‘. I think it is quite clear that ‘doing’ alone won’t work much magic either. There is this entire aspect of our existence that we remain oblivious to — thought.

Most of the time, only thought that directly relates to the physical world is given any importance. That is not what I am talking about. That is only calculation – a very basic function of our brains. I am talking about thought for thought’s sake — intellectual exercise, imagination, faith — the higher functions of our mind. I am not talking about God and soul and other things that cynics gleefully deny, citing lack of proof. We cannot deny thought.

Think about it. We know almost everything we do. Is there any part of your day that you cannot account for? Most of it is ’set’, right? Most people actually take the trouble to plan it all out! But do we all know what we think about all the time? What totally blows me away is the fact that we IGNORE it all. All the images in our heads, all the funny asides that occur to us, word-associations, plain bullshit even; drowned under an avalanche of everyday worries (many of them utterly unfounded, based on things that ‘might’ happen).

We treat thoughts as these inconsequential things that run around in our heads. When was the last time you even stopped to acknowledge a thought? You would stop if someone bumped against you in the street, won’t you?

Is it possible to think consciously? I don’t know. But I believe (try it) it would be an awful lot of waste if we were given this amazing gift and not the power to utilize it. There must be some sense to keeping track of your dreams and noting them down. There must be a reason behind ‘positive thinking’ that has been proposed as an answer to many of our lives’ problems.

We complain about not accomplishing something when we actually set out on the task with a distinct ‘this will never work’ attitude and then slog our way to a zero armed with nothing more than the bare trappings of our physical form.

I am not saying action is unimportant. Merely that it can not stand on its own. It has its roots in thought and will fail if there is no faith to back it up.

That’s it. Good luck! Think about what I said.

Posted on Monday, October 8th, 2007 at 9:01 pm and filed under essays.

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