May/June 2000
Articles on the theme "Food For Thought"
Think of These Things
compiled by Bob Gonzalez
Some thoughts on thought. A compilation
of quotations.
Feed the Mind -- Enthusiastically!
by Charles Larsen
Opening the mind to new ideas and experiences
-- an important factor in our growth.
Thought Pollution!
by Dr. Audrey Craft Davis
Thoughts as 'things'. How to control
our own thoughts and the thoughts of others.
Why Kids Kill
by Nancy L. Buchanan
The theta brain and how it makes children
more vulnerable to impressions of violence.
Water For Your Thoughts
by Ernesto J. Fernandez
Your brain may be suffering from dehydration
without you knowing it. The signs and what to do about it.
Improving Brain Function
by Chuck Homuth
Some of the healthy foods and supplements
that can help improve brain function.
Thinking About Thought
by David Findlay
Of consciousness, thought and telepathy.
The Right To Die?
by Constance Snow
Should we feed the body when there
is no consciousness? A discussion about the right to die.
Brain Food
by Marty Kliesh
Nutrients that improve the functioning
of the brain.
Spiritual Tools of Thought
by Rev. Pat Cross
Of self-induced spiritual indigestion
and true spiritual food for thought.
A Diet For Mental Health?
by Patrick Plaskett
What we put in our minds is just as
important as the food we eat. What a healthy mental diet consists of.
Other Feature Articles
Natural Health Q & A
by Lisa Raphael
Of holistic healing. The meaning of
psychosomatic. Cellular memory. The difference between 'transformational'
and 'transformative'.
2000 & Beyond!
by David Findlay (editor), Carol Withrow (contributing writer)
What is... GE (Genetically Engineered) Food?
by Laurie Powers
What GE, GM or GMO means. The risks
and what can be done to limit them.
Minerals from Mother Earth
by Judy Power
Features stones for May and June: anyolite
and fluorite.
Thinking About Thought
David Findlay
"I think, therefore I am." (Descartes, I believe.) Surely the famous philosopher put the cart before the horse? Shouldn't he have said, "You are, and therefore you can think"?
Very philosophical!
But important. Is thought senior to consciousness (or is thought actually the same as consciousness), or is consciousness senior to thought?
I can think about thinking - or whatever else may be food for thought. But can thought think about thinking? Am I the sum of my thoughts? I'd say, "No". That I can think implies that 'I' am separate from the thoughts I think.
If one accepts this (which not everyone, of course, does), it would follow that we as conscious (dare I say spiritual?) beings are actually the creators of thought. And, if we are the creators of thought, it would follow that we have the ability to change our thoughts - in other words, change our minds.
But let's for a moment consider what would happen if we stopped thinking. Would we effectively cease to exist? Not necessarily. And certainly not if we remained conscious. Perhaps, in fact, this would be the first step towards spiritual enlightenment. Maybe it's thoughts that get in the way of our direct perception of God - the Infinite, call it what you will.
If only we could stop thinking! It's not that easy. Have you ever tried just for a few minutes to sit quietly without thinking? Did some stray thoughts enter your mind?
I'm not suggesting that there is anything wrong with thinking, in itself. The trouble is that we tend to think automatically. There are times and places for thinking. But there are also times and places when the right 'action' is no action, i.e. no thought, just consciousness.
Imagine what it would be like if you were eating all the time - even while asleep! You would suffer from indigestion, to say the least. Isn't it the same if we are thinking all the time? Don't we suffer from mental indigestion?
And to continue the eating analogy, when we eat, don't we try to eat food that is nutritious? Maybe we eat 'junk food' now and then, but at least we realize it's junk food.
We are often less careful of our thoughts. Aren't 'junk thoughts' as bad as junk food - if not worse!
Maybe, if we regarded thoughts as things, we would treat them more carefully. And this may well be close to the truth. More and more scientists are recognizing that matter is not as solid as we once thought - in fact that matter may not be solid at all! If this is the case, what is matter? Could it be solidified thought? Maybe, if enough people think something, it becomes 'solid'.
Whether this is actually true or not is arguable. But effectively it is true. If enough people think something, it becomes agreed upon and 'real' - not necessarily 'true' but real at least for the people involved. This 'reality' is what shapes the world as we know it.
So what we think is vitally important.
Another aspect which should give us food for thought is the communication of thought.
We tend to think that if a thought is unspoken (or unwritten) that it does not exist. This is not true. It may be true that saying or writing something does help to make the thought more 'solid' and therefore more recognizable to more people. But what about telepathy?
Maybe we cannot yet prove telepathy scientifically, but most of us can find instances in our own lives that demonstrate that there is such a thing.
I'll give a personal example. In the 70s I was working in Denmark as sales manager for a company selling an innovative shelving system. We had made a license agreement with an Australian company for a test period of one year, to be reviewed and formalized at the end of the year. A year passed. Fifteen months. Not a single communication. I thought naturally that the company had dropped the project. As a formality I drafted a letter to say that we assumed that they were not interesting in renewing the license agreement. The letter sat on my desk in draft form for a couple of days unsent. Next day we received a telex from the company - and in those days a telex was something reserved for communications that were urgent - to say that all was well, that they were interested and that they were writing a letter with details!
What were the chances of them sending a telex answering a letter that had never been sent? I would say virtually zero. I can only assume that there was some kind of telepathic communication - and this was from Denmark to Australia, just about the other side of the planet!
Whether or not telepathy is a fact, we would be wise to treat our thoughts as if they were transparent to all. This may indeed give us food for thought! Also, we do not necessarily have to do anything (in the normal sense). We can create an effect simply with our thoughts. Practitioners of various forms of meditation have said this all along. This would explain the 'hundredth monkey' phenomenon (whereby a change made by a small number in a group can 'mysteriously' influence the whole group). This does not mean that action, in the more conventional sense, is no longer relevant or necessary. But maybe it should be food for thought!
David Findlay is editor of "Tampa Bay New Times".
He is also a certified trauma specialist with a private practice in Clearwater,
FL. (727) 449-8964. david@altnewtimes.com.
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