This is the question and perhaps the task of life for each of us. In a day, 40,000 to 60,000 thoughts pass through our minds. This raises the further question of how aware we are of all these thoughts, how much attention we pay to them and how positive, kind and, above all, how truly they are.
And be honest with yourself – if we stop for a moment right now and become aware of what is going through our minds it’s probably not going to be focused on world peace and love of neighbor… Our thought content is more likely to be focused on more mundane activities, such as evaluating our work performance, family life, or judging the people around us, which is such a favorite habit of our wild and crazy minds. Most of our thoughts are weighed down by the past and influenced by fear of the future. Likewise, they are accompanied by evaluation and criticism, whether of ourselves or others.
However – what if we wake up one morning, open our eyes and realize that we are not what we think we think about? That it is possible to be in control of the mind rather than being under its domination? That we are not a slave to our thoughts? Yes, it is possible, but it takes time, hard work, patience and faith that it can be done. After meditations in which we observe thought content, we can quite often be surprised by what we think about, what we are afraid of, and what is limiting us from living happier lives.
Our thoughts can hurt us, underestimate us, destroy us, and sometimes drive us to mental insanity to the point of immense pain that is incredibly real. Thoughts can hurt, they are capable of killing our potential, self-love, self-esteem, worldview and attitude towards other people. Thoughts can sometimes create parallel worlds of suffering and catastrophe that have not yet happened and may never happen. Thoughts of past events can bring with a reproachful tone a sorrow for something we can no longer change, remake or hide.
Therefore, it is always good to remember that we are not their slaves and we create our own reality by the thoughts we choose carefully and thoughtfully.