How to Give your Brain a Break and Get More Done
By Gordon David Durich
Ralph Waldo Emerson, father of Transcendentalism, poet and philosopher answered the question “What is the hardest task in the world?” with the simple answer “to think.” Emerson’s intense study in philosophy, religion and literature may explain that. And in an age sans the “click on and off” convenience we are accustomed to. Also a speaker, Emerson’s examination of self reliance was a recurrent theme in his work. The need for each individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow their own instincts and ideas, culminated in his thought provoking work “Self Reliance.” He also believed “a man is what he thinks about all day long.”
“A Mind Too Active is No Mind At All.” Theodore Roethke
I ‘m mad about the “philosophies” of Oscar Wilde and his direct, often “politically incorrect” bent on life. “Thinking is the most unhealthy thing in the world,” he said, “and people die of it just as they die of any other disease.”
Action is what Thinking is overthought. I think. At least in my humble opinion. What do you think? Or not think? “The best things happen when you’re not overthinking it,” as baseballer Ben Zobrist put it. Quite a bold statement but worth considering. In life, it’s the mental battle or striking a balance between thinking and overthinking.
Thinking or taking action… take an athlete, where it’s the unwitting goal of being in the “zone.” When in this state, it’s simply free from overthinking and moving instinctually, which generates a cerebral natural high. Making decisions according to the unconscious or imagined rather than the rational, or real. The same kind of mindset could be applied to actors, writers and others who rely on thought for results.
Action is what separates the “us” from the “them” in society, work and play. Stop those nasty thoughts swirling around in your head, and “Go!” as Bonaparte put it.
That could apply to almost anything, from athletics to public speaking to changing lanes on the freeway.