On Being Thoughtless

sramirez652
Dec 15
2 min read

“None of the things in life - like love or faith - was arrived at by thinking; indeed, one could almost define the things that mattered as the ones that came as suddenly as thunder.”

~ Pico Iyer

Sometimes I try to be thoughtless – and by this I do not mean that I am stiving to be inconsiderate but rather, being without thoughts that come to be as a jabbering of voices in my head.

I find this to be extremely difficult when I’m alone and nearly impossible when I’m surrounded by the voices of others.

With effort and concentration I can manage something akin to thoughtlessness while practicing meditation, yoga, or while fly fishing…

... but the only place were I can become quiet inside with consistent ease is when I am immersed in Nature and focused on the moment as it flashes by me.

Only then will the movie of my life unfold before me, not because I will it to do so, but rather – because I allow it to come naturally.

In my life, all things that have truly mattered to me have come, “as suddenly as thunder.”

Whenever I write – I just write.

I act as a conduit for the universe and after I am done writing I go back to read whet the universe told me and almost always – I am astonished. I think to myself, “Did I write that?”

And then I think, “Is what I wrote written in my own voice or in some universal voice?”

But then I accept that there is no difference between my voice and all voices if I simply begin thoughtlessly.

Only when we listen to the tiny voices of our childhood wounds of our parents, preachers, teachers, and peers… does our voice become small and insignificant – arguing for our own limitations and in doing so, ensuring they belong to us.

The next time you find yourself speaking in the language of society, religion, or any other dogma of mortal limitations tell that voice to “shut the fuck up” and give yourself a moment - to become thoughtless.

When we are born, we contain the entire wild universe.

It’s only after we are domesticated that we become empty, lonely, needy, and lost.

Chose to be free yet connected.

Chose to be thoughtless in that you become open to the Life as it unfolds and the wisdom of the stories it will tell.

Chose to be One.

To do this, invest some time in Nature sitting beside a stream or ocean and simply listing to the sounds of water, wind, and birdsong.