Wherever our attention lands becomes our reality of the moment. Positive thoughts lift our shoulders and the corners of our mouths. When sad thoughts dominate, our posture droops with our mood. Even childhood memories and imagined scenarios create responses in our bodies – sometimes joy, pleasure, confusion, fear, sadness, anger, or even apathy. My reaction to this is… really? It doesn’t seem to matter whether thoughts are truth or fantasy – dwelling on them affects us deeply.

We know that an animated character in a movie is not real, but that doesn’t stop us from gasping – when another drawing – this time of a sledgehammer – flattens the cartoon character.

Without thought the experience of being human would be very different. Thought slices the world into pieces of form – things, and concepts about things – very useful and necessary for us to function.

It's helpful to have a word for “rock “ that differentiates it from “pillow. "

When we want someone to pass the butter, it's necessary to have a shared understanding that identifies “butter” from other foods, and the concept of “pass” from other actions.

All words and the objects or actions they describe – whether in reality, virtual reality, films, dreams, art, or imagination – require the mediation of an interpretive mind.

The words “dog with fan” don’t completely capture what we see in this photo. Instead, our mental process creates an interpretation. I chuckled and identified with the dog’s seeming enjoyment of the fan’s cooling effect. I felt happy. You may have a different response based on your thoughts – like concern for the dog’s safety.

I’m fascinated by what just happened. First I formed assumptions about what I saw in a photo. Then I believed my own assumptions. Finally, my body reacted to these assumptions enough for me to smile, relax, and feel enjoyment.

It seems that we respond to reality and simulations of realty in similar ways.

This raises lots of questions. If we imagine we’ve been insulted, do we react with the same intensity as if it’s true? When our thoughts search for the reasons behind the imagined slight, does it escalate the sense of separation? Family feuds are based on such flimsy evidence. Broken friendships happen because of just such faulty assumptions. What we think alters our lives.

Do we have control over thoughts? Can we select only positive thoughts and bypass the negative ones? If logic ruled, we would. Why feel badly about a weather forecast before it really happens? Why allow a bad review to squelch the anticipation of seeing a film? Why worry about annoying someone before it really happens?

“The world we have created is a product of our thinking; it cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” – ALBERT EINSTEIN

Can we change our thinking? Start by questioning what I say in this blog. I hope it’s intriguing – but please keep asking, “Really?”