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Thread: Do we control our thoughts?

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    Default Do we control our thoughts?

    So I was reading this David Mamet book, and he states that people do not control their thoughts or emotions.

    Do you agree? If not, how do you personally control your thoughts?

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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by Circe View Post
    So I was reading this David Mamet book, and he states that people do not control their thoughts or emotions.

    Do you agree? If not, how do you personally control your thoughts?
    I never really thought about that....hmmm i cant control my thoughts or emotions because they occur naturally. I can control my actions though.

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    God/dess greenidlady1's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    I think we can. I think if we recognize something we may be thinking about is not beneficial to us we can make a choice to distract ourselves. As far as emotions go I have made choices as to whether I wanted to cry or hold it back. I have choices to sit down and relax as opposed to get angry and do something I would later regret...

  4. #4
    Lola Rose
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    no, you do not control your thoughts, the government does!

    j/k.

    it's modern media, really.

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    Banned Katrine's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    Which Mamet is this? He's great.

    "Have you ever been to American wedding? Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?" - GB
    "And do the cats give a shit? No, they do not. Why? Because they're cats."-from The Onion

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    If a cupcake was tossed at me... well, I'd only be upset if it missed my mouth

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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    ^This one:



    And yeah, he's awesome.

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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by Circe View Post
    So I was reading this David Mamet book, and he states that people do not control their thoughts or emotions.

    Do you agree? If not, how do you personally control your thoughts?
    I agree with Mamet. However, because I'm feeling intellectually lazy this morning, I chose 2 quotes that I agreed with regarding people's thoughts and emotions...

    Thought
    "But you don't decide what to do with the info. Thought runs you. Thought, however, gives false info that you are running it, that you are the one who controls thought. Whereas actually thought is the one which controls each one of us."
    - David Bohm (Physicist)

    Emotion
    "The problem with emotion was that it was clearly something important, but--at least according to the old philosophy--it was something to overcome."
    - Donald Norman (Cognitive Scientist)

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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    I think the mind is secondary to what the heart desires.
    JK Jim

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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by greenidlady1 View Post
    I think we can.

    Purple elephants and silver forks slice green socks.

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    C'mon, admit it... You had no control over the purple elephants, silver forks and/or green socks that just sliced through your mind through no action of your own, right?

    Certainly you did not volitionally instigate those thoughts, right?

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    Featured Member Jezzebelle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    I dont think we can control our thoughts, and would we really want to? We would stop learning if we could.

    Being in control of emotions, at least having a good E.Q is desired though I think.
    I dont have a good E.Q, but Im working on it.

    But then Im not working on it too much as I like being the lil` messed up me I am. I stopped indulging in therapy a long time ago- lifes too short to try and be perfect
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    Quote Originally Posted by Circe View Post
    So I was reading this David Mamet book, and he states that people do not control their thoughts or emotions.

    Do you agree? If not, how do you personally control your thoughts?
    Body lanuguage has been an interest of mine for 30 years, so I can give a partial response to your question.

    Our body language determines our emotional state and our emotional state determines our body language.

    If we walk into a strange situation and we are not feeling confident, it's been shown that if we adopt/mimic confident body language we start to feel more confident. Thus body language can have an inflence on our mood.

    Conversely, if we are in a strange situation and our body language is not confident, it's picked up by other people. (We all read each others body language even if it might not be a conscious action).

    Their body language might then begin to radiate superiority gestures, making us less confident in our turn.

    On a personal level I use that knowledge - if I walk into a room at a party and there's no-one there I know, I'll try and keep my body language saying "friendly and approachable" and hope other people react accordingly - which (unless the group is the room are all close personal friends and I'm the outsider) they'll usually do.

    To that extent I'm influencing my thoughts and emotions and the thoughts and emotions of people I interact with.

    Phil.

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    Featured Member Jezzebelle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    Well I just ate a whole pizza that was far too big for me. So if I stop slouching, frowning and hold my thigh, and sit up right and start smiling- Ill stop feeling so grossed out?

    Only joking, I agree with what you just said. But that pizza really was too big, yuk.
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    Default Re: Do we control our thoughts?

    We can come to understand our thoughts better. Practices such as meditation are very helpful in this area. This would be a way to control them. For example, if a thought at first angers us but upon more reflection we realize that the anger really was unwarranted then we have in effect "controlled" our thoughts. The next time that thought/feeling comes up it may not anger us at all.

    Most of our thoughts are taught to us. We can be taught different things and thus change our thoughts (think about the differences between different cultures). An extreme example would be brainwashing. This in effect changes someones thoughts. I am certain there are less drastic ways to do so.

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