[MD] Keep on Truckin'

[MarshaV]

Mark,

I define 'thinking' as the conventional naming and narration mentally 
constructed using words.  Awareness, on the other hand, can be of all 
types of non-verbal experiences.  


Marsha 






On May 11, 2011, at 11:56 PM, 118 wrote:

> Hi Marsha,
> I think if you pay attention you will notice that we do not think in
> words.  The only time we do is when we are formulating a communication
> or thinking within the social level.  Thinking is much deeper than
> that, and words are just the tip of the iceberg (as it were).  Most of
> our thinking goes unnoticed by that focussed part. You may be speaking
> of is the difference between psychological "attention" and
> consciousness.  This is poorly informed Western psychology that
> presents such a dichotomy.
> 
> Have you ever heard of "thinking without thinking"?  This is popular
> terminology within Zen for the process of mindfulness, and it is just
> that.  Strange I know for those who live in a world of words.
> Attention, in its Western form, has been relegated to a function
> required for survival (you know, all those Darwin worshipers).
> Certainly, a focal point of attention helps us perform tasks, but what
> do you think the rest of the brain is doing during this time, standing
> idly by?  That just would not make sense.  Ever have a thought
> suddenly appear in focus out of nowhere.  Don't you think that there
> was something going on to produce that thought?
> 
> It does not take much of the brain to be in attention, and the rest of
> the brain is not asleep during this time.  Because of Western
> psychology, many believe that they are their focussed thoughts.  This
> is really a shame since it is so untrue.  What a waste that would be
> if the sum total of ourselves where just what we were focussing on at
> the time.  This occupies about 1% of our total thinking.  If you let
> your thoughts go free, do not concentrate on them, but just observe
> them as something that is happening to you, you will find that there
> is much more going on in there.  Certainly do not take my word for it,
> but don't waste your life surrounded by static quality.
> 
> Good luck,
> Mark
> 
> On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 1:20 PM, MarshaV <valkyr at att.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Mark,
>> 
>> On May 11, 2011, at 3:59 PM, 118 wrote:
>> 
>>> Mark:
>>> What you say below is incorrect.  You are speaking of the Social
>>> Level.  We think outside of language and only use it for
>>> communication.
>> 
>> Marsha:
>> I am speaking about thinking, not consciousness.  I am sure human
>> beings are conscious of many experiences outside of language: smell,
>> taste, hearing, touch and sight to name the most obvious.
>> 
>> 
>>> Mark:
>>> Many things are true to the individual; things are
>>> only agreed on at the Social level.
>> 
>> Marsha:
>> I understand thinking to go on at both the Social and Intellectual
>> Levels.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Wed, May 11, 2011 at 1:51 AM, MarshaV <valkyr at att.net> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Hello Arlo,
>>>> 
>>>> Been thinking that we can think and characterize reality only subject to language, which is conventional (sq) and says nothing ultimately true.  Do you accept your last statement  (Assimilating language...) as true?
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Marsha
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> On May 10, 2011, at 12:21 PM, Arlo Bensinger wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> [Marsha]
>>>>> Is this about an autonomous individual?
>>>>> 
>>>>> [Arlo]
>>>>> No. In this paragraph the author is stating the extremes, or poles, of "structure" (determinism?) and "agency" (free will?). There have been other terms for these, but within structuration theories (such as Giddens, Archer, Parker and Bourdieu), these are recast not as antagonist forces, but mutually enabling and mutually supportive. Agency is always enacted within structure, and structure is always influenced by agency. Greater structure brings greater agency, simplistically, rather than being inversely related. The incredibly rapidity of world travel, and the ensuing "freedom" to move around the globe, rests on a very complex structure of mechanics, navigation, flight theory, schedules, airports, etc etc etc. If you remove the structure, the agency of  the individual to move around is severely diminished. Moreso, Boudieu also considers the same duality regarding "words" which Mark seems to suggest is a form of imprisonment. Assimilating language provides us with far gre
>>  at
>>>>  er capacity to act than a feral human would have, albeit it at the same time (like roadways) channeling our thoughts in certain ways.


 
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