The pedantry of the mind

What is the mind like?!

(No. 3,729 in an infinite series)

So we’re all in the car. Chatting away, catching up.

I’m talking about a friend of ours in conversation, referring to him in passing as ‘young Philippe’.

A little voice pipes up to interrupt me from the back seat:

“He’s not actually all that young though, is he Dad?”

“Well, no, but, you know, turn of phrase and all that. You know exactly who I mean. Anyway…”

I carry on with the story, but am interrupted again, almost immediately:

“And Dad, his name’s not actually ‘Philippe’ is it?”

🤦🏻‍♂️😆

It reminded me of what my mind’s like.

All day long it’s scanning every nano-parcel of information it sees and making judgements: is this right, is it wrong, is it good, is it bad?

Because that’s just what minds do.

They’re little algorithmic computers, running the scripts of our conditioning. And there’s bugger all we can do about that.

Mine pipes up to interrupt everything I’m doing, all the time.

It’s very opinionated, it has its own set of rules (that apply to it, and it alone) and it thinks that it would help me, and the world in general, if everyone just GOT WITH THE DAMNED PROGRAMME AND AGREED WITH IT.

🤨

If I paid it much attention, I’m not sure I’d get much done.

In fact, it would probably ruin my day.

‘Cos I’d be too busy being distracted by the conversations it was having with itself about how that’s wrong, they’re wrong, and how is everything so wrong all of a sudden?!?!

…and I’d be missing out on life.

For what?

I’m reminded of a great question that Richard Carlson recommends we regularly ask of ourselves, in one of his books:

“Do I want to be right, or do I want to be happy?”

I know which I choose.

How about you?

💟

Giles

Related

Do you want to be right?

I’m going to give you a clear choice. You can only choose one. Which is it? ⚖️

The Daily RemindersGiles P Croft